Then they remembered those Borisin, struggling desperately to rescue their warlord… It gave everyone a strange sense of déjà vu.
Like, damn, isn't this just three Arbiter-Generals toying with them?
--------------------------------------
The three generals were loudly conspiring in the Palace of the Hours.
Dan Heng was listening.
And he thought even more.
For example, the issue about not speaking certain matters in front of outsiders.
Logically speaking, these things should not have been said in front of "outsiders."
Perhaps, the Arbiter-Generals truly did not regard the Nameless as outsiders. But Stelle did not think that much.
With the spirit of trailblazing zeal, in Stelle's eyes, going to the Shackling Prison was just doing a friend a favor.
On the road to the Shackling Prison, Stelle looked at Dan Heng, who had remained silent the entire way, and asked in puzzlement:
"Dan Heng, why haven't you said anything along the way?"
Dan Heng shook his head: "It's nothing, I just can't figure it out."
Stelle became more puzzled: "Can't figure out what?"
Dan Heng lifted his head, his eyes full of deep thought: "The generals' words."
Stelle scratched his head: "Wasn't everything joyful just now? General Jing Yuan seems free from misunderstanding, and General Feixiao also negotiated smoothly."
"I'm a native, so I'm more sensitive in certain aspects. Maybe I'm overthinking…"
Dan Heng glanced at Stelle, hesitated a little, then said: "The three generals may not have deliberately spoken in front of me, but they also didn't avoid the topic. In short, if my understanding of the Xianzhou's history isn't wrong, then what they were discussing in mere fragments…"
The matter was truly of great weight.
At this point, Dan Heng's expression also grew solemn, and he said word by word:
"It concerns major affairs of the Xianzhou's direction!"
"This… this serious?" Stelle's eyes widened, but he still couldn't grasp it.
"The reason is very complicated. If I guessed correctly, the Xianzhou may now already have reached the crossroads of destiny, a certain junction."
"The divisions between the Arbiter-Generals and the Ten Lords Commission originate from this."
"It's very troublesome to explain. At the very least, I'd have to begin from the…"
Dan Heng thought about it, just as he was about to explain his conjectures in detail, they had already arrived at the Shackling Prison.
The words pressing at his lips were swallowed back again.
Anyway, telling them after returning would be the same.
Dan Heng's words had made the rift mentioned by the generals earlier even plainer.
But he did not explain further. Leaving the viewers scratching their heads in frustration.
...
: Damn it, when did Dan Heng also become a riddle-speaker?
: But according to what Dan Heng said, that situation is extremely serious.
: But the Xianzhou Alliance should be among the most resolute in their path. How could they encounter such disputes?
: Maybe it's not exactly about that, but rather disagreements over the Xianzhou Alliance's next move.
: Believing in the Hunt, even the Hunt's own deity might be of Xianzhou origin. With such a start, as long as they keep following the path of the Hunt, shouldn't it be fine?
: Right, what disagreements could there be?
: Strange indeed. Perhaps there are still things we don't know.
...
The audience could only hold back their yearning to know the truth.
On the screen, led by the guards, they entered the Shackling Prison together.
Along the way, they listened to the official tell the history of the Shackling Prison and the criminals imprisoned within.
After speaking of some ordinary prisoners, the topic naturally shifted to the deepest level of the Shackling Prison…
"Speaking of felons, perhaps only that immortal one and the Borisin War Lord Hoolay are the most important."
When the official spoke, it was like storytelling, laying out the details of those two men's lives:
"This so-called immortal one, he once slaughtered countless Xianzhou people, enslaving them with the cursed true-blood rituals."
"He was originally from the Blood clan, not a Xianzhou native. By drinking blood, he obtained immortality."
"After being captured, he has been confined at the very bottom."
"As for the Borisin War Lord Hoolay, it was during a battle that the former Swordmaster, Lady Jingliu, personally subdued him."
"Because Hoolay once committed blood crimes against the Xianzhou and the foxians, he was confined at the bottom, suffering torture every day."
"Yet Hoolay had been cursed by the Plagues Author, making him nearly impossible to kill, otherwise…"
When Stelle heard this, he instinctively exclaimed:
"Blood crimes?"
"Correct."
The official nodded: "Hoolay was once the War Lord of the Borisin tribes, and the Borisin were an extremely bloodthirsty, mindless race."
In the official's narration, the Borisin's society, something the viewers had never encountered before, was painted vividly before their eyes.
A race split among themselves, living by hunting and pillaging.
The foxians were originally a branch of the Borisin, sharing the same origins.
But after receiving the Plague Patriarch's so-called "blessing of longevity," for unknown reasons, they gradually split into two groups.
The foxians became the lowest tier.
They were regarded by the Borisin as food, cannon fodder, slaves. Enduring endless oppression.
After the Borisin's first war with the Xianzhou Alliance, some foxians who refused such oppression, along with those rescued by the Alliance, joined the Xianzhou Alliance.
Out of blood hatred, these foxians were even more fearful of and hostile toward the Borisin than the Xianzhou natives themselves.
And the treatment given by the Alliance stood in stark contrast to their previous life.
Fearing ever returning to that existence, hating the fate their kin endured, the foxians fought with unmatched fervor.
They would rather die than ever return to the so-called "nest" of old.
The foxians and Borisin's shared a homeland which was called Verdantia,.
"Among them, the most hated and most sinful was Hoolay."
"He was recognized as one of the strongest Borisin War Lords in history, on par with Duran."
"To the foxians living in the Xianzhou, this man is deeply feared."
The official finished slowly.
Stelle nodded. This time she fully understood this part of history.
But many doubts still remained.
"Since they were of the same origin, why did they finally split into two? And is Hoolay really that strong? I feel like he's not as good as General Feixiao."
Stelle scratched her head and asked.
"Uh…" This directly stumped the official.
Dan Heng, at the side, picked up the thread and explained: "These two questions have the same answer, and that answer is the blessings of Abundance."
Clearly, Dan Heng understood this matter well. He began to explain in detail to Stelle.
The reason both questions had one answer was all due to the Abundance's 'blessing.'
Originally, the ancestors of both the Borisin and the foxians had lived at least as normal communities, not so savage as they later became.
Until someone first sought the Plagues Author's gift.
And the process of seeking it was extremely subtle.
According to foxians tales, the one who sought the gift of longevity from the Plagues Author was a foxian woman named Tushan.
But in the mouths of the Borisin, this person was male, and his name was Duran.
But in any case, the final result was the same: the Merciful One bestowed a miracle called the Redspring.
Just like the Xianzhou, they quickly advanced into becoming long-lived species.
At first, society didn't change much.
On Verdantia, there was no distinction between Borisin and Foxians.
But just as what happened with the Xianzhou Alliance, as the population gradually increased, their own calamity appeared.
Population expansion, ecological collapse, internal wars.
But what was different was that no hero was born among these people. After Duran unified the population and gave the order that "the stars are the grassland," true Borisin were born in the proper sense.
Moreover, during this period, Duran began to implement a kind of "racial policy," where every newborn child would have their talent tested.
Those with good talent were Borisin, those with poor talent were Foxians.
But in any case, the two branches were actually the same people, and even among the Foxians, there would appear individuals with extraordinary powers.
To completely resolve the internal chaos, Duran, who at that time was not yet the War Chief, personally sacrificed countless Borisin and Foxians, casting them into the Redspring to summon the Crimson Moon.
He swallowed the Crimson Moon whole, thus becoming the first War Chief, and set the inheritance rule:
A new War Chief kills the old one, cuts open their chest and abdomen, takes out the Crimson Moon, and swallows it, thus becoming the new War Chief.
"As for the Crimson Moon…"
"A certain scholar in the Genius Society created a pseudo-Crimson Moon based on research data, and studied it."
"The final conclusion was that the power of the Crimson Moon grants incredible evolutionary capabilities."
"By consuming different gene bodies, Hoolay continuously perfected his own genes. Before being defeated, he might have already reached near-perfection."
"That is also why he was so troublesome."
Danheng's explanation made the history and lineage of the Borisin clearer. Stelle took a breath: "That really is… such a heavy and complex history."
The audience's live comments also grew after hearing this explanation.
...
: This kind of system really is subtle…
: The rules set by Duran ensured the inheritance of legitimacy. No matter how scattered they were, as soon as a new War Chief was born, the entire tribe would immediately unify.
: After unifying, they would immediately raid the stars, right?
: Mm, no wonder people despise them.
: Speaking of which, before Duran appeared and summoned the Crimson Moon, the path of the Borisin and that of the Xianzhou were almost the same.
: Xianzhou also had population explosion and civil wars, but at that time the Ten-Lords Commission stepped out, reshaped and stabilized everything.
: Reading this, I can't help but recall the "Millennium Star Voyage" story of the Xianzhou, nothing about it was exaggerated at all…
: In that PV, the Ten-Lords Commission only appeared in a few short lines.
: In the end, it's that the Borisin lacked the qualifications as a civilization, unable to produce powerful leaders or organizations, unable to forge a new path.
: Borisin, Wingmakers, maybe all the same. Only the Xianzhou was different, able to survive a great calamity on their own.
: Now I can understand why the Ten-Lords Commission was granted equal rights and status as the Arbiter-Generals.
...
The comments scrolled by.
Many viewers, following the comments, thought back to what the Xianzhou had experienced.
Not only the initial similar hardships, but also later, the brutal wars against the Borisin and the Wingmakers.
In the "Millennium Star Voyage," that tragic history was still deeply imprinted in the audience's minds.
And upon learning of the War Chief system, the audience understood:
Even if defeated countless times, as long as a new War Chief was born, the Borisin could immediately reorganize and launch another raid.
Like a shadow that never fades.
This segment enriched the audience's understanding of the Borisin.
At least in their hearts, the Xianzhou Alliance was correct in treating them as mortal enemies.
But just then, the scene shifted.
It came to the outside of the Shackling Prison.
Several Borisin disguised as Foxians were whispering curses in a small courtyard.
"How much longer must we wait before we can return to our former glory?!"
One Borisin, dressed like a Cloud Knight, said unwillingly.
"Soon, soon. As long as we welcome back the War Chief, we can restore the glory of the Borisin!"
"Let the stars once again become our pasture!"
Another Borisin, dressed like a clerk, gritted his teeth: "Who would have thought that once-proud wolves would now be like stray dogs, anxious and restless."
"Those so-called 'Brood Lords' have been killing each other for over seven hundred years, and still no new War Chief who can command the masses has appeared. At this rate, the Borisin will…"
Their unwilling words formed a stark contrast with what Dan Heng and the others had just described about the terrifying Borisin.
The disparity was so great that even the audience was stunned.
And as the two spoke, a history different from what the Xianzhou knew appeared. Roughly like this:
...
In year XXXX, the Borisin, under War Chief Hoolay, already treated the stars as their hunting grounds, pillaging as they wished.
Damn it, why did those Xianzhou people come again? Where's the War Chief? What the hell, the War Chief was captured by a woman?!
What? That woman is called Jingliu? Is she a general? Not a general? The Swordmaster of Luofu? What kind of position is that, some kind of commander?
It's over, the War Chief was captured! We must quickly decide on a new War Chief.
Damn, how are the Xianzhou so despicable, striking when we were unprepared…
In the blink of an eye, seven hundred years passed.
The living space of the Borisin was suppressed to the extreme.
Chased everywhere by the Xianzhou Alliance like stray dogs, beaten down again and again.
The former majesty of the Borisin was utterly destroyed.
The Borisin grieved bitterly, every day drunk on memories of past glory, unable to rise again.
...
After this heart-wrenching self-description, the live comments exploded.
...
: What the hell, is this for real?
: Didn't Xianzhou history always say the wars with the Borisin were extremely costly?
: Damn, I always thought the Borisin were strong. What's this? Seven hundred years ago, the entire Borisin were crushed by the Xianzhou?
: The War Chief who swallowed the Crimson Moon was captured alive by Jingliu? Is this even real history?
: From the description, I thought it'd be something exaggerated, but it's just this?
: Damn! From wolves to Xianzhou defeating them!
: The Xianzhou really kept this quiet, huh. They never bragged about it, instead always hyping: "Damn, the Borisin are too strong, we must stay on guard!