The episode ended, showing a closeup of Feixiao's striking face.
Once again, MiHoYo showcased its masterful cliffhanger.
---------------------------------
: Ahhhh! Why did they cut the episode off at this point?!
: Damn cliffhanger dogs!
: I want to see the continuation of the battle of wits! Damn, why is the Xianzhou declaring war on Destruction?!
: This is unbearable! Waiting again, do we have to suffer another whole week?!
: Damn it, miHoYo, you really know how to toy with the audience! Damn, !
: I want to see the next episode right now!
: At first, the first half felt kind of confusing, like just normal daily life stuff, but the further the plot went, the more thrilling it became!
...
The barrage chat was filled with wails.
But once the episode ends, it's over.
Unwilling viewers flooded into the forums like crazy.
Not just to vent. A good number of them only relied on the big-brained commentators in the barrage to understand some parts.
Many still didn't quite grasp the whole episode.
On the forums, there were many posts like these:
#Am I the only one who didn't understand the two hidden plotlines in today's episode?#
#Why did they officially declare war on Destruction? Weren't they already fighting Abundance?#
#Over there, Hoolay broke out of prison, the generals knew, but then suddenly they declare war on Destruction, why? Isn't that too disconnected?#
#Waiting for the experts to explain#
Besides those posts asking for explanations, many experts' analyses also started spreading rapidly.
On a well-known barrage website, after finishing their live watching session, Rion and Miss Yun didn't log off, but instead patiently explained the audience's confusion.
...
: Host, Host, I didn't really get it.
: The comment experts say this episode had both a surface and hidden plotline running together, but it really felt disjointed to me.
: Did you understand, Host?! I really want to know why.
: It feels like this episode had so many big things hidden inside, but I just couldn't see clearly.
...
Seeing the dense wall of questions on the barrage, Rion smiled and said: "Don't worry, one by one."
"Let's start with the very beginning, the simplest question."
"The dual surface-and-hidden structure in this episode is actually very simple."
"The surface plotline is one sentence: Borisin wanted to break into prison, and with the help of a mole in Luofu, successfully rescued Hoolay."
"The hidden plotline is this: the high-level Alliance doesn't trust Luofu, so they sent two generals to investigate Jing Yuan and Luofu."
She typed these two simple explanations onto the screen.
Rion continued:
"What many didn't understand is that these two plotlines don't seem to intersect much, which makes it feel very fragmented, right?"
...
: Yeah, like over here Hoolay and the moles are super active, but then it cuts to the generals discussing something completely different.
: I know it's all under Jing Yuan's perspective, but when I saw Hoolay successfully escape, I still didn't get why Jing Yuan would allow that to happen.
: Meanwhile, they introduced new characters like Yunli, Yanqing, Jiaoqiu, Moze, Feixiao, their stories are great, but aren't they all kind of disconnected?
: And yet, it feels like the generals and the others hinted at some huge bigger picture.
...
The viewers felt like Rion's words hit the nail on the head.
Looking at the comments, Rion adjusted her tone:
"How should I put it? When watching Xianzhou, you can't just watch Xianzhou."
"Whether it was the first Luofu storyline, or the current Luminary Wardance arc…"
"miHoYo is using a different method from the main story to further flesh out the Xianzhou Alliance."
"And when you go deeper, you inevitably touch on bigger, more serious, more realistic logic."
"This is maybe because the Xianzhou Alliance's main story is one of the more important storylines of the Honkai Star Rail universe."
At this point, seeing the audience even more confused, Rion zoomed in on the hidden plotline.
"To understand what I mean, you have to start with the hidden plotline."
"What is the hidden plotline? Is it Jing Yuan fishing for suspects, or those schemers behind the scenes?"
"No. Because those people aren't qualified for that."
"The real hidden plotline, and the Xianzhou Alliance's real contradiction, is this: the foundation of the Alliance is beginning to loosen. Xianzhou has reached a crossroads of destiny, and must decide the path ahead!"
"This was made extremely clear through Borisin!"
"Through his words, the thousand-year history of Borisin was laid out."
"Ordinary viewers might just feel excited, thinking Xianzhou finally beat those Denizens of Abundance, finally vented their rage!"
"They think no one can threaten the survival of the Xianzhou Alliance anymore!"
"But it's exactly because no one can threaten the Alliance's survival that the Alliance has reached its most critical, most dangerous moment!"
Her words struck like thunder, making the livestream audience's scalps tingle.
Many only realized the deeper point after she said it. Rion herself grew excited, speaking passionately:
"Because they solved the survival crisis, they now fell into an even deeper crisis."
"It sounds contradictory, but for Xianzhou, it fits perfectly!"
"Because Xianzhou follows the Path of the Hunt!"
"Their alliances, their treaties with the Vidyadhara and the Foxians… The foundation of Xianzhou society and culture was built upon revenge, upon hatred of the Denizens of Abundance."
"But now, that threat has been essentially eliminated. The foundation that united them is dissolving."
"That's the core contradiction hinted at in this episode through Borisin's words!"
....
: Damn?! So that's what it was about?
: If hunters no longer have prey, then yeah, that really would cause huge problems.
: But… doesn't that mean the Alliance has more freedom now, not less?
...
Seeing some still unconvinced, Rion shook her head.
"Xianzhou was built upon the Hunt. If you revisit Xianzhou's 'Chronicles of the Thousand Stars,' you'll see."
"In that age of panic, people needed an enemy to unite the faction."
"And the best choice back then was to embrace the Hunt."
"They chose the Path of the Hunt instead of the Preservation not only because Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt, was very likely a Xianzhou native."
"More importantly, Xianzhou, the Vidyadhara, and the Foxians all suffered greatly under the threat of the Denizens of Abundance."
"Xianzhou itself once received blessings from Abundance, the Vidyadhara were hunted because of their hatching rebirth, and the Foxians, well, no need to even mention it."
"To embark on the path of the Hunt, and to take Abundance as prey, is a goal recognized by all, because it also concerns everyone's own survival."
"And on the road of expedition and pursuit, through the blood of both enemies and themselves, the Xianzhou Alliance was finally forged."
"This is the optimal solution for the Xianzhou Alliance, which held the three races together."
"As I mentioned before, the relationship between Lan and the Xianzhou is extremely delicate. Never has there been an Aeon who looks after the forces that believe in them in this way, look at the Amber King."
At this point.
Even the audience who didn't understand before, now understood.
The Denizens of Abundance had lost their qualification as enemies, and without an 'enemy', The alliance that had hunted for so long would inevitably collapse.
Once fragmented, could it still be called a great power? And naturally, the advantages of being a great power would also vanish.
This problem was extremely serious.
The sharp-minded viewers had already connected the dots.
For example, why was the first battlefield where Phantylia dismantled the alliance Luofu?
Because under Jing Yuan's governance, Luofu had enjoyed peace for a long time. And when peace lasts too long, when the sense of survival crisis is lost, decadence arises.
The Disciples of Medicus Sanctus, the Preceptors, all can be traced to this reason.
Put simply, they had lived too well. If Phantylia had dared to choose Yaoqing or Fanghu, places either constantly at war, or where they had barely managed to stabilize things, would the people there still wreck havoc internally?
"Once you understand these issues, you'll realize that whether it's outsiders or traitors, they aren't the true concern of the three generals."
"What troubles them is the choice of direction: to continue following the Hunt, or to turn aside, and seek another path."
"The Ten-Lords Commission is the gathering of Xianzhou's history and will."
"Because in the past, without relying on a Aeon, only through their own strength, they pulled the Xianzhou out of the Abundance trap. Their view of the Aeons is pure pragmatism: if you benefit the Xianzhou, we believe in you; if not, we switch to another."
"Hence, they are the radical faction."
"This is evident from what happened to Jingliu."
"Hunting Denizens of Abundance, refining swordsmanship, unwavering until death, even after being corrupted with Mara, still thinking of fighting Abundance. Could anyone be more loyal to the Hunt?"
"Yet even so, the Ten-Lords Commission ordered her expulsion."
"And the Arbiter-Generals' positions originate from the Hunt's bestowals. This structure of authority has already sunk into every aspect of the Xianzhou. The Marshal, too, is the helmsman of the Xianzhou."
"Adding to that, Lan's own ambiguous relationship with the military of the Xianzhou, "
"So these people naturally stand entirely on the side of the Hunt."
"They follow the ancient path of the Hunt, and so they are the conservatives."
"Killing Denizens of Abundance, governing internally, all for the sake of making the Xianzhou better.
This is their core question."
"But no matter what, though the two factions differ in ideals, their common goal is still the same: to protect the Xianzhou, to make the Xianzhou better."
"Note, although the Ten-Lords Commission may be pragmatic, they do not lack feeling for the Hunt. Rather, they prepare for the worst, for the day when the alliance loses its goal, and the Hunt can no longer serve as the foundation binding everyone together."
"If the Hunt can continue, then of course the Ten-Lords Commission would gladly support it. After all this time on the Hunt, would they really abandon it lightly?"
After Rion finished this analysis, the undercurrents that were obscure in the show finally surfaced clearly in the minds of the audience.
...
: I see now, the host explained it too clearly, suddenly everything makes sense.
: So they chose another target, Destruction…
: Damn…
: And this choice had to be one that all of the Xianzhou would accept, otherwise they couldn't maintain unity.
: Thinking about it this way, before Destruction posed a survival crisis, this target really couldn't have been chosen.
: After all, if it didn't strike them directly, no one would accept adding a new prey.
: No wonder the Ten-Lords Commission and the Generals were both watching Luofu, because what happened there became the key turning point!
: So, when Phantylia set her eyes on the Xianzhou, the Xianzhou had already set its eyes on her? No, on Destruction?
...
The alliance needed to shape a new enemy.
Only an enemy that threatened the very survival of the Xianzhou could allow the Hunt to continue binding this massive force together.
But before this, regarding Destruction, though there had been some portrayal, the Xianzhou itself and its people had never directly felt the crisis it brought.
Though everyone understood that destruction was the underlying goal of that Aeon, if one day the Marshal suddenly declared war against Destruction, many would not accept it.
How long would it take for the universe to be destroyed, and must we be the ones to play savior?
Besides, at that time the argument simply lacked persuasive power.
But after Phantylia's attack on Luofu, the situation became delicate.
Damn!
Destruction had invaded the Xianzhou. Nanook, that bastard, wanted to annihilate them.
The Alliance's survival instinct immediately triggered.
Forewarned is forearmed; survival is at stake; strike first; fight back with all might, these martial qualities, left behind from the struggle against Abundance, resurfaced once again.
The Alliance took it very seriously, terrified to the core! Thus, ever since the Luofu crisis erupted, overwhelming reports swept through the news.
And at that moment, the actions of the outsiders and the preceptors would only heighten the already growing anxiety among the people.
The tragedies once suffered on their own soil re-emerged in their minds.
And if, at this time, the Marshal and the Ten-Lords Commission jointly declared: "We must wage war against Destruction."
How would people react?
Fight! Never let the flames of war reach the Xianzhou!
So while Phantylia thought she had set her sights on the Xianzhou Alliance, in truth, the Xianzhou Alliance had also gotten a justification to target The Destruction.
Her actions only confirmed the Alliance's justification.
The choice of path, the disappearance of the enemy, everything was resolved.
We were just lacking an excuse to strike you! Now that Destruction has fixed its gaze upon us, we'll just fight back.
-----------------------------------
[ T / N: My head hurts because of translating the last few chapters :)
How many of you properly understood this part? Be honest! ]