"Hilichurls are transformed Khaenri'ahns?!" Everyone present was shocked to hear Dain's words.
Who would have thought that the ubiquitous Hilichurls were once living people?
Of course, Ember, who was standing by, was an exception.
"Precisely. Not only that, but the Abyss Order is also a remnant of the ancient nation of Khaenri'ah."
"And mechanical constructs like Ruin Guards and Ruin Graders—anything you can't decipher is very likely a creation left behind by Khaenri'ah."
Dain nodded, then listed more traces of Khaenri'ah's existence.
"All of these?" Xingqiu seemed a bit incredulous. He swallowed and asked, "But with such powerful strength, how could it not have left any trace in history?"
Thinking of the number of Hilichurls and Ruin Guards wandering the wilderness, Xingqiu couldn't help but shiver slightly.
How could a nation with such powerful strength not have left any trace at all?
"Powerful? But these all originate from a godless nation." Dain's expression was complex, showing both pride in Khaenri'ah's prosperity and lament for its current plight.
"A godless nation?" Chongyun couldn't imagine what a nation without gods would be like.
Their Exorcists' lineage originated from the Adepti, and the Adepti's power, in turn, came from Lord Rex Lapis. If there were no gods, the role of an Exorcist would be meaningless.
"Yes, the gods did not die or leave; rather, they never existed in Khaenri'ah's history from the very beginning."
"This was a powerful nation belonging solely to humanity." As Dain spoke, his tone involuntarily filled with pride.
But soon, this pride quickly dissipated, returning to Dain's usual calm.
"But five hundred years ago, The Seven Nations descended upon Khaenri'ah, uprooting humanity's pride. The Hilichurls scattered across the land are a curse cast by the gods."
Although Dain tried to keep his tone calm, a hint of sadness and indignation inevitably appeared in him.
"How could this be?" Paimon seemed very incredulous. Recalling his experiences with Venti and Zhongli, Paimon felt that they were not that kind of god.
"This..." Xingqiu's face showed bitterness. He took a deep breath and said, "I don't quite believe this claim. There must be some hidden truth."
Not just him, Chongyun's expression wasn't much better. Dain's words were undoubtedly a heavy blow to his spirit.
Among them, Shenhe was the calmest. He felt nothing about what Dain described.
For him, there were only a few people he cared about. As long as these people were not involved, Shenhe felt that even if the world collapsed, he would still be alive.
"You're thinking too much. This doesn't seem to affect your future lives, does it?" Ember said, seeing Xingqiu and Chongyun's faces twisted together like bitter gourd skin, and couldn't help but console them.
"It does affect me. My food doesn't taste good anymore." Xingqiu said, nodding with a bitter gourd face.
"Are you arguing with me? When you're as strong as Zhongli, then go ask him!"
"No, even if you ask me, he probably won't say. You'd have to be strong enough to torture him."
Ember shook his head and rambled on, but only got one sentence from Xingqiu.
"Who is Zhongli?"
"Why are you asking so many questions, kid?" Ember pushed Xingqiu far away with a large hand, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into the topic.
Seeing this, the somewhat somber atmosphere immediately livened up.
Five hundred years—that was too long for ordinary people. Even if they knew there was a hidden truth in that time, they couldn't do anything.
"Then the Loom of Fate means..." Lumine's mind became a little clearer.
"It means to reweave the destiny of the Khaenri'ahns, to free them from their Hilichurl identity."
Dain said it for Lumine.
"Then this is a good thing!" Paimon heard this and immediately felt that the plan sounded quite good.
"No, you're thinking too optimistically about this plan." Dain shook his head. "Leaving aside how high the level of the Hilichurl curse is, just consider the number. Why do you think there are so many Hilichurls?"
"Because there are many Khaenri'ahns?" Paimon's mind was very direct, not turning a single corner.
"Heh, so many that you can't kill them all even after hundreds of years?" Dain sneered and shook his head.
"This... it seems so." Paimon covered his forehead. He suddenly discovered a huge loophole.
That is, no matter how many Hilichurls were killed, they seemed endless.
"Let me put it this way: nine out of ten Hilichurls you see now have 'died' multiple times."
Dain rested his chin on his fingers and added, "It's not quite accurate to say that. Except for the first true death, all the others are reincarnations among fakes."
"I see!"
Everyone present fell into contemplation, except for Ember, who clapped his hands as if he had understood something.
"What did you find out?" Dain's forehead immediately broke out in a sweat. He was really afraid that Ember would come up with another outrageous statement.
"Nothing, I just realized why I haven't been gaining weight lately." Ember scratched his back, saying nonchalantly.
He wondered why he had slain so many Hilichurls, yet the wisdom souls he absorbed were so few. So that was why.
Dain looked at Ember upon hearing this. Hmm... the armor was very large, which made Ember's physique appear extremely sturdy.
Under this plate armor, it was impossible to tell whether he had gained or lost weight.
"You still care about that?" Paimon looked incredulous. He didn't think Ember looked like someone who would pay attention to such things.
"Occasionally, I do." Ember nodded. He was still a tiny bit concerned about his figure.
It's okay to be thin, but he had to watch out for getting fat.
"Fakes? What does that mean?" Lumine ignored Paimon and Ember's chatter. He frowned, a bit confused.
"Most of the Hilichurls you see now emerge when Ley Line nodes are blocked."
"They all left an imprint in the Ley Lines at a certain point in time, and when the Ley Lines were disturbed, they got a chance to reappear."
"How much of that is a natural phenomenon and how much is the work of the Abyss Order is unknown."
Dain explained, seeing everyone's puzzled expressions.
"So it seems the Abyss Order intends to mass-produce imbeciles. How vicious!"
Ember couldn't help but exclaim with emotion. He hadn't expected that just as he was figuring out how to create imbeciles with magic, someone was already planning to mass-produce them.
Truly, the world is in decline, and hearts are no longer ancient!
"What do you mean?" Concerned about his brother, Lumine didn't want to miss any details.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. If it's truly as Dain says, then most of the current Hilichurls have bodies first, then souls."
"The newly conceived souls have no relation to the Khaenri'ahns. Even if the curse is lifted, it will probably just mean one less Hilichurl and one more imbecile in this world."
"And they'll be imbeciles who like to rob and bully Slimes."
Ember recalled the Hilichurls' habits and added.
"Bodies appearing before souls? Shouldn't the soul be superior to the body?" Chongyun rubbed his temples, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"How can you say they should be on the same level? You'll know if you check whether there are more vegetative people or more wild ghosts."
Ember gave an example that Chongyun couldn't refute.
"Generally speaking, body and soul are interdependent; neither can exist without the other."
"Lack a soul, and you become a vegetative person; lack a body, and you become a wild ghost."
"As for the Hilichurls that emerge from the Ley Lines, they should inherently have some residual memories within them. These memories, nurtured by the body, eventually transform into a soul."
Ember eloquently put forth a series of conjectures.
"So..."
"So the Abyss Order's plan is to mass-produce imbeciles, hoping to drag down The Seven Nations' finances and overthrow the order on the surface!"
Ember declared decisively. His tone was filled with something called "confidence."
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