—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "How did we already start discussing who gets to sacrifice themselves?"
Furina de Fontaine: "We haven't even reached that point yet. Don't start talking so despondently!"
Hanya: "No, as I said, none of you belong to the Shackling Prison."
Hanya: "Letting any of you fall into danger is, quite frankly, unjustifiable."
Hanya: "And as a Judge of the Shackling Prison, facing Hoolay's prison break is my duty to begin with."
Stelle: "That makes sense in theory, but we can't just stand by and watch you go to your death, can we?"
Stelle: "Sigh, say no more."
Stelle: "Looks like we have to go all out this time."
Hu Tao: "It always has to be the Astral Express crew. When something happens, you guys really step up."
Hu Tao: "But this time is truly too dangerous."
Hu Tao: "Is there really no better way?"
Fu Xuan: "For the Luofu, keeping Hoolay trapped inside the Shackling Prison is obviously the way that minimizes losses at this stage."
March 7th: "Don't worry, Yanqing is already preparing to report the discovery of the Borisin disguises."
March 7th: "By then, the Generals will definitely remember the Shackling Prison."
March 7th: "As long as we hold out until then, there's hope."
Yanqing: "But looking at the video, at this point in time, we might not even have arrived yet…"
....
『 [ The prison guards and mechanisms won't delay them for long. Follow me! ]
Hanya begins to lead the way, guiding the three of them up toward the upper levels of the Shackling Prison.
[ We're almost there! ]
[ The gate is just ahead! ]
The group moves quickly, and before long, they arrive near the gate.
[ The escapees are breaching the gate. Please be careful, my Lady. ]
A wounded guard here sees Hanya's arrival and hastily warns her.
Hanya nods and continues forward, but before she can go very far, she encounters several Borisin blocking the path.
[ Everyone, I will hold off 'three or four of them.' Please, you must stop Hoolay from escaping! ]
Hanya gives Stelle and the others a look, then charges forward with the nearby prison guards.
Seeing this, Stelle and the other two bypass the battlefield and continue to pursue Hoolay.
Meanwhile, not far ahead, Jiaoqiu is watching with his own eyes as one guard after another dies brutally at Hoolay's hands.
[ ARraaa— ]
[ Such… such familiar memories! ]
[ Those memories of chasing, biting, tearing… they're back, they've all returned! ]
[ Every single one of them has returned! ]
Driven by the slaughter, Hoolay is growing increasingly ecstatic.
[ Lord Hoolay, freedom is but a step away. ]
[ Once we pass through this gate, no one will be able to stop us. ]
Mok Tok looks at the gate not far ahead, speaking to Hoolay with a look of pleasant surprise.
[ So this hostage has lost all his value? ]
[ Mok Tok, kill him. ]
Hearing Mok Tok's words, Hoolay looks at Jiaoqiu, a bloodthirsty, cruel expression on his face. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Moze: "Regrettably, Jiaoqiu, it seems you are about to meet a heroic end."
Moze: "But don't worry, I will do my best to gather your remains."
Moze: "I'll try to ensure you get a complete burial."
Jiaoqiu: "YOU BRAT!!"
Jiaoqiu: "Are you that eager to see me die?"
Jiaoqiu: "Can't you say something nice?"
Moze: "If nice words could make you survive Hoolay, I wouldn't mind saying more of them."
Moze: "But given the current situation, it's clearly of no use whatsoever."
Furina de Fontaine: "Oh no, Mr. Jiaoqiu can't die!"
Furina de Fontaine: "He doesn't have the ability to resurrect. If he dies, he's dead for real."
Qingque: "Hoolay has lost his patience."
Qingque: "He feels that once they escape this gate, Mr. Jiaoqiu will no longer have any utility."
Lumine: "At this point, unless Stelle and the others can make it in time…"
Lumine: "Otherwise, if Mr. Jiaoqiu wants to survive, he can only try to negotiate with Hoolay to prove he still has value to be exploited."
Feixiao: "Well said. It all depends on whether Jiaoqiu's mind can spin fast enough right now."
....
『 [ He's about to leave… Think of something… Just like in the past, Jiaoqiu, you helpless, useless fool… Think of something… ]
Seeing Hoolay about to escape and wanting to end his life.
Jiaoqiu's heart grows increasingly anxious, and cold sweat begins to drip down his face.
[ Perhaps the envoy of the Yaoqing can strike a deal with us to stay alive, using his identity to help us leave the Xianzhou. ]
[ Am I right, Mr. Jiaoqiu? ]
Mok Tok, who is standing nearby, walks up to Jiaoqiu at this moment, beginning to offer him terms.
[ Just look at you! Fallen so low during my absence! Are you even negotiating with livestock? As far as I recall, no one from the Yaoqing would ever consider a deal with Duran's offspring.]
Hoolay looks at Mok Tok's behavior, his expression deeply disappointed. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Great opportunity!"
Stelle: "As long as Jiaoqiu temporarily agrees, he can survive!"
Moze: "Normally speaking, as a person of the Yaoqing, even in death, one would not yield to the Borisin."
March 7th: "Oh, how is this yielding?"
March 7th: "This is just a temporary measure of expediency to save his life!"
March 7th: "Mr. Jiaoqiu's priority right now is to find a way to stay alive and wait for rescue."
Jiaoqiu: "Indeed, I must first find a way to live."
Jiaoqiu: "Because I cannot die yet."
Jiaoqiu: "Similarly, I cannot allow Hoolay to escape."
Jiaoqiu: "Otherwise, not only would it be a disaster for the Luofu, but it would also be an unbearable loss for the Yaoqing and even Feixiao."
Mualani: "That's right, Hoolay's body might still hold the cure for General Feixiao…"
Mualani: "If he successfully escapes, that hope will be gone…"
Feixiao: "Jiaoqiu, oh Jiaoqiu, what am I supposed to say about you?"
Feixiao: "What time is it, and you're still thinking about curing my illness?"
Feixiao: "Your own little life is about to be forfeit!"
Jiaoqiu: "Haha, General, I am merely a medical counselor who knows how to cook."
Jiaoqiu: "If the Yaoqing loses me, aside from a slight regression in culinary culture, it's no big deal."
Jiaoqiu: "But if the Yaoqing and the Xianzhou Alliance lose you, they lose a pillar of the heavens!"
Jing Yuan: "Indeed, the reputation of the Luminous General shakes the Xianzhou Alliance, inspiring countless people across the Alliance."
Jing Yuan: "If General Feixiao truly meets with an accident in the future, it would be a heavy blow to the Alliance."
Jiaoqiu: "See, even General Jing Yuan thinks so."
Jiaoqiu: "So, no matter what, I have to take a gamble."
Jiaoqiu: "This is not just for my original promise, but also for the Alliance, and for the Yaoqing!"
Lumine: "To have a military doctor like Mr. Jiaoqiu… is truly wonderful."
....
『 [ I must… make this beast stay… whether for Feixiao, or for the Yaoqing… ]
Faced with the situation before him, Jiaoqiu hesitates for a moment, but ultimately makes up his mind!
[ Deal. ]
[ Of course I have value in staying alive… ]
[ My identity, my knowledge of the Xianzhou, and my understanding of many things that your minions have no knowledge of... They'll all be valuable.. ]
Jiaoqiu takes a few steps forward, approaching Hoolay to prove his value.
[ Lowly beast, muster up that pitiful tongue of yours and plead for what remains of your life. Speak up. ]
Hoolay glares intensely at Jiaoqiu, speaking up.
[ I'm afraid you're unaware: the woman who defeated you, Jingliu... She has recently returned to the Luofu. ]
[ Your opportunity for revenge is right in front of you. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Huohuo: "Eh?!"
Huohuo: "Mr. Jiaoqiu, the visitation prohibition regulations clearly state that when visiting Hoolay…"
Huohuo: "One… must never say the name 'Jingliu'!"
Guinaifen: "But Huohuo, in this situation, it doesn't really count as a visitation anymore, does it?"
Li Sushang: "Isn't it even more dangerous if it's not a visitation?"
Li Sushang: "What if Hoolay goes completely mad upon hearing this name? Wouldn't Mr. Jiaoqiu die even faster?"
Stelle: "What is Jiaoqiu planning here?"
Stelle: "To make Hoolay fear upon hearing Jingliu's name?"
Stelle: "Or to lure him to seek out Jingliu for a duel?"
March 7th: "But didn't we say earlier that Jingliu isn't here right now?"
March 7th: "Instead, she went to see the Marshal."
Furina de Fontaine: "Perhaps Mr. Jiaoqiu wants to trick Hoolay into thinking Jingliu is still here, using this to delay his escape?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Maybe that's a way?"
Hu Tao: "It might actually work."
Hu Tao: "Look, Hoolay has fallen into a rare silence after hearing that name."
....
『 [ ….. ]
Hearing the name 'Jingliu,'
Hoolay's expression instantly undergoes a noticeable change.
It is obvious that, even after hundreds of years, he still cannot forget the woman who once captured him alive.
[ My Lord! This slave is speaking nonsense; I have never heard of such news! ]
[ Please allow me to kill him immediately! ]
Hearing Jiaoqiu's words, Mok Tok's expression changes drastically!
[ Silence, Mok Tok! As for you, slave… from now on, you must stay by my side at all times. ]
[ Only when I tell you to speak, may you speak; only when I tell you to walk, may you walk. ]
[ Otherwise, I will tear you apart, inch by inch, from head to toe. ]
[ Do you understand? ]
Hoolay barks at Mok Tok, turning to threaten Jiaoqiu.
Seeing his goal achieved, Jiaoqiu nods submissively.
[ My Lord— ]
Hoolay's behavior makes Mok Tok highly anxious.
[ Mok Tok, we must stay here for a moment. ]
[ But you need not fear. ]
[ From the moment we step out of this prison, the ones who should fear are the Xianzhou people… ]
[ Because I will make them understand what a true disaster is. ]
[ Now, Duran's whelps! Follow me! ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Kachina: "Eh? The plan succeeded!"
Kachina: "Hoolay's plan to escape the Xianzhou has been delayed by himself!"
Xilonen: "But… his pace of escaping the Shackling Prison has not slowed down."
Yanqing: "If we cannot stop Hoolay from escaping the Shackling Prison, then we must trap him within the Xianzhou!"
Yanqing: "Otherwise, once Hoolay truly escapes the Xianzhou, the Borisin will rise from the ashes once more…"
Yanqing: "This would be a great disaster for the Alliance!"
Yunli: "To think things would develop to this point."
Yunli: "And here I thought I was just going out to see the world."
Yunli: "Now look, whether the Wardance Ceremony can be held smoothly is up in the air."
Boothill: "Son of a nice lady, we can only take it one step at a time."
Boothill: "But with three Arbiter-Generals present right now, can this Hoolay really turn the fudging world upside down after escaping?"
Boothill: "Can he be more fierce than the Sunday?"
Boothill: "No way, right?"
Stelle: "I admit Hoolay looks very strong, but putting him next to Sunday is too much of an insult to Sunday."
Stelle: "I feel like if Sunday and Hoolay had a duel, Hoolay would be rubbed into the dirt."
March 7th: "Is it possible that Hoolay would just get lost in the Dream of Ena and never wake up?"
Feixiao: "Everyone, you are still underestimating Hoolay."
Feixiao: "He is, after all, the Warhead of the Borisin, having lived for who knows how long."
Feixiao: "Even if he inherently cannot compare to Sunday, who almost became a new Aeon of Order."
Feixiao: "But he is no simple character either."
Feixiao: "At his peak, Hoolay was no weaker than some Emanators."
Dan Heng: "Such beings usually possess resilient minds. The likelihood of him getting lost in the Dream of Ena is not high."
Dan Heng: "However, he is currently in a weakened state, so his combat strength is definitely not what it used to be."
Qingque: "Then we should strike while he's down!"
Qingque: "If we can just kill him directly to eliminate future troubles, that would be even better!"
....
『 The scene shifts, returning to Stelle's side.
At this moment, they are still fighting bravely, rushing toward the direction where Hoolay is located!
[ Prison guards, stop them! For our great lord Hoolay! ]
The Borisin left behind to block them are ready to die, desperately stopping Stelle and the others from advancing.
But under the fierce charge of the three, they finally carve out a path.
A moment later, they gradually approach the gate.
But they find that Hoolay, at this moment, has already walked outside the gate and is currently looking at them.
Mok Tok, outside the gate, activates the mechanism, and the gate begins to slowly close!
Seeing this, Stelle and Dan Heng's expressions change abruptly, and they hastily speed up! But it is already too late!
In his desperation, Dan Heng throws his spear with all his might, hoping to jam the closing gate.
But it does not succeed. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Damn!"
Stelle: "It's over!"
Stelle: "We didn't trap Hoolay; instead, we got trapped by him!"
March 7th: "Ahhh, how frustrating!"
March 7th: "We were just a bit too late!"
March 7th: "If Hoolay had been just a minute slower, we probably would have made it!"
March 7th: "Sigh, what a pity this lady wasn't there."
March 7th: "Otherwise, instead of Dan Heng's spear, if it were my ice arrow, I might have frozen the gate and Hoolay together!"
Qingque: "What a pity, Lady Fu isn't around at this time either."
Qingque: "Otherwise, with her divine foresight, she would have definitely calculated that a disaster had struck the Shackling Prison."
Qingque: "Oh, it's too late to say anything now."
Qingque: "Hoolay has already escaped."
Qingque: "If the General and the others don't send troops quickly, the Luofu is going to fall into chaos."
Yunli: "Is the Starskiff Haven really that far from the Seat of Divine Foresight?"
Yunli: "After all this time, have the three of us still not arrived?"
Yanqing: "Hoolay's jailbreak should have happened earlier than the time we returned."
Furina de Fontaine: "Isn't there still Sister Xueyi?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Did Sister Xueyi successfully fly out in the end?"
....
『 [ Report! Communication with the Shackling Prison has been cut off. We received a message from a cycrane… ]
[ The prisoners in the jail have rioted, and the high-value prisoner… Hoolay is missing! ]
The scene shifts, inside the Seat of Divine Foresight.
At this moment, a Cloud Knight suddenly bursts in, reporting urgently.
[ What about the Yaoqing envoy and the Nameless? ]
Jing Yuan asks.
[ No news yet! We are trying to restore contact with the Shackling Prison as quickly as possible! ]
The Cloud Knight soldier shakes his head.
[ Dismissed. ]
Feixiao's expression tightens, and she waves her hand to dismiss the Cloud Knight soldier. 』
『 ....』