The longest and largest river in this world is the Long River.
Just the known sections already span tens of thousands of li.
The Long River originates in the far west, and there is also a theory that its source lies at Yujing Mountain, one of the holy sites of the Dao Gate.
Neither theory has been proven.
What can be verified today is that this waterway originates at least further west than the State of Wan in the Western Region, passing through the Central Domain, and winding all the way to the State of Xia in the Southern Domain.
The Long River system, connected by the Long River and its tributaries, covers nearly half of the human race's territory and nourishes countless living beings along its banks. Due to its mystery, antiquity, and vast majesty, it is also known as the "Continental Ocean," "Mother River," "Ancestral River," and "Source of Inland Waters."
Northwest of the State of Zhuang lies a country called "Luo."
Its northern territory is traversed by the Long River.
The State of Luo has a dense network of waterways crisscrossing throughout. When its people travel, most of the time they use boats instead of other means, giving it a unique character. Thus, it is also called the "Water Kingdom."
Logically speaking, with its borders covered in waterways, the State of Luo should be on good terms with the water clans. But quite the opposite, this country has the greatest conflicts with the water clans, to the point where they cannot coexist in the same place.
The ancient covenant of peaceful coexistence between humans and water clans is like waste paper in the State of Luo.
This is also the largest slave trading market for water clans. The slave trade of water clans, which is explicitly prohibited by human nations, is actually one of the economic pillars of this country.
The people of Luo travel by boat within their own country, but when they go elsewhere, they never take water routes.
Any water clan member who kills a citizen of Luo is tacitly permitted, and usually no one will uphold justice.
Due to the existence of the Clear River Water Palace, the diplomatic relations between the State of Zhuang and the State of Luo have always been poor.
But both sides have their own concerns, so historically there has never been a large-scale war.
Moreover, in terms of pure geographical distance, the State of Zhuang is closer to the State of Yong to the north and the State of Mo to the southwest. In the northwest direction, there also exists a buffer zone of no-man's-land between the three states of Luo, Yong, and Zhuang.
There is really no room for mutual conquest.
The relationship between the State of Zhuang and the State of Yong goes without saying—they are hereditary enemies with no room for reconciliation.
And the relationship between the State of Yong and the State of Luo is no better. The same as between Zhuang and Luo, there is also a Lan River Water Palace within the State of Yong, which is also an important national power.
The State of Luo, a country like a slave trader, has no irreplaceable industries besides water clan slaves, and its own military strength is not at the top. Yet it has been able to develop steadily to this day while being viewed with hostility (at least superficially) by its eastern neighbors.
The reasons behind this are not something outsiders can easily understand.
...
As mentioned earlier, between the three states of Zhuang, Luo, and Yong, there exists a buffer zone of no-man's-land.
Where no kingdom's laws can reach, this is naturally a place of chaos.
No one can say from which year it started, but a city was built here called "Unredeemable."
There are two theories.
One is that the people in this city have committed sins that ten thousand deaths cannot redeem, and their sins can never be cleansed.
The other theory is that the villains in this city never repent and will never redeem their sins.
Both theories have their believers, and from ancient times to now, there has never been a definitive voice. The two theories have entangled with the filth of this city.
The Unredeemable City is chaotic, or rather, chaos is the greatest rule of the Unredeemable City.
But any place that can form a settlement must have a certain order. Even villains who lick blood from knife edges cannot live all day in an environment of constant fear.
Every person who enters the Unredeemable City must assign a value to their own life and pay "life money."
This value can be thousands or tens of thousands of Dao Essence Stones, or even a single Qi knife coin, or a single Qin ring money, or even a bolt of cloth.
The price of "life money" depends on how much you are willing to spend for your own life. The Unredeemable City will never force you.
As long as you pay the "life money," you can live in this city.
If anyone wants to kill you in this city, they must pay a fee ten thousand times your "life money" before they can proceed.
This is called "redemption money."
Otherwise, it is considered an act of enmity against the Unredeemable City.
There is a widely circulated saying: since the residents of Unredeemable City are villains whose sins ten thousand deaths cannot redeem, then when these people enter the Unredeemable City, if you want to kill them, you must have the resolve to kill them ten thousand times, and pay the price of killing them ten thousand times.
The person who maintains this order, or perhaps the owner of the Unredeemable City—although she never admits to being the master of the Unredeemable City, she only says she is the greatest sinner of the Unredeemable City.
Known as the Sin Lord, Huang Jinmo.
...
Even the most despicable person yearns to be treated with kindness.
Even the darkest person craves the warmth of sunlight.
Today, the sun shines brightly, a perfect day.
From the east gate of the Unredeemable City, a figure seems to walk in with the sunlight.
His eyebrows are sharp, his eyes proud and bright.
Even every strand of ink-black hair flies without restraint, revealing its edge.
Because of his piercing aura, it was not until he approached that the drowsy Sin Guard at the city gate discovered the long spear slung diagonally behind him.
This spear looks ancient and plain, seemingly unworthy of this person's sharpness, but together they give a very harmonious feeling.
"Do you understand the rules?" asked the Sin Guard, leaning against the city gate with a lazy air.
If it were someone entering the city for the first time, he would explain the "life money" rules again.
The Unredeemable City does not need strict defenses; it only needs one person sitting at the city gate to collect money. Even an ordinary elderly person would be sufficient.
No matter how vicious a person is, if they want to enter the Unredeemable City, they cannot fail to give face to the Sin Guard.
The newcomer understood the rules.
Under the sunlight, a knife coin flips through the air, tracing a beautiful arc before landing in the Sin Guard's hand.
If this person had sent ten thousand taels of gold, he would not have been surprised.
Sometimes the more ruthless a person is, the more they cherish life. The more villainous, the wealthier. Such people are often willing to invest enormous wealth for their own lives.
He had even seen people pay hundreds or thousands of Dao Essence Stones as life money in one go.
But when this knife coin landed in his hand, the Sin Guard actually perked up with interest.
This was just a knife coin, and moreover, a not very valuable Zhuang knife coin.
This meant that almost anyone in this city could afford the "redemption money" to kill him.
In other words, he was walking unprotected into a city full of villains, and every person in this city could kill him.
No matter where he came from or what background he had, the villains of Unredeemable City would not care.
No kingdom's laws could reach the Unredeemable City.
They entered the Unredeemable City precisely because they had committed heinous crimes outside and could not survive.
This young man, carrying a spear alone, threw this single Zhuang knife coin. As if declaring to this entire city of sin: Want to kill me? Come and try.
The Sin Guard pocketed the Zhuang knife coin, took the entry slip, and made a hasty note.
Then he asked, "Name?"
Without any hesitation, the figure with the long spear on his back was already striding into the Unredeemable City.
Only a voice as sharp as the person himself, like a spear striking the ground, pierced straight into the city gate.
"Zhu Weiwo."