[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-309":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269955,4431,"Chapter 309: The Fatal Rhythm","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-309",309,"\u003Cp>It was strange that Fiestrion was called the Great Sinner, yet there was no record at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Star Burner” Alkaster had been enjoying great fortune these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected that the disciple he casually took in, a mere idle move in Huicheng, would prove so useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did he secure a new settlement for them, but with the help of the City Guard and Huiguang Guard, these half-elves became official residents of the city—those “refugees” were quietly erased from the records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And every day, the half-elves and mages involved in underground exploration reaped considerable gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Alkaster’s prestige within his tribe surged, and some half-elves even heard the news and came here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt Li En had helped him, while Li En believed it was the Grand Mage who had helped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, perhaps, was the difference in perspective—seeing entirely different realities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Li En and Dennya’s side, to survive the crisis, they were willing to borrow any power available—but in reality, most beast-touched nations were highly xenophobic, their vigilance against outsiders hardened by years of tribal warfare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the half-elves had long grown accustomed to being neither loved nor wanted, famously known as the “dispersed race.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The half-elves’ main gathering place was actually the Druid Woods—only this broadly nature-worshipping faction, being the least selective, could accept them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, the elven factions within the Druids still held deep resentment toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Magic Tide is coming; we need refuge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was racial wisdom: whenever a world war erupted, the first to be crushed were always small nations and minor races.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The central, prosperous regions of the continent were the most dangerous—people could become slaves, possessions stripped away; only on the frontier was survival possible, and even then, local official support was essential to recognize them as “human” at the bare minimum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it sounded terrifying and tragic, reality often proved far crueler and more heartbreaking than any prediction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just half-elves, but many weak races had already begun preparing to migrate to the frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Kingdom was one corner of the continent, far from prosperity, yet still maintaining some order—thus attracting the attention of certain tribes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Star Burner” Alkaster was one such member—he was a strong one, and that didn’t conflict with the fact that ninety-nine percent of his tribe were weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After gaining Li En’s approval and Dennya’s tacit consent, a large ship delivered a massive wave of half-elf refugees, who were directly taken to the “Hope Town” ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, this would be a grave taboo—suddenly moving thousands of foreign races into a specific district of a city—what are you planning?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you never caused trouble, the local authorities would still come looking for trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li En had the power to make the Kingdom act as if nothing had happened—in truth, aside from Dennya and a handful of others, most nobles remained unaware; perhaps their only future intelligence would be that the city’s half-elf population had suddenly increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by then, they’d have no time to care—lordly jurisdiction rendered many watching eyes meaningless; Li En’s own “trust” was the key—he truly dared let foreign races flood his small town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, Alkaster was genuinely grateful to Li En; though both knew it was a mutual exchange of interests, the tangible benefits lay plainly before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, when Li En showed clear interest in Fiestrion, Alkaster naturally took it seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after digging through records, the only case found was one: “Stole a divine artifact,” which prevented the civil war against the elven demon god from breaking out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s what makes him a Great Sinner? Not enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great Sinner” was a unique concept within their tribe—if he had merely prevented the civil war, it wouldn’t suffice; this required the collective recognition of an entire era, akin to a Grand Sage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through normal channels, Alkaster could not obtain further information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was odd: five thousand years was ancient history beyond retrieval for other races, but among elves, it was merely a few generations—and crucially, elven society still had true ancient ones, beings who had crossed time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps it’s time to call in a favor,” Alkaster instinctively felt—this answer might be vital; Li En wasn’t the type to stir up trouble over “ancient secrets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Alkaster used special channels to send urgent messages to certain individuals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he received replies—this time, he wouldn’t come away empty-handed; this ancient being knew far more than even the elven king himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was a tree—a Knowledge Tree of the elven royal court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most ordinary elves despised and avoided half-elves; the radical faction even advocated purging them as troublesome pests—but where there were radicals, there were moderates, and many elves and tribes held deep affection for half-elves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this Knowledge Tree, who had witnessed the glory of the ancient elven court, both high elves and half-elves were merely “young children,” with no distinction between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alkaster had once been guided and enlightened by this elder, so when he needed to uncover secret history, he naturally turned to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the elder did not withhold information—for example, the “plague” had passed and would not return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fiestrion was a kind, good child—he could never bear bloodshed or battle. Yet he truly was a Great Sinner; because of him, the elven royal court was weakened to some degree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The document’s contents were too horrifying; even the well-traveled Grand Mage couldn’t maintain his composure after glancing at it twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man’s deeds were simply too shocking to comprehend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He was a catastrophe—but not merely a catastrophe for the elven race. When the elven king dealt with him, I agreed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was truly a being capable of accidentally destroying the world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I must find Li En quickly”—the thought of Li En uncovering some legacy of the Great Sinner sent the Grand Mage into a panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Li En’s mood was quite good.\u003C\u002Fp>",983,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3358f5a200b4a5abcf56b97036330ceb1f44bb2cf678d15c548e970c9030ec2b","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-310","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-308",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]