Chapter 303: Dedication to Duty (Zhao Xinfan)
The common goal of the people of Demacia is to make life better for all through kindness and justice. They believe that malice and selfishness are like diseases that should be eradicated from the human soul.
The people who came to Demacia and settled here had the same ideals and virtues as the inhabitants. Those who harm others and benefit themselves will soon be discovered, and here they will end up in exile, or worse.
However, life in Demacia is not a utopian dream. The people of Demacia proudly see themselves as the spiritual vanguard of Valoran. They used severe torture to ensure that their moral code was the only one for the inhabitants.
Any form of crime will be punished severely, and there is no misdemeanor in Demacia. Opponents criticized the city-state as evidence of the natural hypocrisy of the Demacians.
The Demacians countered that their justice system had incorporated mercy and leniency into their sentences. No one will be punished until the circumstances of the incident are fairly and impartially analyzed. While others may still criticize the harshness of Demacia's justice, the Demacians stand by their opinion.
Demacia is a powerful, law-abiding nation with a glorious military history. The ideology of justice, glory, and duty is highly valued here, and the people here are strongly proud of it.
Demacia was a subsistence agrarian society, with fertile arable land, vast uncut forests, and mineral-rich mountains dotting the territory. Demacia inherited a tradition of xenophobia and isolation, in part because of frequent harassment by barbarians, bandits, and other civilizations that were invasive.
Some believe that Demacia's golden age is behind us, and that unless it adapts to the changes of the new era, many believe that it will inevitably decline.
Despite the controversy, Demacia remains one of the most dominant political forces on Valoran, boasting the most elite and well-trained army in the entire Runeterra.
It is rumored that as long as it is a one-on-one battle, Zhao Xin has never lost. He has struggled with adversity for most of his life. His earliest memories came from Vesero, an Ionian fishing boat, with which he sailed from Laiken to fish.
He was a diligent steward, obeying every request of the elders, from cleaning the dirty deck to sorting out tangled fishing nets, and he was at peace until, on that day, the boat inadvertently sailed too far into the waters of another country.
Two Noxian privateers caught up with the small fishing boat. Their commander boarded the ship and proclaimed the glory of Noxus and made Viscello and his attaché his personal and legitimate property.
Although most of them were elderly fishermen and were not eligible for conscription, they were all taken back to Noxus.
After enduring a difficult voyage on the high seas, Zhao Xin found himself in a strange new land. The mountains and rivers here are not beautiful, and there is no magic in the forests.
The streets were lined with majestic gates and sturdy stone walls he had never seen before, and every inch of available space was packed with people. He learns that this is the capital of Noxus, and that it is here that a man named "Darkwell" rules the vast empire.
He and the rest of Vescello's crew were separated, and with no way home, Zhao Xin had to obey the captor's arrangement.
His spear skills were not buried, and it was not long before he had the opportunity to earn a better life, and if he was willing to use his high martial arts, he would have access to a better life. Noxus admired force, and his master considered him a brave fighter.
Zhao Xin, who had nothing and no regrets about dying, accepted this opportunity. He took off his ragged clothes, put on crude armor, and entered the Reckoning Arena.
Seriously, it's a weird form of entertainment. Majestic warriors, given even more majestic names, fought each other in front of a crowd of wolves and tigers. The cheers will be dedicated to the exceptional skill, the flamboyant performance, and every splash of blood.
Zhao Xin inherited the name of "Viscello" and was born out of thin air and became famous. It didn't take long for him to have a showdown in which he would fill the arena and fill his patrons.
In just a few years, Vescello became a resounding name that delighted audiences and terrified the rest of the liquidators.
But his good fortune was short-lived.
Outside of the liquidators' pastime, the empire is facing difficult times. Many hostile nations were encroaching on the empire's territory, and waves of rebellion were stirring up along the borders of Noxus.
Rumor has it that Darkwell and his staff paid a large sum of gold to buy out many mercenaries, prisoners, liquidators, etc., to enlist in the Empire's warbands. It only took a handshake to close the deal, and Zhao Xin and his companions were bought and loaded onto a transport ship heading west.
In the coastal fortress of Carlsted, no matter how famous the liquidators, the name and prestige of the past are worthless. They were thrown into battle against the elite forces of King Gavin III of Demacia.
The enemy was determined to control Noxus' influence on Valoran, and Zhao Xin soon understood that this war was completely different from any arena duel.
Although most of the former liquidators chose to flee in the face of a defeated battle, Zhao Xin did not retreat, and the tip of his spear was stained with the blood of hundreds of people.
When the king's fearless vanguard completely surrounded him, some of the vanguard warriors silently admired his skill, but Zhao Xin still refused to flee. He held his head high and gladly died.
However, Jiawen had other plans. The king of Demacia was not the same as the audience in the arena, and unnecessary killing did not make him happy.
He was willing to release all the defeated Noxians on the condition that they swore never to invade Karlstead again. Zhao Xin was taken by surprise by his benevolent gesture, and he pondered the fate that awaited him when he returned to Noxus.
He can go back to the society where his life means only the money earned by the owner, or he can fight for those who are virtuous and defend the virtues that bring him back to life.
Driven by honor, he knelt before Govin III and asked to serve the king.
In the decades that followed, Zhao Xin proved his loyalty time and time again. As the head of the royal court, he was not only the king's bodyguard and adviser, but also a friend and servant, but he was also dutiful to the heir to the throne, the young Prince Gawain.
Zhao Xin's path to becoming a Demacian may have been unusual, but he never wavered in his devotion to the kingdom and its ideals. He asked himself that this was not out of a sense of duty, but out of choice.