Volume 5, Afterword
Volume 5, Afterword
Translated by Simone (proofread by Arcedemius; C/E edited by lucathia)
The Dominion’s End series has been one of the greatest challenges in my writing career, probably because of the broad setting and the large number of characters. I have to keep close track of all the powers, characters, relationships, and the developments of each of those. On top of that, I have to make the whole situation clear to all readers within the constraints of first-person narration. This is really a big challenge.
The way the characters influence each other is another challenge.
The rebirth of Jiang Shuyu is completely like the idiom, “pull one hair and move the entire body,” or like the Western expression of the butterfly effect. The changes he made to the situation are so great that even Jiang Shuyu himself cannot fully comprehend them. He can guess he changed the fate of the Jiang family, the fate of the Jiang Dominion, but he couldn’t have guessed he would influence even the Jin family.
What the protagonist knows and doesn’t know, what the reader knows and doesn’t know, in stories with first-person narration this is usually the same. But my protagonists are constantly so stupid, they always know less than the reader. They’d almost be embarrassed to say that they are the protagonist!
Especially Jiang Shuyu, a healthy guy with a simple mind. Yes, this is how you can describe him. Although these words might not do his appearance justice, that’s just the kind of guy he is.
As the first-person narrator and protagonist, Shuyu is too stupid to even guess what good he has done. The author has to resort to using extra chapters to tell everyone about the Jin family and how they’ve been affected by the flap of the butterflies’ wings.
*** The following contains spoilers for this volume. If you haven’t read the book yet, please don’t peek at the epilogue below this line ***
The rebirth of Jiang Shuyu caused Jiang Shutian to return from Glacia to the Meisian continent, where he went to Jin Zhan to ask for weapons. Doing so, he also warned Jin Zhan about the apocalypse. It was only a matter of a few hours, but this time, Jin Feng and Jin Xiaoyue were able to return home in time.
This caused the current appearance of a fierce, fiery woman, and Scar and Ben stay at the Jin family obediently and don’t jump ship. Jin Zhan also continues his unrequited love toward his stepmother, and there is no falling out between them.
What’s interesting is that this time, Jin Xiaoyue’s situation is also very strange. If Jiang Shuyu hadn’t been reborn, who knows what kind of situation Jin Xiaoyue, who only got reborn after the apocalypse, would have brought about? Would they have been able to get to the Jin’s house in time?
This is yet another developing story. It’s like mapping a tree—choosing different branches can make a big difference in the characters’ lives.
I try to write Dominion’s End using this tree-like scenario. Different choices and circumstances lead to different lives. First, there is the difference of the Ice Emperor and Jiang Shutian, and also the different outcomes of the Jin family. Of course, there will be more and more differences in the future.
The Ice Emperor and Thunder God led lonely lives in the past life. Can they find fulfillment in this life? And what of the Flame King?
It’s all still unknown, so please continue to follow Dominion’s End and see what kind of stories we will come across this time!
By Yu Wo
***
Are [Character Introductions] like these really okay?
Zheng Xing
The military doctor of the Jiang Dominion Troop. Following the apocalypse, he came into possession of earth powers useful for erecting buildings and growing plants. Recently, he has begun to advance on the path of providing essential assistance──that is, if you consider spiking walls with sharp thorns, littering the grounds with booby traps, and raising an impregnable fortress within the realm of “essential” activities.
Su Ying
She was naturally timid by nature. However, after Jiang Shuyu scared the shit out of her, she thought of him as the ultimate demon king (maybe she hit the nail on the head). She was forced to join the Ice Spears later on, but at the very least she doesn’t see Jiang Shuyu that often because he usually shuts himself in his room or suddenly vanishes without a trace. He isn’t around much at all. That is, until some guy ranked no more than an underling of a certain demon king started to occasionally loiter around the squad with pick-up lines—thereafter, she became increasingly timid.
Wen Jianuo
The real captain of the Ice Spears. According to the protagonist’s plan, his subordinate and vice-captain in name only—Jiang Shuyu—was incapable of doing great things, yet disdained doing minor tasks. Besides drilling soldiers and farming, he didn’t bother with anything else. Plus, he would often go missing without a word. Thus, Wen Jianuo ended up becoming the captain of the Ice Spears both in name and in fact. When Jiang Shuyu occasionally appeared to toss them an order, he would lead the squad through hell or high water. Basically, he was way too capable!