“Once upon a time, the palace of the gods fell from the heavens.”

At first, there was a shadow beyond the layers of air, then a fiery glow as it entered the atmosphere, until its full form was revealed at last — a grand palace and wonder, beyond even the combined skill of all of Insumousu’s greatest artisans. It descended slowly, as if it had condensed from the heavens themselves. Insumousu’s ocean was vast, but could it truly contain this celestial palace fallen from the skies? No one knew for certain.

“Amidst the chaos, some dispersed and fled in all directions while others remained in the villages on land and under the sea, anticipating the descent of the Divine Fall.”

The fallen Xianzhou Daiyu crashed onto the surface of Thalassa, leaving a deep watery crater in the heart of the Insumousu sea. For seven planetary days, the world trembled. The magnificent ruins stood silently on the sea bed like the remains of a god, both tragic and magnificent. The survivors of Insumousu have always lived beneath the waves. With awe and sorrow, they witnessed their beloved home shattered by the celestial palace from beyond. Yet with joy and elation, they found a new abode in the remnants of the Daiyu after the Divine Fall.

The improvement of living conditions gave the people of Insumousu more time and energy to think. As they gazed upon the magnificent ruins that descended from the heavens, they finally had the opportunity to ask the most important questions: Who were “they”? And from whence did “they” come?

In the days of old, the people of Insumousu knew not the art of metallurgy, nor had they yet invented written language. Thus, they turned to imagination to supplement their knowledge and sought to understand all through the telling of stories. And so, “legends” were born. “Legends” passed down from generation to generation, and “mythologies” were born. Mythologies formed cognition, and from them, “civilization” was born. As the stars shifted in the sky and centuries passed, Thalassa became a trade partner of the Xianzhou Alliance, and the aquatic people of Insumousu set foot inside the “celestial palace” for the first time. There, they beheld the complete grandeur of the Xianzhou and at last learned the truth behind the Divine Fall.

The well-educated people of Insumousu always regarded themselves as a continuation of the Daiyu. “What the Daiyu once followed, we should follow. What the Daiyu once fought against, we should fight against,” they say. When they speak of stories from the past, they still begin with these words:

“Once upon a time, the palace of the gods fell from the heavens.”