"Hey, what do you mean what I said is useless? And Paimon isn't a flying object, Paimon is the greatest guide in Teyvat, you rude guy! If you get lost in the ruins, you'll beg me all you want and it'll be useless!"
Paimon snorted, how dare he question the value of her being Teyvat's finest guide, how detestable!
"Ugh... Fine, you're included. But I absolutely cannot accept this half-baked archaeologist!"
Klement thought for a moment, deciding to leave himself an out.
After all, he didn't know what the situation would be like inside the ruins. If the tunnels were complex, he might get lost without a guide. Even if he found many treasures, he wouldn't be able to bring them out.
Paimon: You're sensible, kid! I'll forgive you for the sake of treasure.
"Hmph! If he doesn't agree, I don't agree either. This guy just knows how to desecrate the relics left by the 'Salt God'..."
Wan Yan felt like she was being targeted.
"Then... if the 'contract' cannot be formed, I can no longer serve as a consultant."
Zhongli said calmly.
"As for what treasures and traps are hidden in these ruins, you will have to discern them with your own experience."
Zhongli: Come on, I'll give you another chance to rephrase your words.
"Th-this... Sigh, I really can't trust this guy... Fine, since it's the sealed ruins of the 'Salt God,' even if I get a little less, it's better than nothing. I'll give her a share."
Upon hearing that Zhongli was leaving, Klement immediately lost his sense of security.
"If you want me to agree to the contract, I have only one request, Mr. Zhongli. If you discover the truth about the 'Salt God,' please judge it fairly, even if that truth is unfavorable to Morax."
Wan Yan also didn't want to miss such a good opportunity. After careful consideration, she relented.
"With these terms of exchange, I can accept. Then, let us go."
Zhongli understood Wan Yan's intentions but didn't mind.
The group jumped down the deep hole along the waterfall and proceeded along a small path.
The sound of rushing water continuously echoed in their ears. Yuan Shang scooped up some water from a nearby stream and tasted it.
Extremely salty!
Such a high salt concentration meant it had reached saturation.
The environment here was harsh, with few plants able to survive.
Yet, despite this, many Hilichurls had formed tribes here, their vitality exceptionally tenacious.
"Th-this is... a statue?!"
Wan Yan saw humanoid sculptures of various forms standing in the ruins and felt a chill.
Because she observed that these statues were too realistic, as if trying to escape, their terrified expressions vividly displayed.
"No, they are people."
Zhongli explained as he led the way.
"Ah?!"
Klement exclaimed. There were quite a few such statues; how could so many people have died and turned into statues?
"These people are probably the followers of the 'Salt God' from back then."
Yuan Shang placed a hand on a humanoid statue, sensing the aura and energy within.
There were indeed some faint traces of divine power remaining, but it was too thin to be worth extracting. It seemed that to obtain purer divine power, they would have to go deeper into the ruins.
"Deeper into the ruins... what is hidden there?"
Wan Yan was both curious and fearful of what lay in the depths of the ruins.
In a grand hall within the ruins, the group discovered a treasure emitting a soft glow, placed quietly on an altar.
This treasure resembled a small ceramic cup, filled with snow-white fine salt.
"It's just a salt jar. It seems the 'Salt God' was truly a stingy god!"
Klement pouted, feeling it wasn't valuable.
"From what I understand, it is no ordinary item. Although there is only half left, there will always be a half remaining—in other words, it is endless!"
Zhongli's explanation caused Klement's attitude to completely change.
According to Zhongli, even if one kept pouring out the salt from this salt cup, the amount inside would never decrease.
"To be able to produce endless salt, indeed, the Salt God's authority was very powerful!"
Wan Yan was delighted by this.
Feng Yi also felt that this treasure had high practical value. If used well, it could be considered a treasure trove.
After all, salt is the king of all flavors; no delicacy would be tasty without salt. In Chinese history, dynasties regarded edible salt as a state monopoly, and many wars were fought over salt mine resources.
The people of the Salt God, living in a relatively stable environment like Liyue, could have lived prosperous lives by peacefully trading with the people of Liyue.
It was a pity that happiness came too easily, and greed was insatiable...
"After all this trouble, I've finally found a treasure. This is mine! I just need to pour out the salt and make thousands or tens of thousands of bags. Just by selling salt, I'll get rich."
Klement snatched the salt cup, already envisioning a beautiful future where financial freedom was within reach.
"Hey! How can the Salt God's inheritance be used for such a superficial purpose!"
Wan Yan frowned, looking at him angrily. This was a desecration of the Salt God.
"If Mr. Klement wants this salt cup, then according to the contract, he will forfeit his right to choose the next item."
Zhongli, acting as the intermediary, reminded Klement.
"No problem, no problem. Hmph, hmph, what could be more valuable than this?"
Klement: The divine power on this salt cup is very strong, enough to pass it off as a task completed.
"Since there's a 'contract,' I don't need to fight him for it..."
Although Wan Yan couldn't bear to see the Salt God's relic fall into the hands of such a person, it was a necessary evil. At least the subsequent treasures would be safe.
"I have no objections."
Feng Yi smiled. The practical function of the salt cup was indeed very strong, but in this era, although salt was precious, it was not a scarce commodity. One could buy it with a bit of Mora.
Therefore, its appeal to him was only average.
Lumine and Paimon also agreed to step aside and not compete for the salt cup.
Yuan Shang revealed a 'friendly' smile. He was quite fond of the divine power on the salt cup, but he wanted to see what other treasures were there. For now, he would let Klement keep the salt cup for him.
Klement, who had been overjoyed at acquiring the salt cup a moment ago, suddenly felt a chill down his spine and shivered involuntarily. He noticed Yuan Shang smiling at him and his heart sank.
He had to inform his boss quickly, otherwise, he might be finished the moment he left the underground ruins.