"No matter, as long as you abide by Liyue's 'Pact of Peace,' you may walk upon this land."
Zhongli gently shook his head. Since his retirement, he had come to terms with some things, leaving such matters to the Qixing to trouble themselves with.
Yuan Shang was overjoyed. Not only did he avoid a beating, but he could also delve further into the ruins. Fortune truly knocked at his door.
The group continued onward, arriving at a deeper, secret chamber. On the altar lay a broken sword.
"This is... a sword? It's a broken sword, this is proof! Proof that the 'God of Salt' once resisted, but could not withstand Morax's cruel hand! Compared to the salt dish and salt ruler, the power of this sword must have far surpassed them! If this sword can be repaired, we can show others the 'God of Salt's' former authority..."
Wan Yan reasoned with a serious expression.
"Two pieces of a broken sword, from an archaeological perspective, are two artifacts. According to the pact, provided you do not choose the salt ruler or the salt dish, you may only take one..."
Even at this moment, Zhongli did not forget to uphold the fairness of the pact.
"This, this... No, if I only take half, then... then it cannot be repaired, nor can the 'God of Salt's' authority be restored... No matter what, for my faith in her, I will not hesitate even if it means breaking the pact..."
Wan Yan said stubbornly, determined to take both pieces of the broken sword.
"Have you made up your mind? Then, this comes at a price!"
Zhongli: Clement's fate is a vivid example. You dare to break the pact? You are indeed brave.
"The punishment of eating rocks? That is also fine. The 'God of Salt,' to protect her believers, was willing to give her life. My sacrifice is insignificant! Punish me as you will, as long as you let me take back... the proof of my faith!"
"If that brings liberation, perhaps it is an easier path, but... as a 'punishment,' I will tell you the 'truth'."
Zhongli felt it was time for that buried truth to be brought to light.
"What? Truth? You say the truth... is my punishment?"
Wan Yan was ready to eat rocks, but upon hearing Zhongli's 'punishment,' she froze.
Wasn't the truth what she had been desperately seeking?
Why would it be a punishment?
Wan Yan suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Yes, the facts you are about to hear are the price for breaking the 'pact.' It is regrettable, but the God of Salt – Havria was not a deity of immense power..."
Even if he didn't say it now, Zhongli would have told Wan Yan by the end of their journey.
"On the contrary, she was too weak – too accommodating, too gentle, and could never have ascended to the position of the Seven Gods... a loser."
"What did you say?!"
"During the Archon War, the gods of the mortal realm poured all their strength and wisdom into vying for control of Teyvat. But Havria chose to flee. She believed that if she surrendered before the conflict began, the war would never reach her or her people.
However, in the long years of war, 'concessions' had no end. Through boundless yielding, Havria lost all her land, leaving only a final sanctuary..."
Zhongli spoke slowly. This truth was too heavy for a believer of the God of Salt.
"No... no! It's impossible..."
"In her final moments, she didn't even have a weapon she could lift to protect her people."
"Not even a weapon? But this sword..."
Wan Yan seemed to realize something, her eyes widening, and she staggered back two steps in a daze.
"Indeed, this broken sword is not an relic of the 'God of Salt,' but... the murder weapon that killed her."
Zhongli said, with his arms crossed, word by word.
"Murder weapon? No! This is a lie, everything you say is a lie, you want to deceive my faith in the divine!"
"I said, I only state facts."
"How dare you! You... you are also a follower of Morax, you can't trick me!"
Wan Yan's faith crumbled. Forgetting even to take the broken sword, she ran away in tears.
"Mr. Zhongli, shall we continue inside? Is the God of Salt's corpse inside?"
Compared to Wan Yan, who had run away, Yuan Shang was more concerned about whether there was any remaining divine power of the God of Salt in the innermost chamber.
"Yes."
Zhongli nodded and continued inward, where evidence of the 'truth' awaited Wan Yan, which she would inevitably have to accept.
As the group moved further in, they observed that all the salt stone statues they saw were invariably in poses of terror, fleeing outward.
They wore expressions of despair, as if they had seen something horrifying, yet were powerless to act.
"What are all these along the way? What did they see... what did they do? And then... what happened?"
Wan Yan, who had arrived at the entrance of the secret chamber first, was now in a daze. Even though she refused to believe the cruel truth Zhongli spoke, the strange statues along the path made her realize that what Zhongli said was true.
"Since you cannot trust me, let us continue forward. Everything that happened then, and the traces left behind this door, will record it truthfully."
Zhongli flicked his fingers, activating the mechanism to open the door to the final chamber, and stepped inside first.
"This is the scene. Havria's body disintegrated, leaving only a trace of salt. The scene in the forest is also frozen here..."
Zhongli pointed to the salt flowers that had erupted and spread on the ground. At the center of these salt flowers stood a humanoid salt stone statue in a lunging thrust pose.
"The subsequent events are: some of her people finally realized that this benevolent yet gentle deity could not protect anyone in war. The Archon War was brutal. Rather than let her endure the torment of defeat, they chose to grant her a relatively peaceful release..."
"But, what about these statues...?"
"No matter how weak a god is, the power that leaks out at the moment of death is beyond the capacity of mortal bodies. Those who could not escape all turned into this state. The salt people who were not caught in this disaster left her territory and went to Liyue to seek the protection of the Geo Archon. Their descendants feared the residual divine essence left by Havria, fearing she would bestow upon them an eternal curse..."
"Therefore, they braved the danger to return here, broke the sword, and offered it as a sacrifice, hoping to quell her residual wrath.
But in reality, their efforts were in vain. How could this god, who did not resist until the very end, harbor anger towards her own people...?"
Zhongli knew very well that the energy released from death alone could petrify mortals. If Havria had truly wished to resist, how could her own people have killed her?