Although Zhongli said this, he had no intention of taking action himself—that would have been far too unfair. In the end, he left it to the Traveler to handle the matter.
In the end, not only did Clement get beaten up, but the salt chalice he had managed to obtain was also confiscated.
Truly a case of paying for a beating.
However, the people of Liyue were more than happy to witness this scene. Their disdain for the Fatui had only grown.
"The Fatui really are a bunch of clowns!" Arataki Itto declared.
"What a shame. This time, it wasn't the old man himself who took action," Venti lamented. The other party wouldn't get to 'enjoy' the same treatment he had.
In the story, after Clement left, Zhongli revealed the truth about this expedition team—not a single one of them had come for genuine archaeological purposes.
Clement was there to hunt for treasures to sell, and Wan Yan was no archaeologist either. She was there solely for the "God of Salt."
Seeing her identity exposed by Zhongli, Wan Yan admitted the truth: she was actually a descendant of the people who had once worshipped the "God of Salt."
And Morax—he was the one who had assassinated their god.
[Wan Yan: "Morax assassinated our god! He envied the authority of the 'God of Salt,' leaving us displaced and homeless!"]
A believer of the God of Salt appearing in the Geo Archon's homeland—what kind of script was this? Harmony harboring an adherent of Order?
Wan Yan's words left everyone baffled.
Morax, jealous of the "God of Salt's" authority? Were you serious?
From what had been shown so far, the "God of Salt's" authority seemed limited to… creating salt. What was there to envy?
Morax could literally print Mora. Why would he be jealous of a salt-seller?
In any case, the people of Liyue absolutely refused to believe that their own Archon would envy the "God of Salt," much less assassinate her.
[Zhongli offered no defense, simply saying: "Come with me. All the answers lie ahead."]
In the book, the group pressed forward and eventually found a broken sword.
Wan Yan believed the broken sword to be a symbol of the "God of Salt's" power and authority, and she wanted to take this treasure with her.
[Wan Yan: "A broken sword! This is proof! Proof that the 'God of Salt' once resisted! That she simply couldn't withstand Morax's treachery!"]
[Zhongli: "From an archaeological perspective, the two broken pieces count as two separate artifacts."]
["According to the contract of 'taking one item at a time, in sequence,' you may only take one of them."]
Taking only half would make it impossible to restore the sword, something Wan Yan could not accept.
[Wan Yan: "No matter what, for the sake of my faith in her… even if it means breaking the contract, I will not hesitate…"]
Those who break their contracts shall suffer the wrath of the rock. However, Wan Yan's punishment was not a beating.
Instead, it was the truth—and for a believer of the "God of Salt," this was undoubtedly the greatest punishment of all.
[Zhongli: "I regret to inform you that the 'God of Salt,' Havria, was not a deity of great authority."]
["On the contrary, she was far too weak—too accommodating, too gentle. She stood no chance of becoming one of The Seven… a defeated god."]
"So, there really are Gods this weak?" Hu Tao mused, examining the broken sword.
Lucian had already told her—this broken sword was the weapon used by Havria's own people, ordinary humans, to kill her.
A God slain by ordinary humans… wasn't that a bit too frail?
"The strength of Gods cannot be generalized," Lucian shook his head.
"You'll understand once you see what's inside."
In the story, after hearing Zhongli's words, Wan Yan refused to believe them and ran off alone in search of the truth.
Entering the final chamber, at its center lay a blooming "salt flower."
The statue closest to the "salt flower" was frozen in a "stabbing" pose, while the others were captured in various states of fleeing.
[Zhongli: "This is the scene of the incident. Havria's form dissipated, leaving only traces of salt behind. The moment of her demise was preserved here."]
["The rest of the story goes like this: Among her people, some finally realized that this kind yet feeble God could protect no one in the midst of war."]
["The Archon War was brutal. Rather than let her suffer the torment of defeat, they… granted her a gentler release."]
This excuse made those watching shake their heads in silence. Calling it a "gentler release" was just a euphemism for betraying their own god.
Those people of the God of Salt fled to Liyue, seeking the protection of the Geo Archon. Later:
["Their descendants feared the remnants of Havria's power, feared that she would curse them for eternity…"]
["But their fears were unfounded. This God, who never once resisted until the very end… how could she possibly bear resentment toward her own people?"]
Venti raised his bottle and took a deep swig, his thoughts drifting to Decarabian.
Unlike Havria, Decarabian's actions could hardly be called gentle. Yet even when overthrown, he still loved his subjects.
In fact, Decarabian had barely resisted at all at the time.
He loved his people—it was simply that his way of loving them did not align with their wishes.
The Lord of the Tower of Might have been a "foolish king," but he was no "tyrant."
After witnessing Havria's story, Nahida found herself hesitating.
Had she been too weak as well? Had she been too lenient with her people?
But her people's struggles were also a result of her own immaturity…
"What should I do?" Nahida murmured, troubled.
As the God of Wisdom, she could unravel any puzzle—except the emotions tangled within her own heart.
"Lord Orobashi…" Kokomi's voice was tinged with sorrow.
"So, this is where the 'God of Salt' was stabbed to death?" Hu Tao tilted her head, studying the statue frozen in the act of striking.
"Yes. Even in her final moments, she never resisted. She probably believed she had failed her people," Lucian replied.
This benevolent God had willingly allowed herself to be killed by them… harboring no hatred toward them.
In fact, one could say that Havria, in her final act, had given her people an "offering" by letting them kill the "God of Salt"—a way to seek the Geo Archon's protection.
In the story, Wan Yan stood frozen after hearing Zhongli's words. She couldn't accept that it was her own people—the believers—who had killed their god.
Wan Yan fled the scene, and it was unclear how long it would take for her to come to terms with the truth.
But in reality, thanks to Lucian's book, Wan Yan had learned the story of the "God of Salt" earlier—and with far greater accuracy.
"Lord Morax… thank you…" For the first time, Wan Yan uttered this title.
She had spoken so much ill of the Geo Archon, yet he had patiently guided her through her turmoil. Truly, he was a kind god.
Morax was the Warrior God feared by outsiders, but to his own people, he was incomparably gentle.
Havria had loved her people deeply, and so did Morax—only, his love was quieter, sterner.
He wished for his people to step out from under his wing, even to move beyond their faith in him, and forge their own path.
That was why, in the book, he had said those words:
["There is little benefit in worshipping a god who has already passed."]
["Be it faith in Havria… or faith in Morax, it makes no difference."]
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice-Over · Dehya: About Departed Gods
"Most desert folk worship the Scarlet King. Look at what they've done… The Geo Archon's words aren't entirely without merit."