OHDOM VOL 2 116-130 (Patreon)

Chapter 116 – Guide to the Wedding of the Salt God 1.0 Guizhong walked alongside Maria, the two chatting endlessly as they went. "Honestly

Chapter 116 – Guide to the Wedding of the Salt God 1.0Guizhong walked alongside Maria, the two chatting endlessly as they went."Honestly, Havria has a great figure and lovely skin.""You’ve been showing up a lot more often lately.""What can I do? You're the most reclusive among my friends. If I don’t check in regularly, I’m afraid you’ll forget how to talk.""...I won’t forget."Meanwhile, Havria, still covering herself, watched her king and the foreign god walk away, continuing their conversation.She bit her lip in frustration.She’s my king—how can she be more familiar with another goddess than with me?If this keeps up, won’t she be stolen by the God of Dust one day?In the Domain of the Lord of Dust, there were Morax, Adepti, Yakshas, Marchosius, and the Dragon King—a place overflowing with strength and security. They didn’t even need the Lord of the Hunt.But Sal Terrae was different. If they lost the Lord of Salt, they’d be alone once again.A sour, anxious feeling stirred in Havria’s chest. She knew she had to act, to draw closer to her King—but how?When Havria asked her people, "How can I improve my relationship with the Lord of Salt?", the believers were baffled."Didn’t Lady Havria already persuade the King to let us move to her hunting grounds? Why does she need to improve their relationship?""Idiot! This is great news! If their relationship deepens, the King definitely won’t abandon us! After all, we weren’t originally her followers. Lady Havria is thinking about our long-term future!""Oh, I get it. We really need to think this through."Havria’s tentative question quickly turned into a matter of life and death for the city dwellers. To maintain their sense of security, they analyzed the issue from every possible angle."What’s the current relationship between Lady Havria and Lord Maria? They’re both goddesses we worship. Are they like sisters?""No way! If they were just sisters, why would Lady Havria ask us for advice?""Exactly! She said she wanted to take it a step further. So being sisters isn’t enough—they need to become partners!""That makes sense! Our goddess is gentle and virtuous, and our Lord is brave and powerful. They’re a perfect match!""If they’re to become partners, we need to start by figuring out what the King likes.""But the King doesn’t care about worldly customs—she only likes hunting. Maybe our lady should try to become stronger and find prey for her?""That’s tough. The King can fight gods, and Lady Havria isn’t good at combat... Maybe the intention matters more than ability?""Sure, but sincerity alone isn’t enough. We still need to show actual value."After several days of heated debate, the people presented Havria with a document they privately titled “Guide to the Wedding of the Salt God 1.0.”Havria, trusting her people completely, opened the scroll without hesitation.Moments later, she scratched her head, looking dazed. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she nodded with determination."So… to improve the relationship, I need to do these things? Got it."Havria was well aware of her shortcomings in social interaction. Since this was a suggestion that had been carefully discussed by everyone, it had to be right.So, Havria decided to follow it.And thus, Maria despaired.Now, not only was Guizhong showing up constantly, even Havria began appearing around her on a regular basis."You two... are you respawning mobs or something? Showing up every two or three days?"Maria sighed, staring at Guizhong munching on steamed buns and Havria offering her home-cooked food.Two idiots. One isn’t even relevant to my experiments, and the other’s just an observation subject I’m supposed to protect. Why won’t they leave me alone?This is getting in the way of my personal development!Damn it! I’m here to run experiments, not fall in love! Don’t think you can shake my scientific resolve!"Mmm~~ This is really good. Did you make it?""Yes, I learned it from a dim sum chef. If you like it, I’ll make it for you every day!""Every day? Wow, are you planning to propose? Go on, go on, hurry up!"Guizhong's eyes sparkled with mischief.Of course, part of it was just for fun. But more importantly, she genuinely supported Havria's efforts to build a better relationship with Maria.Maria was a good person—beautiful, strong, cold on the outside but gentle and thoughtful within. It was just hard for her to make friends. If Havria could get close to her, not only would Maria have one more friend, the salt people would also have a greater sense of security.That was a win-win."Bubble?" ×2Maria and Havria tilted their heads in sync, confused.Though Maria was faking it.Havria truly had no idea what Guizhong was talking about.Guizhong grinned like a fox."Don’t worry, don’t worry. Anyway—go Havria! ↖(^ω^)↗!""Ah? Oh... thank you, Lord of Dust."Havria didn’t fully understand, but she was sincerely grateful.When she saw Maria enjoying the food she made, she truly felt that their bond had deepened, and was greatly encouraged.She even decided to reward everyone who contributed to the plan—and asked if they had any more ideas.... From then on, Havria started showing up around Maria even more frequently—more often than Guizhong.Guizhong, after all, had her own settlement to manage and couldn’t always be around.But Havria lived nearby. She could devote herself fully to Maria, supported by a whole city eager to help.For Sal Terrae, there was nothing more important than strengthening the bond between their god and their king.For example, whgen Maria was hunting, Havria appeared—cheering with admiration.For example, when Maria bathed, Havria appeared—offering to massage her shoulders.For example, when Maria was asleep, Havria appeared—covering her with a quilt, cooking meals, and even learning to sew clothes to care for her after battle.But appearing this often came with risk, sometimes dangerous risk.BOOM!A colossal four-legged beast loomed overhead like a walking mountain.Maria adjusted the brim of her hat, her voice calm. "A Mountain Troll. I’ve heard rumors—it’s been active in the distant ranges. A passing god reportedly chose to avoid it. After all the bloodshed, I suppose we’ve finally drawn out the real monster.""What should we do? Should we warn the people to evacuate?""Is running away the only thing you know how to do?""Yes. That’s what I’ve always done."Havria blinked innocently, though her answer was oddly confident.Maria ignored her. Anyway, it's impossible to move Sal Terrae. This place is bound to be here because of history."This is troublesome. I’m not as strong as a god in raw power. A head-on fight might drag on forever. Still... it’s just another hunt."She shrugged off her windbreaker and tossed it to Havria, then leapt skyward toward the towering beast.Before she flew, Havria caught a glimpse of Maria's profile—a smile playing at her lips. It was elegant, beautiful, not at all afraid. There was joy there. Pure joy at facing a worthy foe."My king..."Havria clutched the windbreaker, breathing in Maria’s familiar scent. She couldn't help but press a hand to her racing heart.But unlike before, the quickening of her heartbeat didn’t make her want to flee.For the first time, it brought her peace.---Chapter 117: She loves it"Roar—"Giant creatures have their own arsenal attributes, which seem to be some kind of conventional feature.For example, Chiyou has countless Honkai beasts hidden in his body.This mountain troll is the same. When Maria flew to it, hundreds of ferocious beasts emerged from under the skin and pounced on Maria.Maria raised her hands, and her blood condensed into a narrow sword blade. She rushed into the beasts leisurely but as fast as thunder."Swish!""Boom!"In a flash of swords and blood, countless limbs and arms fell from the trolls.Then the surging blood flowing from the beasts condensed into a huge sword blade and deeply penetrated the body of the giant beast."Roar!!!"The roar of pain and rage shook the four directions, and the surrounding mountains collapsed.Maria held her hat with one hand and her spear with the other, with the blade piercing the hide of the giant beast. She cut the wounds while walking, with an elegant pace, and calmly faced the new round of beasts.Maria's remaining blood was flowing, flowing into streams spreading everywhere.The bodies that Maria killed were falling, falling into piles of small hills.And the giant beast was roaring, roaring painfully and powerlessly."Such a big body, but it is still so sensitive to pain, it really disturbs people's peace."Maria killed and created wounds at the same time, with a cruel upward arc on the corner of her mouth.However, calmness is calm, the size of the troll is there, which at least proves its extraordinary vitality.Maria is limited by the energy limit of her body and cannot create an attack that can decide the outcome with one strike — Taixuan Eminence also needs a sufficient energy base.Sushang is a typical example. She can easily summon overwhelming sword energy without releasing the Eminence.You can imagine how thick her MP must be. If the MP bar is not thick, the Eminence can only be a buff, and cannot be transformed into a real attack."Alas!"Maria sighed helplessly. She jumped into the air with a bloody long blade in hand when the troll's birthed monsters approached."Uncorrupted stream flows, nor door hinges rot, Waterfowl... dance wildly!""Swish! Swish! Swish!"Maria's afterimage turned into a bloody flying bird, flying freely on the troll's body. Blood and limb fragments splashed everywhere along the way."So powerful..."High above, Havria flying in the air couldn't help but put her hands on her mouth. She lookef at the unstoppable flying Maria with a confused look in her eyes.She had never seen such a devastating and beautiful killing spree. Because she always avoids these incidents, fearing that she would lose her life if she looked at it for a second longer, and even more afraid of how her citizens would survive after her death.But this time, this invincible force that crushes everything is her king.The corners of Havria's mouth can't help but open.Although the meat grinder-like scene is scary, she has never felt so safe."King! Be careful!"Havria suddenly exclaimed, and then rushed over.While Maria was flying, the troll's tail, like a steel train, slammed down.Just as Maria was about to change her moves, Havria flew over from the side, picked her up, and dodged the whip.Maria turned her head. "???"What is this woman doing?Does she know that if she didn't stop at that time, the flying slash would cut her into hundreds or thousands of pieces on the spot?"King, are you okay?""No problem. And you didn't run away, you've made some progress.""Really?"It was rare for Maria to praise Havria. Although she didn't praise her much, she still smiled, flattered."I just thought that I'm a god after all, and I might be useful at a moment. For example...""Can you help me fight?""It will be faster when we run away!"The two of them said two different answers in unison.Maria showed dead fish eyes.Havria shrank her neck weakly.In fact, Maria didn't object to hiding. She grew up by hiding in the Honkai world.If she had shouted "Eliminate human tyranny, I am the Herrscher of Dominance" at the beginning, she would have been slapped to death by Fu Hua, or pierced to death by Durandal.But hiding must have a purpose and direction.Angel's hiding is to grow, until she becomes the ultimate dark boss that covers the world. Havria's survival is pure survival. She doesn't try to cling to the strong, nor does she try to become stronger. She has no purpose or plan, and she just wants to live one day at a time.No wonder she died so strangely in history.She was stabbed to death by her own people without any interference from the outside world.Among the gods, she is an outlier — unique.Tears welled up in Havria's eyes."King, are you disliking me again?""The king has the king's talents, and the cook has the cook's talents. Forget it, I won't force you."Maria also thought it through. Didn't she choose Havria because she was weak and ordinary enough? Since she was the one she chose to protect, don't complain.Besides, Havria is also a beautiful girl. For beautiful girls, it doesn't matter whether they are strong or weak, as long as they are cute. Anyway, Angel can make up for everything else."Fly farther!"Maria suddenly reached out, grabbed Havria's shoulder, and threw her far away.Then, a blood sword over a hundred meters long appeared in her hand. Maria smiled, wielded a huge blood-colored sword, and faced the troll head-on."Boom!!!"Then there was a very boring battle.Maria thought it was very boring, because she just kept scraping and grinding the troll's body, creating piles of corpses and wounds.But Havria who saw this kind of battle up close for the first time couldn't restrain her overflowing admiration the more she saw it — so powerful, so beautiful, she loved it!It lasted until nearly dusk. The troll stopped attacking, and it slowly turned around in the pool of blood. Mad couldn't hit it, and couldn't kill it if he hit it, but it kept bleeding. It already felt the weakness that threatened its life. If he continued to be stubborn, he would become a troll corpse that bled to death."Swish!!"Maria swung out a series of huge blood blades, and each blow cut the troll's skin and flesh.However, the troll in pain was not angry at all. It just wanted to run away quickly. If it didn't run, it would really die.Maria stopped attacking."..."She watched speechlessly as the troll's huge and hard body turned around and fled. In its current state, there was no good way.It would be killed sooner or later if she chased it.But it was too boring and had no style at all."King! You drove it away! It's amazing! It's really amazing!"'Does reaching the divine level a level boundary that cannot be ignored after all? If I was a little lacking , I won't be able to do anything."Havria was full of surprise. Maria held the blood sword and frowned, not feeling very happy.---Chapter 118: Just anesthesia and pain reliefThe boasting and applause came to an abrupt end amid Maria's frown.Havria hesitated to speak. After a while, she bit her lip and spoke hesitantly. "King, you can get power by absorbing blood, right?""Yes, so?""Then, the blood of a god is also blood, right?"Havria stretched out her snow-white jade-like arm, trembling slightly, but with a flattering face, she put it to Maria's mouth.Maria looked at Havria's shrinking and firm appearance, and her eyes changed for the first time.A bonus is a bonus. But pure beauty can only arouse desire, and can't shake the real part of Angel's heart.Maria's mouth curled up."Aren't you afraid?""As long as, as long as the king doesn't dislike my power being too weak.""Heh, interesting."Maria stretched out her hand and hugged the god who was as weak as cotton into her arms.Maria is very tall, so tall that both Guizhong and Havria look small and exquisite in her arms. Even if she holds the two, it is definitely more than enough and very harmonious.Maria approached Havria from behind, and gently stroked her slightly trembling snow-white neck with her lips.She asked in a slightly hoarse and seductive voice. "Are you afraid of pain?""Yes, a little afraid.""Then don't be afraid, it won't hurt you."Maria felt sympathetic and gentle, and her fangs stretched out, like a vampire, gently piercing Havria's snow-white neck.While sucking blood, the temporarily synthesized anesthetic and analgesic ingredients also flowed into Havria's body.There must be an effect. After all, Angel herself has a god clone and knows what kind of body structure a god has.If it is just a temporary preparation, the dosage has not been accurately calculated and verified, so there are unexpected additional effects."❤️Ah❤️~~"Havria let out an extremely seductive low moan, which made Maria move her index finger.Then Havria's whole body softened, as if she had lost her bones all of a sudden, and she completely stuck to Maria, and couldn't help trembling and raising her delicate body.After a while, Maria retracted her fangs.And Havria's face and body were flushed with intoxicating pink. Even crystal saliva could not be controlled from the corners of her mouth, and her blurred pupils were slightly turned up, with an expression of flushing that could not suppress the feeling in her body.Maria's mouth twitched. She then gathered a blood-red recliner and gently put Havria down."Thank you for your hard work.""King❤️~Hmm❤️~~"Havria lay down, her body and limbs twitched again — as for some indescribable wet marks, there is no need to say more.Maria caressed her face with pity. Then she turned around, emitting a surging force that reached the limit of a god. The blood-red sword also flashed with the brilliance of salt crystals.'Is she the one? Do I have to take responsibility?'These thoughts flashed through her mind, and then Maria's eyes sharpened.The waterfowl flew again....At sunset, a golden figure rushed over.But when he arrived, the mountain troll had turned into a huge salt crystal statue standing still, reflecting the magnificent and colorful brilliance under the dusk.On the hill next to it, the elegant and beautiful Lord of the Hunt had a satisfied expression after completing the hunt, and the blushing salt goddess lay in her arms.Against the backdrop of the sunset and the huge salt beast, it was like a famous painting of love and beauty.'Hiccup!'Morax remembered that he had not eaten before coming, but for some reason, he had a strange feeling of fullness."Morax, have you caught up!?"The flying God of Dust arrived soon after and also saw the salted giant beast and the beautiful pair of king and god next to it.Then, the happy smile that she should have shown became particularly cold for some reason.…"Hurry up, hurry up, get everything ready! Wait, what's the matter with this wine glass? You use this thing to entertain my king, my god, and the Lord of Geo and the Lord of Dust? Throw it away! Bring up those exquisite salt cups ordered by the Vidagnyr royal family!""But Vidagnyr...""I don't care if they are Vidagnyr or not! They are nothing! This is the first time that our Salt Clan has officially entertained foreign gods, and they are the most famous Lord of Geo and Lord of Dust. Whoever dares to mess up, I will hang him on the pillar!""Yes!!!"The salt people were extremely excited.The mountain troll was so huge that the salt people could see it clearly even from a considerable distance.At first, they were terrified and thought they were doomed. Even if some of them survived by chance, they would have to wander again like before.Who knew that their king would rush up and fight with the troll for most of the day. Until sunset, everyone saw the troll turned into a salt statue.The excitement, touching, and reverence at that moment were absolutely incomprehensible to people who had not been displaced for a long time.Then there was news that the king and the gods were going to entertain the notorious Lord of Geo and Lord of Dust.Outsiders could not understand the feelings of the salt people at this moment.They had only one idea: we stood up! After thousands of years of fleeing around like rats, they finally got the security and dignity that their countless ancestors longed for!It’s not that they are dissatisfied with the Salt God. Although Havria is weak and timid, the Salt God herself and her power are the only reliance of the salt people for generations to survive to this day — at least so far, Maria has not felt rebellion from the salt people, and their belief in Havria has always been firm and pure.However, survival is important, but so are safety and dignity.In short, whoever fails to do so, whoever lowers the standard of the banquet of the Salt God and the Lord of Salt will be hacked to death by the other salt people, and he may even commit suicide to apologize.Soon after, three gods and one king took their seats in the palace.Maria and Morax were on the top, Havria and Guizhong were on their sides, and the four of them were facing each other.On the table were the best things that the salt people had tried their best to offer.It was not in line with the traditions of Guilli Assembly, after all, the salt people had never seen the god banquets of those ancient settlements.But the intentions could be felt.Maria hesitated for a moment, but softened her expressio. She spoke to the person next to her. "Go tell everyone that the enemy has been dealt with and it's safe. Just sleep normally tonight.""Yes! My king!"After receiving the king's order for the first time, the salt people went down excitedly.Then the feast officially began, but it was particularly silent.Maria was a cold person, Havria was socially inept, and Morax was unfamiliar.Only Guizhong's silence was a little strange.Morax raised his wine glass and silently glanced at Guizhong.... Chapter 119 These Seem to Be a LotWhen the atmosphere was about to get awkward, Guizhong finally smiled and played the role of breaking the ice:"Hahaha! Is this the first time we’ve sat together so formally? Maria, we’ve known each other for so long, but you’ve never treated me properly!""Then... I'm sorry?"Maria hesitated and seemed to have considered for a while before apologizing.Guizhong smiled."Forget it, forget it. Anyway, it's good that nothing happened. Although I calculated that the guy might come, I didn't expect it to be so soon. I almost thought... I thought I couldn't catch up."Guizhong still smiled, but her eyes turned red, and she couldn't help sniffing.It's not that such things haven't happened before.Guizhong and Morax are very good friends, but it doesn't mean that she has no other friends. With her personality, as long as they are not too far away and have a slightly better personality, she can make friends.And it is very common in this era for people she knows to suddenly die in the war. Guizhong had encountered it before, and more than once."Well, I know. I'm not that weak. Don't scare yourself next time something happens. And thank you."Maria had to soften her tone.She sighed in her heart. She quietly took off the label of "not an experimental target" from Guizhong.... After the feast, The salt faction had a further relationship with the Geo gang.Morax admired Maria's ability to achieve the results of a god with a non divine body.Maria also felt that the old man in his youth was really domineering.'It's a pity that my goal is just to quietly change a little bit of history, so I'd better not participate in unnecessary things.'Maria thought so until the pretty and weak Havria came to report with the political document."King, this is the residential area expansion plan decided by everyone.""Is there something wrong with your plan? This place should...""Oh, yeah, that's right! King, you are awesome!"Havria walked away with admiration.Later——"King, everyone says that the recent salt trade has declined. What should we do?""The salt farmers have been selling salt steadily for a while. The external market is saturated, so it will naturally decline. A healthy economy should not rely on a single advantageous commodity. We should...""Oh, oh!""King, everyone says that they want to build an army and protect themselves.""This idea is right, but I think we need to consider...""Oh, oh!"Later, Maria didn't know how many times she had been strangled behind the enemy. She stood on the towering balcony of the palace and looked at the prosperous and well-organized city-state.She suddenly touched her chin in confusion.'Isn't it right? It was said that Havria would give in step by step, but in the end, her people would stab her in the back? How come this city is getting better and better?'At this moment, the salt farmers in the streets and alleys were singing the praises of the wise king.As a person who had always focused on hunting, developing her abilities, and taking care of Havria, Maria finally began to sweat.'Could it be that there will be no backstabbing anymore?'If you think about it carefully, the salt people backstabbed because they were desperate. Their gods could neither protect them nor dare to participate in the war. A series of pessimistic environments shaped the idea of backstabbing gods.Now Sal Terrae is not like this. It is safe and prosperous, and people are full of honor and positive emotions.Under such circumstances, let alone backstabbing, even a little disrespect to the gods may get one beaten to death in the street, right?According to this trend, the goal of saving Havria can be achieved.The problem is that if this happens, the change to history will be a bit big, and it will cause trouble for the future self!"Maria, what are you thinking about? Why do you look like you doubt life? Chew chew chew~~"Guizhong, who was either chatting or eating, asked curiously beside her.Maria finally looked at the woman who was "not the target of the experiment" and said blankly. "Do you think that if this goes on, can Havria live well forever?""Yes, yes, of course! Humph!""What are you humming?""Nothing. Your Havria is very good, very good! Is it okay?"Guizhong said coldly, without any expression, and the natural smile from before also disappeared.Maria was still thinking about the historical issues and unconsciously said. "If Havria is safe, what about you?""Ah?""I mean, I have protected her, can I still protect you?"Maria's eyes were a little blurred, as if she was still thinking about many problems. But because of this, one could feel her sincere seriousness."Uh... I... I forgot to turn off the stove at home. I have to go back quickly, bye!"Miss God of Dust covered her face and flew away.Maria thought for a long time, but she couldn't figure out a specific idea to reduce the burden in the future.After all, destroying Sal Terrae and Guilli Assembly is really... not soft-hearted, I don't mean that, but... inappropriate, right?Maria scratched her head, came back to her senses, and blinked belatedly."Did I flirt with her just now?"There is no answer to this question.Because in the following year, Guizhong never appeared in Sal Terrae again....One afternoon, in a clear stream in the deep mountains with no one around.Maria sat on the flowing stream, with Havria, whose face was flushed and had not yet calmed down, resting on her legs.The stream flowed over their graceful bodies, outlining all kinds of perfect curves.Havria panted slightly and docilely approached her king, rubbing her face against Maria's beautifully muscled white abdomen.Then, she smiled. "Is the king thinking about Haagentus?""Yes, a little. We haven't seen each other for more than a year. I don't think she's in any trouble, right? But I don't feel any signs of war."Maria actually realized the possible situation.But it didn't seem likely.To be honest, they didn't know each other very well.It's just that they often stayed together for hundreds of years.It's just that she would give her some animal teeth or flowers on the roadside during hunting to make her laugh.It's just that when she wanted to play, se would accompany her many times with a helpless smile.When she was tired, she would let her rest on her thighs and coax her to sleep in the breeze of the mountains and forests.It's just that every time she was unhappy, she would quietly follow and escort her home, and then find some small gifts to coax her back afterward.It's just that because she felt it was a little dangerous or just complained a few words, she quietly eliminated many messy enemies for her.It's just that she occasionally said she wanted something from somewhere, and even if it was just a rumor, she would find time to go hunting to see what it was and bring her something back along the way.These are almost all she can think of.These... seem to be a lot.After being a here for so long, has her sensitivity to time and emotions been assimilated to the level of a god's dullness?Maria broke out in a cold sweat again.Looking at the king's changing eyes, Havria smiled more and more brightly, and sighed with satisfaction."Ah~~If the king is worried, why don't you go see her?""No, I, that...""If you are worried about me, then there is no need. As for me, as long as the king is happy and doesn't abandon me, that's enough."Havria hugged Maria's waist and spoke sincerely to the king who gave her all the sense of security and belonging.She considered herself the weakest and most incompetent god. She was always in danger, hiding from place to place, unable to protect anything, and felt that she could die at any time.This experience made Havria extremely docile and easily satisfied.As she said, as long as she could stay by Maria's side and have this sense of security, she would have nothing else to ask for.The rest was to hope that her king would be happy, and that would be enough.Or to say that using some partner rules of later generations to restrain the feelings of a god in the era of barbaric wars would be funny.Maria lowered her head, helplessly and gently looking at the god who was wholeheartedly attached to her."I won't abandon you. Can't you have some confidence in yourself?""After all, I'm too weak, king.""But you're cute.""Then, does the king like my cuteness?"When asked this kind of question, the answer in words is not as good as the answer in action.Maria showed a charming smile that made Havria infatuated, and her slender white fingers gently stroked Havria's delicate body... (some parts omitted).---Chapter 120: Anyway, It's Like ThisAfterwards, Maria hugged Havria who was sleeping soundly, and looked toward the direction of Guilli plains.She touched her chin and muttered. "Am I a bad girl again?"This word "again" was used very soulfully."Well, anyway, let's go to Guilli Assembly tomorrow."Maria hugged Havria and silently raised her body temperature to warm the exhausted, weak girl....The next day, Maria rarely came to Guilli Assembly.She met Mr. Marchosius, the village master."Hello, Lord Marchosius.""King of Salt, you are finally here.""What do you mean?""In the first month, Guizhong dragged Xianyun to try all the pillows in the city, saying that none of them satisfied her, so she threw a lot of pillows at each of our homes. In the second month, she grabbed Ping to look for flowers everywhere, but it seemed that she was not satisfied. Various petals and leaves piled up in her cave, and I finally had to clean them up. In the third month, she dragged Indarias and Bonanus to buy ornaments such as animal teeth and claws in the market, and later sent them to Azhdaha and asked him to eat them... In the past month, she has been locking herself in the house. I don’t know what she is doing, but I always feel that it will be very troublesome. Anyway, if you don’t come again, we will collapse."Marchosius sat on the steps at the door of his house, sighing to Maria.Maria spoke dryly. "She is... quite lively.""She was just lively before, but she's been too lively this year. I mean, what's the conflict between you two? Did you bully her?""I... don't know if it counts as bullying?""Forget it, I don't understand. Anyway, go and make her normal again. Any method is fine, as long as she stops making trouble, we'll all thank you."Marchosius raised his bear paws, held up Maria's hand, and gently patted the back of her hand, as if begging.What a big bear.What a sense of grievance.Maria nodded with a wooden face."Yeah."She always felt a vague sense of guilt.Guizhong made them suffer like this—couldn't it be because of me?What virtue and ability?It's not that bad!In short, Maria continued on her way, and under the guidance of Marchosius, she walked toward Guizhong's home. Guizhong lives on a hilltop across the city.She specializes in inventing various mechanisms, and settling down in the city could easily bring danger to people.Maria also received resentful looks from various adepti, yakshas, and a dragon king along the way.Finally, with a sense of guilt, she knocked on the door of Guizhong's cave."Who is it?"The stone door opened with a rumble, and a long-lost cute little head poked out.Maria stared at her. All the emotions she had along the way disappeared, and she just smiled gently."Good morning, I'm here to play with you, Guizhong.""Bang!"The stone door closed again with a bang.Maria touched her nose. With her superhuman eyesight, she should not have seen it wrong. There were a series of mechanical dolls in the depths of the cave, and the images were all modeled after Maria.After a while, the stone door opened again, and the dolls inside disappeared.Maria came inside. The structure inside was quite complicated, with the appearance of a girl's boudoir, a place for machinery and factories, and a messy showroom.Guizhong smiled and poured tea for Maria."Hey, rare guest, why are you here?""If you don't go over, I can only come over.""Hmm? Are you worried about me? Aren't you with Havria every day? Can you still remember me?""Worried, remembered... It's better to say that I often think about what is between you and me."As a member of Angel, Maria could be very cold when she was not interested, but she was never less aggressive after she made it clear.Guizhong's smile froze, and she stammered. "What... what is what? Hahaha, what are you talking about?""It seems that you haven't thought it through.""Huh?""Come to the Sal Terrae often in the future. Of course I will come to Guilli often. Let's figure it out slowly."Maria picked up the teacup and spoke calmly, with a soft and beautiful arc on the corner of her mouth.Guizhong didn't remember what happened later. It seemed that she rested her head on that super comfortable and soft thigh again and took a beautiful nap.Later, she said a lot of words to Maria in a daze that she didn't remember clearly.But Maria remembered the things that happened later very clearly.After she walked a considerable distance from Guilli Assembly, she saw the scene of gods, geovishap, adepti, and yakshas gathered on a vast land which was full of deterrence and oppression.Maria adjusted the brim of her hat, blood condensed into an elegant slender sword, and the corners of her mouth slowly rose.The young version of the "old man" of Liyue walked out expressionlessly. He was holding a geo spear in his hand and pointing it at Maria's nose."Come, fight."The man who has spent years of endless killing is really awesome. Morax is indeed worthy of his title "Warrior God". The smile on Maria's face became more and more blooming."Please!"The two fought, roaring endlessly.Under the moon, everyone in the Guilli Assembly watched the battle."Azhdaha, you are the closest to Rex Lapis among us. How long can the Salt King last?""With her mediocre energy intensity, even if Morax doesn't go serious, she can only last a quarter of an hour at most. What do you think, Marchosius?""I think it's at least two quarters of an hour. The Salt King is still quite strong. The only difference is that he is not a divine species, so her foundation is a little weak, but there are almost no weaknesses."The adepti and gods discussed.In fact, it doesn't matter how long they persist. The courage to fight Morax proves their courage and responsibility. Plus, if Guizhong likes her, then they have nothing to say.The battle lasted for a quarter of an hour. Azhdaha curled his draconic maw. "Not bad, Marchosius, you have a good eye."All the adepti nodded.The battle first lasted for half an hour. They looked serious.The battle then continued for most of the night. They had been watching the battle with an attitude of learning.Finally, Morax helped the exhausted Maria to come in front of everyone.Maria sat on the ground. Her clothes were a little tattered, and her image was a little embarrassed, but her calm, elegant, and unrestrained demeanor was impressive.All the adepti also sat down. Some took out wine, and some took out food, and set up a simple but not shabby banquet.Morax drank a glass with Maria."In terms of martial arts alone, you are the strongest I have ever seen. People in the world sing the title of Warrior God to me, but compared with you, I am unworthy of this title.""The Warrior God is not only the God of Martial Arts, but also the God of Force and Killing. In terms of the latter, I am far behind you. If you hadn't deliberately suppressed your strength because of your curiosity, I wouldn't have been able to hold on for so long.". "But you can also borrow the power of the god through blood. We heard from Guizhong... I didn't mean to reveal your secret. Guizhong said that if there are special circumstances, you need to borrow our blood, and she hopes we won't refuse. In short, if you borrow the power of the god, it will be hard to predict who will win the fight between you and me.""You're overpraising me. If the foundation is poor, it's poor. It's not so easy to make up for it. The power of the Warrior God is well deserved."The two praised each other, but they were sincere.Morax felt that Maria's perfect martial arts were simply outrageous.Maria also felt that Morax's overall strength was a bit out of the box, judging from the level of Teyvat. It was unjustifiable that no one had ever seen a strong person who could match him."Why do you have to dwell on this? Morax is a well-deserved Warrior God, and Maria, I think it's not too much to call her a Valkyrie."Azhdaha's yell ended the topic.Others also nodded.With a foundation that was only slightly stronger than that of an adepti, she fought Morax for most of the night until she was exhausted and defeated.In their eyes, this was simply outrageous, and it was outrageous to the extreme!They couldn't help but admire Guizhong's vision.If Guizhong hadn't made friends with such a strong person in advance, if she had become an enemy, it would have been a big trouble for Liyue and Guili.As for why the Liyue gang intercepted here in the middle of the night, and why Morax started fighting without saying a word, everyone tacitly didn't mention it again.In short, Maria felt the feeling of being accepted by this group.She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time—my god, history has changed so much. Will her future selves unite to fight her?But it's like this anyway. Maria was going to give up.She spoke to several Yakshas. "I heard that your duty is to eliminate the resentment of the gods and the filth of the earth?""Really? Does Sal Terrae have similar troubles? Just leave it to us. We are all family, don't be polite, hahaha!""I mean, give me your hand.""Ah?"Bosacius scratched his head honestly while serving wine and meat. Fortunately, he was born with four hands, so he extended the last hand.Maria cut Bosacius's wrist in front of everyone.Two blood lines connected Bosacius’s and Maria’s wrists, exchanging each other’s blood. The adepti all frowned. But considering that Maria was already one of them, they did not question her immediately, but observed carefully.After a while, the blood exchange was over.Bosacius raised his four hands in confusion, patted and touched his face and body. He spoke in confusion. "I... seem... impossible, but... purified?""It's just a little special ability, not worth mentioning. Come to me regularly for blood exchange in the future to keep your mind safe. If anything happens to me, I will leave my body. Then you can continue to exchange blood with my body, which should be just as useful.""What are you talking about!?"Bosacius and the Yakshas all changed color.Maria shook her head, drank, looked up at the moon, with a relaxed smile on her face. "I'm serious. Don't think it's a taint or something—I don't think so. Guizhong cherishes friends very much, and you are all her dearest friends. I don't want to see her sad and tearful."Maria is still a Herrscher in essence. What does the resentment of a god can do? If it can infect the Herrscher core little bit, the Heavenly Principles will not be trapped by the Honkai she used. Yes, it's like this anyway.At worst, when she returns to the future, let her other selves mess around.The Liyue gang was speechless for a while. After a while, they toasted Maria together. There was no need to say more about the feelings in their hearts—just look at the actions in the future. They all thought so.--Chapter 121: The Blade of HaagentusAfter that meeting and that battle, Guizhong began visiting Sal Terrae regularly.Each time, she left joyfully and returned the same.According to the recollections of Cloud Retainer and Streetward Rambler, Guizhong smiled often during that period and had an exceptionally gentle temperament. Even when the two came to challenge her in the art of mechanics or to discuss musical theory, she never lost her temper. She was always smiling.So much so that the two adepti once wondered whether they were aging too quickly—were their memories already becoming confused?Could it be that Guizhong had always been such a gentle and harmless person?Fortunately, Guizhong eventually returned to normal.But that didn’t mean she had stopped finding joy in that relationship.Love is never about forcing someone to change—it’s about mutual giving and growing.Guizhong's return to her usual self only proved that she had truly entered into a meaningful relationship, a new stage of life.Evidence of this could be found in the secret room she maintained—filled with all kinds of Maria memorabilia: various dolls of Maria, both large and small, soft and hard, as well as flowers, accessories, clothes, and other gifts from her. There were also personal items Guizhong had secretly taken from Maria—ties, cufflinks, strands of hair, buttons.All carefully locked away in a secret room known only to Guizhong.As for the fact that the Salt King was seen embracing a woman, the adepti and gods of Liyue said nothing.Again, this was an era of savage wars, and it involved a relationship at the level of gods—well beyond conventional norms.Among immortal species, it was exceedingly rare for a god to engage in a romantic relationship. And for the Salt King—an immortal who matched Guizhong in appearance, strength, and character—it was even more extraordinary.As long as the three were happy, what more was there to say?Just observing the elegant and noble bearing of Maria, the King of Salt, made it hard to tell who was truly the one being favored.“Hey, they actually said all that in private. Isn’t it infuriating?”Guizhong chewed on a melon angrily as she complained to Maria.Maria drew her bow and loosed a blood arrow that pierced both the lake and the monster lurking beneath. Then, with a gentle smile, she replied. “I think they’re trying to remind me—through you—that this is a rare blessing, and I must not take it for granted.”“Huh? You think... that’s what they meant?”Guizhong paused, blinking in confusion, the melon halfway to her mouth.Maria raised a hand and tenderly caressed Guizhong’s smooth cheek, still smiling.“It must be.”That was a lie.How could she possibly know what those adepti were thinking?But if she didn’t say that, Guizhong—who was now visibly annoyed—would probably harp on about it for an entire day.Despite her brilliance, Guizhong was still vulnerable to love. Facing Maria’s affectionate smile, she surrendered her thoughts and nodded dazedly.“Yes, that’s right. If Maria says so, then it must be true! Hehehe!”“Wait here a moment. Didn’t you say you needed elastic materials capable of withstanding immense tensile and elemental forces? The tendons of this giant serpent should work.”With that, Maria dove into the murky lake.Moments later, she resurfaced, drenched but triumphant, and handed a bundle of serpent tendons to Guizhong.Guizhong examined them intently, tugging and inspecting, until her eyes lit up.“This is it! With this, my Super Guizhong Machine can go even further! Amazing!”Without caring about Maria’s dampness, Guizhong threw herself into her arms, hugging and rubbing against her with a smile that was almost blinding in its sweetness.Guizhong knew this lake was far from Sal Terrae and Guilli Assembly, and the monsters here posed no threat to either city.So Maria must have come all this way just to find materials for her.“Honestly, I was just complaining casually. I wasn’t really asking you to do it. Why do you take things so seriously? Hehehe!”Guizhong pressed herself into Maria’s soft chest, her heart swelling with a joy she had never experienced before. Her entire being was overflowing not just with happiness, but with a sweetness too overwhelming to put into words.Maria had no choice but to silently raise her body temperature and evaporate the water from her clothes. Then she hugged Guizhong back.‘Even though it was a long way to travel... it was worth it.’After all, Guizhong looked especially cute when she smiled.Guizhong felt the warmth of the now-dry embrace and looked up with a teasing smile.“Why do I feel like you haven’t been so cold lately?”“Because things are different now.”“What’s different?”“Before, you were just a troublesome girl who didn’t hate me but had nothing to do with me.”Guizhong puffed out her cheeks.“But now you’re here. You’re important.”Maria touched her left chest—where her heart was. Her blood-red eyes, pure and serious, were filled with both confession and a solemn vow.Guizhong was momentarily stunned. Her face flushed, and she smiled sweetly again, nuzzling against Maria’s chest with a soft, satisfied sigh.After snuggling for a while, Guizhong climbed directly into Maria’s arms, wrapping her arms around her neck like a lazy little sloth.“Come to think of it, isn’t there a joint skill we haven’t tried yet?”“What joint skill?” Maria looked down, puzzled.Guizhong stretched her neck deliberately.This not only revealed her graceful, pale neck to Maria’s gaze but also loosened her off-shoulder dress, hinting at the creamy curves beneath. The teasing glimpse of forbidden skin seemed like an unspoken invitation.Maria’s eyes darkened slightly. The corners of her lips curled into a smile that made Guizhong shiver involuntarily.Not understanding why her heart was suddenly racing, Guizhong could only protest weakly. “I mean the blood-sucking skill!”“I know. But there are no enemies nearby right now.”“I do know of a big monster in that direction.”Guizhong pulled up her intelligence report and pointed.Maria nodded, lifted Guizhong’s light body effortlessly, and walked toward their next target.Guizhong’s god name was Haagentus.Her power was the control of dust, allowing her to decompose even the hardest matter into grains.To some extent, this ability was inferior to Havria’s salting magic in terms of elemental transformation.But to speak of ability without mentioning raw energy was a joke.In truth, Guizhong’s divine power far exceeded Havria’s. As a result, the boost she provided to Maria was also much greater.“I am Maria, the Blade of Haagentus.”“Swoosh!”Everything turned to dust wherever the "fowl" flew.In a single strike, the monster—one that even the Adepti would need prolonged battle to defeat—was reduced to dust, scattered by the wind.---Chapter 122 UneasyThe hunting, without any ups and downs, was over.Maria didn't even look at the dust. She just turned back to the blood-formed recliner next to her and picked up the limp Guizhong.Guizhong couldn't stop twitching in Maria's arms. Her eyes rolled up, and saliva dripped on Maria's clothes.After walking for a long time, Guizhong timidly raised her head and looked at Maria with wet and sticky eyes."Is it like this every time you suck blood?""Yes. My ability is like this."This was a lie.In fact, the anesthetic and analgesic components could be completely controlled. It's just that, since the effect was so good, Maria had been using it all the time.Guizhong rubbed Maria's chest with a dazed look, appearing gentle and seductive, and spoke confusedly. "What is this... what is this feeling? I have never... never imagined it.""You don't know?""I don't know...""Then, I'll teach you."Maria looked at the "little lamb" with a doting smile, and her blood-red eyes were a little aggressive.It was not fierce, nor scary, but Guizhong was a little panicked.For more than ten days afterward, Guizhong stayed in the Sal Terrae Palace.Havria walked in halfway and then never came out again.After more than ten days, Guizhong finally learned something. The main thing was that she had to wait until the redness and swelling of her lips and other indescribable abnormalities subsided before she dared to go back home."You can't suck blood or anything like that from women other than me and Havria! Men are even worse!"Before leaving, Guizhong blushed and emphasized this.This is where she was different from Havria. Havria would not ask anything of her king. She was just completely docile and put herself in a very low position. Fortunately, this weak self-PUA god met the philanthropic Angels. Maria liked both and would treat both well.Maria nodded obediently."Don't worry, if it's someone else, the anesthetic ingredients will be adjusted. And it doesn't have to be sucked from the neck. I can just cut a wound and draw it out remotely."Maria looked at Guizhong’s figure with a smile in her eyes. She rubbed her fingers gently and unconsciously put them on the tip of her nose to sniff.Girls are so good. They will make very cute sounds wherever you touch them.Maria couldn't help but recall the half-month of crazy emotional rampage. Then, the psychological pressure about interfering history and future burdens was suddenly released.Whatever, she had already earned it. Suddenly, she turned her head and looked in another direction, frowning."King."Havria came from behind and gently got into Maria's arms.Maria hugged her and spoke softly. "You feel it too?""Yeah, it feels very dangerous. I have to trouble you to go hunting again."Havria looked at Maria apologetically.She really felt that she and Sal Terrae owed the king a lot.Everyone could have such a safe life, all relying on the Lord of Salt to hunt all kinds of threats from all directions, but no one could really help the Lord of Salt.All Havria could do was hold back the afterglow in her body, raise her neck, and offer her blood and strength to Maria."Can you still hold on? If not, you don't have to.""It's okay, I can... or rather... like..."Havria covered her face with both hands, not daring to imagine that she actually said such shameful words.When the fangs pierced into her neck, a familiar feeling surged.Havria shrank into that infinitely beautiful embrace, letting her body twitch instinctively.When she regained consciousness, Maria had returned with the victory that everyone in Sal Terrae had already gotten used to.Havria instinctively got into that embrace again and fell asleep peacefully in exhaustion. In the haze, she vaguely heard herself saying—it was over, it was over, she could no longer leave her king. There was no way to return to a life where she was alone.Maria: "..."In fact, she really said it, and Maria heard it.But listening to this, why did she feel like a R18 visual novel character who specifically makes girls fall into corruption?Or, in the future, should the anesthetic and analgesic components of blood sucking be slightly adjusted?Maria hesitated and hugged Havria back to the palace.……"Boom!""Crunch, crunch, crunch~~"Guizhong had appeared beside Maria for no apparent number of times and witnessed Maria's heroic appearance in defeating powerful enemies.This time, it was not the enemy of Sal Terrae but the enemy that threatened Guilli Assembly.Maria soon came back with a bloody smell.Guizhong chewed the pancake and couldn't help but frown."The frequency is too high. Whether it's Sal Terrae or Guilli Assembly, isn't the frequency of encountering enemies too high recently? It feels like your number of kills is almost catching up with Morax."Although it was a war period, and Guilli Assembly was prone to attacks, the number of enemies recently was indeed a bit weird.Maria also frowned.Small situations can be changed, but big situations cannot be changed... right?The essence of Istaroth's power is to overwrite the original world data with the data version after "historical changes."In this process, the conflicting part of the two data—that is, the part of history that changes—will encounter the huge resistance of the original history.Reflected on Maria, the singularity of the change, there are countless events that will make Maria face interference about Havria, Guizhong, Sal Terrae, Guilli Assembly, etc., that forces them into their original counterpart."Looks like you’ve thought of something. Do you know the reason?""I can't say.""Oh.""But... protect yourself. No matter what, protect yourself, and believe me."Maria hugged the ignorant Guizhong tightly and stroked her head lovingly.The frequent occurrence of enemy attacks was probably the counterattack of the historical trend.It wanted to destroy Maria, which was irrelevant.But it also wanted to destroy Guizhong and Havria, which was another matter.Guizhong raised her head from Maria's arms, took a bite of the cake, chewed it, and knew that Maria might know something. But since Maria chose to conceal it, Guizhong didn't ask. She just looked at Maria's worried eyes and smiled brightly:"Come to my house tonight!""Okay."Maria's hand stroked Guizhong's soft and delicate waist.A blush also appeared on Guizhong's face, and everything was self-evident.Later, Guizhong worked harder to develop various military outposts and set them up around Guilli Assembly and Salt Terrae, and various defense facilities were expanded again and again.But no matter how hard she tried, she could not keep up with the increasing frequency of attacks on the two places.Everyone felt a sense of uneasiness that a storm was about to come.---Chapter 123 I Should Have Known Better"I discussed it with Morax. Currently, there are two major defense lines in Liyue and Guili. One starts from Qingxu, Lingju pass, and crosses Chizang Vale in the north. The other starts from the south of Liyue, passes Mt. Tianheng, guards the coast to the east, and covers Dunyu to the west. Now that Sal Terrae has formed an alliance with us, we can build another defense line starting from the east of Guili and ending at the east of Sal Terrae, building a complete coastal defense line!"Guizhong spread out the map in the Sal Terrae Palace and told Maria about her and Morax's plan.Havria was holding the lamp next to her, listening obediently without interrupting.How could she who only knew how to wander and escape understand military strategies?Just obeying silently was enough.Maria looked at the three lines of defense drawn by Guizhong and asked. "The line of defense from Guilli to Sal Terrae is easy to understand. It is indeed to defend against threats from the sea. But for the first two lines of defense, is Morax guarding against the Layered Rock Chasm?""Yes, but it's not just the Layered Rock Chasm. You know, there can only be one winner in a region. None of us can escape or avoid it. It's really a willful and unreasonable rule."Guizhong looked up at the ceiling.And Havria shuddered fiercely."Sister Guizhong, please stop talking. That's... but...""I understand, I understand. There's nothing we can do. They just have the ability to make rules. What else can we do?"Guizhong spread her hands with a helpless expression.Then she looked at Maria again and spoke seriously. "If possible, I hope Morax will be the winner on our side. Only he has the ability to protect everyone... Maria, although you are powerful, you are indeed no match for Morax.""Yeah.""Hey! I am praising Morax. Can't you react normally, be jealous or something?"Guizhong put her hands on her waist and pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.Maria then raised her chin, lowered her head, pried open her lips and teeth, and forcefully took Guizhong's lips.After a burst of ambiguous sounds, Guizhong's face turned red, and she could no longer put on a spoiled and unruly posture.And Maria recalled. "Compared to jealousy, I like this more.""Bad... bad woman, you hooligan! You were really pretending to be serious before! I was deceived by you!"Guizhong covered her face, but still stubbornly widened her eyes, unwilling to be outdone.Can Maria still spoil her?That night, this lively and naughty little cutie was taught a lesson that went deep into her bones.Later, the two forces began to formally discuss the establishment of the defense line.What the mortals in the three settlements did, what the Adepti did, and how Morax laid the foundation—the Adepti kept communicating the details.Finally, it was also discussed that since Morax and several Adepti needed to work together to build, Maria needed to be transferred to Liyue Port to fill the gap in combat power there.After that, the troops from all parties returned to their respective bases and began to prepare intensively.…In the midst of the busyness, only Maria was mixed about this defense line.It was not to question the rationality of the defense line. She participated in the specific planning of the defense line throughout the process and determined that this was the best and most appropriate design. Once built, it could indeed effectively resist the impact of the sea.It was just that in the face of a relatively abstract historical trend, doing nothing was like waiting for death, and taking the initiative was just likely making the strength of the counterattack increase. It highlighted a dilemma. So Maria couldn't figure out whether this line of defense could be built, and how much effect it would have after it was built."I should have known better than to be so frugal and bring more backup hidden energy."Maria covered her face and sighed with melancholy.But who would have thought that she would have this fate just from doing an experiment?Anyway, there was no choice at this moment. Maria had to fight all the way to the end. She had to do everything she could to keep Guizhong and Havria, at least to keep a glimmer of life, so that her future selves could help to get them back.Otherwise..."Hmm?"In deep thought, Maria suddenly looked up and looked in the direction of Guilli Assembly."King?""There's a change in the sea. I'll go there. Wait for me at home. Protect yourself.""Yes!"Havria nodded vigorously. At the same time, she skillfully and naturally revealed her beautiful white neck.Maria hugged her, lowered her head, and absorbed a little blood."Swhooossh!" Then a red light flew across the sky, heading straight for Dihuazhou.Maria's expression suddenly became very calm.The worries accumulated over the past few days suddenly disappeared, replaced by calmness. This was certainly not because the crisis had passed, but Maria vaguely felt that the time had come.So the speed of wind and lightning increased again.While she increased her output, traces a light patterns that came from Honkai corrosion quietly appeared on Maria's face.…"Boom!""Morax, Haagentus! Just keep dreaming about building a comprehensive defense line to resist the sea! Look, I will flood all your cities first!"No one know how Osial got the news. No one knows how Osial found this moment when only Guizhong was watching over it while all other allies were preparing defense lines everywhere.Whether it was carefully prepared or just happened, it didn't matter at the moment."Ah~~"Guizhong sighed as she looked at the sea god who came with surging waves and endless sea beasts, and then fully deployed Guilli Assembly's defense mechanism."Swish, swish, swish!""Boom!"Countless beams of arrows shot into the sea, slaughtering the sea beasts that came riding the waves.However, the sea beasts could be blocked, but the surging waves rolled up by the god could not be blocked by the mechanisms. The only one who could block the power of the god was the existence at the same level as the god.Guizhong summoned her own divine weapon, a magic ball with a brilliant light.Then it soared into the air, rolling up yellow sand and dust all over the sky."Boom!!!"The sea waves collided with the dust waves.In terms of the divine powers as a god, Guizhong was not strong. She was the type who was good at brainwork but not strength.In terms of power, the quality and quantity of the sand and dust were far inferior to the surging sea water.Therefore, Guizhong was defeated step by step.But anyway, she blocked Guilli Assembly and prevented the tragedy of the sea water from submerging everything.We can't win.Guizhong knew the result at once."But even if we can't win, we have to protect Guilli Assembly until reinforcements arrive. Wait, even if I can't survive, you can't expect any good results."Guizhong had seen too much life and death, and she was not afraid of her own death. She just thought of Maria and Morax and the others. If she died here, this god and the sea clan should be in big trouble, right?Guizhong had a good time in the midst of suffering. Then she put away her distracting thoughts, focused on facing the Overlord  of the Vortex, and launched an all-out attack and defense.One of the two sides was on the shore, and the other was on the sea.The collision of the two forces of sand and sea water produced infinite power that changed the world.However, compared with the Overlord of the Vortex who could fight in all directions with her own strength, Guizhong's hard power was still far behind.When Maria probably arrived, the outcome was already decided.----Chapter 124: Double-Sided Attack“Waterfowl… dance wildly!”A blood-red waterfowl streaked across the sea, slashing the giant sea god into countless salt crystals that scattered into the waves. At the same time, it cleared a group of sea beasts approaching Guilli Assembly.“Lord of Salt! The Lord of Salt has come to support us!”“Lord of Salt, save the Lord of Dust—save our god!”Maria didn’t have time to look at the cheering people below. She flew swiftly to a high mountain, where she saw a girl nailed to its peak by a massive, razor-sharp claw.Guizhong was kneeling in a pool of blood. When she saw Maria approaching, a brilliant smile bloomed on her bloodstained face.“Maria, you’re here. Sorry, I can’t entertain you today. Ahem!”Maria’s hand trembled as she gripped her blood sword. Then she knelt before Guizhong, touching the wound and the claw impaling her.“Just hold on. It won’t hurt for long.” Her voice was emotionless.Maria pressed her hand to the claw, activating the power of salinization while simultaneously injecting a strong painkiller into Guizhong’s wound. After a moment, Guizhong finally slumped into Maria’s arms.Maria tried to use her blood powers to stop the bleeding and heal the wound, but Guizhong grabbed her hand and shook her head.Lifting her blood-soaked neck, she whispered hoarsely. “Quick… use my power—my strength—to kill the sea god… the god… I won’t last much longer…”Even now, Guizhong was maintaining the dust barrier that protected Guilli Assembly. Without it, Maria would have arrived only to find the city already drowned.Maria didn’t hesitate, but instead of biting Guizhong’s neck to deepen the wound, she kissed her bloodied lips, absorbing the blood-stained saliva.“Wait for me to come back.”“Of course. Where else would I go?”Guizhong struggled to suppress her fear and pain and smiled weakly at Maria.Maria kissed her forehead, then turned into a beam of crimson light and shot into the surging sea.Though the combined power of Havria and Guizhong wasn’t great, Maria forcibly extracted a small amount of Honkai energy from the Herrscher Core—enough to become an almost unstoppable force in Teyvat.The sea roared for a full quarter of an hour before Maria emerged again, flying back to the mountaintop.Guizhong looked up at her and froze.“Maria, your face…”The lines etched by Honkai energy were now visible across Maria’s cheeks.It was a warning: the Herrscher Core was nearing its limit.The Herrscher of Dominance's core was already fractured and weak. Without a supply from the Imaginary Tree’s portal, it had supported Maria for over 700 years. Though she relied mainly on elemental power in battle, the Herrscher core still powered her very existence.And in those 700 years, Maria had never rested—especially over the last 300, when she gave everything to protect Havria, Guizhong, and the cities they cherished.She fought again and again, and the toll was immense.Now, with the additional strain of forcibly drawing Honkai energy, the core was nearing collapse.Maria calmly touched her cheek. “It’s nothing. Just… high consumption. How are you holding up?”“Sigh… the injury is serious... The Sea god is dead. As expected of the Valkyrie, Maria never disappoints. But the scattered dust tells me the sea has become a tide. What comes next is no longer war, but natural disaster. Dihuazhou and the Sal Terrae will likely suffer a catastrophic flood. We’ll have to migrate.”Guizhong avoided talking about her injuries and only briefly mentioned them.Maria didn’t press her—after all, she was avoiding things too. There was no need to say anything more. They were still alive. That was enough.“Hm?”Maria and Guizhong turned suddenly toward the north.“That’s Azhdaha’s direction. How could anyone break through his defense?”“I didn’t sense any Geo-elemental surges. Maybe they bypassed him with some ability. Rest. I’ll handle it.”Maria summoned a blood blade. Her gaze was cold and calm.The full force of historical backlash had arrived.

At this moment, disasters increasing was simply natural law. Nothing to be surprised about.She finally understood why Istaroth had vanished from history.That same backlash... they must have experienced it countless times. Whether they survived, who could say?Maria turned to go, but Guizhong clutched her hand, unease glimmering in her tear-filled eyes.“Have you already…”“Don’t think too much. I’ll live—and take you with me to the future. Just trust me.”Maria couldn’t explain. She simply cradled Guizhong’s face, kissed her deeply until she was dazed and speechless, then stood and flew toward the northern threat.And then came endless slaughter.Waterfowl danced wildly. Blood pooled like rivers.Gods, beasts, monsters—Maria didn’t know how many she had killed. But she turned the north of Guilli Assembly into a blood-soaked plain.Then, she stared toward the Sal Terrae.“Yes. This backlash will naturally head toward Havria after Guizhong.”Maria didn’t hesitate. She took to the sky and unfolded massive blood-colored wings.It was both to reach the Sal Terrae faster—and to send Guizhong a signal.Guizhong watched the blood shadow vanish into the sky and finally understood what Maria meant.“Even Sal Terrae… cough! No, I must prepare everyone to evacuate before my power gives out.”Despite still holding back the waves, Guizhong forced herself to stand and summoned Guilli Assembly’s leaders....For the first time, Havria did not run when a powerful enemy approached.For the first time, she used her power to protect her city.Boom!!!The invading monsters and gods shook the entire city.But Havria stood firm, utilizing the wall defenses Maria had designed. As Maria had taught her, she reinforced and repaired the walls with solid salt crystals, encircling the city to resist the onslaught.On the ramparts, soldiers fired countless long-range weapons, launching endless salt arrows. Not only were they lethal, but any monster struck would crumble into salt—a manifestation of Havria’s divine power.

“The king’s perception is extraordinary. Even while slaying a god in Guilli Assembly, she could still sense the threat to Sal Terrae. So don’t panic. I will protect everyone until the king returns. Just wait… cough! wait until she comes back!”Havria stood atop the city gate, smiling gently as she reassured the people. The soldiers of Sal Terrae nodded silently, then resumed their posts without a word—guarding Havria with resolute devotion.As followers of the Salt God, no one understood better than they how gentle and fragile she was.And if they could not hold the line until the king’s return, they were ready to become Havria’s final defense—with no hesitation.----Chapter 125: The First BattleJust as Maria had thought before.The settlement city-state developed well and was not pushed back to a desperate situation. Without the catalysis of an extreme environment, the faith of Sal Terrae remained normal and unshakable.There would be no backstab. At this moment, only the people who were determined to protect the gods with their lives stood around Havria.At this time, flying monsters appeared outside the city. They were densely packed, like locusts passing through, but they were much larger and more terrifying than locusts.A trace of fear flashed in Havria's eyes, and then she persisted."The king has taught me about this situation!"Havria raised her hands high, and her power was activated again. The salt crystals that originally covered the city wall extended upwards and soon formed a circular barrier over the city-state, completely blocking the threat from the sky.But in this way, Havria's face turned pale. She was very exhausted, and her meager power foundation did not allow her to stick to this for too long."Lord Havria, please open the city gate a crack.""Ah? What are you talking about?""The Knights can go out of the city to fight and reduce the pressure of the monsters attacking the city walls.""Don't talk nonsense, you will get hurt!"Havria waved her hands quickly.The officer beat his chest with one hand and stood straight."The Salt Knights take it as their duty to protect Sal Terrae and the Salt God. Now is the time for us to die! Lord Havria, for you and for everyone in the city, please let us go to the battlefield to relieve the pressure!""No, no! Absolutely not! Ah!"Havria refused, and suddenly her face turned pale. Her body swayed, and she barely stood up by holding the wall next to her.No, the god from the outside world slapped the salt barrier with a huge claw that covered the sky and the sun."Swish! Swish! Swish!"Countless salt arrows shot at the god's body.However, these arrows, which only have weak power, are sure to kill ordinary monsters and beasts, but they are almost useless against gods."I heard that you have a very powerful King here, who is known as the Lord of the Hunt and specializes in killing gods, but this is all they had? A big turtle shell? Hahaha, how many times can it block my attacks?"The attacking god had long been impatient.The defense measures of Sal Terrae were very complete. But from the perspective of a god, it was just paper thin."Is your king afraid of me? Or is he just a liar? Hahaha!"On the city gate, Havria struggled to maintain the salt barrier. Her face became ugly."Asshole! Don't insult my king!"Havria spoke with the power of god.The other party finally looked at this overly weak fellow."Havria, the God of Salt. I've heard of you—the most cowardly and powerless god—and you made a person who is not even a god your king? Tsk! Shame on you. Wait until I break this barrier, I will crush you!"Havria's face kept changing, and calmed down after a while."You guard the city wall.""Lord Havria, you...""If we defend completely, we can't stop his impact. I must fight him to delay time until the king comes back. Don't worry, the king will protect everyone. Just guard the city wall here.""Lord Havria!"The soldiers couldn't stop Havria and could only watch her fly out of the salt cover.Everyone knew that Havria couldn't fight at all. She was going there like she was going to die.Havria herself knew this."The king taught me to fight. The king said that running away all the time will not lead to any results, and there will always be a time when we have to fight. I will defend this place and our home, Maria!"The weakest god who had been running away all her life—her face pale, her fingers trembling—flew in front of the enemy god."I can't fight.""So don't think too much.""I just need to avoid the attacks and keep turning his body into salt.""As long as I do these two things, I will be a god who can kill the enemy!"Havria recalled what Maria had taught her. Her eyes slowly became firm, and she went to meet the god who was rushing towards her.Soon, she was defeated.She salinized part of the enemy's body and did cause some damage.But she really is inept in fighting, and her own power base was too weak.

Just as the blood and water fell together, Havria smiled with relief."King, Maria..."Behind the enemy god, a pair of blood-colored wings spread out to cover the sky and the sun.

Maria held her sword at an angle, and there was no warmth in her blood-red eyes.

The god suddenly turned back in the cold murderous aura. 

"Who is it!?"

"I am Maria, the Blade of Havria."Then, the blood-red sword energy instantly covered the surroundings of Sal Terrae.

The huge god turned half into salt and half into dust in just a moment and lost his life at the foot of Sal Terrae.

Countless subordinate monsters also turned into salt and dust.

The crisis of Sal Terrae was resolved in an instant.Maria caught the falling Havria.

"King, this time, I didn't embarrass you, did I?"

"I don't need any face. I just want you."

"Ahem!"Havria's strength and vitality were fading, but a blush of joy and satisfaction appeared on her face.Nothing could make her happier than Maria's love words.With such a confession, Havria suddenly felt no fear at all, even if it was death.Maria held the dying Havria and landed in the city."King Maria, Lady Havria...""The sea god attacked, and the gods rose up everywhere. I killed them all. But the tsunami is already here, and as expected, it will soon submerge Dihua Province and the Sal Terrae. You have to migrate to the highlands in the direction of Mt. Tianheng and live in Liyue Port. I will ask the Lord of Geo and the Adepti to protect you and accept you into Liyue."

"Then, what about my king and my god?""It's a pity that we can't see you grow up."Maria hugged Havria with one hand and gently stroked the head of the maid in front of the king with the other hand. With clear lines of collapse erosion on her face, she also showed a gentle smile.The maid understood something and burst into tears in an instant.

In the years of war, many tribes have experienced such moments.

"Gather everyone and prepare for relocation. Before the support from the Lord of Geo arrives, go as high as possible to avoid the flood that may come at any time.""Yes, my king!""And this matter cannot be blamed on others, especially the Lord of Geo and his people. They have always helped us a lot and will help us again in the future, so we should be grateful to him.""Yes!""Also, let's forget about this generation, but the next generation can no longer say that they are the subjects of the God of Salt and the Lord of Salt. When you arrive at Liyue Harbor and are protected by Morax, you will be the subjects of the Lord of Geo in the future. Remember?""King... we... we will always be the subjects of the God of Salt and the King of Salt... forever!"Only this one thing did the people of Sal Terrae who obeyed the order refuse with tears.---Chapter 126: Return to the End – You can't Delete your Browsing History this time. "Alas!"Maria sighed helplessly while holding Havria on the way to Guilli Assembly.At this point, she had no choice but to accept the Salt People's faith.Fortunately, Morax is a kind god. Even when there was no friendship in history, he was willing to tolerate the Sal Terrae peopl. Now that everyone is an ally, there is no need to worry about the future of the Salt People.

"King...""Don't worry, I know Morax's temperament. He will take good care of everyone, and he will be the final winner and live with everyone into the future. I promise you.""Well, I believe in my King."Havria was relieved and curled up in Maria's arms, with a relieved smile on her pale face.Maria lowered her head, gently pinched Havria's face, and said apologetically.  "I'm sorry, I still couldn't protect you to the end."With the power of this body, it has reached its limit.She still couldn't protect Havria and Guizhong and walk into the future intact.It's better to say that this result was expected from the beginning. The original experimental goal was to protect a trace of Havria's soul, like Raiden Makoto and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and revive it in the future.

The original experimental idea was just a change to this degree.And with that goal, the power brought by Maria was actually sufficient to the extreme. Angel never lets her own people do things out of scope, and never lets them do things that will stray from the goal. It was a stupid thing to let children run away without giving them growth.

But she didn't expect Maria to have such rich experience that the initial goal was repeatedly raised and finally far exceeded her limit.Fortunately, Havria was still alive, and Guizhong was still alive.

It was nothing more than letting them sleep, and then exhausting all the power of the Herrscher core to provide them with enough protection to last until the future—this was the only thing Maria could do for them now.

Maria lifted Havria's face and rubbed it against her own, sniffing with great apology and pity."King! I'm not afraid. As long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything!" Havria saw Maria's guilty expression that was about to cry, and hurriedly hugged her tightly, expressing her feelings loudly.

Maria was stunned and laughed helplessly."I won't die. You won't die, Guizhong won't die, and I won't die. It's just that everyone is tired and needs to sleep for a long time. When you wake up, we will still be together, I promise.""Yes! I believe in the King, forever!"Havria's breath was getting weaker and weaker, but the smile on her face was so bright and beautiful....Guizhong also told her believers a lot and watched them start to pack up and prepare for refuge.

Then, she forced herself to run into her cave.After opening a series of mechanisms, a secret room appeared in front of her.Maria's various harmonious and discordant figurines, gifts from Maria, personal items secretly taken from Maria, and Maria's observation diary, strategy diary, intimate diary, fantasy diary, etc. If these things were seen by others, it would be more terrible than dying on the spot!Theoretically, she should destroy these things immediately to keep them safe forever.But after her face changed again and again, she finally gritted her teeth and was reluctant to destroy them.She just added more hiding and sealing methods as much as possible to further hide this secret room.

"After all, they have been accumulated for more than three hundred years, and they are all my treasures... Anyway, it's okay if no one sees them. Besides, it is my cave, after all. To show respect, no one should come to search it, right?"Guizhong put her hands into her sleeves, her eyes wandering, and she floated out of the cave with a guilty conscience.Her heart suddenly stopped when she went out.Because the Adepti of Liyue had already arrived.It was very strange. Guizhong had no sadness about the upcoming departure, but was sweating profusely.Shouldn't it be safer to destroy it just now? Why did you come so quickly!?Guizhong stood stiffly in front of everyone."Guizhong...""Lord Haagentus...""Haagentus...""Guizhong, I'm sorry! It's all my fault for being careless. How could I... how could I let that damn guy slip in right under my nose!"Azhdaha burst into tears. He was not originally a character who would cry, but this time he really was broken to tears. 

Everyone was very sad but Azhdaha was the one who blamed himself the most, because the god attacking from the north leaked in through his defense line.Everyone knew that every god has his own special abilities. The defense line is a defense to protect against invaders, but no one expects it to be a perfect protection.

But for Azhdaha, it was his responsibility that Guizhong had come to this point of dying and bleak vitality.Guizhong was stiff for a long time before she suppressed her guilty conscience about the secret room and showed a relaxed smile."Don't howl. If you keep howling, the tsunami won't need to enter, the Guilli Assembly will be shaken down by you first.""Guizhong, I...""Okay, okay, in this era, hasn't everyone been aware long ago? At least I have protected everything I should protect, and I have no regrets. You should be happy for me for being able to do this."

At this moment, another voice came from the sky. "Guizhong is right. It has nothing to do with you, Azhdaha. Everything is caused by the times. Instead of crying about this, it is better to help Morax and put an end to this absurd chaos as soon as possible."Maria landed with Havria in her arms and came to Guizhong.The faces of the Adepti changed.They had all felt the fall of the Overlord of Vortex and seen the sea of blood left by the god in the north. Naturally, they knew what Maria had done.

But they didn't expect that Maria herself was also wrapped in unknown but dangerous lines. She and the Salt God both exuded the same exhausted breath as Guizhong."Even Sal Terrae...""Well, it was attacked. I killed them all, but there were too many of them. I'm afraid the Yakshas will have to work hard for many years."Maria hugged Havria, took Guizhong's hand, looked at the Adepti, and smiled lightly."Morax, you will have to take care of the Salt People and the Dust People in the future. I'll have to trouble you to lead them in their migration. The journey is long and disasters are rampant. You'll have to work hard."Morax nodded with a sad look in his eyes.The others did the same.But no one spoke. They were all immersed in grief and didn't know what to say."The Guilli Assembly's people are fine. After all, they also believe in Morax, but the Sal Terrae dwellers still only recognize me and Havria. I've already explained that it's only okay in the short term, but it may cause some trouble in the long term... Morax, don't be embarrassed when the time comes. Just handle it normally according to the rules of Liyue. Please.""I swear by the majestic Mt. Tianheng that I will treat the people of the Lord of Salt well.""I'm sorry to trouble you... And as I said to the Yakshas before, Morax, if they don't come to exchange blood, you have to bring them here even if you have to.""Okay."These were her last words.Morax agreed with an expressionless face.Maria felt that there was nothing more to say, so she sighed and said no more.Guizhong was about to die, but her eyes were particularly bright. She kept talking to this and that.The originally extremely sad atmosphere was made impatient by her chattering.However, everyone felt relieved because of this. At least she was with everyone at the last moment, and at least she did not leave with extreme pain, which was comforting enough.Throughout the whole process, Maria connected Guizhong with a line of blood and looked at her with great indulgence.It seemed that as long as Guizhong wanted to talk, Maria would support her until the end of time.But Guizhong still stopped, took Maria's hand, and wiped her forehead full of Honkai erosion lines apologetically."I'm sorry, did I make you tired?""It's OK, as long as you're happy.""Hehe, you're so good to me, Maria.""There's no way. If I'm not good to you and Havria, who else can I be good to?"Maria doted on her without any bottom line.The Adepti and gods burped in their hearts for no reason.Is it over yet? Are you guys going to stop? Is it time to show off your affection now?With grief and some absurd laughter, they finally watched the three of them walk into Guizhong's cave, and the door slammed shut.They might have thought that this glance was a farewell forever.But Maria had already decided that it could only be a temporary farewell, not a farewell forever!...So far, the era of the Lord of Salt whose notoriety was once so great and whose killings once overshadowed the Lord of Geo has ended.And the good story of one king and two gods can only remain in the hearts of the Adepti and gods forever and gradually be forgotten by most mortals.Hundreds of years later, Morax really pressed the heads of the Yakshas and dragged them back into the Guizhong's cave for the first time.They found the peerless and graceful Lord of Salt sitting on a wooden chair in the center of the cave. One hand dropped down, with her wrist cut. Blood spread under her feet, never dried up nor melted into the ground.

The Lord of Salt had her head lowered, as if she had committed suicide by cutting her wrist, or was just sleeping. But even in this state, she was as beautiful and quiet as a painting.

The God of Dust and the God of Salt were both on the left and right of the Salt King, resting their heads on her legs intimately and docilely. They had gentle and satisfied smiles on their lips, and their faces were lifelike, as if they were just sleeping.

"Still exuding vitality... but it was just vitality. At the last moment, the Lord of Salt still did her best to protect them, so that they are still safe and calm in their sleep, so as not to become resentment of the gods that filthied the earth."Morax had a sad face.Then he pointed to the blood on the ground and spoke resolutely at the yakshas. "The Lord of Salt left a note. You can cut your palm and put it in the pool of blood to complete the blood exchange purification. But don't go any further. Don't destroy the Lord of Salt's last intention. Don't touch the power she left to protect Guizhong and Havria.""...""What are you waiting for? She deliberately spread the blood and kept it inexhaustible for thousands of years, just for the longevity of the Yakshas. Making it in this form is undoubtedly to avoid your reluctance as much as possible. This heart and this intention deserve a thousand thanks. But if you don't change, it will be a waste of the Lord of Salt's kindness! I only say this—whether to live up to her intentions, you can choose for yourself."Morax had nothing to say but was again reminded of a century of grief, so he simply walked out of the cave.

Later, the Yakshas still had red eyes while they exchanged blood after three bows and nine kowtows in front of Maria's body. 

Later, the Yakshas set up an altar in front of the cave that was worshipped every year, and burned incense continuously.

At the same time, it was agreed that during non-war periods, at least one Yaksha would stay in front of the Guizhong Cave at any time to protect the tranquility of the one king and two gods.And the Luhua Garden, where the Guizhong Cave is located, gradually became a retreat for the Yakshas, just as most Adepti live in Jueyun Karst.

Time continues to roll forward.

Many things develop similar to the original history, but there are also some changes that the general trend is powerless to change.As far as the results are concerned, Angel's experiment was a great success.It should be said that the rich results made them felt burdened, so they only give lively praise to Maria. [🌿!!!] ×N---Chapter 127: Not Necessarily a Bad Thing[Irminsul, Irminsul? How do you feel?]

[I want to know now, why can't I connect to the Domination Theater here!!!]

The voice of the Irminsul individual, gnashing her teeth, came from the Angel network.

Without the Domination Theater, there is no secret and convenient party venue that can be entered and exited at any time.

And there are only a few clones in the Teyvat sub-district at present. If only a few people develop it without her being able to join, the Irminsul individual who has been plundered to this extent will not be happy at all!

[I'm sorry...]

[Shut up!!!] ×N

The Maria individual was shouted at by all Angels.

Disrupting the plan, ignoring the burden of the other Angels, and enjoying the two beauties to her heart's content, the Maria clone is extremely evil!

But what can be done?

They are all our own people.

The Angels do not pity Maria, but they can't bear to see such lovely Guizhong and Havria suffer. Seeing the memories that Maria synchronized back, the little demons were moved.

So, they could only try their best to support.

Support their... 

…The beautiful Luhua Garden, in front of the Guizhong Cave.The Water Yaksha Bonanus and the Fire Yaksha Indarias who lived in seclusion and guarded here were the first to notice the surging blood in the cave and the earthquake that shook the four directions.They rushed to the door and looked at each other."Sister Bonanus, what is this?""I don't know. I didn't feel the outbreak of a God's resentment. It shouldn't be the dissipation of the vitality protected by the Lord of Salt, so the death of the Lord of Dust and the Salt God...No!!! I, I feel, boundless blood!""Did Lord of Salt wake up?""But we have been in many times. There is no doubt that her vitality is cut off. Can the one who wakes up at this moment still be the real Lord of Salt?"Bonanus and Indarias looked at each other with sad faces. No one knows the feeling of being entangled in karma better than the Yakshas.

The Lord of Salt has absorbed the filth they have been contaminated with for thousands of years with her corpse, saving the Yakshas from madness.

This continues to accumulate...

'The Lord of Salt's corpse bears the consequences for the Yakshas and turns into an evil spirit.'

The Yakshas have occasionally thought about this phrase.In fact, this is also the reason why the Yakshas initially resisted exchanging blood with the Lord of Salt's corpse.They would rather go crazy and die than let the Lord of Salt's corpse bear this price."Indarias, if that's the case, are you ready?""Well, Sister Bonanus, let's repay the Lord of Salt's kindness.""Are you scared?""What's there to be afraid of? We just need to be together."The two sisters held hands, smiled at each other, and then stood at the door, each taking out their weapons."You, what are you doing?"A strange deep male voice came from behind.Indarias and Bonanus were startled and turned around to see a handsome young man.The face was unfamiliar, but the heavy power coming from him made the two Yakshas understand at once."Rex Lapis!" ×2The two sisters breathed a sigh of relief.To be honest, although the Yakshas were brave and good at fighting, who was the Lord of King?

She was a Valkyrie who had slaughtered countless people throughout her life. In the last half day, she killed three gods and killed thousands in Dihua and Sal TerraeIn today's Liyue, the only one who had the confidence to stop the Lord of Salt was the Geo Archon, whose record was no less impressive.

"Don't be nervous, it may not be a bad thing."Zhongli was much stronger than the Yaksha sisters, so what he felt was clearer.The blood was thick, exuding the unique murderous intent of the Lord of the Hunt. Just like when they were sparring in the past—dangerous and sharp, but very pure, not crazy.

So....could it be a reunion of a long-lost friend?

He remembered Guizhong's quirky and naughty smile. He also remembered Maria's elegant and beautiful cold smile when she swung her sword under the moon. And although Havria was not a close friend, she always sat beside Maria at every banquet and silently poured wine for everyone.

Zhongli's mood was shaken."Boom!"After a while, the last vibration came from the cave, and then it returned to calm."Rex Lapis?"Bonanus and Indarias looked at Zhongli together, waiting for his instructions.Zhongli took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and pushed open the heavy stone door."Sister Guizhong, what are you doing?""Ahaha, nothing, nothing, repairing something. Anyway, just stand there and don't move!"When he entered, the familiar elf-like little sister was floating in the corner of the cave, busy repairing some magic arrays and mechanisms. Havria blinked her big watery eyes and waited obediently beside her.'Is there any hidden special mechanism in Guizhong's Cave? I never noticed it before.'But when he thought of the eccentric Guizhong, Zhongli felt normal again.But the most conspicuous thing in the cave was the elegant figure sitting on the wooden chair with a calm face, as if sleeping.Zhongli saw the blood on the ground that was shed for the Yakshas slowly returning to the owner's body.He walked to Maria, hesitated for a moment, and slowly stretched out his hand."Pah!"Maria stretched out her hand like lightning and pulled the unprepared Zhongli over, and her blood-red eyes slowly opened."A corpse, should be left well alone. ... I wanted to say that, but I'm not a corpse now. It's been three thousand years since I last dreamed of it, Morax."

"Yeah, it's been a long time... huh!?""Clang!!!"The blood blade hit Zhongli's side, colliding with the rock spear that Zhongli transformed, rubbing sparks.The mere confrontation of brute force had already stirred up a gust of wind that whistled through the entire cave."Wow! Go somewhere else, don't mess with my cave!"Guizhong struggled to block the front of her secret room.The first thing she did after waking up was to exchange saliva with Maria to quench her thirst.

Then she immediately checked the seal of her secret room. Thousands of years of Erosion, coupled with the vibration when Maria just recovered, had made the sealing measures of the year shaky.If there were any more fluctuations—she might as well be dead!"Clang!"The blood blade and the rock spear were still colliding. The two sides crossed back and forth on the platform in the center of the cave, and they walked calmly in the swords and shadows, just like an elegant duet.Just because of Guizhong's dissatisfaction, both of them restrained their strength.

It was just a test of skills, and there was not much aftermath."It should have been a long time ago. I feel that the wind flowing in from the door has long lost the bloody smell of the past. It seems that you have won, Morax?""Of course. With the help of Azhdaha, Marchosius, and the Adepti, who else in Liyue can compete with me except you?""It's exaggerated. Even if I join, I may not be your opponent.""But your sword doesn't seem to think so.""Clang!!!"The blood sword and the rock spear collided again, neither giving in.Maria had a smile on her lips, and Zhongli also showed the same eager smile."Jueyun Karst?""Please!"---Chapter 128: Does the Earth Have a Will?After three thousand years, beam of golden light and a beam of blood shadow intertwined and danced again in the night sky of Liyue.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"The clear sound of metal clashing resounded through the mountains, stirring up the wind and clouds in Jueyun Karst, which had been calm for hundreds of years.

Naturally, some small animals such as a deer and a bird were also awakened."Hu~~"Only Guizhong stood in front of the secret room that was still sealed for the time being, wiping the cold sweat with a face full of relief. Then she put her hands on her hips and complained angrily. "Hmph! Two warriors, fighting as soon as they met. They almost ruined my big plan!""Lord Haagentus!""Lord Guizhong!"The Yaksha sisters rushed over."Hey——"Guizhong raised her hands high, and before she could react, she felt the wetness on her clothes.Bonanus and Indarias hugged her, sobbing non-stop.

They were all as close as family. Back then, Guizhong was regarded as a half-elder by the two sisters because of her noble status as a god. But because of her lively and outgoing personality, they often acted like little sisters playing together. Needless to say, their relationship was very good.

No one could have imagined that after thousands of years, the person who was thought to be hard to see again, even if she had fallen into the underworld, actually appeared alive again at this moment.

Bonanus and Indarias cried like crazy.

Guizhong also softened her expression, sighed, hugged them with both hands, gently stroked their heads.

"I'm back."

"Guizhong, woooooooo!!!"

There was a lot of crying in Guizhong's cave.And in Jueyun, on the top of the Mountain, a big bird rubbed its eyes vigorously with its wings."Shenshe, is your master too excited? How come I suddenly see the Valkyrie who has been dead for thousands of years fighting with the Rex Lapis?"

"Master, I am awake, so you are not dreaming. The Valkyrie... is the Lord of Salt you mentioned before, whose killing merit is second only to Rex Lapis?"

"This is bad! Something big has happened! I have to find Mooncarver and Mountain Shaper!""No need. It's such a big commotion—do you think we are deaf and blind?"A deer and a crane descended from the sky, standing on the left and right of Liu Yun Jie Feng, watching the battlefield together.They saw the golden light and the red light entangled in the mountains—sometimes colliding around a towering peak, sometimes fiercely bombarding the ground, and sometimes fighting in the sky. The whole Jueyun Karst rumbled continuously, and the wind strong."Is it her?""Besides her, who else can fight Rex Lapis to such an extent? Even Azhdaha can only rely on his size and energy advantage of the Geovishap to fight Rex Lapis. He can't reach this level.""The Lord of Salt has awakened. Then Guizhong and Havria..."The three Adepti looked at each other and then flew high together, rushing toward the direction of Luhua Garden.Shenshe was only attracted by the spectacular and gorgeous battle scene for a moment, and when he looked back, there was nothing around her."Master?"Anyway, it was not the first time this had happened, so she was used to it....Guizhong knew that since her king had fought with Morax, old acquaintances would come soon.Although she didn’t know how many years had passed or how many familiar faces she could still see, she was mentally prepared.Guizhong arranged the party venue outside the cave.Anyway, it must not be held in her cave.She hadn’t had time to check and repair the secret room yet. If something was revealed in the middle, she would really turn evil.Sure enough, two birds and a deer fell from the sky a little later, and a certain True Lord who was guarding Luhua pool also came riding on the wind."Guizhong/King Chen!!!" ×4The number of faces that came was much fewer than Guizhong had expected.But she still suppressed her inappropriate sadness and showed these old acquaintances a bright smile that made them burst into tears."I'm back!"For Guizhong, she had just rested her head on Maria’s lap and slept a warm and comfortable lazy sleep.But for others, this was a thousand years of loss and recovery.The Adepti who wiped their tears and sobbed suddenly looked embarrassed.And Guizhong just sat by the stone table, holding her chin with both hands, watching with a smile. At this moment, she just smiled like this, which was enough for everyone.Maria and Zhongli fought to a draw.Maria had a gift package of repair and enhancement from the Angels, but her character setting needs to be appropriate, so she couldn’t be strengthened too much.

She was much stronger than before—at least her energy reached the level of a god—but that was it.Zhongli still won in terms of size. The deepest accumulation of time and power on the world was no joke, and after being amazed by Maria, he also paid great attention to the cultivation of his skills over the past few thousand years.

The rock spear and the blood sword collided for the last time in the sky."Boom!!!"The ultimate brilliance and the rising sun reflected each other.That was the light born from two beings standing at the peak of skill and combat power, with all their hearts and techniques—poetic and picturesque, magnificent and unparalleled.

Maria moaned with satisfaction. "Hmm~~ You've stretched your muscles. Morax, you’ve become stronger.""The Lord of Salt is the same. It’s a pity that Liyue has been at peace for so long that it’s really not suitable for us to fight at a higher level. I’m deeply sorry."Zhongli smiled gently, with a long-lost sense of joy.In Liyue, only Maria could give him this kinf of fight.Among the seven nations beyond Liyue, probably only Raiden Ei had this level.

But she was also the god of a country, and Zhongli couldn’t just come to her with a weapon to fight.

That would definitely be misunderstood by the six nations as the Liyue Warrior God bullying other gods.Maria adjusted her hat and overlooked the sunrise in the sky.

"It’s been a long time since we last basked in the sun. How long have we slept?""More than 2,700 years.""Oh, that big dream lasted for 3,000 years. I haven’t called it wrongly.""Enjoy the sunrise in Liyue. This time, there won’t be any demons causing trouble."Zhongli crossed his arms and spoke calmly.However, the confident and domineering kingly demeanor was particularly convincing.Maria knew that Zhongli was expressing his apologies for not being able to help in time and at the same time promising that the same thing would not happen again.It was a pity that it was a counterattack of history, which was not something individuals could resist.

To be honest, Zhongli and Azhdaha were not to blame.

Even if they had arrived at that time, other accidents would have occurred, and the final result would not have changed much.Maria patted Zhongli’s shoulder, said nothing, and just smiled.The two landed on a lonely peak.The location was chosen by Maria because there happened to be a few glass lilies on the top of the peak. That was Guizhong’s favorite flower. She just picked two flowers, one for Guizhong and one for Havria.Maria sniffed the fragrance of the flowers and looked at Zhongli calmly.

Zhongli was stunned for a moment, then felt something and responded seriously."Morax, you are the Geo Archon, the rock is hidden in the earth. Do you think the earth has a will?"Maria asked, looking toward Sumeru.

---

Chapter 129: Change and InvarianceZhongli was startled and looked in the direction Maria was looking. Then he used his finger as a tip and wrote the word "Dendro" on the ground.Maria shook her head."I don't know the essence of this person, but there is no doubt that she is not equal to the earth, right?"Zhongli hesitated for a moment, thinking about the feeling that the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had given him in the past, and the weak and cowardly appearance of the little grass god at that time. So he nodded slowly.Maria continued. "It was the majestic and boundless earth that brought me back.""Hmm?""The earth has not moved for thousands of years, but the sky is always changing—sometimes cloudy and sometimes sunny, unpredictable... This is why I can come back."Maria said it very obscurely.However, Zhongli fell into deep thought.

He kept thinking about these words, and the keywords of Earth, Sumeru, Dendro Archon, and Sky, kept flashing. After a while, the thousands of years of calm in Morax' face showed a very shocked look."Irminsul, Celestia?""Shh! Be careful."Maria put her finger on her red lips, with a smile in her eyes, as if she was pleased with Zhongli's understanding.Zhongli's pupils shook again and again, and after a moment, he spoke dryly. "How can a tree have a heart?""I don't know, but I did see it.""Why tell me?""I must tell this land. And in the battle just now, I confirmed that you are the same as before, so I can only tell you. Maybe we won't be able to wait for the moment when Celestia suddenly changes and the chessboard turns over in our lifetime, but if we are unfortunate enough to encounter it... As the owner and protector of all the spirits here, you must not be ignorant and must make a decision."Maria spoke calmly.And Zhongli's mood was shaken again and again."Is this something you can tell me?""I don't know. It just didn't say it was allowed, but it also didn't say it was not allowed.""Thank you."Zhongli raised his hand and clasped his fists solemnly to thank her.Maria took a big risk. Perhaps if there was a slight mistake, the revival she had waited for so long would be taken back by aome unspeakable existence.Despite this, she was the first to tell this earth-shattering secret in practical terms.Zhongli took note of Maria's intentions.Both he and Liyue owed the Lord of Salt a great favor that was hard to repay."Go back, or they will be waiting anxiously.""That's right, we can't delay too long when we meet old friends."Maria's "Resurrection Truth" was too explosive. It almost cracked Zhongli's thousand-year-old Heart of Rock. Then Maria's words, which were calm and light, woke Zhongli up again.

Yes, after all, it's a long-term matter, so now we should cherish the present and slowly think about it.As expected of the Lord of Salt, she is calm and wise, just like before.Maria was thinking that she had to go back and see and touch the two little demons that she had finally retrieved.

That was much more fun than fighting and riddles.…When Maria and Zhongli returned to Luhua Garden side by side, the place was already a lively scene with Adepti gathered.“The Yakshas are free from karma thanks to you. They should toast you.”After taking their seats, Zhongli first called out the names of the Yakshas.Xiao, Bonanus, and Indarias all stood up, raised their glasses, and toasted Maria.Maria smiled and clinked glasses with them, drank it all, and then looked at the three of them thoughtfully.As the eldest sister among the three, Bonanus seemed to understand what Maria wanted to know. She sniffed and smiled brightly. "Menogias blocked a fatal wound for me in the battle. As for Brother Bosacius, there was a change in the Chasm five hundred years ago. He and the soldiers of Millelith attacked the Chasm and then used magic to isolate the outside... In fact, Indarias and I went in together, but that guy took advantage of his four-handed advantage and threw us out when we were not prepared. He also said that his four hands was enough to kill all the demons. What a stupid guy!"

Bonanus rubbed her nose and maintained a smile.Maria nodded. It is understandable that even if karma can be eliminated, the various crises in Liyue for more than two thousand years will not change, and any accidents will happen in the war.

She just sighed and asked. "No regrets?""No regrets at all.""That's good, toast to them.""Yes!"Maria and the three Yakshas drank another cup. When she looked at the Adepti again, she saw the calm man who was the incarnation of Moon Carver stand up and raise his glass:"Skybracer died in battle, Sea Gazer died in battle, both of us have no regrets.""Okay, cheers!"Maria drank with the Adepti.Then, a strange sound suddenly came from Maria's feet. "Lu~Lu~~"It was the child-sized bear that Ping had brought from Liyue Harbor. It seemed to recognize Maria, so it struggled to break away from Guizhong's ravages and came to Maria. It raised its paw—not the wine glass—but pretended to toast, and jumped up and down.Zhongli smiled and explained. "During the great flood, Marchosius spread his power into the earth, expelling evil and erosion, and helping the common people of the two places to survive the disaster. As a result, he has been asleep for many years and has only recently awakened. Now he lives with a talented chef girl in Liyue Harbor.""I see. Cheers to you, old friend."Maria leaned down, touched the cup with Marchosius's bear paw, and drank it all.Marchosius also followed suit and drank, looking naive.Then Maria stretched out her finger and tapped Marchosius's forehead, and a streak of blood seeped into his forehead."Lu? Lu! Can I speak!?""I replenished a little of your essence, but that's all I can do.""Enough, it's enough. I can recover a little, and the rest will be left to time. Haha!"

Marchosius clapped his hands on his forehead and made a cheerful child's voice.From his jumping movements, his mind was still very immature. But for a god, if he could recover a clear mind, then the rest really only needed time.The Adepti and Zhongli were all shocked.They had all seen the condition of Marchosius, and they were indeed powerless. They didn't expect that Maria would bring such good news after waking up?'Is it a gift from the Irminsul? It seems that the "Will of the Earth" is far more complicated than imagined.'Zhongli was thoughtful. Then he stood up and spoke for the last old friend who could not attend the banquet. "Azhdaha could not bear the Erosion and nearly caused a disaster a thousand years ago. Later, I and the Adepti sealed him... At the last moment, he woke up and voluntarily accepted the seal. At that time, he said that the people he owed the most in his life were Guizhong and the Lord of Salt and Salt God, and he also asked me to visit you often on his behalf. If he could see you wake up, he would be very happy. This cup, I toast you on his behalf."Guizhong and Havria both stood up, on Maria's left and right.The three raised their glasses and drank Azhdaha's toast.At this point, the three old friends from ancient times officially returned and integrated into the new environment of Liyue's unification.Then there was a messy banquet.The main reason was that Guizhong, the ghostly spirit, came back, asking questions to one person and laughing and drinking with another, as if she wanted to use this banquet to quickly make up for the gap of thousands of years.---Chapter 130: The Question is Thrift and DiligenceLumine's dungeon strategy results are not ideal.She has only activated one elemental force, which is still far from the level of being able to fight back and forth with the Heavenly Principles in the past.Despite this, ordinary monsters are not a problem for her. After all, big shots are still big shots.

How can veterans with a newbie account and the newbies with the newbie account be the same?

The monsters can be dealt with with some effort, but the messy terrain and traps in the temple made the brave and warlike Lumine dizzy and finally return to the temple gate with a gray face.Lumine gritted her teeth and gripped the hilt of the sword. "That bard...""Yes, yes, yes! That's too much. He didn't even tell us that there were so many traps and monsters inside. Paimon was scared to death!"Lumine squinted and looked at the clean Paimon expressionlessly.The little guy was not injured at all. She was hiding safely behind her the whole time. Paimon shrank her neck."I... I'm just an emergency food... guide. I can't fight or anything like that.""Hmph! Come again!"Lumine wiped the dust off her face, turned around, and rushed in again with her sword....On the last day of the Windblume Festival, Wendy blew a gust of wind.It didn't go too far, just relieved the fatigue and some minor problems of the people in the festival, which was considered a blessing from the Anemo Archon. It put a perfect end to the festival and also gave the Mondstandt people a final boost.And Angel also communicated with Albedo for three days and gained a lot.It's a pity that Albedo was squeezed dry.First of all, he is a man-made. In terms of physical fitness, he completely crushes Tesla and Dr. Einstein, who are just immortal beauties. Secondly, he is an honest man. If he can't bear it, he can't bear it. If he needs to rest, he needs to rest. He is completely unlike Mobius, who is stubborn and arrogant.

So he completed Angel's questions very firmly.But it doesn't matter. Angel has always respected high-level technical talents.Albedo is a treasure. Although he is not a beautiful girl, he is a treasure... Hey, wait, it seems that androids don't have the concept of gender. In fact, they can become beautiful girls!Angel walked towards Mondstadt, stroking her chin thoughtfully.Then, at the gate of the city, she saw the yellow-haired girl and the white mascot lying on the table."Lumine, Paimon?""Help me, Doraemon!" ×2Paimon is needless to say. This little thing is useless except for being cute.Lumine's face was dull, but her big tearful eyes full of depression and frustration was like a puppy who was holding back grievances and asking for food from her owner.Angel held her face with both hands and laughed so hard that she kept drooling."I can't do anything about you."Then, she dragged the two exhausted people back home. She boiled some hot water, threw them in and rubbed them clean, changed into cute light pajamas, put them on the sofa, and handed each of them a cup of hot milk tea.Then, Angel put her hands on her hips and listened to their strategy in the ruins—the degree of difficulty as if she were talking about the maze designed by Hidetaka Miyazaki.Angel pondered for a moment and took out a black pistol. "General! M1917 Mondstandt Smith & Wesson... The name is not important, anyway, it is a pistol that can fire elemental bullets. As long as you make good use of the principle of mutual restraint between elemental forces, ordinary traps can be easily cracked!""Oh!""And this, a trial spider silk launcher, the best way to flexibly move and restrain the enemy!""Oh!!""Add this, an elemental force-enhanced grenade, AKA an enhanced version of the bouncing bomb. This bag contains 99 pieces. Take a few more bags and use them with the modified version of the Wing Glider. Calculate the distance and it can fly higher than before. Don't hurt yourself by mistake.""Oh!!!""And this, a slime potion that only melts clothes... Oh, I can't give this to you, I'm keeping it for my own use.""Oh!!!!"Although Angel took back the potion that she took out by mistake, Paimon and Lumine, who were holding a pile of equipment, still looked at Angel with shining eyes, revealing shining stars.

She not only gives money but also provides accommodation and equipment. This boss is really good!"Then, let's go to my laboratory next."Angel spoke with a smile and took out the potion that had just been taken back.

...

"Angel... Angel, do you need to melt all my clothes to do experiments?""This is for rigor. Aren't you a traveler? Haven't you seen people doing experiments in other places?""Ah! Don't touch there... there, it's itchy... Why doesn't Paimon use it?""Paimon is still young, we'll play slowly in the future... Ahem, I mean the situation is different, the method is different, anyway, you have to bear with it."Lumine spent an unforgettable night.It was also the first time that she took off her expressionless mask. Her face turned red and her body turned red. In the end, she was so dizzy that she didn't know how many "experimental projects" she cooperated with that looked a bit strange.

And Angel had a great time "experimenting."It's a pity that after all, they just met. Relying on the status of the sponsor, she could just take advantage during the experiment and take advantage of it. There was nothing she could do.

After all, Angel is not a child blinded by lust."So, this is the traveler's special physique... It is compatible with all elemental forces and has a considerable neutralizing effect on the power of the abyss. It can be seen that its own potential is also very high. There should be more potential effects, right? Otherwise, why would Celestia attach so much importance to it and divide it into two routes?"In the laboratory, through touch, ability display, microscopic observation of the epidermis and hair, etc., Angel initially figured out the physical characteristics of Lumine.After thinking for a while, she pointed her finger.A clone made with Lumine's epidermal cells as a sample appeared smoothly and blinked at Angel."How does it feel?""No feeling, just a normal clone.""Then you stay in the laboratory space and slowly explore. Maybe it can be used for special purposes somewhere in the future. It's already been built, don't waste it.""OJBK!"Ying's clone wandered around the laboratory naked, trying to find some clothes to wear. Angel was admiring the beauty while thinking.. "Paimon... Celestia's will? Istaroth? Even if it's not, she's still very relevant... But that state really doesn't have much power. If I don't take her apart and study her carefully, I won't get anything from observing her on the surface."As for dissecting Paimon—forget it, let's put it aside for now.Angel stretched, yawned, and went home. Finally, she hugged Lumine on the bed and fell asleep.There is only one bed in Angel's house, and any beautiful girl who comes to stay will sleep together.Don't ask, it's thrifty.On the bed, Lumine was not completely asleep. She felt the soft taste and sweet breath close to her from behind, and grinned silently.Obviously, Angel didn't realize that as the protagonist, Lumine has some characteristics similar to Kiana.

Who is more advantageous and who is more satisfied is still unknown.