The Weapon Master Shall Never Die Bare-Handed in Genshin Impact [290]

“No… no, this isn’t possible. It’s wrong…”

Wanyan knelt on the ground, clutching handfuls of salt, her unwavering faith crumbling in the face of the overwhelming truth before her.

“I won’t accept this. It’s a trick… a fabricated history… You… you won’t shake my faith…”

Her vacant gaze rested on the salt statue, frozen mid-thrust as it betrayed the remains of the gentle god it once served.

But Jia Changjiang knew the identity of that person.

When he held the broken blade, the truth of its past had been revealed to him:

The one who killed the God of Salt was the first—and last—mortal king of these lands. A king who had once deeply loved Havria.

Why had he done it? Thousands of years later, the reasons were murky, lost to time. Perhaps he wanted to spare her the torment of defeat. Perhaps he could not comprehend the godly, self-sacrificing love she had for her people. Or maybe he sought the strength to protect, to fight, to prove that her ill-timed gentleness had no place in the brutal Archon War.

In the end, the mortals whom Havria sheltered—the mortals whom she loved—betrayed the gentle, lonely god.

But her divine power ensured that the traitor was turned to salt, along with the others. The Hall of Salt collapsed, becoming dust over the centuries. The first mortal king who had slain his god paid the ultimate price, as did all the others who had shared in her death.

Now, millennia later, this long-buried truth had been unearthed, and a girl who still believed in the God of Salt had borne witness.

Jia Changjiang’s thoughts drifted to his conversation with Venti at the statue of the Anemo Archon in Mondstadt.

Back then, he had learned about Old Mondstadt’s tale and its tyrannical ruler, Decarabian.

The Lord of the Tower, the God of Storms, had created a land where even birds could not fly, imprisoning his people within walls reinforced by relentless winds.

Yet, for all his tyranny, Decarabian had once provided sanctuary from the frozen wastes of the Archon War, offering shelter to his people on the harsh, snow-covered lands.

And as Venti had said on that day:
“Gods may love their people, but not all gods can—or will—give their people what they truly desire…”

Jia Changjiang glanced at the eternal salt flower blooming on the ground.

Havria had offered refuge to the displaced, granting them a peaceful town in the chaos of the Archon War. She gave them love, comfort, and a rare moment of serenity in a world torn asunder.

Decarabian, on the other hand, had used his immense power to carve out a land of survival amidst endless frost and desolation. With hurricanes and strength unmatched, he provided his people with a place to live on the bitter, frozen plains.

Two gods. Two vastly different approaches. Yet, in the end, their fates were remarkably similar.

Havria, the God of Salt, loved her people but lacked the strength to protect them. She was betrayed by the mortals she loved, and even in death, she bore no hatred toward them.

Decarabian, the God of Storms, had the strength to protect his subjects but denied them freedom. In the end, he was overthrown by those he ruled—a boy yearning for freedom, a knight who loved his god, and a whisper of wind that watched the storm king fall. Even as he died, Decarabian believed his people loved him as he loved them.

Wanyan’s faith buckled under the weight of the truth. Though she wanted to flee, her body felt drained of all strength. She knelt there, holding onto the salt grains, staring at the salt flower before her.

“Will she… be okay?” Lumine asked hesitantly, watching the broken girl kneeling in silence. “She doesn’t look good…”

“This is the price she must pay,” Zhongli replied, his tone calm yet heavy. “But perhaps it is for the best. Faith in a dead god is not a blessing, whether it’s faith in Havria or in Morax.”

Lumine hesitated, then reached out to help Wanyan to her feet. But Wanyan slapped her hand away.

“Don’t… don’t touch me!” she cried, her voice trembling. “The truth… it can’t be like this!”

Yet even she seemed unconvinced by her own words.

Faced with the undeniable truth, the lies she had clung to—the ideas, guesses, and romanticized histories she had pieced together—were torn apart mercilessly.

“Truth is hard to accept, isn’t it?” Jia Changjiang said as he stood beside her. “But whether you accept it or not, history is what it is. You can cover it up, but all you’ll get is a false history.”

“The God of Salt, Havria… She truly was gentle and kind.”

He patted her shoulder. “Think about it. Remember what you promised. Face the truth for what it is. By now, you should know what’s real and what isn’t.”

“Stop lying to yourself.”

With that, Jia Changjiang stepped away.

Nothing more could be said to Wanyan. What she needed now was to process the truth on her own. No one else could help her.

Zhongli watched her in silence before speaking. “Let her be. She needs time alone to reconcile with what she’s learned. The mechanisms have all been disabled; she’ll be safe here.”

Turning to Lumine, he added, “Let us head to Guyun Stone Forest. The Salt Chalice and Salt Ruler require proper handling.”

“…Shouldn’t we consider her?” Lumine glanced back at Wanyan, concern evident in her expression.

Zhongli shook his head. “What she needs right now is not the relics of a god.”

“Let’s go.”

As they left Wanyan behind, Zhongli finally broke the silence. “Today’s events… all these stories have stirred old memories. It makes me reflect on those long gone.”

“This was all so unsettling,” Paimon muttered. “I didn’t realize just how dangerous a god’s death could be…”

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This is a fan translation of 武器大师在原神绝不死于徒手 by 徐人双 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!