“At first, I thought the God of Salt must have been a bad person. I mean, why else would there be so many salt statues?”
Lumine muttered, her tone contemplative. “But when I learned more… it was obvious she wasn’t bad at all. She was a kind and gentle god, but her end was… tragic.”
“Her story serves as a warning to us,” Zhongli said softly, nodding as he spoke. “She was a product of her time, and her fate was, in some ways, inevitable.”
When the group reached Guyun Stone Forest, Zhongli led the way to its highest peak, walking with measured steps as he spoke.
“Beneath this stone forest lie the remains of many ancient gods,” Zhongli explained, his calm voice carrying the weight of history.
The group carried the Salt Chalice and Salt Ruler, having brought them to this sacred place. Zhongli intended to destroy them here, in the land where old gods had been sealed away.
“Liyue is no longer my Liyue, but one that has been handed to the mortals. Havria’s time, however, belongs to an even more distant past. Her relics—the chalice and ruler—”
He ascended to the summit of Guyun Stone Forest, pausing at its peak.
“… They will remain here, to rest in slumber and return home.”
Lumine tilted her head, noticing something unusual. “Zhongli, you’ve been talking a lot since we got here… is there something you need us to do?”
Zhongli gazed down at the vast expanse of Guyun Stone Forest below.
“I ended an era with my own hands,” he said, his voice serene yet commanding. “I have often wondered how best to record the history that I have brought to an end.”
His words, simple yet monumental, hung in the air.
“History can be chronicled,” he continued, “but history is rarely reliable. Ignorance, obsession, and greed distort it. This incident, too, has proven as much. Time is powerful, and it will inevitably twist the truth into something unrecognizable.”
Turning to Lumine, Zhongli’s golden eyes met hers. “I need to find a better way to preserve the truth.”
“Uh… like carving it into a stone tablet?” Lumine suggested, furrowing her brows. “Or maybe writing a book about everything that’s happened?”
She and Paimon brainstormed a few ideas, but Jia Changjiang remained quiet. Zhongli’s gaze lingered on Lumine, and Jia Changjiang knew instinctively what was coming.
“Carving it into stone has long been a tradition,” Zhongli said thoughtfully. “But even stone erodes, and the seemingly eternal can vanish in time.” His voice grew resolute. “That is why, Traveler, I have turned to you.”
“Me?” Lumine blinked, pointing at herself. “Why me?”
Zhongli explained, “You are a being who has crossed the heavens and sailed the stars. If you carry this history within your memory, it will transcend this world.”
“As the Traveler, your existence alone creates a living record—a backup of Teyvat’s history that could one day travel to another world.”
Lumine frowned, feeling the weight of Zhongli’s words settle on her shoulders. “Ugh… that’s such a heavy responsibility!” She glanced at Jia Changjiang. “Wait a second, why am I the only one you’re asking? We’ve got Jia Changjiang here too!”
Jia Changjiang’s voice floated in from beside her, tinged with dry amusement. “You think everyone has an eternity to spare? Give it another few decades, and I’ll be long gone. Who are you expecting me to keep records for?”
“Oh…” Lumine murmured, realization dawning.
Time was abundant for her and Zhongli, but not for Jia Changjiang.
He was mortal, bound by the limits of his years. The contrast between his fleeting existence and the vast, unending timeline of Teyvat felt stark.
Yet, perhaps Jia Changjiang wasn’t meant to be a recorder of history.
Instead, he might be…
A creator of history.
Zhongli studied Jia Changjiang, a faint smile gracing his lips. Their friendship had begun with a contract, yet it had grown into something more.
The world of Teyvat, bound by Celestial principles, imposed constraints on all living beings.
Wear and tear. Decay.
These were the inescapable laws of the world.
Yet Jia Changjiang stood apart.
His spirit—unyielding and untouched by the world’s erosion—burned brightly.
Zhongli had never encountered a mortal with such unrelenting ambition and unshakable resolve.
In a world where wear and decay dulled the light, people moved like travelers with dim lanterns, their tiny flames barely illuminating the path forward.
But Jia Changjiang was no lantern.
He was a torch—a brilliant, blazing beacon in the darkness.
His light was bold and unwavering, guiding those behind him toward the future.
If Lumine was tasked with preserving Teyvat’s history, Zhongli wondered just how far Jia Changjiang could go in making history.
This peculiar friend, brought to him by contracts and wagers, had become someone Zhongli quietly admired.
“In the land of freedom, you earned Barbatos’s recognition,” Zhongli thought to himself.
“In the land of contracts, you gained my friendship…”
He looked at Jia Changjiang, his smile deepening slightly.
“And in the land of eternity, before the Raiden Shogun herself, what will you do, warrior from another world?”
Zhongli’s golden eyes glimmered with curiosity as he pondered silently.
“What will your eternity be?”
—
T/N: SEGGS! HIS ETERNITY IS SEGGS WITH THE SHOGUN!! hmmm thats actually a good question though what will he achieve with the shogun? will he able to be get through to her thick head or will he be struck down
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!
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