Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

"Due to Heulia's ban, the plan of the King of Man to retake his homeland was shelved indefinitely, and the retreat of the salt of the earth continued until a vanguard force calling itself the "Munatar United Front Propaganda Committee" set foot on the territory of the Salt Demon God."

Unlike the Traveler's solemn concentration, Famas, the person involved, did not seem to feel any tension at all. Instead, he leaned leisurely against the guardrail beside the canal. He even took the opportunity when Zhongli took a breath to give additional explanation to the bewildered Paimon:

"The organizational structure and responsibilities of the Unified Propaganda Committee are quite complicated. If Paimon doesn't understand, you can simply understand it as Munata's diplomatic mission."

"Hey! Damn FAMAS! I understand!"

Paimon waved her little fist in protest at Famas, but she really didn't understand what kind of organization the Munata Propaganda Committee was before Famas explained it.

Zhongli's narration was interrupted by this brief interlude, as the retired guest gentleman looked at Famas in confusion, seemingly puzzled by the boy's relaxed state.

But Zhongli did not show any emotion. He coughed lightly to draw everyone's attention back, and continued his statement using FAMAS's words:

"After Munata's diplomatic mission entered the Salt of the Earth, they wanted to invite the King of the Salt Land to join the alliance agreement called "Gold", but they were also blocked and rejected by Heulia."

"After sending off Munata's diplomatic mission, Heulia informed Guizhong of the incident and reminded Guiliji to beware of distant enemies... This was the second time that the Kingdom of War appeared in the Salt of the Earth."

When mentioning the name of the girl with wide sleeves, Zhongli's voice paused briefly, but soon returned to normal speaking speed. However, at this moment Paimon and the Traveler still did not understand what the guest gentleman wanted to express, so they could only continue to listen thoughtfully.

"I'm sure you two are getting impatient, but the previous background is just foreshadowing. The strange thing is that the Munata people appeared in the Salt of the Earth for the third time... A lot of the news this time was reported by Gui Zhongkou. At that time, I was clearing out monsters along the coast and had no time to split up."

Zhongli stood with his hands behind his back. The traveler looked down and seemed to see Zhongli's arm hidden behind his back. Dazzling gold spread from the depths of the emperor's sleeves, as if the entire arm under the clothes was carved out of the most transparent amber, which made people have many fantasies about the internal structure.

However, this scene was obviously just an illusion, because Zhongli's arms were usually covered tightly by clothes and gloves, so not only his arms, but even his fingers could not be seen.

"The third time, the god of war Harpas personally led his army from the Far West to support Old Mondstadt in its war against the cruel rule of the wind god Diekarapian. On the way, they briefly stopped at the Salt of the Earth for supplies and repairs... Coincidentally, the second year after Harpas left the Salt of the Earth, the god of salt Heulia died at the hands of the King of Man."

"The weapon used to assassinate Heulia was a gift from Harpas, and the King of Salt Land had a long conversation with the leader of the War Lord, Munatar named Singh. Although the specific details are unknown, judging from the images in the rock, the general content should be related to the "Golden Alliance."

"The most suspicious thing is the ring on the leader's hand... I have heard about the early road rights wars in Munata... The mortal who finally beheaded the demon god "Spanak" should be the leader, right?"

Zhongli's story ended here. Although he used a questioning tone, Famas did not hear any hesitation in his words. It was obvious that Mr. Keqing was very confident in the results of his and Ruota's investigation.

While Paimon was still wondering who the "Demon of War" was, the Traveler had already heard the deep meaning in Zhongli's words and looked at FAMAS with an unbelievable yet expected look.

Following Mr. Zhongli's gaze downward, the traveler also saw the silver ring on Famas's hand.

"After all this nonsense... Morax, what you want to say is that I ordered my men to instigate the King of Salt Land to plot to kill the Salt Goddess Heulia?"

Famas was not as angry and upset as he had imagined. He asked back with a cold expression, and Zhongli acted as if it was natural. He spread his hands, and it was obvious that he wanted to say, "What else?" Paimon covered his mouth belatedly, and Famas nodded and admitted it very straightforwardly:

"I should congratulate you, Morax. Your deduction is basically correct."

"But I only accelerated the process of Heulia's death... After all, I only handed a sword to the King of Men, but the sword in his heart was caused by Heulia herself."

Although he showed no concern, Famas still defended himself. Then Paimon came to his senses and hid behind the traveler, only showing his head and asked Famas: "But isn't Heulia very weak? Why did she..."

"Before explaining this question, would you like to know why Chilong wants to invade Heulia's territory?"

The corners of Famas' mouth turned upwards, and his smile, which should have been sunny and cheerful, was full of sarcasm.

"Isn't it just accusations? Why don't you listen to the history I know?"

Paimon opened his mouth but didn't ask why, and Zhongli frowned for a rare time, as if a thick curtain had finally been lifted. At a certain moment, the traveler vaguely saw on Zhongli's face the cruelty and indifference that a superior should have.

"At that time, the 'Gui Li Twin Kings' were very powerful. Rock King Morax, under the pretext of 'All the demons and gods in this world have risen up, and although I have no intention of competing for them, I know the suffering of the people', he continued to clear out the demons and other species near Gui Li Ji, and the Chilong of Qingce Manor was also among them."

"Chilong is unable to fight against the two kings of Guili, so he will naturally swing his sword at the weaker one, and Heulia is obviously the unfortunate "weak one"."

Famas crossed his arms, as if he could see the confusion of the Traveler and Paimon. He also imitated the guest gentleman and talked about the background of the Demon War period, but the boy's tone was more straightforward than Zhongli's.

"The lands that the Liyue people now call Dihuazhou, Bishuihe, and Shimen all once belonged to the Salt God Heulia. There are many islets and fertile land here. There are also rich mineral resources near the sea. It is an area that is extremely suitable for human development."

"Although the land of Guguiliji is also suitable for farming, its development is extremely restricted. There is a vortex demon wreaking havoc in the south, and the east and west sides are mountainous areas with high mountains, deep valleys, ravines and large stretches of uninhabited beaches by the sea."

"If Morax wants to expand his territory, he can only engage in a protracted tug-of-war with the shallow sea overlord Osel... or seek to seize the land of Heulia and Chilong."

After telling this series of background information, Famas paused for a moment, and the traveler noticed that Zhongli's usual calm and composed demeanor had completely disappeared, replaced by a silence that the traveler rarely saw.

"Unfortunately, Heulia has a good relationship with Hagentus, and the reputation of the Mother of Salt for kindness is well known. Morax once said, 'I will sweep the four corners to protect a corner of the world.' For the reputation and oath of the two kings of Dust and Rock, he obviously cannot and will not lead his troops to attack other demons without reason."

"Besides, although Heulia is weak, she is still a demon with status. Even if it is not difficult to kill her, the disintegration of the demon's residue after death will make the land of Ogihua Island no longer suitable for human habitation... So if we want to expand the territory of Guiliji, we must find a way to do it without bloodshed."

"It just so happens that the Chilong next door is violent and fond of living sacrifices. It often eats human flesh, which is hated by both humans and gods. What's more, the Chilong is just a natural alien species. It is powerful but not a demon god. Even if it dies, the strange phenomenon it causes will not be too big, at least far less than the thousands of miles of red land and the slag rampant after the demon god collapses."

"Thus, a conspiracy called 'driving the tiger to devour the wolf' came into being." (End of this chapter)