Genshin Impact: I, Heavenly Principle, Will Make Teyvat Supreme

At this moment, the witches who possess godlike powers remained unaware that a colossal eye in the heavens above was fixed intently on Teyvat's surface, waiting for them to reveal their whereabouts.

···

Noah, accompanied by Yae Miko and his ever-present mouthpiece Istaroth, leisurely spent an entire day resting at Wangshu Inn. Along the way, he amused himself by teasing the fox, tugging her ears, and using Istaroth as a plush pillow for sleeping.

Initially, he wanted to stroke Yae Miko's tail, but she kept it thoroughly hidden, leaving him no opportunity to do so.

He wasn't the type to rush; what he enjoyed most was the slow, incremental sense of conquering Yae Miko's defenses. And Yae Miko understood his intentions perfectly. This mutual understanding between predator and prey only fueled Noah's amusement in teasing her.

He wanted to possess her, and she knew he wanted to possess her. He knew she was aware of his intentions, and she, in turn, knew he understood that she knew. Both experienced a peculiar kind of satisfaction in this silent tug-of-war.

Istaroth, observing their antics, could only stick out her tongue in resignation.

Enough! she thought. Just because I look small and cute now doesn't mean I'm oblivious. I am Istaroth—the mighty deity who once sowed discord among the Three Moon Goddesses during the Age of the Great War. Do you really think I don't understand matters of the heart?

···

Leaving Wangshu Inn, the group traveled via bamboo raft to the ruins of the Domain of Guyun on the far-right edge of Dihua Marsh, near Mondstadt's border.

Yae Miko followed Noah into the sealed ruins and asked, "What is this place?"

She wasn't sure what a Celestia god like Noah, a powerful Descender, wanted here, but she was certain it had to be significant—perhaps something related to the ancient gods from the Archon War.

Istaroth immediately filled the role of interpreter: "This is the birthplace—and death site—of the God of Salt, Havria. Noah is here to retrieve the Primordial Fragment, isn't he?"

Yae Miko nodded knowingly. "So, as I suspected, it has something to do with the Archons."

She didn't know much about the God of Salt. At only five hundred years old, she lacked direct experience with the Archon War, and Raiden Ei and Makoto rarely spoke about that ancient era.

"Are you planning to resurrect this God of Salt?" Yae Miko asked. After all, Noah had already resurrected Makoto. Since Primordial Fragments represented the essence of gods, she knew that no god truly ever "died."

Noah's golden pupils shimmered as he used his divine sight to scan the entirety of the Domain of Guyun. He obliterated all the Hilichurls, Slimes, and the Abyss Mages who were commanding the Hilichurls to dig.

"Correct," he said, casually. "The God of Salt, Havria, was a god who fully mastered the Domain of Salt. Unfortunately, the power of salt as a rule was inherently weak. In the Archon War, practical abilities like hers that served daily life rather than battle made her survival nearly impossible."

Istaroth picked up where Noah left off, her tone detached: "Moreover, Havria's personality was far too gentle and timid. She believed that as long as she refrained from fighting others, they wouldn't attack her."

"Her constant retreating only made the other gods more aware of her weakness. One by one, they encroached on her domain until all she had left was her birthplace," Istaroth concluded.

Yae Miko's ears perked up as she absorbed this tale of the Archon War. "So, she was killed by the other gods here?"

Noah picked up Havria's sacred artifact, the Salt Chalice, from an altar and casually tossed it to Yae Miko. She fumbled awkwardly to catch it.

"No," he said with a smirk. "She was killed by her own people."

Yae Miko froze. "What?!"

The idea of mortals slaying a god—no matter how weak—felt utterly surreal. Even the weakest gods existed within the realm of the gods, far beyond mortal reach.

Trailing behind Noah, Yae Miko continued to listen as he narrated the story, now clutching a Salt Ruler she had found along the way.

"Her people came to believe that Havria could no longer protect them. They decided that rather than let her suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of another god, it would be better to give her a dignified death themselves."

"Havria, so timid that she wouldn't even fight the other gods, had no will to resist her own people. So she willingly allowed herself to be killed."

Yae Miko couldn't hold back her thoughts. "Then why do you want to resurrect such a spineless god?"

Someone so submissive and completely lacking in will seemed utterly useless for any grand endeavor, like conquering other worlds. What could such a god possibly contribute?

Noah gave Yae Miko an amused look. "A personality like that? Isn't it perfect for being completely obedient? And as for conquering other worlds, I'll just… train her a bit. She'll adapt."

At the moment, Teyvat's neighboring worlds weren't particularly powerful, so it was crucial to proceed cautiously and steadily. A god who was timid and easy to manipulate wasn't necessarily a liability. With a little "education," she could become useful.

"Now, if I resurrected someone like the Lord of Deserts, King Deshret, with his reckless spirit and thirst for challenge, who knows what sort of trouble he'd cause? Better to leave gods like that alone," he said with a knowing grin.

Yae Miko felt utterly defeated. So, you just want to satisfy your desire to train a completely submissive goddess? she thought, too resigned to say aloud.

···

At the final section of the ruins, ancient structures covered in crystallized salt loomed over the group. Salt statues in the shape of fleeing, terrified people stood frozen throughout the hall.

In the center of the main chamber stood a salt statue of a soldier poised with a sword.

Noah waved his hand, and all the salt statues around them shattered, disintegrating into fine salt particles.

Even though Havria had been weak, she had once sheltered those who sought her protection during the Archon War. These same people, when they realized Havria could no longer shield them, had turned their weapons on her.

They justified their actions by claiming it was better for her to die "with dignity" at their hands than to be humiliated in defeat by another god.

And when it was over, they consoled themselves with platitudes like, "Fear made me pull the trigger. She would understand."

The darkest aspects of human nature were laid bare here, in all their cruel irony.

"Come," Noah said.

He extended his hand, and from the spot where Havria had fallen, a small white sphere of light began to materialize, no larger than an egg.

The moment the sphere appeared, the surrounding space rippled with energy, and the nearby structures started to crystallize into salt.

The Ley Lines in the area began flowing toward the Domain of Guyun, forming a vortex of energy around the glowing sphere.

Istaroth watched calmly. She had witnessed this kind of scene many times before. She knew what the birth—or rebirth—of a god looked like.

Yae Miko, on the other hand, widened her eyes slightly in astonishment. Though she had seen Makoto's resurrection, she had never learned how gods were born.

"Thanks to Morax purifying the resentments of fallen gods over the past two thousand years," Noah explained, "and the efforts of the Adepti and human mages in stabilizing the Ley Lines, Liyue's Ley Lines are the most intact among the Seven Nations."

The energy from Dihua Marsh slowly gathered toward the Domain of Guyun.

"Havria was a weak god to begin with. Even at her peak, her resurrection requires only twenty percent of the Ley Line energy in Dihua Marsh. It won't destabilize the foundation of the Ley Lines at all."

As Noah spoke, the Primordial Fragment, now enveloped by the Ley Line energy vortex, began to take shape. A curled-up humanoid figure emerged, cocooned in the light. The Primordial Fragment rested at the heart of this figure, resembling a sleeping infant.

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