Genshin Impact: I am the Great General of Liyue

Chapter 223 The Underground Kingdom

These sculptures are made of salt. Their details are incredibly realistic, and their movements and postures are so lifelike, it's as if they were alive.

But even though it seemed alive, the salt made it appear lifeless, terrifying, and eerie.

There are boxes made of ancient wood nearby, with the lower half of the boxes covered in salt and sand.

Looking further ahead, you'll find that almost the entire ground is buried in salt.

Hunyuan dug down and found that the salt formation was very thick, at least 30 centimeters thick.

Zhongli analyzed the statues and said, "These statues are people."

At this moment, Clement, startled, took a few steps back and bumped into a human hand.

Feeling the touch from this hand, Clement thought it was Ying or Lingling supporting him.

After a moment of relief, Clement looked back and suddenly screamed.

"what?!"

Its calls are quite amusing, with a hint of fear, a touch of silliness, and a charmingly contrasting cuteness.

Clement did this because the hand that supported him was not the hand of a gentle older sister or younger sister, but the hand of the salt statue.

With a thud, Clement collapsed to the ground, nearly fainting from fright.

Zhongli kindly helped Clement up and explained the true prototypes of these statues.

"These people are probably followers of the 'Salt Demon God' from back then."

These statues were once living people, but for some reason they have become salt statues.

Listening to Zhongli's explanation, Clement felt a sense of security.

But Clement was still somewhat afraid. Could there be some kind of mechanism that could turn people into statues?!

Holding Zhongli's hand, Clement asked in horror, "How did it get like this...?"

Zhongli did not answer the question, perhaps because she did not know, or perhaps because she would know later.

Clement's timid and cowardly behavior was quite surprising compared to Wan Yan's.

Aside from gasping in fright at the salt man, Wan Yan didn't react in any other way.

It's as if their personalities have been switched; Clement, who is usually very bold and fierce, is now behaving very weakly and harmlessly.

Wan Yan, who was very timid and submissive when arguing with Clement outside, is now very calm and even has the energy to think.

What lies hidden deep within the ruins?

As you continue deeper into the area, the salt and sandy ground beneath your feet gradually disappears, transforming into a man-made stone path.

Seeing this, the crowd quickened their pace, moving away from the strange salt figures who were praying and worshipping in the same direction.

Stepping onto the stone-paved road marks the official entry into this ancient city of ruins.

Despite being a city buried underground, it is enormous, roughly the same size as Mondstadt.

After climbing a hundred steps and entering the magnificent city gate, we explored deeper into a room.

Over time, the salt in the room has formed into inverted cone-shaped rock salt, which is quite hard and cannot be chewed by teeth.

There were piles of ancient books around, but they showed no signs of decay. Perhaps the presence of salt prevented microbial erosion, which is why they have been preserved to this day.

Of course, there are also statues of salt men here, all praying in the same direction.

But what stands out most is not these things, but a strange cup placed on the stone altar.

The cups emitted a faint white light, and without any system analysis, Huiyuan knew that this was the residual power of the Salt Demon God.

Wanyan looked curiously into the cup and described, "This is half-filled with salt."

Clement looked at the object with great disdain.

"It's just a salt shaker, nothing more. Looks like the 'Salt Demon' is a penniless demon."

After Clement uttered that insulting remark, Wanyan's cold gaze secretly fell upon him.

Although I really dislike the other party, there's nothing I can do. I can't exactly resort to violence, can I? Besides, I might not even be able to win.

At that moment, Zhong Li began to analyze the situation.

"As far as I know, it's not ordinary. Although it's only half, it will always be half—in other words, it's endless."

Upon hearing this description, Clement's attitude completely reversed, and he looked at Zhongli incredulously.

"What?! Even if I keep pouring it out, the salt inside won't decrease!"

"Exactly."

After Zhongli gave his second affirmation, Wanyan couldn't help but get excited.

Wan Yan's pupils widened slightly, and she said boastfully, "Able to produce an endless supply of salt... indeed, the power possessed by the 'Salt Demon God' is very strong!"

Just as Wanyan was praising her own god, Clement suddenly took out a sack and put the cup inside.

"After all this trouble, I've finally found my treasure! This stuff is mine! All I have to do is pour out the salt, get a few thousand or tens of thousands of bags, and I can get rich just by selling salt!"

Clement's sudden act of taking away the cups and saucers made Wan Yan unable to contain her anger any longer, and she started cursing loudly.

"Hey! How can you use the legacy of the 'Salt Demon' for such a superficial thing!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Zhongli immediately interrupted the conversation, breaking their eye contact.

“If Mr. Clement wants this salt cup, then according to the contract, the next item belongs to Ms. Wanyan.”

Clement readily agreed, after all, it was an unlimited supply of salt, and who knew what the next item would be.

"No problem, no problem. Hmph, how could there be anything more valuable than this?"

Although Wan Yan could loathe Clement's behavior of ruining the sacred object, there was nothing she could do; now was not the time to turn against him.

Moreover, Wanyan is also half a Liyue person, so she is naturally more bound by the contract than Clement.

"Since there's a 'contract,' I don't need to fight him for it..."

Muttering to herself, Wan Yan angrily looked away, ignoring Clement.

Seeing that Wanyan had no objection, Zhongli looked at Huiyuan.

Seeing Zhongli's gaze sweep over, Huiyuan pondered for a moment and shook his head.

Huiyuan naturally wanted this cup, after all, it contained an endless supply of salt! Given enough time, it might even be able to create a planet!

But why not compete for it now?

Because Huiyuan knew what would happen next, and there was something even better.

If you want to get all these things without breaking the contract, there's only one way: make the other party break the contract!

From the moment they entered the cave, Huiyuan pretended to be unwell and followed Ying timidly the whole time.

Moreover, at the entrance to the ruins, they used a rope to slowly descend, just like ordinary people.

The purpose of appearing so weak is for one thing.

That's what made Clement think that Lingling, this general specially appointed by the Seven Stars, was nothing but a showpiece! She looked strong, but was actually very weak!