Original God, but the real world

Chapter 113 Chapter 112 - The truth
"In fact, this broken sword placed before you and me cannot be used to show off the might of Ulliah. Instead, it is a disgrace to Him."

Zhongli spoke calmly, "This is the last evidence left in the world of a god who was killed by humans."

Nashida said that the top three members of the Fatui have the strength of demon gods...it's not an exaggeration actually.

Not to mention Nashida herself who was obviously not fully grown, the demons themselves also had clear ranks.

There are gods like Morax and General Thunder who are able to maneuver in their own territories and fight their way out of the seven ruling positions.

There were also people like Osair and Orobas who were beaten to pieces.

Even Heulia, who allowed herself to be killed by mortals, is also a demon.

"Killed by humans?" Wan Yan perked up. "The story Mr. Zhongli heard is too absurd."

She found the best evidence.

"In Liyue's thousands of years of records, there has never been a record of a human being being able to kill a demon god."

"It is impossible for a demon god, who controls the great power of heaven and earth, to be killed by humans."

What’s more, that was an era when there was no Eye of God.

What kind of powerful man could kill the devil in that era!

"It's understandable that you would think so." Zhongli did not deny it, "But Heulia's death was actually condoned by Himself."

"Do you always tell stories in such an illogical way?" Wan Yan said with confidence, "Why did Lady Heulia want to commit suicide?"

Zhongli was stuck and had to remain silent.

It is always said that it is difficult for Zhongli, a demon god who has almost never lost a frontal battle in the Demon God War, to understand Heulia's thoughts.

Whether it was the fact that this demon god gave up his dignity and repeatedly compromised until he had no more room to compromise, or that he was finally killed by mortals, these were beyond Zhongli's understanding.

He has profound wisdom, but this wisdom can only be used to communicate with normal people.

No matter how you look at it, Heulia is not a normal demon.

“I can’t understand it either.” Zhongli sighed slightly. “In history, Heulia has repeatedly given in, even abandoning all her weapons and armor.”

"I can't understand why He did this."

Indeed, the resistance of the weak is meaningless to the strong.

It's just like when people tease birds, the birds' anger is just a playful thing to people.

When you are not strong enough, even getting angry seems like making others laugh.

But if you can't beat him, you can either surrender directly or fight to the death.

Zhongli couldn't understand why you refused to surrender or fight, and even allowed your believers to kill your own god at the last moment.

It doesn't matter if you seek death. The final burst of death is not thrown to the demon who forced you to cede territory, but to a group of insignificant believers...
That’s okay, that’s okay.

It's your own life anyway, you can use it to blow up whoever you want.

Zhongli himself couldn't quite understand it, but he seldom commented on what others did. He was just used to retelling the stories that had happened.

As for the evaluation, that can be left to those who come later.

Jiang Qing reached out and knocked on the broken sword.

How should we evaluate this game?

"In most descriptions, Heulia is a gentle and kind demon god. He has an inherent aversion to fighting, so he gives in all the way until he has nowhere to retreat and only has a small space left to stand on."

"But the war did not stop there. The enemy even planned to march directly and wipe out the last trace of Heulia."

Jiang Qing said softly, "I don't know whether He is kind and gentle, but I think He must be very weak."

It is not good for a mortal to judge the strength of a demon god.

I think a weak demon god also has the ability to wipe out mortals.

But if it's a demon like Heulia who was killed by a mortal...well, there's no need to speak harshly, but there's no need to be too respectful either.

Of course, if this person were alive now, even if he looked down on His choice, Jiang Qing would still address him respectfully.

In the final analysis, it is nothing more than death.

What is worthy of respect is the other person's strength, not their choice.

"And in war, weakness is the greatest sin."

“He cannot save anyone, neither his nation nor his people.”

"So at the end of the story, the believers of the God of Salt, realizing this, chose to give up their god."

Jiang Qing spoke normally, "This is normal, and people in later generations cannot comment on it."

Betrayal is a bit shameful, but to be honest, in the environment of the Demon War, everyone's worship of gods is actually no different from the ancient people's belief in the Dragon King.

One prays for peace, the other prays for rain.

What if I can’t find what I want?
The ancients moved the statue of the Dragon King out to dry in the sun and told it that if it didn't rain, they would smash it.

This is faith.

First comes desire, then comes belief.

They believe in Heulia and seek space for survival and development.

As a result, they never won following Heulia, and had to cede territory and make concessions all the time, and finally had to retreat here.

Jiang Qing himself could understand that if he could still cultivate some loyalty or sense of honor in such an environment, it only meant that Heulia did have the means.

"Give up on God?" Wan Yan was a little stunned.

This was a version she had never heard of before, and it was a little difficult for her to accept at first.

But this sounds better than Zhongli's words.

Zhongli just tells stories and he doesn’t care about the cause and effect behind them.

Jiang Qing’s guess was much more straightforward.

It's just a matter of weighing the pros and cons.

People hate to evaluate things based on interests, but they will behave in accordance with this approach.

In short, the words are hostile but the body is upright.

They know what is right and wrong, and they also know the pros and cons of things.

The process of weighing the pros and cons and right and wrong is what makes a person who he is.

Obviously, Heulia doesn't have many saints under her command.

They attached themselves for peace, and found that Heulia could not give it.

But betrayal or even backstabbing is too much.

If he thought Heulia was not capable, he could just leave. Or he could just assassinate Heulia. This is an evil act that needs no elaboration.

"Why can't we give up?" Jiang Qing asked, "If the seven ruling systems had continued to this day, and the faith had been stable for two thousand years, there would naturally be fewer people who would abandon their faith."

The seven earthly rulers are the winners after all.

There is nothing wrong with faith following the victor.

"But during the Demon God War, everyone simply believed in the closest demon god, and then chose to believe in him."

There is really nothing to choose from.

"All I want is to survive."

"Since Heulia couldn't satisfy their desires, it's not hard to understand why she was abandoned."

"But a direct backstab is disgusting."

"After thinking about it, it's nothing more than worrying that Heulia would not agree to their leaving, or worrying that after they leave Heulia, the new demon god might not be willing to accept them, so they want to offer gifts in order to gain status."

So just don't ask, just do it directly.

They never expected that even after his death, Heulia had given them a big job.

This man was defeated miserably in the war between demons and gods, so he could easily deal with a group of mortals.

Except for the lucky ones who survived because they were not in the core position, the rest were turned into salt statues by the aftermath.

As for the so-called worry that something bad would happen to Heulia after the war failed, so he took the initiative to kill Heulia...whoever wants to believe it can believe it, but Jiang Qing didn't believe a word of it anyway.

Heulia's successive defeats did not foster loyalty and a sense of honor. Similarly, it was equally unrealistic to expect these people to worry about Heulia's future.

Jiang Qing didn't care.

Nowadays, this idea doesn’t sound very good.

Among the people of Liyue, no one dares to say that they have never received any grace from Morax.

To be frank, the very fact that they were able to be born into this world was thanks to Morax's victory.

But Heulia... Just from the story, Jiang Qing couldn't hear any sign that He had done any favors for anyone.

He wanted to protect people, but in the end He never protected anyone.

His followers can only follow Him and keep retreating and moving away, never finding peace and joy.

You can't say that because He is kind and benevolent, it is right for Him to keep ceding territory and making concessions, even if He has never won a direct war, right?

Being kind and benevolent is a useful reputation, but it is not that useful.

At least, whether it comes to winning or losing, kindness should be the winner's margin, not an excuse for the loser.

As a ruler and as a demon, Heulia is not very good.

It’s not about his strategy or ideas, but that there are some problems with his own strength.

And this happens to be a big problem in war.

But His people are even more bizarre, there is really nothing to say.

“Faith, in the beginning, is giving and receiving.”

"Someone gave something away, and someone got it."

"Whether he felt it in his heart or wanted more, he offered his loyalty and was willing to be driven by the other party."

“That’s what faith is.”

Jiang Qing talked freely.

Unquestioning loyalty, like the respect that the people of Liyue in later generations still have for Morax, is the later development of faith.

During this period, His rule in Liyue was as solid as a mountain, and everyone had to accept baptism from all aspects from the moment they were born.

The belief in Morax affects everyone in every aspect, so even if He does not appear in front of future generations, people still naturally believe in Him.

Heulia didn't have that condition.

"Mr. Jiang Qing's remarks are...very interesting."

Zhongli nodded slightly, "Generally speaking, there is no problem."

"Heulia wanted to protect his people, but in the end, he did nothing."

"So, it's only natural that people abandon it."

Everyone offers sacrifices to God for peace.

If the gods can't do it and just say "I will protect you"... then there is no need to worship them.

"But things might be a little more boring."

Jiang Qing was not interested. "During the Demon God War, most people had no choice but to believe."

"But I don't think a demon god like Heulia would actively seek faith."

There is no other choice because the surrounding is too dangerous. Without the protection of a demon god, one might be unexpectedly attacked by a demon god while hunting for food and die.

But Heulia... can only hope that "He" is actively trying to protect the humans around him.

It is more likely that people around him actively approached him, then offered him offerings, believed in him, and sought security.

Then it was this group of people who discovered that Heulia was actually unable to protect them, so they betrayed and even wanted to kill Heulia.

This practice is a bit disgusting.

They go to people's homes and beg them for protection regardless of the consequences. When they find out that the other party cannot do so, they become resentful and even want to exchange the other party's death for trust and status in the new owner's home.

In any version, the demon god asks nothing from humans.

In other words, as long as they are willing to provide protection and help, humans are already indebted to them.

Because if they help, they are just asking for trouble and actually get nothing in return.

It's not even mutually beneficial, it's just a pure act of kindness.

If you can't do it, you can't do it, but if you help, you really help.

Good deeds do not seek rewards, so they should never be punished with bad consequences.

If you think it's not possible, just leave. A god like Heulia, who would rather die than kill the traitor, will surely not stop you.

"That being said, it is indeed a bit unpleasant."

Zhongli shook his head.

He accepts that humans have no desires and are willing to join Liyue, so He is willing to give them a chance to live and work in peace and contentment.

Jiang Qing didn't understand why the demons wanted to protect humans, especially Orobasi, the lord of the Yuanluyu clan, who completely refreshed his understanding of the demons.

The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. This is a requirement for oneself, not a moral kidnapping used by others to demand of oneself.

In theory, there is no such statement in any mythology. Instead, it is often the case that gods often create troubles for ignorant humans out of their own selfishness.

Everyone is living a good life, but suddenly they start destroying cities and countries. It is totally unreasonable.

In Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and even in ancient Eastern mythology, the attitude of gods towards mortals is very clear.

Basically, there is no myth that truly treats humans as human beings.

At most, Eastern mythology will pay attention to cause and effect, and use other means to divert troubles rather than directly killing people and destroying countries.

Western mythology is more direct, starting with a small incident that causes cholera in a country and triggers a war.

But the god of Teyvat really treats humans as his own sons.

The old man is willing to accept even such people and give them a chance to settle down.

Oropus encountered it by chance and even though he lost his life, he still wanted to save people.

Nashida was imprisoned by the House of Lords, but she was still trying to find evidence to overthrow the House of Lords through reasonable means, instead of using her identity as the God of Grass to directly declare the House of Lords' betrayal.

To mortals, these demon gods no longer simply love the world.

It can be called doting.

Zhongli himself was aware of the twists and turns involved - he would not really believe the lies of these people and think that they stabbed Heulia who accepted him because they were worried that Heulia would encounter strange things after her failure.

Ah yes, yes, yes. I didn't expect that you, a bunch of scoundrels, would kill people just because you were worried that something bad might happen to others.

Let me put it this way. Actually, I am a little worried about your future poverty and disasters. Why don’t I kill your entire family? This way, you don’t have to worry about future disasters.

You don't have to thank me. I don't appreciate your gratitude for helping your whole family.

Merit, great merit, damn, it’s simply immeasurable merit!
What kind of magical cerebral palsy circuit is this!

How much fake wine sent by Barbatos would Zhongli have to drink before he would believe such nonsense?
Wanyan raised her hand tremblingly.

She wanted to point at Jiang Qing, then looked at Zhongli, and finally suddenly closed her eyes.

Starting with a "although", the story took a turn that she couldn't understand.

She wanted to be stubborn, but what these two people said was more truthful than the other.

Wan Yan herself didn't know what to say to deny it.

"Ms. Wanyan, don't be angry." Jiang Qing smiled slightly, "Mr. Zhongli and I are just talking nonsense. We don't have any evidence to support our statements."

This is just my personal opinion.

There is no evidence and no witnesses.

However, Wanyan was not comforted.

"Did you ever tell me something like this?" She let out a long breath and felt much more relaxed, "That whenever I felt something was wrong, you would stand up and support me?"

"Really?" Jiang Qing thought for a moment, "Actually, that's what I really think."

"No evidence means no evidence."

"You can't say that just because it was said by Mr. Zhongli, it must be the truth of history, right?"

Wanyan was speechless.

She really took it seriously.

At the moment it was just a broken sword, and the two men talked about it as if they were witnesses to the incident.

But why?

That was at least two thousand years ago. At most, everyone is holding different people's records. You say there is a problem with my records and I cannot deny it, but yours must be correct?

Wanyan thought about it and felt that Jiang Qing was right.

Although Zhongli didn't speak with any conviction, she always took his words as the truth.

But this is just a broken sword. If it cannot prove Heulia's great martial arts, at least it cannot be said that Heulia's followers stabbed the god in the back, right?

"Keep looking."

Wan Yan said unhappily, "At least, let me see more straightforward evidence."

Deep down, she no longer had any interest in arguing.

Although there was no evidence at the moment, she also acknowledged that what these two people said was correct.

Wan Yan still insisted, simply because she didn't want to give up so easily.

"can."

Zhongli did not refute.

There really isn't enough evidence.

How can this broken sword prove that it was Heulia's followers who stabbed Him in the back?

The only physical record around here is that there is a broken sword enshrined, which is indeed not enough to get the answer.

Jiang Qing and Leiying Warlock were both willing to believe it, but this was based on Morax's identity.

Morax said this was the truth, so it was the truth.

He would never lie about something that has no value.

In fact, although the Seven Gods are some riddlers, they don't mean to lie.

However, if we don’t consider the bonus of identity, this is actually a very unreasonable thing.

Because you said it, it is right?
Of course it is possible.

But this was also the reason why Wan Yan finally refused.

Zhongli stretched out his hand and motioned for everyone to keep moving forward.

The truth is before our eyes.

Wanyan sighed.

She hugged the two broken swords tightly, with a look of confusion on her face.

A stern refusal does not mean that she really does not know what is right or wrong, it just means that she cannot know what is right or wrong.

Fortunately, the identity that Jiang Qing had laid out before made Wan Yan change her mind, and she didn't go crazy directly because of the truth.

There was nothing special about the core area, except for some human figures with frightened expressions.

With Zhongli's words, Wanyan naturally understood that these were real people.

They looked frightened, with the panic of someone fleeing.

The death of Heulia did not bring them any benefits. Instead, the disaster before the death of the salt god caused heavy casualties to the people who depended on him.

Under the influence of divine power, these people became salted believers.

Wanyan reached out to touch the statue's cheek, but could not sense anything related to "human" at all.

"This is the state of all living things before Heulia died... No, there is no state of all living things."

Jiang Qing carefully looked at the expressions of the believers.

Death faithfully recorded their expressions at that moment; few of the statues showed relief, most looked panicked.

This shows that they never expected that Heulia's death would bring such a disaster.

"According to normal logic, every evil deed is actually led by one or two people, and then everyone follows suit."

"That must be the case with this matter as well."

Jiang Qing shook his head. "In that case, it's my problem."

When he put the hat on, he threw it directly at all the followers of Heulia.

But most people might not dare to do such a thing as assassinating a god.

Probably, it was really just one or two ambitious people who had the idea and then took action.

Some of these people are so innocent that they really don’t know, some don’t dare but choose to accept it... In this way, there are all kinds of people.

It’s just that when they die, they see their relatives and friends turning into human images, and then they run away in panic, which becomes an expression.

"Your speculation about the group is indeed quite bad." Zhongli nodded. "Morax accepted people who were actually completely unaware of the matter, or those who knew about it but acquiesced."

"Let's not talk about the former, they are just victims chosen by those in power."

Just like faith, they do not naturally have the power to choose and the only option is to accept reality.

"And the latter... the latter is not innocent either, but Morax can't tell them apart."

Although tolerating and condoning an evil act is not too bad, it is actually wrong.

But Zhongli can accept such people.

He does not require every one of His people to be brave enough to fight against those who do evil. It is acceptable if they remain silent instead of directly clinging to the other party.

After all, everyone has their own opportunities and identities. It cannot be said that they are fault if they dare not be brave or kind.

Both bravery and kindness have a price, and it is not special if you cannot afford the price.

"Been taught a lesson."

Jiang Qing bowed slightly.

Zhongli accepted it calmly.

He did not refute Jiang Qing's words at first because he felt that after seeing this scene, Jiang Qing should be able to understand that weak people do not actually have the power to choose.

This is why Zhongli is so tolerant.

His expectations of mankind...are actually not high.

It is precisely because he has no expectations that he is so tolerant and generous that he is willing to accept even a group of people who betrayed the demon god who protected him.

Although Heulia is weak, she protects mankind without asking for anything in return.

If you think He is not capable, just leave.

Zhongli was quite unhappy with this kind of backhand assassination.

But He did not have any high expectations, so most of Heulia's people were willing to accept it.

Jiang Qing understood this principle in the past, but after he obtained divine power and his strength increased, he said that he was being cautious, but in fact his mentality had already changed.

It was right to be brave and diligent, but considering Jiang Qing's opponent, Zhongli didn't think he had the ability to be less cautious.

These people are one or two people who do bad things, and the rest of them accept reality.

Not so with the Fatui.

From the executive officers to the ordinary vanguards, every Fatui knows his or her purpose clearly and firmly believes that this is a fight for the Ice Queen.

Of course, there were some executive officers who were not very loyal to the Queen, but they had common interests and therefore relied on the Queen's protection.

But in most cases, they will still be driven by the Queen's will.

Jiang Qing is currently not qualified enough to be brave in front of the Fatui.

"Should I cry now?"

Wan Yan threw down the broken sword. "Logically, everything I accepted in the past has been completely broken. I should be upset, right?"

"That's what we should do." Jiang Qing nodded, "Do you need Mr. Zhongli and I to leave for a while?"

"No need." Wan Yan waved her hand, "I really can't cry."

The truth is at hand.

She couldn't insist that the salt, which had obviously escaped, looked like it was the work of Morax.

If you really want to put the blame on Morax, that's actually fine.

But that doesn't make sense.

The truth is right here. Although she is stubborn, she is not stupid.

This should have been the feeling of being at a loss after having her three views shattered, but unfortunately she had been educated time and again before and had already accepted the reality in her heart.

Being stubborn on the outside and accepting on the inside have no bearing on each other.

The current situation is nothing more than a proof of the truth.

Wanyan really couldn't get excited.

"It seems that Ms. Wanyan has accepted the truth from Mr. Zhongli." Jiang Qing said with a smile, "In this way, it can be said that I have fulfilled my long-cherished expectation."

"Is your understanding of things like ending expectations a little bit wrong?" Wan Yan sighed.

Talking to Jiang Qing won't shorten your life, but it's a bit exhausting.

“The truth doesn’t always make people happy, otherwise lies wouldn’t sound addictive.”

"In order to get the truth, Ms. Wanyan must have thought about it for a long time, and finally found Mr. Zhongli."

"Although the final answer is a little wrong, at least there is a result, so I'm not too disappointed."

"Mr. Jiang Qing is really optimistic." Wan Yan rolled her eyes.

"But the result is indeed good." She looked at Zhongli, "If the truth is indeed the same as what was recorded at home, I don't know how to face this matter."

(End of this chapter)