He changed Tiwat

He recalled that a few months ago, the old man next door came to Mondstadt to have a private talk with him. That time, they met Dr. Edith, who was lost in thought under the big oak tree in the Windrise.

Edith was standing under the tree in a daze because she had no elemental power or elemental vision, so she couldn't see the wind element and could only wait for the "divine tree leaves" containing wind elemental power at the top of the oak tree to fall.

Edith said to them at that time: "On this continent, this is what happens to those without the Eye of God; they always achieve half the results with twice the effort. Unable to utilize the power of the elements, they live like outsiders in this world, whether in research or daily life. Perhaps in the eyes of the gods, those with the Eye of God are the protagonists of this world..."

As Han Fulai just said, most people in this world have already accepted that those who possess the Eye of God are the "protagonists" of this world.

Wendy nodded and said softly, "Have you ever thought about why Sky Island would establish such an order specifically for 'humans'?"

Chapter 338 Humans are Gods

"Because...human beings have their own inherent qualities; we are not the residue left after the Chosen Ones have been filtered out."

Han Fulai's reply was based on Dayin's exact words.

He pointed to his heart: "I think 'willpower' is the most unique thing about humankind."

After accepting the remnants of the Salt God, Han Fulai, who has a demigod-like physique, has already had several experiences using the "power of will".

This power, originating from human "desire" or "consciousness," is the most magical and unreasonable power in the world.

So far, it seems that only humans possess "willpower," and the demon gods who are rulers must lead their human subjects to draw upon "willpower"—as for flowers, birds, insects, fish, and those magical beasts, although they are all "living beings," they do not possess "willpower."

From the perspective of quantum mechanics, this can be described as a force where "consciousness determines matter".

At least on the continent of Teyvat, "Schrödinger's cat" cannot become an "observer"; only the human "Schrödinger" can become an "observer".

Although Han Fulai did not know the underlying principles of this mechanism, it was an undeniable reality.

In conclusion, the human species on the continent of Teyvat possesses unique characteristics that distinguish them from other creatures.

Wendy smiled and said, "Since you've already thought of this, why not think about it a little deeper?"

"Think about it a little deeper?" Han Fulai asked, slightly bewildered.

...No matter how hard he tries, he couldn't possibly understand the principle behind "willpower," could he? Is Wendy expecting him to discover a kind of "willpower mechanics" like physicists on Earth discovered "quantum mechanics"? Isn't that just making things difficult for liberal arts students?

Wendy's smile widened: "I'm telling you, you've been a civil servant for so long... You know that becoming a god requires collecting 'wish power,' and you know that we 'Sky Island civil servants' need human 'wish power' as 'salary'—how come you can't think of why 'wish power' can be used as 'salary'?"

Han Fulai frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly felt a jolt.

Like an electric current, it shot from his spine straight into his brain, making his hair stand on end—in that instant, he cracked the greatest mystery on the continent of Teyvat.

The civil servants under Tenri, who are also demons, need "willpower" to enhance their strength. So what about Tenri himself?

He also needs "willpower".

Thousands of years ago, when the Sky Isles directly governed the continent of Teyvat, people prayed directly to the Sky Isles!

That's why He made a sacred pact with the demons, requiring them to "love humans." Even if humans are lambs and cattle in the eyes of the gods—if the lambs and cattle are gone, the gods will also go hungry.

But what if... while humans are lambs and cattle, they also possess the power to do more than just be lambs and cattle?

Meanwhile, the shepherd has also weakened and may no longer be able to control the lambs and cattle.

Then we need an "order," a set of "laws," to make the cattle and horses willingly continue to be cattle and horses... We need to let the cattle and horses know that they were born to be cattle and horses, and that this is their fate.

Thus, the continent of Teyvat came to have the "Eye of God" and a fate system called the "False Heaven".

Why did Qin Shi Huang "abolish the ways of the former kings and burn the books of the hundred schools of thought"? — To keep the common people ignorant.

Why did Qin Shi Huang order the collection of all weapons in the land, gathering them in Xianyang, melting down the blades and arrowheads, and casting them into twelve bronze statues? — To weaken the people of the land.

Why did Emperor Taizu of Song "release military power over a cup of wine" and establish a system where "generals do not control their troops and soldiers do not know their generals"? Because since the mid-Tang Dynasty, there had been regional separatism and military rule. He had witnessed the rise and fall of various warlords during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Emperor Taizu himself only ascended to the throne after the Chenqiao Mutiny.

Ningguang wouldn't say that she made her fortune by smuggling salt; she would only make up legendary stories of starting from scratch to circulate among the people. Well, she's currently the strictest inspector of salt taxes.

The process by which businessmen acquire their "first pot of gold" has always been a secret. And those who earn their "first pot of gold" will go to great lengths to prevent others from following suit.

To put it simply, it boils down to this: "Those who get on the bus first should weld the doors shut."

What if Tianli was also someone who "got on the bus first"?

This is the true essence of humanity...

Han Fulai whispered the answer—

"The principles of Heaven originally came from humanity. And every human being has the opportunity to become the principles of Heaven."

That's why Tenri is called "the first human"—this isn't a metaphor, but a fact. Tenri is "the first human on the continent of Teyvat."

That's why Abedo takes on a human form, because he is a substitute for the "Primordial Man," and naturally, he must be human. The process of "black soil, chalk, red clay, and gold" helps him transform into the true "Primordial Man."

Therefore, Vanessa, a human, was the one who ascended to Sky Island and "mended the sky with her own body," like the legendary Pangu, Prusa, and Ymir...

“Now you know why Vanessa was the one who went up to Sky Island?” Wendy asked.

Han Fulai nodded silently.

Wendy didn't wait for his answer and gave the answer herself: "Because she is human, and carries the hopes of the entire continent for those who want to become gods, she is qualified to be a substitute for the 'Primordial Ones.' Only the 'Primordial Ones' can 'mending the heavens with their own bodies.'"

"I thought she could succeed, that's why I spread the Legend of Vanessa throughout the world, and help her become a 'Genshin Impact' and ascend to Sky Island... But in the end, we failed."

"She was not the true 'Primordial One' after all, and her sacrifice only bought Teyvat a short thousand years."

Wendy sighed deeply as she finished speaking.

Han Fulai was taken aback: "Wait a minute, why didn't she become a true 'Primordial Being'?"

If Vanessa ascended to heaven carrying the desires of all those on the continent who wanted to become gods, she should have possessed divine status, right?

Wendy shook her head and said, "Because she was born under this false sky. Inside this 'false sky,' everything is 'cyclical.' Vanessa... is destined to only 'maintain,' not 'create.'"

"The sacred rules established by the original One restrict the birth of new 'Primordial Beings.' As you know, 'Destiny is predetermined.' There is no place for a 'Primordial Being' on the 'False Heaven,' but Vanessa's fate has already been imprinted on the 'False Heaven.'"

"But her sacrifice was not in vain. At least, we found direction."

“The original one was the ‘Descendant.’ To replace the ‘Original One,’ we also need to find the ‘Descendant.’ For this purpose, we prepared Abedo, created from ‘powers from outside the world,’ and… Ying, whom I met five hundred years ago. And now, that old man has found you.”

Chapter 339 Not just anyone can be a "Descendant".

“To replace the ‘Original Ones,’ we also need to find the ‘Descendants.’ For this purpose, we prepared Abedo, created from ‘powers from beyond the world,’ and… Ying, whom I met five hundred years ago. And now, that old man has found you.”

Wendy's words just now left Han Fulai completely stunned.

Han Fulai was already shocked when he thought of Wendy's plan to have Abedo replace Tianli in the snow mountain laboratory, but his shock at that time was far less than it is now.

In fact, he himself was somewhat aware of the special characteristics of Abedo and Yingmei.

Wendy said he and Yingmei were "Descendants," which is commonly known as "Time Travelers," right? When the game launched, Yingmei's title was "The Stranger Who Catches the Wind."

Zhongli had already told him in "The Salt of the Earth" that Tianli was an outsider. Not only Tianli, but also the "Second Descendant" who fought with Tianli, were all "strangers" to the Teyvat continent.

As a "man-made natural law", Abedo, the otherworldly traveler Yingmei, and this Chinese transmigrator, they are all "outsiders" to the Teyvat continent.

Abedo can "create life," Yingmei can make the seven elements coexist, and he also possesses "a certain power" that Zhongli told him about. These should be the special characteristics of these people as outsiders. To put it bluntly, transmigrators all have a bit of the protagonist's halo... Well, Han Fulai can actually accept these things.

But what Wendy just said was something he had never thought of before: his most unique aspect as a time traveler—he could also be a candidate to replace the "original one"!

Despite now being the "successor of the Emperor" and embarking on the path to becoming the "Salt King Emperor," he sees himself as nothing more than Zhongli's deputy and agent, a relatively high-ranking employee.

If Liyue were a company, Zhongli would be the chairman, and he'd just be the CEO in the background. As an employee, you have to be clear about who the real boss is.

For him, the real big picture is still Zhongli's strategy—Zhongli started using Mora to set up a game thousands of years ago, using the entire Teyvat as a chessboard to play against the lofty and supreme Heavenly Principle.

The "protagonist" should be Zhongli, not him.

Now Wendy has suddenly elevated him to the status of "Primal Man Candidate", as if she is telling him that becoming a CEO and marrying a rich and beautiful woman is not the pinnacle of your life. Why don't you try to become a prime minister?

Putting aside the dangers of this matter and whether he has the ability, if he really is one of the candidates for the Heavenly Principle, wouldn't that mean... he would become Zhongli and Wendy's boss, and Zhongli and Wendy would have to toast him at the dinner table in the future?

For some reason, he felt a chill run down his spine...

So his first reaction was naturally to refuse: "It's not that I'm being modest, please ask me to do something else..."

Unfortunately, he didn't finish being modest.

“Listen, not all foreign things can be called ‘arrivals’.” Wendy stared intently at him. “Only a powerful will that rivals that of a world can be called an ‘arrival’.”

“I believe you have also experienced the unique power of ‘Word Power’ within you. Your power is different from the ‘Word Power’ we usually talk about—”

"Only a powerful will that rivals that of an entire world can be called 'descendant'...?" Han Fulai was unusually dazed, like a rusty gear that couldn't turn for a long time.

He knew he had some special abilities as a time traveler, but Wendy's claims were far more exaggerated than he knew.

What does it mean to be "comparable to a world"? How come he doesn't know he's that strong?

There are plenty of people who can fight better than him, okay?

Let alone genuine demon gods like the Emperor and Wendy, even his own Shenhe and Ningguang might not be able to defeat him...

Regarding his "Word Power," Gan Yu had previously explained to him that "Word Power" is "the ability to make inner visions manifest outward through words," and is also known as "words become law."

The ability to manifest one's inner vision outwards, and to create it with a thought, is the hallmark of demons. It is indeed quite special for someone who is not yet a demon, but it should not be considered a special ability for those demons and powerful magical beasts—like Oser, Ba Che, and Dulin, who can easily summon wind and rain.

He did try to use poetry to exert the power of words, which he always understood as another form of "incantation," similar to Ah He's celestial talismans.

But according to Wendy... was his previous understanding wrong?

Wendy continued, "—That old man told me that when you fought against the 'aftermath of the vortex' Bacha, you triggered the 'Liyue Theory,' right?"

Han Fulai nodded, then hesitated, "But that was me using the power of the Emperor and the resonance of Liyue's ley lines... it doesn't count as my power..."

Wendy chuckled, "You think a demon god can just manipulate the earth's ley lines like that?"

"Huh?" Han Fulai was taken aback again.

Wendy chuckled, “If it were me, I would need to ‘wear a crown,’ and if it were the old man, he would probably need to transform his ‘Dharma Form’… In short, ley lines are definitely not a power that can be activated with a mere wisp of immortal energy. Think about it, who created ley lines? It was the primordial one. We, the ‘Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm,’ are merely managing a portion of them. Even we don’t usually have the authority to touch that power, yet you can…”

His words made Han Fulai frown. Thinking about it carefully, although he was cosplaying the Rock King Emperor at that time, it didn't seem to be a complete imitation. At least at that time, he couldn't even imitate the Emperor's "boundless killing aura"...

The remnant soul of the sea god was at least at the level of a demon god; the reason he was able to defeat him was actually because he used...

He remembered.

At that time, all he could think about was the "Tao" of that gentleman from China.

That was the power in his memory that could shatter the chains binding people all over the world, break down an old world, and build a new one!

Wendy said in a deep voice, "I think you and Miss Mona have realized in the process of researching the 'False Heaven' that you are not governed by this system of fate, but are a variable in the entire system. That is your greatest value."

"In fact, many people in this world have had their fates changed because of you. For example, 'Lonely Star Calamity' who should have been alone for life, 'Heavenly Power Star' who should have been 'Honored by Heavenly Power', 'Returning Plains' which should have been submerged by floods... and 'Abedo's brother' who should have died, and 'Yura Lawrence' who should have never been able to integrate into Mondstadt for her entire life."

"You are the witness to everything, the recorder of everything, and the designer of everything."

“You are the ‘Descendant’—only someone who is equal to a world can bear this title.”

Chapter 340 The Heart of God and the Seed of Time

"The witness to everything, the recorder of everything, the designer of everything..."

What kind of person deserves such a title? — Wendy is practically saying "Chief Architect of the New Era of Teyvat"!

Han Fulai unconsciously reached up and touched the top of his head—he always felt like a hat had been inexplicably placed on his head...

Ignoring the shocked Han Fulai, Wendy crossed his legs and started rummaging through his fanny pack... He pulled out a "God's Eye".

To be precise, it should be described as a bluish-green "glass bead".

The glass bead that was originally the "Felin" xylophone transformed into a blue "chess piece".

It is the "heart of God".

"Didn't you ask me before why the 'Heart of God' appears in 'The White Princess and the Six Dwarfs'? I'll tell you the answer here."

"Before you, there were four 'Descendants' in this world. The 'Fourth Descendant' is the Honor Knight Ying, whom you are familiar with, so we won't talk about him much. Let's mainly talk about the first three, which you are not familiar with. The 'First Descendant' is the 'Primordial One,' what we call the Heavenly Principle."

"There were no humans in this world originally. The arrival of the 'Primordial People' was undoubtedly a 'colonial invasion' for the original inhabitants of this world, namely the 'Seven Elemental Dragon Kings' and their people. Their leader, Dragon King Nibelungen, led the natives to rise up in resistance, and as you know, the result was a victory for the natural order."

"The dragon kings either died in battle and are waiting to be resurrected, or they are hiding and lying dormant. The defeated dragon king Nibelungen led his people to a place we call the 'Dark Sea,' where he has not given up his revenge."

"Then, Nibelungen opened a passage between Teyvat and the outside world, attracting the 'Second Advent.' You know, that's the war that led to the fall of the two original rulers. And that war also left behind a serious hidden danger that could potentially destroy the world..."

Han Fulai nodded slightly. Although Zhongli had not mentioned the name "Nibelungen", he had talked about the related matters.

This is what Zhongli told him back then:

"That is a power that even a powerful prime minister cannot touch. That power is forbidden and filthy, dripping with blood and filth from head to toe, from every pore. Anyone who touches it will go mad and ultimately perish."

Wendy continued, "Fortunately, faced with the prospect of mutual destruction, these two finally reached a mutual understanding..."

"In order to reverse the fate of destruction and to guard against a possible new round of 'revenge,' they jointly rebuilt the 'order' of this world, which is the 'false heaven' you see, and the rules of this 'Seven Rulers of the Mortal World'... The fragments of the losers in the 'War of the Demon Gods' were used to maintain this order."

"'The Primal Reversed Destruction.'" Han Fulai recalled the words he had heard before.

Although Wendy's words were tactful, Han Fulai could understand what he meant—so in this "promote or leave" civil service exam, the winner becomes one of the "Seven Rulers of the World," while the loser becomes the "cornerstone of the world"?

No wonder there are so many immortal demons, yet so few have been resurrected.