Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

The traveler listened silently to Heureia's story, his mind churning with complex emotions, yet he could find no suitable words to respond.

How should she judge Heuria's merits and demerits?

Is it to praise her compassion and courage in choosing to shelter abandoned orphans in those chaotic times? Or to sympathize with the heart-wrenching pain of this mother who was ultimately pointed at by the sword of the people she regarded as her own?

Or, to put it bluntly, it was her cowardice—her unwillingness to sacrifice any of her children—that ultimately became the shackle that blocked all avenues of survival in Yantu?

Countless thoughts, heavy as lead, clashed with one another, making the good woman's throat tighten, leaving her only able to maintain this wordless silence.

But this heavy silence did not last long. Heuria leaned forward slightly, her eyes, which held the weight of the ancient salt sea, locked onto the traveler with an unprecedented, almost soul-piercing focus.

Her voice remained gentle, but her words were like a boulder suddenly thrown into a calm lake, plunging the traveler and Paimon into an icy abyss:

"Traveler, I know you have a close relationship with the condensation of Tianquan Star."

She paused, and beneath her gentle tone lay an undeniable, deeply pleading inquiry:
"Could you please tell me... about Ning Lan and the children of Yinyuan Hall? Do you know anything about their current situation?"

The traveler's heart sank, almost skipping a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm and composed.

Paimon, who also knew Ning Lan's fate, was far less composed than the Traveler. Her small body trembled violently, her face drained of color instantly, and almost instinctively she shrank behind the Traveler, revealing only a pair of large eyes filled with terror.

"I...I'm not entirely clear on the specifics of what happened next," the Traveler said, trying to keep his voice steady and avoiding Heuria's probing gaze. He replied vaguely, "Perhaps...perhaps it has already been dealt with according to the laws of Liyue."

To reassure her, the traveler quickly added, though his tone carried a barely perceptible tension: "You need not worry, Miss Herria. Ningguang is always fair and will not mistreat Ninglan."

Strictly speaking, the Traveler's words were not entirely a lie. Ningguang did not personally execute Ninglan, but rather banished her to the dark and sunless depths of the Layered Rock Abyss.

Ultimately, it was Famas's merciless divine flames that reduced Ninglan to ashes.

"That's good...that's good..."

Heureia seemed to readily accept the traveler's words, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly. She slowly turned around, her gaze fixed on the shimmering sea in the distance, her voice carrying a relieved, almost limp, lightness:

"Her name is Ning Lan... Perhaps, she is the last bloodline left in this world by the 'King of Men,' Ning Zhe."

The sea breeze caressed her pale face, scattering the unfinished words:

"As long as...as long as everyone is safe and sound...that's good...that's good enough..."

The soft, lingering note drifted on the wind, carrying an almost humble plea and self-comfort, yet to the traveler and Paimon, it was more heartbreaking than the heaviest lament.

"Thank you for your company today, travelers, and..."

Heureia's gaze gently shifted to Paimon, who was hiding behind the traveler, her small face still showing sadness.

"Pay, Paimon! My name is Paimon! I am... the traveler's best companion!"

Paimon added in a low, urgent voice, his face slightly flushed.

A gentle smile appeared on Heureia's face. She bent slightly, her back already somewhat hunched, and gave the two a solemn and ancient bow:
"Thank you both for keeping me company for so long. I hope these old stories haven't made you feel tired."

"how come!"

The traveler blurted out almost instinctively, his voice tinged with barely perceptible urgency, "We...we're not usually busy, we can come often in the future..."

Before he could finish speaking, the traveler stopped.

Was this promise, spoken offhand, meant to make up for the guilt she felt about Ning Lan's lie, or was it because the Salt God, who had experienced so much and was now truly alone on the continent of Teyvat, had touched a soft spot in her heart?

If Paimon hadn't been there to accompany her, she would probably have been adventuring alone on the continent of Teyvat. Faced with the bow of an ancient Daedric Lord, the Traveler's body instinctively wanted to step aside, yet subconsciously reached out to support the seemingly swaying figure.

However, just as her fingertips were about to touch it, an inexplicable unease made her freeze in place, as if touching it rashly would desecrate some remaining sacredness.

In the end, the traveler could only straighten his back and silently accept this gift of gratitude from the Mother of Salt, with complex and indescribable feelings.

Heureia knew she was under heavy surveillance and understood that the traveler's journey was orchestrated by the Guardian.

The news that Ning Lan was still alive, heard from the traveler, was a glimmer of light that unexpectedly appeared in her desolate time, enough to comfort her.

Therefore, when the traveler uttered the unfinished "come often," Heureia simply shook her head slowly and firmly.

"I am deeply grateful for your company today, and I dare not ask for anything more."

Her voice remained gentle, yet carried an undeniable clarity.

"The magnificent journey and endless adventures must still beckon to you two from afar."

Heureia looked at the traveler with her gentle gaze, but the intention to see him off was clear in her words.

"I won't keep you any longer. Take care on your journey."

The traveler lowered his eyes and remained silent, while Heureia also bowed her head, maintaining that solemn posture of greeting.

The sudden, suffocating silence between the two made Paimon's anxious gaze dart back and forth between them.

Finally, Paimon couldn't take it anymore and jabbed the traveler in the side with his elbow.

"Then please take good care of yourself, Miss Heureya."

The traveler finally spoke, her voice slightly strained, yet carrying an undeniable calm. Before she finished speaking, she turned without hesitation and strode away resolutely, leaving Paimon and Heureia behind.

"Hey?! Traveler, wait for me!"

Paimon was stunned for a moment before he suddenly realized what was happening, and his small figure hurriedly chased after the hurried figure in front of him.

No one knows what turbulent emotions surged within the traveler's heart during those brief moments of silence, or what heavy resolve he made.

With a clear goal in mind, she walked resolutely towards the South Wharf Plaza of Liyue Harbor without looking back.

In the shadows of the Yiyan Palace, Yelan's sharp gaze and Wu Pei's wary eyes quietly followed the departing figures of the Traveler and Paimon until they merged into the bustling crowd, before locking onto Heuria, who was leaning against the railing, like hawks.

When the traveler's footsteps completely disappeared into the distance, Heureia's previously upright posture finally relaxed slightly.

She remained leaning against the cold stone railing, gazing in the direction the traveler had gone, then let out a very, very soft sigh, so faint it was almost shattered by the wind:
“Heureia…”

She spoke to the desolate sea breeze, as if whispering to a departed soul.

"This is the last thing I can do for you..."

The sea breeze caressed her pale cheeks, fluttered her white robes, and carried that even softer self-mockery into nothingness:
"After all, it was you, the salt mother, who truly accompanied those children as they grew up."

Her voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz, carrying a utter, almost ethereal sense of relief:

"Not me, a slime who can only huddle in the corner of the salt pan..." (End of Chapter)