"Who's there?" Yoimiya's eyes turned cold as she softly demanded.
Akio looked over and saw a strikingly beautiful woman with the classic Liyue features peeking out timidly from behind a rock not far away.
"Which deity are you?" Yoimiya asked warily, her guard up. The woman exuded the aura of a deity, but it was as weak as Guizhong's.
Wait, no—there probably wasn't a deity weaker than her and Guizhong.
It wasn't surprising that Yoimiya was on edge. In this era of the Archon War, aside from Guizhong, whom they were here to save, no deity could be trusted—especially those who appeared harmless.
"Are… are you deities too?" the woman spoke softly, her voice as gentle and sweet as a clear spring.
"State your purpose," Yoimiya demanded.
"Ah… I'm sorry," the woman quickly stepped out from behind the rock. Her clothes were dirty and disheveled, making it hard to believe she was a noble deity.
"Hello, I'm… a newly born deity not far from here. My name is Havria," the woman introduced herself meekly.
"I was chased away by other deities and ended up here. I saw you roasting meat, and I was hungry, so…" Havria lowered her head and spoke softly.
"A newly born deity?" Yoimiya glanced at Akio, only to find him scrutinizing the woman.
"Havria?" Akio was surprised. Wasn't this the deity who was killed by her own people in the game?
Akio rubbed his chin, recalling that her power was related to creating salt. This woman seemed pitiful—not only was she extremely weak, but she also ended up dying at the hands of the people she deeply loved.
He extended his mind-reading ability to cover Havria and confirmed that she was indeed Havria. Only then did Akio relax.
After all, Havria was a gentle and fragile deity, her strength as weak as Guizhong's. The two of them were often referred to as the "floor tiles" of deity power.
"She is indeed a newly born deity, and her power is very weak, Yoimiya," Akio nodded.
"I see," Yoimiya lowered her guard and smiled. "You must be hungry too. Come and have some roasted meat."
"Can I really?" Havria seemed both surprised and hesitant, pointing at herself in disbelief.
"Of course, come on," Yoimiya nodded.
Havria slowly walked over and cautiously sat down beside Akio.
"Here, eat," Akio tore off a large piece of meat and handed it to Havria.
It had to be admitted that, although Havria was as weak as Guizhong, her beauty was undeniably perfect, as was typical of deities.
"Thank you…" Havria whispered, then sprinkled a pinch of salt on the meat before taking small, delicate bites.
"Havria, what is your divine power?" Yoimiya asked curiously, looking at her.
"I'm sorry… I don't have any impressive powers. My ability is to create salt…" Havria said, seemingly ashamed.
Her power was too weak. No matter where she went, she was driven away. Deities wanted to kill her, and even monsters wanted to devour her, yet she had no way to fight back.
"Creating salt… that's a very practical power," Yoimiya said after a moment of silence, forcing an awkward smile.
In the future, creating salt would undoubtedly be the most profitable ability. But in this chaotic era, what use was it? Did she plan to turn deities into salt?
"Yoimiya, if you don't know how to compliment someone, it's okay not to," Akio facepalmed as he saw Havria's expression grow even more ashamed.
"…" Yoimiya awkwardly smiled and said nothing more.
"I'm Akio, and this is Yoimiya," Akio introduced himself and Yoimiya.
"Hello," Havria quickly put down the meat and greeted them. "You were able to hunt monsters. Are you deities too?"
"You could say that," Akio nodded. It wasn't wrong to call Yoimiya a deity now.
"You're really amazing," Havria said with envy. "What are your divine powers?"
Akio's hand ignited with scorching flames, instantly raising the temperature around them and even distorting the air. It was the power of the Herrscher of Flamescion.
Yoimiya, on the other hand, summoned the power of ice, causing the moisture in the air to freeze and fall gently like snow.
"The powers of flame and ice! You're so incredible!" Havria exclaimed with admiration. These abilities must be incredibly destructive!
"Havria, what are your goals now?" Akio asked.
"Hmm…" Havria fell into thought, then shook her head. "I don't know…"
Havria realized she truly had nothing to do. As for finding her own people, she was so weak. Would anyone even seek her protection?
"Then why not travel with us for a while?" Yoimiya suggested with a smile.
"That sounds good. Thank you for having me," Havria nodded.
…
Not far away, a group of ragged people were fleeing, pursued by a pack of small wolves.
The young men in the group instinctively protected the elderly, women, and children, using crude wooden spears to fend off the attacking wolves.
"Huff… huff… Mom, I can't run anymore…" a little girl gasped, her face red as she looked at a young woman carrying a baby.
"Keep running! If you stop, you'll be eaten!" the woman urged.
Suddenly, the girl tripped over a root and fell to the ground.
In an instant, she was surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves.
"A-Ling!" the young woman screamed in despair.
"Run!" But she was pulled away by a young man. If they didn't keep running, they would all die here.
"Mom! Run! Don't worry about me!" The girl, seeing the wolves closing in with drool dripping from their jaws, showed no fear. She gazed longingly at her mother being dragged away.
If her death could ensure the survival of her mother, her brother, and the rest of the tribe, then it was worth it.
"Someone, save my child!" the young woman screamed in agony, but she was pulled along by her people.
Just then, something unexpected happened. The wolves surrounding the girl and those chasing the group suddenly let out painful howls.
In an instant, they all collapsed, their bodies beginning to seep with white crystals that quickly spread across their forms. Soon, they were all turned into salt statues of wolves.
"What's this? A miracle? A deity has saved us!" The elders in the group wept with joy.
"Huff… huff…" Not far from the group, Havria was panting heavily, her hand still glowing faintly with white light.
At the critical moment, she had used her power to turn all the wolf-like monsters into salt sculptures. Though they were small monsters, it had exhausted her fragile strength.
"Havria, are you okay?" Yoimiya asked with concern.
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