Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Chapter 29 Departure from Lonely Cloud Pavilion

"No need to worry about that!" Hu Tao held out her small hand, which was adorned with several rings and had black nail polish on her nails. A flash of light appeared on the ring on her index finger, and pots, pans, and other utensils appeared on the table.

"This is called Jiezi Qiankun. It is a spatial artifact made by an immortal back then. The Hall of Rebirth has only one of its kind. It is an essential item for traveling!"

Jiang Bai lowered his eyelids, his dead fish eyes wide with indignation, "Since the hall master has such convenient things, why did you make me carry so much stuff in the first place...?"

"Of course it's to train you!" Hu Tao said matter-of-factly. "Besides, even though it's a mustard seed space, the space is still limited. If you put everything in there, wouldn't it become a sack?"

"Hurry up and pack your things, we're leaving soon!"

Jiang Bai pursed his lips and went to pack his things.

Since Walnut has a space within a mustard seed, we won't worry about how much stuff we have; we'll bring everything we can.

The docks of Liyue Harbor were bustling with people, the sky was clear and blue, and the Lonely Cloud Pavilion across the sea was clearly visible.

Jiang Bai gazed at the sea in the distance, his face filled with anticipation, like someone going on a trip for the first time.

Hu Tao remained calm. Although Gu Yun Pavilion was far away and dangerous, she had been there several times. She led Jiang Bai to a fishing boat, where the boatman had been waiting for a long time.

The boatman was a strong and muscular man wearing a thin vest. His skin was tanned to a bronze color from years of sailing, and his arms were muscular, clearly indicating that he was a skilled oarsman.

"Old Xu, we're counting on you!"

The fisherman, named Old Xu, wore a wide-brimmed hat to shield himself from the glaring sun. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Master Hu is joking. I guarantee I'll deliver you safely to Guyun Pavilion!"

Besides Old Xu, there were two other boatmen on the boat. When they saw the two men arrive, they greeted them with smiles.

Soon, the fishing boat hoisted its sails and slowly sailed towards Guyun Pavilion.

Jiang Bai stood on the deck, the sea breeze blowing across his face, making his short, choppy white hair look disheveled.

Liyue Harbor gradually shrank, surrounded by an endless sea, and Jiang Bai could see a snow-capped mountain in the distance.

The snow-capped mountain was quite high, shrouded in clouds and mist, exuding a mysterious glow.

"Where is that?" he asked Hu Tao.

Walnut lay on a deck chair on the deck, pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere and put them on, with a coconut with a straw in it next to her.

Hearing Jiang Bai's words, she took off her sunglasses and glanced at him, then lay back in her chair and took a sip of coconut juice. "That place is called Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain. It's covered in ice and snow all year round, and it's very cold."

"Has the hall master been there?"

"I went there once, and I almost froze to death..."

Because it is covered by ice and snow all year round, the fire element on it is very thin. Last time she went there, she was frozen back halfway up the mountain.

Jiang Bai nodded and remembered this place.

He had a feeling that something there was connected to him.

"By the way, Master, where did you get this recliner, sunglasses, and coconut juice?" Jiang Bai lowered his eyelids, somewhat speechless.

There was nothing on this deck just now, and now it's so comfortable—that's excessive!

Walnut pulled out a fresh coconut and handed it to him, adjusting her sunglasses as she crossed her legs. "I don't have sunglasses, but this is a new thing from Fontainebleau, and this is the only one I bought..."

"Okay..." As a humble underling, what could Jiang Bai say? He obediently took the coconut and inserted the straw.

Seeing how relaxed Hu Tao was, he felt that they weren't looking for treasure, but rather going on vacation.

After drifting at sea for several hours, the fishing boat finally approached Guyun Pavilion.

As Jiang Bai looked up, the awe-inspiring rock spears came into view. Just as described in the "Teyvat Travel Guide," the giant rock spears that plunged deep into the seabed stood tall, and the piles of rock spears formed mountains in the high places and flat land in the low places.

Those scattered rock spears stuck in the sea, through the catalysis of time, have gathered into small islands, together forming the Lonely Cloud Pavilion.

"Is this the power of the gods...?"

It's hard to imagine the immense power with which the Rock King Emperor hurled such enormous rock spears, and how those spears have remained firmly suppressing that demon god for countless years.

Even though the original appearance can no longer be seen after long weathering, the divine power of that god can still be seen from the remaining rock pillars.

"It's hard to imagine that this place was once a sea area!" Hu Tao stood beside him, looking at Jiang Bai's naive and unworldly appearance, her face full of pride.

Their Geo Archon is known as the God of War, and has protected Liyue for over a thousand years.

“Yes, it’s hard to imagine…” Jiang Bai nodded. If he hadn’t read the Teyvat travel guide, he would have really thought that this is what the place originally looked like.

"Turning the deep sea into a mountain by one's own power is beyond the scope of human capability." Given enough time and manpower, it is possible for humans to do so, but it is completely impossible to do so in a short period of time.

Even if, as Mr. Zhongli said, gods are just a higher level of beings, the difference between these two beings is simply too great.

So far away that he could hardly imagine anyone being able to rival the gods.

At this moment, Jiang Bai did not know what the strongest god was, nor did he know how weak a weak god could be; otherwise, he would not have had the idea that gods were invincible.

"Let's go, get off the ship!"

After agreeing with Lao Xu to pick them up at the street signal, the two set foot on the land of Guyun Pavilion.

Walnut acted as if she were out for a spring outing, completely unaware that she was already in the wild. She rolled up her trousers and walked barefoot on the beach, humming a homemade tune, and occasionally bending down to pick up a shiny conch shell.

Jiang Bai carried his shoes and walked barefoot on the beach. The waves crashed over him, and a crab emerged from the sand, its pincers clamping down on his toes.

"Hey!" Jiang Bai grabbed the crab, ignoring its flailing claws, and said enthusiastically, "Master, let's have steamed crab for lunch!"

"That's what I think too!" Hu Tao also pulled a crab out of the sand. The crab's claws were flailing wildly, full of life.

Their search for the Rock of No Form came to a standstill, and they instead started catching crabs on the beach. Walnut took out a bamboo basket and filled it to the brim.

"I didn't expect there to be so many crabs here. It must be because few people usually come here..." After filling the bamboo basket, Hu Tao found a big rock to sit on and sunbathe her toes.

Jiang Bai discovered that even Hu Tao's toenails were black. What kind of peculiar hobby was this?

Out of respect for Hu Tao's personal preferences, Jiang Bai did not ask any questions.

"What should we do with this basket of crabs? Should we take it with us?" He looked at the sky. It was still more than an hour before noon. Even if he wanted to have lunch, he would have to find a sheltered spot from the wind, otherwise he wouldn't be able to start a fire.

Chapter 30 What kind of culinary horror is this?

"Of course you'll carry it. My space can't hold living things."

"Okay..." Jiang Bai knew this would be the outcome.

Jiang Bai threw his shoes into the bamboo basket, resignedly picked it up, and, too lazy to put on shoes, walked barefoot on the gravel.

He discovered that he had a very low pain threshold; he didn't feel much pain when a crab claw pinched his foot.

With a large beach nearby, there's no need to wear shoes.

Ignoring the walnut, he walked toward another island.

They disembarked on a small island, which was empty except for a large rock formed from a rock spear. However, there was a road submerged by the sea connecting it to a larger island next to it.

Surrounded by winds on all sides, even the large rock couldn't block them, making it impractical to cook lunch here.

"Wait for me!"

Jiang Jiangbai walked away, and Hu Tao took out a pair of wooden sandals, put them on, jumped off the rock, and chased after him, splashing through the water.

The island next to it was much larger, but it showed obvious signs of human construction. Some carved stone pillars were broken and collapsed, and the carved ground had been worn down over time and was no longer recognizable. Damaged relics were scattered all over the island.

Did people live here before?

Hu Tao, who had caught up with Jiang Bai, overheard his words and casually replied, "I wouldn't know!"

The great war between the demons and gods happened so long ago, how could she know what happened back then!

"That's the Ruin Guardian, but it's broken now." Hu Tao pointed to the rusty, moss-covered remains of the Ruin Guardian next to her and explained it to Jiang Bai.

"These monsters like to roam around ruins, and sometimes there's more than one, so be careful if you encounter them."

Jiang Bai stepped forward to examine it curiously. Although the wreckage was covered with a thick layer of moss and the various parts were rusted, it was still easy to tell that it was a human creation, a kind of machine, and not a flesh-and-blood creature like a Hilichurl.

He had initially thought that the so-called guardians of the ruins were some kind of elemental creatures, but now it seems that this is not the case.

He found a relatively intact wreckage and examined it closely. He discovered that these steel monsters had hands and feet, and were clearly manufactured according to human behavior, but they had no heads.

In the center of their chest cavity, there is a conspicuous circular core, which is presumably their 'eyes', but now these cores are dim and have lost their energy.

Looking at the machine, Jiang Bai found the technological development of this world to be very strange. Even though such machines that can move on their own have appeared, fishing boats are still driven by wind, caravans traveling long distances rely on horse-drawn carriages, and even lighting is done by candlelight or some kind of ore that he can't name.

This goes against Jiang Bai's subconscious beliefs.

Logically speaking, a civilization capable of developing robots should have reached a very high level of technological advancement, but surprisingly, he didn't see any technological products in Liyue.

For a time, Jiang Bai was deeply confused about the development of this world.

"I'll consult Mr. Zhongli when I get back and see what his insights are..."

Jiang Bai knew too little about this world, and he couldn't come up with anything by just guessing. It would be better to ask someone who might know.

However, before going back, we definitely need to explore this place thoroughly.

He looked at the largest island in the center, from which the ruins of ancient buildings could be vaguely seen.

What exactly happened in the past? Who built these ruins on this island constructed of rock spears? How did these guardians of the ruins travel across the ocean to get here? Will the suppressed demons be resurrected?

These questions made Jiang Bai's heart itch unbearably, as if a cat was scratching at it.

Finding a sheltered spot, Hu Tao took out the pots and pans and began directing Jiang Bai to work.

"I'll go get some firewood. You clean the crabs first, then set up a stove..."

Hu Tao didn't know if Jiang Bai could cook, so for safety's sake, she decided to cook for herself.

Firewood was easy to get; there were plenty of dry branches on the island, so she just picked up a few. Incidentally, she also found a nest of bird eggs.

After washing the crabs, Jiang Bai caught a fish and cleaned it. He then set up a stove and waited to watch Hu Tao's performance.

But as he watched, his expression began to change.

Why did the fried bird egg turn into a black charcoal and be arranged in the shape of a ghost? Why did the fish soup turn black? If he drinks this, he might turn into a ghost too...

Jiang Bai quickly stopped Hu Tao from steaming the crabs.

"Master, let me do it! You can rest over there, just rest..."

Hu Tao was a little unhappy when her cooking was suddenly interrupted.

"What, you don't think much of my cooking?"

Facing Hu Tao's death stare, Jiang Bai felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead. "No, how could that be! I just saw that the headmaster was too tired from cooking, and I couldn't bear to see him working so hard..."

He helped Hu Tao to sit down on a stone chair he had created using rock elements, and patted the ash from the firewood off her shoulder.

"Master, please sit down. I'll take care of the rest..."

"Hmph, I'd like to see what you can come up with!" Hu Tao crossed her arms, looking displeased.

Jiang Bai carried the fish soup to the seaside, poured it into the sea, and intended to wash the pot clean. Unexpectedly, as soon as the soup was poured in, many small fish and shrimp floated to the surface, spitting out white foam.

Jiang Bai shivered and washed the pot even faster.

He absolutely cannot eat dishes made with walnuts, absolutely not!

After washing the pot, he placed the cleaned and sand-free crabs on the steamer rack and waited patiently for them to steam, afraid that he might ruin the crabs he had spent so long washing if he wasn't careful.

Seeing Jiang Bai's expression, as if he was afraid she would do something wrong, Hu Tao pouted and muttered under her breath.

"Next time, I'll show you my signature dishes..."

Soon after, the aroma of meat wafted from the pot. Jiang Bai used the seasonings at hand to make a dipping sauce and placed it on the table where rock elements were condensed.

A strange fried egg, a pot of crab, lunch is that simple.

"Master, dinner's ready!"

Walnut walked over, broke off a crab claw, and tasted the dipping sauce made with Jiangbai liquor with a little trepidation. Surprisingly, it was not bad.

"You've got some skills, kid? I underestimated you!"

While eating crab roe, Jiang Bai blurted out unconsciously, "It was all forced upon us..."

To be honest, he himself didn't even know if he could cook. He was forced into it by Walnut's terrible cooking.

"What did you say?"

"No, no, it's nothing..." Realizing he had let something slip, Jiang Bai quickly changed the subject. "Come on, Hall Master, try this egg you made."

Chapter 31 Never Eat Dishes Made with Walnuts