Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Not long after, he discovered a place with strange energy fluctuations.

The ripples came from the very back of the cave, covered by a deep layer of ice on the walls, beneath which water flowed.

Instead of rushing to investigate what was inside, he returned to where Jiang Bai was.

As the aroma of food wafted out, many Hilichurls gathered around.

They gathered around the pot, watching Jiang Bai with longing eyes.

"Don't rush, don't rush, it's not ripe yet."

Jiang Bai comforted their rumbling stomachs, regardless of whether they understood him or not.

The Qiuqiu people, wiping their drool, surrounded Jiang Bai.

Klee mingled among them. She wasn't hungry at first, but seeing how hungry they all were, she started to crave it too.

She tried to open her small backpack to take out some food, but unfortunately, she had nothing in it except bombs, let alone candy.

"Hmm... Klee didn't bring any food, so she has nothing to share with her friends..."

Klee was a little disappointed.

Hearing her voice, Jiang Bai turned around and chuckled, "Abedo should have brought it. Go ask Abedo."

Klee's eyes lit up instantly, and she ran off to find Abedo.

Jiang Bai continued cooking, and soon the aroma of the food filled the air.

Jiang Bai casually conjured a long table and several stone bowls, like a cafeteria worker serving food, scooping it into the bowls one spoonful at a time.

"Don't rush, don't rush, everyone will get a share."

Scoop out all the food from the pot, just the right amount for everyone.

Claire pulled Abedo over, and Abedo was carrying a box of toast.

Toast was a convenient and filling food, and Abedo brought the most of it.

"Klee wants to share her food with everyone too!"

Abedo followed behind Klee, carrying a cardboard box. Klee carefully handed out a loaf of toast to each Hilichurl.

“Odomu nini~”

I like it, my friend.

“mosi mita!”

Happy.

Short sentences rang out one after another, and although Claire couldn't understand them, it didn't stop her from feeling their happiness.

So she was even happier.

He had never been friends with Hilichurls before; the leader, Jean, always said that these monsters were dangerous and told her not to go near them.

But now, looking at these Hilichurls, Klee feels a genuine sense of pride.

Jiang Bai patted her head, hoping that this special experience would bring her more insights into her growth.

Although she may not feel that this experience is anything special now, when she grows up to a certain age, having such an experience may allow her to view a species or a thing more objectively.

"Come on, let's eat."

Jiang Bai handed her a plate of stewed vegetables and meat.

"Uh-huh."

Klee, holding the bowl, and the Hilichurls finished the food completely.

For Hilichurls, food is probably the most important thing.

Therefore, they had a great fondness for both Keli and Jiang Bai, who had cooked delicious meals for them both times he came.

Seeing how happily they were eating, Jiang Bai picked up his own bowl and took a bite; the taste was just so-so.

But even if it's just simple seasoning, what he considers ordinary food is already a top delicacy for these food-scarce Hilichurls.

Each Hilichurl drank the food in their bowl as if it were a precious treasure, licking their bowls clean.

They savored the toast that Klee gave them with great care, and many Hilichurls took a bite and then put it away, unwilling to eat it again.

Jiang Bai sighed as he watched. Whether it's humans or Hilichurls, the most fundamental purpose is actually just to survive. It's just that humans have crossed the minimum standard of survival and started to pursue more things.

The Chuch people, living in the cold, snowy mountains, are still struggling to survive.

Not long has it been since I last came here, but the number of these Hilichurls has decreased by three compared to when I first came.

They may have encountered an accident on their way to find food, or they may have met human adventurers, or they may have encountered even more dangerous monsters. In any case, they never returned.

"No rush, there's more tonight," he said softly, not caring whether they understood him or not.

He wasn't in a hurry this time, so he could stay longer.

Although he couldn't provide them with a better living environment, he could still provide them with a few meals.

“mosi mita!”

The Hilichurls couldn't understand Jiang Bai's words, but they could sense his emotions, and some Hilichurls started dancing around him again.

They sang folk songs, surrounding Jiang Bai in the middle. Their laughter transcended the language barrier, causing Jiang Bai's lips to unconsciously curl upwards.

After they stopped to rest, Abedo led Jiang Bai, who had finished his work, to the innermost part of the cave.

"I've found something. Come with me."

The two arrived at the ice wall that Jiang Bai had once visited.

"I have a feeling there's something here..."

Upon seeing this familiar ice wall, Jiang Bai was momentarily stunned.

It wasn't much different from what he had guessed when he came here last time. In the last fragment of his memory, he closed his eyes here and sealed himself inside this thick ice wall.

He was on the verge of death at that time and could only use the low temperature of the ice layer to enter a state of breath control to repair his body little by little, while keeping his body active and waiting for the day he would awaken.

After an unknown amount of time, the ice layer broke apart for some reason, and he and the ice that encased him fell into the water below, flowing into the Liyue region along the underground river.

Bai Yuan was found by an adventurer searching for treasure in the snow mountain by the river.

Like him, they all fell into the underground river of the snow-capped mountains from here.

But he couldn't remember anything else on his body that was sealed inside the ice.

"So that's how it is..." After listening to Jiang Bai's explanation, Abedo seemed thoughtful.

"If you're certain that the self-sealing location is here, then the thing I sensed inside the ice wall should have been frozen along with you. It's possible it's not something you're carrying..."

"Just take it out and you'll see."

Bai Yuan transformed into a long sword in Jiang Bai's hand, its blade piercing straight into the ice. The ice surface was as smooth as tofu, offering no resistance to Bai Yuan.

Jiang Bai took down the ice, which he had cut into large squares, and after cutting four or five meters deep into the ice, he saw a broken necklace frozen inside.

Chapter 335 Teyvat Gains an Outsider

The necklace is a close-to-blue color, very similar to the color of ice, so much so that it is completely invisible through the thick layer of ice.

Jiang Bai took the necklace out of the ice and finally saw its true appearance.

The pendant at the end of the necklace is a four-pointed star, emitting a pure, ethereal blue light. The chain, constructed of an unknown crystal, is broken.

Jiang Bai held the necklace, but couldn't find any memory of it.

He felt that the necklace probably didn't belong to him.

After all, the necklace's design was very delicate, which didn't suit his masculine style.

Jiang Bai handed the necklace to Abedo, wanting to see if Abedo could figure out anything from it.

After studying it for a while, Abedo exclaimed in surprise:

"The energy fluctuations emanating from this are somewhat similar to the Frostfire Nail, but they are not the same."

According to his research, the energy emitted by the Frost Nail has certain purifying and restorative properties.

The light emitted by this necklace also has purifying properties.

"It shouldn't be mine." Jiang Bai shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing about it.

Although Jiang Bai said that, Abedo felt that even if this was not Jiang Bai's, it must be related to Jiang Bai in some way.

"If it's convenient, I can borrow it for a while to study it."

"Take it and study it."

It is now confirmed that the reason why the Hilichurls here are different from those outside is because of the existence of this necklace.

The energy emanating from this necklace subtly enhanced or restored some of their intelligence.

I wonder what changes will occur here after this necklace is taken away.

Normally, it shouldn't have a significant impact. Since the intelligence has already been enhanced, it won't suddenly disappear.

The next generation of this group may not be as smart.

The shaman watched their movements from the side, waving his staff and dancing as if performing some kind of ritual.

Jiang Bai looked at the aged shaman and said, "Speaking of which, this Chuchu shaman calls me Unu, which puzzles me."

Abedo also looked at the old shaman, "If I remember correctly, this word is what they use to refer to the gods."

"Ah."

The vocabulary of Qiuqiu language is so limited that it can express so few meanings that even if Jiang Bai wanted to ask, he couldn't find the words to organize his thoughts.

The old shaman heard the word "Unu" from their mouths and raised his staff, chanting "Unu Unu."

Jiang Bai sighed, unsure how to explain that he wasn't his god.

"Logically speaking, it is impossible for the Hilichurls to venerate humans as their gods."

Aberdo rested his chin on his hand, also puzzled by this phenomenon.

To date, apart from the Black Sun worshipped by the Black Sun Tribe, no scholars have been able to determine what the deity worshipped by the Hilichurls is. All that is known is that the Hilichurls call their deity "Unu".

The question is whether "Uun" is a specific title for a particular deity, or whether it refers to everything they worship.

Judging from the old shaman's attitude, it should be the latter.

Aberdo came up with a more plausible explanation:

"Is it possible that because you've been frozen here for so long, these Hilichurls have been watching you frozen since birth and subconsciously worship you as a symbolic totem?"

After all, there is still a difference between frozen people and real people. With the ice blocking their view, their hostility towards humans will be greatly reduced. Plus, seeing them every day, it's inevitable that they will have some kind of fantasy, thinking they are gods or something.

"But if that's the case, why did they still recognize me after I woke up?"

Jiang Bai initially thought the same way, but there were still many things that didn't make sense.

Looking at people from the ice is quite different from looking at them face-to-face. Ice refracts light, which causes what you see to differ from what is actually frozen inside the ice.

In addition, the ice might not be very deep; through the thick ice, it might look like an alien.

Moreover, when Xiao Shi first brought him into the cave, not every Hilichurl was willing to let him in. Some Hilichurls made no attempt to hide their desire to attack him, but the old shaman stopped them later.

Therefore, it's unrealistic to expect to recognize him based on this.

“Could it be your aura? Did they recognize your aura?” Abedo suggested.

"An aura? That's probably unlikely..."

Jiang Bai was aware of his state of breath control; it was his last means of self-preservation, including stopping his heartbeat and blood flow, let alone his breath.

“That might be because they sensed your magnetic field, or energy field…” Abedo said.

Everyone has their own magnetic field, which is invisible and difficult to find, but it does exist.

No one knows whether Hilichurls have the ability to distinguish magnetic fields, but Abedo feels they probably do.

After all, Hilichurls all wear masks, and there isn't much difference between them individually. Without a special way to distinguish them, it's possible that no one would know who is who.

"Let's assume that for now..."

Jiang Bai looked at the ice wall. The ice wall did not connect to anything. After Jiang Bai dug so deep, he could already see the stone wall behind the ice wall.