Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

His gaze fell on the chicken that Jiang Bai had put down; he hadn't seen a chicken in a long time.

All the edible animals around the village have been caught; if you can catch a chicken, it must have run very far away.

"Is the rice ready? If you're hungry, have some white rice first. I'll process this chicken." Jiang Bai said, rolling up his sleeves and starting to pluck the feathers.

The chicken was alive, but it died painlessly after being teleported using the anchor point.

Only a pure elemental creature like Gudu can withstand the teleportation from the anchor point.

"You're too thin. I'll make you some chicken soup later to help you get some nutrition."

Watching Jiang Bai carefully pluck the chicken's feathers, Chang Ci felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He and Jiang Bai were complete strangers who had just met for the first time. In this war-torn Bayun Island, such kindness was all the more precious.

"I'll help!"

......

While Jiang Bai was plucking chicken feathers in the mountains, Kong was still trapped on the island and unable to leave.

Although Inazuma is currently under lockdown, the thunderstorm zone does not prevent foreign ships from entering. All foreign personnel are being housed on remote islands and are not permitted to travel to other islands.

Although he had come illegally, Sora, accompanied by Thomas, registered his identity with the authorities to pass the identity checks on the island.

There's no way around it; the island is just too small, and there are only so many faces. There's nowhere to hide.

They've gone through a lot of paperwork these past few days; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to stay.

It's fortunate that I had the local bigwig Thomas with me, otherwise these procedures really wouldn't have been possible to be completed properly.

Leaving aside the exorbitant demands from outsiders, which happen everywhere, the most annoying thing is the deliberate delays. Without paying an extra sum of Mora, the temporary stay permit simply cannot be processed.

All these things made Kong's initial impression of the country not good.

While this may be a generalization, there's no way around it; no one who has experienced something like this can genuinely praise this place.

Fortunately, Thomas said he had a way to introduce them to General Thunder, but he would need their help in some ways.

After helping the World Chamber of Commerce resolve its difficulties, Kong let out a long sigh.

"This country is really poorly managed. It's hard enough to just stay here, let alone live here..."

High taxes, unreasonable regulations, profit-driven officials, laws that can be changed at will, and those mercenaries who favor one person over another...

Despite having only been on this remote island for a few days, he already missed Mondstadt and Liyue terribly.

Although Liyue has many laws, they are all reasonable and are designed to maintain the normal lives of its citizens.

Instead of this place where there is a powerful figure who abuses his power, colludes with businessmen, and only seeks to exploit outsiders.

"Sigh, I wonder how Jiang Bai is doing..."

Jiang Bai went to other islands, but according to Thomas, the other islands were not peaceful either. Only the two rear bases, Narukami Island and Umiji Island, were relatively safe.

Paimon wasn't worried about Jiang Bai at all; Jiang Bai didn't seem like the type to suffer a loss.

"Don't worry, that guy handing out flyers is well-connected everywhere. He's definitely better off than us running around here and getting humiliated!"

That's what Kong said, but he still really wanted to know Jiang Bai's current situation.

"If only there were something that allowed for remote communication..."

Unfortunately, given the technological level of Teyvat, such things are destined to be rare and difficult to obtain.

Forget it, there's no point in thinking about this. The important thing now is to leave this island and meet General Thunder.

Looking at the foot soldiers guarding the island, Paimon crossed his arms and looked sullen.

"That guy Thomas just walked away after we rejected him, what a stingy guy!"

They initially thought Thomas was a local tyrant, but after helping the "International Chamber of Commerce," a group of foreign businessmen on the outlying islands who were banding together for mutual support, solve their problems, Thomas revealed his identity and explained his purpose.

He wasn't a true local strongman; he was a member of the Society, one of the three major governing bodies.

I came here simply because I already knew that the traveler was planning to come to Inazuma, so I waited here on purpose.

The question about the World Chamber of Commerce was merely an examination of air-to-air capabilities.

However, Sora refused Thomas's suggestion to change the situation in Inazuma.

Sora doesn't mind being used by others and is happy to help those in need, but he doesn't like the idea of ​​placing the hope of change on an outsider.

He had just arrived and knew nothing. He had only witnessed a bit of the corruption of the ruling class, yet people wanted him to change the situation in Inazuma.

This idea, aside from putting a lot of pressure on him, also gives him a feeling of being morally blackmailed.

Chapter 448 What are the stragglers doing here?

In Mondstadt and Liyue, he was just coincidentally present when the disaster occurred, and coincidentally chosen by Venti, the Knights of Favonius, the Sages, and the Seven Stars.

He himself was well aware that he just happened to be there; the disaster was not resolved because of his presence.

He just happened to be the one standing at the very front, which is why he was remembered.

Even if he is not there, the people of Liyue and the people of Inatsu will handle the disaster properly.

The fact that the people of the Toma Society expect him to 'change the situation' compared to Mondstadt and Liyue makes him feel an inexplicable unease.

Although Thomas used very subtle language, that was the meaning he was conveying.

After being rejected, Thomas gave them an invitation to the Inazuma Castle Wood Leak Tea House and left without telling them how to leave.

Sora wasn't angry about not helping after being rejected, since helping was just a favor, and Thomas wasn't obligated to help them all the time. Paimon was a little annoyed.

This comparison makes me miss Jiang Bai even more.

Although Jiang Bai can be a bit eccentric, unreliable, and money-grubbing at times, his friendly interactions without any ulterior motives are genuinely comfortable.

“Let’s go to the exit and ask,” Kong said.

Leaving the outlying islands requires a "travel permit," but it is unknown where this permit can be obtained. Moreover, given the difficult circumstances faced by the World Chamber of Commerce on the outlying islands, this permit is extremely difficult to obtain, unlike a "stay permit" which can be obtained simply by paying money.

With no other option, the two could only try to meet the head of the family, who was in charge of the imperial household.

Since the Commissioner of the Society knew them, the Commissioner of the Imperial Survey must also know them.

Although they did see the people, the head of the family, who was in charge of the investigation, raised difficult questions indirectly, clearly indicating that he did not want them to leave.

The two traveled smoothly through Mondstadt and Liyue, encountering friendly people along the way, until they finally met a snag in Inazuma.

These people knew his identity and abilities, but instead of directly refusing him, they used subtle tactics to wear him down.

However, Kong wasn't afraid of these people. If one path was blocked, there were other ways. If he couldn't leave through normal means, he would just find a quiet night to smuggle himself to another island.

However, fate did not give him the opportunity to illegally cross the border.

He met Miss Hiiragi Senri, the Minister of Rites.

The other party asked him to help deliver a letter to his lover, who was the second young master of the Heavenly Territory, in exchange for helping him leave the island.

Kong readily agreed to this request.

It's just delivering a letter, and it also allows me to leave the island. Why not?

In addition, he also obtained information from this Ms. Hiiragi Senri that his father was suspected of having contact with the "Lady" of the Fatui.

The Fools had clearly arrived in Inazuma long ago and did not want him to get involved in Inazuma's affairs anymore, hoping to keep him on the island.

Although he didn't know what the Fools were planning, Sora didn't intend to let the lady have her way.

Late at night, he left the island under the pretext of escorting Hiiragi Senri.

As Hiiragi Senri watched Sora and Paimon leave, she assumed she had acted impulsively out of love, failing to notice the gaze of the foot soldier Shinnojo beside her, who was completely devoted to her, and utterly unaware of the mess her actions had caused her family.

Kong glanced back at them, wondering what kind of punishment they would suffer if the patriarch found out that he had let them leave without permission.

Hopefully, as Ms. Hiiragi Chisato said, it's just a minor punishment.

Otherwise, he would rather smuggle himself out.

Paimon, now free, was overjoyed. "We've finally arrived at Narugami Island! We'd better explore it properly!"

Looking at the towering Shadow Mountain in the far distance and the faintly visible Inazuma Castle in the distance, Sora smiled.

......

Jiang Bai was unaware that Kong, far away on the island, missed him dearly. If he had known, he would have righteously told Kong that he only had the Hall Master in his heart and asked him to respect himself.

He cut the prepared chicken in half and put it in a pot to make soup, while he stir-fried the other half. He also boiled some vegetables and served it with perfectly cooked white rice. Finally, he had a fairly hearty meal on Bayun Island.

Holding a bowl of rice and eating vegetables, Changci suddenly felt an urge to cry.

He couldn't remember the last time he had such a sumptuous meal.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared. The foot soldiers on the remote island are distressed because the foreign merchants are about to squeeze all their profits out of them, while the children on Hachiman Island shed tears because they were able to eat a bowl of white rice.

Although we live in the same country, it feels like we live in two different worlds.

Seeing him suddenly choke up while eating, Jiang Bai patted his shoulder and said, "Eat slowly, no rush."

Changci wiped away his tears and snot with the back of his hand, explaining his tears and fearing that Jiang Bai would misunderstand him as a crybaby.

"I haven't had such delicious food in ages..."

After the war, food was extremely scarce on Bayun Island. He could only eat wild vegetables and melons, let alone rice and meat.

Jiang Bai sighed, suddenly finding the food in his hand tasteless.

Although the head of the hall told him not to interfere in Inazuma's affairs, he would definitely investigate the situation on the island thoroughly after he disposed of the client's remains.

Find out who damaged the town's artifacts, and speak out for the deceased customers, the dead residents of the island, and those innocent victims.

After finishing their meal, the two continued their journey.

The roads on Ba Yun Island are not easy to travel. They are very muddy due to the rain, and in some places there are no roads at all.

Even when walking through low bushes and thatch, you can easily step into a large puddle if you're not careful.

Jiang Bai used a wooden stick cut from the roadside to probe the way, and Chang Ci followed in his footsteps.

Suddenly, Jiang Bai stopped in his tracks.

He saw a familiar figure standing on a distant mountain peak. The figure wore a straw hat and remained unmoved as the rain soaked his clothes, simply gazing in the direction of Kannazuka.

"A stragglers? What's he doing here?"

Jiang Bai frowned.

He wasn't surprised that the Fools appeared in Inazuma.

After all, the goal of the Fools is the heart of God.

But the appearance of stragglers on Bayun Island made him think of some unpleasant things.

"What's wrong?" Changci followed Jiang Bai's gaze and saw the figure as well.

Have you seen that person?

"No." Nagatsu shook his head.

Even though they were far apart, he could still tell that the person's attire was very distinctive, and if he had seen them before, he would definitely remember them.

"Brother, do you know him?"

"Okay, wait for me here for a moment."

Leaving those words behind, Jiang Bai took off from the spot, ignoring the flashing lightning in the sky, and flew towards the scattered soldiers.

He was going to ask the stragglers if the island's protective barrier had been destroyed by the Fools, and what he himself had done in the process.

Seeing Jiang Bai take flight, Changci's mouth dropped open. "Brother Jiang Bai... can fly..."

Did you do Chapter 449?

"Ok?"

Upon hearing the whistling wind, the stragglers turned around and immediately saw an unknown person wearing a straw hat and raincoat flying towards them. They immediately assumed an attack stance.

A huge bolt of lightning came straight at Jiang Bai's face, and Jiang Bai quickly dodged it.

"Hey! It's been a while since we last met, you don't have to attack me the moment we meet!"

Jiang Bai's voice drifted into the soldiers' ears through the rain. Recognizing who the voice belonged to, the soldiers relaxed.