Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"This is Dajing. We'll take you to the temporary camp."

A young-looking soldier stepped forward; he looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, but he was already a soldier.

He gave a simple sergeant's salute and said to the two men disembarking, "Hello, welcome to Haiqi Island. Please follow me."

Jiang Bai could tell that this young man had only recently joined the army; although he was holding a spear, it looked more like he was holding a fire poker.

Following the boy named Ooi, Nagatsugu followed closely behind.

"This is my first time visiting Haiqi Island. It's much better than Bayun Island!" Jiang Bai said with a sigh as he walked.

"The rain on Hachiyun Island hasn't stopped for a single day, and thunderstorms strike frequently. After the evil spirits wreaked havoc, the island became increasingly desolate, and now there's nobody left in Hiki Village..."

"It's all those sons of bitches of the Shogunate army's fault! They even went so far as to destroy the town's protective charms!" Ooi cursed, his face filled with undisguised disgust and contempt.

Seeing his posture, Nagatoshi really wanted to say something, but in the end he held back and remained silent.

Jiang Bai could tell that the boy genuinely believed the shogunate army had destroyed the protective barrier.

After all, such dirty work as damaging town objects is unlikely to be known to everyone; only a very few people will know, while the vast majority of people, like the unsuspecting patrolling soldiers, are unaware of the truth.

Jiang Bai didn't point it out. They had just arrived on someone else's territory and didn't know anything yet. It was best not to do something so reckless as to stir up trouble.

Jiang Bai cursed the Shogunate army a few times, then turned to inquire about the Oi.

"Is the war situation that tense right now? You seem quite young, why did you join the army?"

"The situation is alright right now. I'm just a patrolman on the island. Lady Coral Palace won't let us go to the front lines..."

As Dai-i spoke, he couldn't help but yearn for the front lines. Young people are full of passion and long to fight on the battlefield and make a name for themselves.

"It's a good thing they're not going to the front lines. It's too dangerous there; you could lose your life in the blink of an eye..."

"Everyone knows it's dangerous, but we can't hide in the rear just because it's dangerous. Once I pass the test, I'll be going to the front lines too!"

Listening to the two chatting, Nagatoshi finally couldn't help but ask his question.

"Why did they have to fight? If they hadn't fought, there wouldn't have been any danger, and the village wouldn't have ended up like that..."

Ooi glanced at the bewildered, sad, and confused Choji, and said matter-of-factly, "Of course it's because of the Eye Hunting Order! We must correct the Thunder General's wrong decision and make Him lift the Eye Hunting Order!"

Hearing this, Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow and asked in a questioning tone, "But there aren't many people who possess the Eye of God, so the Eye Hunting Order shouldn't affect your normal lives, right?"

The lifting of the Eye Hunting Order is merely a high-sounding pretext for this war, much like how ancient rebellions used the slogan "Purge the Emperor's inner circle" to justify their actions. What Haigi Island is truly seeking is definitely not the Eye Hunting Order.

“This…” Ooi scratched his head, unable to explain himself given his lack of education.

"That's what everyone's saying, and besides, General Raiden killed the giant serpent; I've been wanting to get back at them for a long time..."

Jiang Bai twitched the corner of his mouth at this naive boy who spoke his mind without reservation.

As one of the soldiers, he didn't even know the true meaning of war. His commotion about the war was just because of some trivial squabbles. He really didn't know what to say.

Even Nagatsugu found the reason too far-fetched and ridiculous, and even felt a growing aversion to the young soldier who was so enthusiastic about fighting.

He lowered his head and bit his lip tightly, not showing any of his emotions.

It's utterly ridiculous that the village is tormented by evil spirits simply because of a hunting order that's insignificant to ordinary people like them.

Ooi didn't notice Nagatsugu's unusual emotions. He looked at the camp ahead and said, "Alright, we've arrived at the camp. You can rest here for a bit."

Chapter 456 I think I got insulted.

Ahead was a small camp made up of tents, guarded by only two or three soldiers. It seemed to be a temporary stopover for these outsiders.

Judging from the distance they just covered, this is still on the outer edge of the island.

Thank you.

Led by Dai-i, the two entered the camp.

“Brother Yongshu, these two just came from Bayun Island to join our Haiqi Island.”

The soldier named Yongshu looked Jiang Bai and Changci up and down twice. "I understand. You can go back now."

"Please do a simple registration."

Yongshu walked to a table, took out a form with many names written on it, picked up a pen, and filled it out while asking questions.

"Name."

"My name is Jiang Bai, and this is Chang Ci."

"age."

"20, 10 years old."

"From Hisaki Village?"

"Ah."

"Do you have the Eye of God?"

"have......"

Jiang Bai did not intend to reveal that he came from Liyue. According to the timeline, Death Star would not arrive at Haiqi Island for at least two months.

He has ample time to see, hear, and investigate what he wants to investigate.

Before that, there was no rush to find the ruler of the Coral Palace.

"It seems our Haiqi Island has gained another great general!" Yuki was very happy.

The holders of the Eye of God are high-level combatants. Thanks to them, Haiqi Island did not suffer much loss in the war.

Moreover, thanks to the Shogunate's Eye Hunting Edict, they did not need to worry about these holders of the God's Eye rebelling.

Even if these holders of the Eye of God are unwilling to participate in the battle, it doesn't matter; staying in the rear is also a good option.

Jiang Bai smiled but didn't say anything.

He strictly followed the patriarch's instructions and had no intention of participating in the war between the two sides.

If you want to do something, just let the great hero fly up, and he can cheer him on from behind.

Yongshu took out some baked flatbread and salted fish. "This is your food for the next three days. Eat this first, and let me know if you need more."

Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow after looking at the simple pancakes and fish.

This doesn't seem like the treatment one would expect from someone who possesses the Eye of God. Even if they've just arrived, such shabby treatment is unacceptable.

Perhaps fearing misunderstanding, Yuuki specifically explained:

"To be honest, our Haiji Island is not suitable for farming, and we rely on imports for all our food. Since the shogunate issued the Eye Hunt Edict, more and more people have come, and our food supply has been barely enough to feed us..."

As the host, Yuuki was quite familiar with the situation on the island, and that hothead like Daii knew even more.

There are many reasons why Haiqi Island launched the war, but the pretext of resisting the Eye Hunting Order was merely to recruit those who possessed the Eye of God.

Without this title, the war could not have lasted this long, nor could it have remained at a stalemate.

But the most fundamental reason for this war was that they were driven to the brink of extinction by the isolationist policy.

The land in Coral Palace is not suitable for cultivation, and food can only be imported.

The isolationist policy effectively strangled them, not to mention the high taxes imposed on trade by the other side.

As for the shogunate's intention to interfere in the affairs of Umijima, that was insignificant in the face of these matters.

Jiang Bai suddenly realized that this was the real reason why the war was started.

Although Manyo knew some things, his knowledge was limited by his perspective and not comprehensive.

"Take it back to other people who need it; we brought food."

"This……"

After some initial refusals, Yongshu finally took it back.

For Haiji Island now, every grain of food is precious.

"You can rest in the camp for now. I'll take you to see Lord Coral Palace around the day after tomorrow."

"Is it that living goddess priestess?" Jiang Bai asked, somewhat surprised.

This must be the supreme ruler of Haigi Island, right? Are we going to meet him so soon?

Is it that everyone who joins Haiqi Island will have a meeting, or is it only the holder of the Eye of God who is special?

"That's right. Lady Coral Palace welcomes every companion who joins us!"

Jiang Bai flattered her quite naturally, saying, "I've long heard of Lord Coral Palace's great name, and I'm really looking forward to it..."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Jiang Bai led Chang Ci into the tent to rest.

The tent was simple, but quite clean.

Since only the two of them had come to seek refuge recently, there were only a few soldiers outside the camp besides the two of them.

"You get some rest and sleep. I'll go check the surrounding area. Don't wait for me if I'm not back tonight; I'll be back by tomorrow night at the latest."

He left some food and fruit for Nagatsu, and after thinking for a moment, he added, "If they ask where I went, just tell them the truth. You can also tell them about my true identity and where I came from."

Jiang Bai planned to find an anchor point to check on the situation on the other side.

We've been in the air and on the islands for a while now, it's time to meet up and share our experiences.

After telling Yongshu that he was going to look around, Jiang Bai swaggered out of the camp.

Once he reached a higher vantage point, Jiang Bai was able to see the full view of his current location.

They were not on the main island of Haiqi Island at the moment, but on a small island next to Haiqi Island.

No wonder Yongshu didn't say anything when he suggested looking around, because there was nothing on the island and he wasn't afraid of anyone exploring it.

Fortunately, there was a ley line anchor point on this small island.

After changing into a set of Inazuma-style clothing that had been prepared beforehand, Jiang Bai teleported directly to the statue on the island.

When he came back last time, he paid attention to the terrain. This Seven Gods statue was at the highest point of the island, and there were no buildings around it, so it would not be easy for people to discover him when he teleported over.

Jiang Bai took out a bamboo hat and put it on his head before heading into the city. He planned to inquire about Kong's current location.

With Kong and Paimon being such obvious figures, it should be easy to find out about them.

Sora is currently sitting in the wooden-framed tea room on Narukami Island.

After leaving the island, he did not come to the Wood Leak Tea House immediately. Instead, he first took a stroll around Inazuma Castle, learned about the current situation in Inazuma, delivered Hiiragi Senri's letter, and then came to the Wood Leak Tea House.

General Raiden resides in the castle tower and rarely comes out. The castle tower is a heavily guarded place with many soldiers. Only the three magistrates can see General Raiden.

The only way to see General Thunder is through the Three Commissioners.

That's why he came here, intending to meet the White Egret Princess whom Thomas advocated.

The wooden louvered tea room was very quiet, with only a large dog dressed in human clothes and wearing a straw hat lying on the counter.

"You've finally arrived! The wait for you has been exceptionally long!" A familiar voice came from where the big dog was.

"Thoma!" Paimon's eyes widened in surprise. "You...you...you're a dog!"

Thomas: "......"

I think I was insulted.

Chapter 457 Why doesn't the Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed God look like Thor?

"I just wanted to greet you this way."

Thomas stepped out from behind the screen and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Okay, okay, enough joking. The wait for you has been too long, so I came up with this special way of receiving you."

Seeing Kong and Paimon's speechless gazes, Thomas said seriously:

"Please allow me to apologize for what happened before. All those tests were necessary procedures. They determined whether I could bring you before the young lady, and whether we could become... partners who dare to face the lightning together."

Paimon stood with his hands on his hips, still quite annoyed. "Don't think that just because you're suddenly serious, I'll forgive you!"

This guy just left without a word, even though they had gone through a lot of trouble to leave the island.

Thomas scratched his head awkwardly, "Ah, sorry, sorry!"

Kong tilted his head slightly. "So, have you gotten the results?"