Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

He looked in the direction of Bayun Island; the stragglers should still be on that island.

As for whether or not to give it to him, he hasn't decided yet.

Although Wendy and Zhongli both seemed to subtly support the Ice Queen's actions, and Yae no Miko's attitude was also ambiguous, he could only guess that the Ice Queen intended to rebel against the laws of nature, but he had no idea what they actually planned to do.

Is defying the laws of nature a good thing or a bad thing? Could it lead to Teyvat suffering a calamity as terrible as the fall of the gods five hundred years ago?

If there is no resistance, nothing will happen. On the contrary, if resistance brings disaster to the world, wouldn't sending it out indirectly contribute to the disaster?

But Jiang Bai also believed that the old man must have carefully considered and weighed the pros and cons before giving it away. Perhaps the Ice Queen was collecting the Heart of God in order to eliminate the calamity at its source...

I'm really torn.

He sighed and carefully put the Heart of God away.

Let's take a step by step.

He slept soundly without any dreams, and the next morning, the living, divine witch indeed returned.

This human-goddess witch was very different from what Jiang Bai had imagined.

She thought she would be similar to Yae no Miko, a mature woman, after all, she had a reputation for being unparalleled in her schemes and never missing a beat, and she shouldn't be young, since all of this required the accumulation of experience and wisdom.

But in reality, this human-god-priestess looks to be about the same age as Kurumi.

She had long, golden-pink hair, a serene smile on her face, and eyes like a pool of clear, blue seawater. Her white and purple dress made her look like a goddess untouched by the mortal world.

Compared to her identity as the leader of Haiqi Island, she is clearly more like a saint of high status.

Two guards followed behind her. Looking at Jiang Bai, she smiled slightly.

"Welcome, guest from Liyue."

Jiang Bai didn't hide his surprise at seeing her. "It seems that Lady Coral Palace knows me."

"Captain Hokuto and Manyo specifically mentioned you to me. I was wondering when you would come to Haigi Island. After hearing that you had arrived, I specially put aside some of my work to see you, but unfortunately I didn't see you yesterday."

Coral Palace Xin Hai speaks without any airs or the aloofness often associated with leaders; on the contrary, she is very approachable.

This greatly reduced Jiang Bai's preconceived prejudices caused by the destruction of the town's treasures on Bayun Island.

"Sorry, I wasn't here yesterday."

"No need to apologize, it was my fault for not informing you in advance." Coral Palace Xin Hai smiled and shook her head. "Mr. Jiang Bai is a special person, and your arrival will surely bring new hope to Haiqi Island."

Recalling his words upon arriving on the island, Jiang Bai explained, "I didn't come here to join the resistance; I just came to wait for the Southern Cross fleet to return to Liyue..."

Xin Hai was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this. The resistance was short of manpower, and if Jiang Bai joined, it would greatly enhance the resistance's combat strength.

However, her disappointment was fleeting, and she quickly concealed it. "Haizhi Island welcomes guests, and we can provide temporary accommodation. However, food is currently scarce on Haizhi Island, and we cannot provide it for free. Mr. Jiang Bai will need to use Mora to purchase it..."

"It's only right, we're already very grateful that you've given us a place to stay."

There's no such thing as a free lunch, and Jiang Bai knew this all too well.

Having lived and eaten for free at the Rebirth Hall for so long, now look, he's sold himself to the hall master.

"Please follow me, you two."

Changci didn't carry much, and the baby's crystallized bone marrow was always with him, as were Jiang Bai's belongings, so there was no need to pack anything.

Changci followed behind Jiang Bai, looking down at Jiang Bai's heels, keeping a close eye on his steps.

The straw hat on his head cast a large shadow, obscuring the expression on his face.

He was afraid that his hatred for Haizhi Island would be discovered, and he still needed to find his mother, so he could only hide all his emotions and do as little as possible.

Jiang Bai was somewhat puzzled as to why the busy human goddess priestess would personally lead the two of them to their destination.

Just as Jiang Bai was about to ask a question, Xin Hai spoke up.

Standing on the deck of the ship bound for the main island of Haiqi Island, she looked at Jiang Bai with curiosity.

"I've heard that Mr. Jiang Bai is on good terms with Ningguang, and that he helped a great deal when disaster struck Liyue, even defeating a Fatui enforcer..."

Upon hearing Xin Hai's words, the two guards beside her looked over in surprise.

No wonder Lord Coral Palace values ​​this person so much; it turns out he has such a resume.

Jiang Bai waved his hand and said modestly, "It was Sister Beidou who told you, right? It's not that exaggerated. I just did some insignificant things."

Chapter 473 So you have to destroy the talisman?

Choji raised his head upon hearing this. He wasn't quite sure what kind of beings the Fatui Enforcers were, but judging from the expressions of the guards around him, they seemed quite formidable.

“It’s not a trivial matter, you’re too modest.” Xin Hai didn’t think it was a trivial matter at all.

As the leader of Umijima Island, even though Inazuma was a closed country, she still had ways to learn about things from the outside world.

Each of the Fools' executors is incredibly powerful, and the top three are said to be comparable to gods.

Jiang Bai's strength is evident from his ability to defeat such a powerful opponent.

Unlike at Narukami Shrine, Jiang Bai didn't say he hadn't done anything. If he wanted to be treated with respect, he naturally had to let others see his value.

Coral Palace Heart Sea was able to visit in person because of her own strength, so there was no need for her to hide it.

"It's alright, it's just that [Young Master] is too weak... Does Lord Coral Palace know Ningguang?"

"Of course, without Ningguang's support, our Haiqi Island probably wouldn't have survived until now..."

Jiang Bai suddenly realized that he hadn't expected to go up to this level.

Ningguang and Beidou had a good relationship, so Beidou's delivery of supplies to Haiqi Island naturally received Ningguang's approval or even instructions.

I recalled Zhongli mentioning Ningguang's story during a casual chat. It is said that she started as an ordinary little girl selling goods in Yaoguang Beach, and gradually accumulated wealth through her own efforts, growing step by step to become one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, and now she controls Liyue.

It's not surprising that someone as powerful as him would extend his reach to Inazuma.

"I have some questions for Lord Coral Palace regarding this war."

"Oh?" Xin Hai adopted a posture of attentive listening.

"How long does Lord Coral Palace intend to let this war continue?"

"It will continue until the Eye Hunting Order is abolished!" Xin Hai said resolutely.

"Then, if the Eye Hunting Order is abolished, but the Lockdown Order remains?" Jiang Bai deliberately asked a difficult question.

Shin-ha looked at him in surprise. He had only been in Inazuma for a short time, yet he knew so much.

There are many reasons for starting a war, but those who don't know the facts would assume it's just for the Eye Hunt Order.

Jiang Bai continued, "Now everyone thinks that Coral Palace is rebelling against the Eye Hunting Order, and even the soldiers of Coral Palace think so. If General Thunder God abolishes the Eye Hunting Order, but the Seclusion Order remains in effect, what do you plan to do?"

Xin Hai gave a direct answer, clearly indicating that she had already anticipated this situation.

"If General Thunder can abolish the Eye Hunting Order, then she can naturally abolish the Isolation Order as well. All we ask for is to prevent the will of the people from being ignored and their wishes from being trampled upon..."

War is never an end in itself, but a means to an end.

If the Eye Hunting Edict is abolished, it would mean a major change for the shogunate, giving them breathing room. They would no longer need to resort to radical means like war, but instead use gentler methods such as diplomacy and negotiation to achieve their goals.

"Lord Coral Palace's will is very firm..." Jiang Bai said with some emotion.

Yae no Miko and Kamisato Ayato's plan is somewhat related to Umi no Shima, but not much.

They wanted the army from Higanbana Island to appear on Narukami Island at the perfect time, and they could do that through their own connections without his intervention.

Looking at Haiqi Island not far away, Xin Hai's expression was very firm. "The future of Haiqi Island is at stake. As the current human goddess priestess, if my will is not firm, how can the resistance army achieve victory...?"

Jiang Bai's eyes sharpened. "In order to achieve victory, you must send people to destroy the protective charms of Eight Elements Island?"

He didn't intend to investigate the matter slowly; instead, he would probe directly.

He was unfamiliar with Haiqi Island, and the group of people were assassins, so the difficulty of the investigation was unimaginable.

Who knows when I'll see Coral Palace Heart Sea again? I might as well test her directly and see if I can get the answer from her.

If not, observe her reaction and investigate further later.

Anyway, Beidou's ship isn't coming anytime soon, and the situation on Narugami Island is relatively stable, so he doesn't lack time.

Upon hearing this, Coral Palace Heart Sea frowned, and the two soldiers beside her, somewhat annoyed, blurted out:

"That's slander! We Haiqi Island never did such a thing!"

"The destruction of the town's structures on Hachiman Island was clearly the work of the Shogunate army. Don't try to pin the blame on us!"

Jiang Bai narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two angry soldiers.

He couldn't tell whether the two soldiers' emotions were genuine, whether they were truly angry or using anger to mask their inner panic and tension.

But it doesn't matter, what's important is the reaction of the Coral Palace.

She frowned for a moment, then quickly relaxed and raised her hand to stop the two agitated guards.

"Where did Mr. Jiang Bai hear that Haiqi Island destroyed the protective object?"

"Several wandering samurai. They said they witnessed ships sailing from the direction of Kaigi Island in the middle of the night. The group was dressed in shogunate military uniforms, and after landing on the island, they killed the shogunate guards and destroyed the town's protective structures. These wandering samurai tried to stop them, but were no match for them..."

Jiang Bai did not expose that group of pirates; those few people might be the only witnesses in this incident.

Before we're certain of Coral Palace's attitude, it's best to play it safe.

"Coming from the direction of Haiqi Island..."

The map of Haiji Island and the Kannazuka of Hachiman Island immediately appeared in Xin Hai's mind. In an instant, she deduced the possibility that the group Jiang Bai mentioned was the Shogunate army.

Her heart sank. If what Jiang Bai said was true, then the destruction of the town's treasures on Bayun Island was probably really related to Haiqi Island.

After all, if it really was the Shogunate army that did it, they would definitely have been wearing the uniforms of Umijima soldiers to frame Umijima, rather than coming from Umijima but wearing the uniforms of the Shogunate army.

It was completely unnecessary for the shogunate army to take a long detour to land on the western side of Hachiman Island. Their purpose was to destroy the protective barrier, so they should have landed on the nearest island. Taking a detour would only have added more complications to their plan.

Given that she knew nothing about this matter, if she hadn't been discovered by a few wandering samurai, this matter would probably never have seen the light of day, and there would have been no need for her to take a special detour.

Moreover, this was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Even she was unaware of the defenses on Bayun Island. Such an important item as the Suppressing Object would not be easily known to outsiders.

How could a small squad possibly kill the guards protecting the town's structures and destroy all of them?

Unless that small team consists entirely of holders of the Eye of God, but holders of the Eye of God are all pillars of the army, the loss of even one would attract her attention.

The collection of clothing for the shogunate army, the dispatch of ships, the route after landing on the island, the location of the town's treasures, and the situation of the garrison on Hachiman Island—each of these tasks required time and was not something that could be decided on a whim.

Chapter 474 I will definitely give the residents of Bayun Island an explanation.

Who on earth could have devised such a vicious scheme?

Coral Palace Xin Hai was deep in thought, while Jiang Bai and Chang Ci both looked at her, waiting for her reply.

Once she snapped out of her reverie, Coral Palace Heart Sea didn't feign suspicion; instead, she directly stated her position.

"Please give me some time, I will immediately begin investigating this matter!"

"Please go ahead."

Jiang Bai didn't really believe that Coral Palace Xin Hai was truly unaware of this matter. After all, she was known for her meticulous planning and foresight. If she couldn't even manage her subordinates well, she wouldn't have been able to lead Haizhi Island in fighting the Shogunate army for so long.

But since she's already said that, and Nagatsu is going to stay here for a while, we should at least give her that face.

Let's see what kind of answer she gives.

Sensing Jiang Bai's suspicion, Coral Palace Heart Sea didn't explain further, but simply said sternly to the guards behind her, "Tezuka!"

"Present!" a guard behind her answered, standing at attention.

"Immediately investigate all ship voyage records from the past six months!"

"Ohno!"

"exist!"

"Check the roster of all soldiers. If any squad is missing or the cause of death is questionable, report it immediately!"

To be able to do something like this without her knowledge and without letting a word of it out afterwards, that group of people definitely couldn't have come back. If we investigate from this angle, we'll soon find some clues.

"Yes!"

Coral Palace Heart Sea displayed the decisiveness and efficiency of a leader, her serious aura completely different from when they first met.

She then made a promise to Jiang Bai and Chang Ci:

"I was unaware of this matter. If it was indeed done by soldiers of Haiqi Island, I will give the residents of Bayun Island an explanation!"