Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Hearing Coral Palace Xin Hai say that she was unaware, Chang Ci gripped Jiang Bai's clothes tightly. He lowered his head and bit his lip hard, not saying a word, afraid of revealing the emotions in his eyes.

For others, Hishimura's suffering was just one aspect of the war, but for him, it was the loss of loved ones and profound grief.

My father disappeared because of the war.

My mother's departure was also due to the war.

He didn't care about the hunting order or the lockdown order; those things didn't affect his life.

But because of the war waged on Haiji Island, his family, his friends, and their entire village suffered terribly...

How could he not hate that?

But there was nothing he could do. He still had to find his mother and stay on Haiqi Island to wait for the ship to Liyue. He couldn't show his hatred and couldn't cause Jiang Bai any trouble.

He didn't believe that this important person was truly unaware of the situation, and that her promise couldn't change anything that had already happened, but at least... it could give an explanation to those who had suffered because of this.

An explanation is needed...

He forced a smile, feeling utterly powerless.

I wonder if the souls of those who died will find peace in heaven after receiving this explanation...

Jiang Bai noticed his unusual behavior, patted his head to comfort him. Perhaps he had come to terms with reality too early and faced the cruelty of life too soon, so the child's emotions were always somewhat reserved.

He wasn't as straightforward as a real child, nor could he be as hypocritical as a real adult. He clearly hated someone, but because he was living under someone else's roof, he dared not show his true emotions and could only keep his head down in silence.

Coral Palace Xin Hai knew that her current actions would not undo what had already happened, but she was ultimately just an ordinary person and there were too many things she couldn't take care of.

The ship soon docked, and the two guards quickly went to carry out Xin Hai's instructions.

Coral Palace Heart Sea then led the two to their residence.

It wasn't until he set foot on the main island that Jiang Bai truly witnessed the magnificence of Haiqi Island.

The entire island of Haizhi is situated on varying elevations, forming a circular shape, with the palace built atop a giant seashell visible from afar.

As they walked, Jiang Bai chatted with Coral Palace Xin Hai, and they seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

Jiang Bai did not ask Coral Palace Xin Hai why she did not provide assistance to the residents of Bayun Island when she knew about the situation there.

Haiji Island, which was in the midst of war, was already short of supplies, with medicine and food being the scarcest items. So where would they find any surplus to distribute to the residents of Hishiki Village?

If you can't even survive yourself, how can you have the kindness to care for others?

As far as Umijima was concerned, Hachimanjima was ultimately the territory of the shogunate, and the people on the island naturally sided with the shogunate.

To put it bluntly, their aid is aiding the enemy.

Who can guarantee that the shogunate army won't send people to rob the supplies after they've been distributed to Hishimura?

How can you expect the enemy to lend a helping hand if you don't even care for your own people?

"I'm a little curious, the garrison on Hachiman Island doesn't seem to have been affected by the evil spirits..."

Although everyone tacitly agreed on why they didn't help, Jiang Bai was still very interested in how they fought against the evil spirits.

"Umi-no-Island exists because of Umi-no-Omikami. Although Umi-no-Omikami has passed away, she left behind many treasures..."

Coral Palace Heart Sea didn't specify what it used to fight the evil spirit, only saying it was a treasure left behind by the giant serpent, so Jiang Bai didn't press further.

He was drawn to the premise of Coral Palace Heart Sea: "Existing because of the Sea Goddess Great God?"

"Yes. Haiqi Island didn't exist at first. It was Haiqi Omikami who used her branches, scales, and dorsal fins to build the first floating island, which gradually expanded and became the island we live in now."

Hearing her say that, Jiang Bai curiously climbed up to look down and found that Haiqi Island was shaped like a huge funnel, with seawater flowing in and then into the huge blue hole in the middle.

The entire island of Haizhi is presented in a dreamlike color, with pink and purple interspersed, and tiny bubbles float out from the blue hole in the middle, scattered all over the island, making it exceptionally beautiful.

"so beautiful!"

Changci, who was following closely behind Jiang Bai, also climbed up with a thud. When he saw the scene in front of him, he opened his mouth wide in surprise.

This was also his first time visiting Haiji Island, a place completely different from Hachiman Island, where he had grown up.

Coral Palace Heart Sea did not climb up to the top with them to overlook the view; she simply waited where she was.

After watching for a while, Jiang Bai jumped down with Chang Ci.

"Sorry, this is my first time here, I was a little out of line."

"It's alright, I really enjoy the exclamations of guests who are visiting Haiqi Island for the first time."

As the living goddess priestess of the Coral Palace, she is naturally proud of the Sea God Island.

"I feel that this place could be developed into a tourist attraction. People on the mainland rarely see such a magnificent sight..." Jiang Bai said with emotion.

Unfortunately, transportation in Teyvat was underdeveloped, and long-distance travel could only be done by horse or ship; otherwise, the tourism industry would surely have flourished.

"A tourist attraction..." Coral Palace Xin Hai seriously considered the feasibility.

"That's indeed a good suggestion. After the war, developing tourism on Umijima Island can not only help the economy grow, but also facilitate the integration of Umijima Island with the people of Inazuma..."

Haegeshima Island is famous for its coral and pearl products, which are perfect for selling as tourist souvenirs.

Chapter 475 The Flames of Hatred

Developing tourism can also drive the economic development of Haegei Island, creating a virtuous cycle.

However, everything will have to wait until after the war ends.

"Are those big seashells the scales of the giant snake? They look somewhat similar." Jiang Bai pointed to the large seashells supporting the palace in the distance.

“Yes.” Coral Palace Heart Sea nodded. “In the beginning, there was only that one area of ​​Sea Spirit Island. It was the Great Serpent that expanded it little by little until it reached its current size.”

"I see."

Previously, Ryouka Kamisato said that Haigi Island was not suitable for growing crops, and he didn't have a concrete idea of ​​what that meant, but now it seems that it really is not suitable for growing crops.

The soil of Haiji Island, like the seashells supporting the Coral Palace, has a pinkish-purple hue. This is not normal soil, and very few plants grow on it; most are resilient thatch and shrubs.

Coral Palace Xin Hai stopped in her tracks. "Wanglong Village is not far ahead. You will be staying there for the time being. When you reach the village entrance, find Granny Yue, and she will take you to an empty house to stay in."

Jiang Bai looked at the houses not far away, which were arranged in a neat and orderly manner. It was more like Wanglong Village, a small city, than a village.

Besides Wanglong Village, there should be other settlements on this island, and judging by their size, this one should be the largest.

Jiang Bai could see that there were quite a few relatively new houses nearby, which were probably newly built to accommodate the people who had joined Haiqi Island.

Aren't you going?

Coral Palace Xin Hai smiled with a troubled expression. "The villagers are too enthusiastic. If I go there, they will surround me and I won't be able to get away for a while. I still have things to do and can't waste too much time."

"I see..." Jiang Bai said, indicating his understanding.

"There are markets and shops in the village where you can buy whatever you need. If you need help, you can ask the patrolling soldiers. If you need to come to me, come to Coral Palace. There are no restricted areas on the island except for the military camp, so you can visit freely."

"I understand, then we'll head over there."

After watching the two head towards Wanglong Village, Coral Palace Heart Sea turned around and headed towards her secret base.

What Jiang Bai said had a significant impact on her, causing her energy level to drop drastically. She needed to adjust her mood and replenish her energy.

Wanglong Village is not like Feimu Village. Feimu Village is just a village that gradually formed on Bayun Island by workers who gathered to mine crystallized bone marrow and snake bone mines. The population is not large, and the social structure still retains the form of a village.

But Wanglong Village is different. As the largest residential area on Haizhi Island, it has become like a small city.

Although it lacks the wide roads and densely packed shops of a city, and most of the houses are made of wood, it is already quite remarkable on Haiji Island, where land is limited.

Jiang Bai found Granny Yue, whom Xin Hai had mentioned, and followed her to an empty house.

There are many vacant houses in the village. Some of them are newly built, but most of them are houses where soldiers who died in the war once lived.

Umijima fought the shogunate for so long, and the price it paid was no less than that paid by the shogunate.

The house wasn't big, but it was clean, and Jiang Bai was quite satisfied after looking around.

It's better than him using rock elements to make matchboxes.

"Let's pack up. We'll be staying here for more than half a month or even longer."

Even without Jiang Bai saying anything, Chang Ci had already taken action.

He borrowed a broom from his neighbor and started cleaning.

Gudu popped out of Jiang Bai's pocket, jumped onto the table, and looked around at the new environment.

Jiang Bai poked the guy, "You finally decided to come out. You sleep all day, aren't you afraid of becoming stupid from sleeping?"

Gudu's two eyes turned into tiny arrows, and it rubbed its jelly-like body against his hand.

"I've heard there's a formless water spirit on this island. Would you like to see it?"

Gu Dong's two eyes instantly turned into starry eyes, and he excitedly crawled around on the table.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I don't know where it is yet. Could you clean up these tables and chairs?"

Gu Dong, excitedly receiving such a promise, nodded and began vigorously wiping the table with his body.

Jiang Bai nodded in satisfaction and went out for a stroll.

Wanglong Village has a large population. Jiang Bai took a walk around the village and found that most of the villagers were elderly people, children and women, while most of the young and strong had gone to the battlefield.

He casually struck up a conversation with an old man.

The old man strained to open his eyes and stared at Jiang Bai for a long while.

"Young man, you look unfamiliar. Why is your hair all white?"

Jiang Bai touched his hair. "Ah, it's natural, don't you think it looks good..."

He suddenly remembered a question: would his and the hall master's children inherit his white hair or the hall master's black hair?

How about we have two, one black and one white...?

The old man leaned close to Jiang Bai, who was lost in thought, squinting as he looked closely. Suddenly, he said, "Young man, you're drooling..."

Jiang Bai subconsciously raised his hand to wipe his mouth. "Where's the drool? There isn't any?"

"Maybe I'm seeing things. I'm getting old, and my eyesight isn't very good anymore..."

"Grandpa, do you have anyone else in your family? Are you all alone?"

"My son joined the army and even made a name for himself on the battlefield!" the old man said proudly.

Aren't you worried?

Although the old man's eyesight was poor, he spoke with a strong voice, "What's there to worry about! We have to teach the shogunate a lesson, and the Thunder General, how dare they trample on the people's wishes! I've been fed up with them for a long time!"

"You dislike the Shogunate that much?"

"Of course! Who doesn't know that General Raiden killed the Sea Goddess Omikami! This war should have been fought long ago!"

Jiang Bai realized he had encountered a fanatical follower of the giant snake, and a pro-war one at that.

He didn't say anything discouraging, but simply asked curiously, "This is my first time visiting Umi-no-Island, and I don't know much about Umi-no-Omikami. Could you tell me about his deeds?"

"No problem! No problem!"

When it comes to the legends of the giant serpent, the old man tells them with unwavering conviction.

"The sea god is benevolent, kind, powerful, and wise. He brought our ancestors out of the bottomless abyss and taught us how to survive."

"He created the island of Haiqi to provide us with a place to live, to give us enough food to eat, and to free us from the suffering of hunger and cold..."

"He responded to the wishes of his people and did his best to give them more..."

"Back then, the island of Umigi was peaceful and prosperous... Do you see the large coral on the Coral Palace? That's the coral that Umigi Ōmikami plucked from her body..."

The old man's tone suddenly changed from full of reverence to hatred.

"Later, the peaceful life on Haizhi Island was gone forever!"

"That hateful Thunder General killed the Sea Goddess Omikami and trampled our faith underfoot! Those Inazuma people even went so far as to mine the crystallized marrow, which is a desecration of the Sea Goddess Omikami! They should atone with their deaths!"

Chapter 476 The History of Haiji Island

Jiang Bai remained silent as he listened to the old man's grumbling.

He discovered that there weren't many stories about the giant serpent. The old man kept repeating the same few things, and he didn't know if history had been lost or if the reign was too short, which was why so few stories had been passed down.

This old man's beliefs are also clearly somewhat abnormal, much like Wan Yan back then, whose understanding of the Great God of the Sea is largely based on self-beautification.

Furthermore, due to differences in faith, they harbored extreme hatred towards the shogunate.