Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

If even an old man felt this way, it goes without saying that the young people influenced by the elders harbored deep hatred for the shogunate.

The Eye Hunt Order was merely a trigger.

Jiang Bai bid farewell to the old man and continued chatting with people in the village, discovering that the other villagers were in similar situations to the old man.

Their faith in the Great Serpent was blind and fanatical, though some were extreme and others remained rational. However, all the inhabitants of Haiqi Island, without exception, loathed the miners who extracted crystallized marrow and those who used it to make weapons.

They believe that the serpent can be resurrected, and that the crystallized bone marrow is the serpent's blood and power. They believe that mining it is an obstacle to the serpent's resurrection and a serious desecration, which only intensifies the hatred.

Jiang Bai wasn't quite sure how the giant serpent died, but he figured it must have died during the Demon God War. The Demon God War wasn't what the demon gods wanted; they were just forced to kill each other by certain rules. And in a battle, there must be losers, so the Thunder God couldn't be blamed.

From an outsider's perspective, Thor is truly a very benevolent god, not only allowing the island of Haigi to act independently, but also allowing them to retain their faith in the Great Serpent.

Furthermore, considering that Orochi died on Yakumo Island, it is highly likely that Orochi invaded Inazuma, which led to Raijin killing him. In any case, Raijin is in the right.

In the evening, after chatting with many people in the village, Jiang Bai arrived at the Coral Palace.

He planned to inquire whether there were any records of the history of Haiji Island.

The villagers' accounts of the giant snake's deeds were few and far between, and contained too many embellishments. The details of the snake's death were also vague.

He was genuinely curious about the true history and wanted to see if the Coral Palace had any books recording these events.

As the governing body of the entire Sea Island, the Coral Palace is a very large building, guarded not only by soldiers but also by many priestesses.

These shrine maidens were not only shrine maidens, but also had the responsibility of handling the affairs of the sea island for the living god shrine maidens, and thus held a high status.

Jiang Bai didn't plan to go directly to Xin Hai; instead, she approached a witch who seemed to be free and struck up a conversation with her.

"Miss Shrine Maiden, do you have some free time now? I'd like to ask you some questions."

"My name is Ruko, you can just call me Ruko. May I ask who you are, stranger?" The shrine maiden was very friendly.

"Are there any books about the history of Umijima? I'm very interested in the origin of Umijima and the Umiji-Ōmikami."

"There are books, but no historical records of the Coral Palace have been passed down; they were all compiled by later generations."

'It was compiled by later generations...'

Jiang Bai could already imagine what the book compiled by later generations would look like; there was no such thing as reality, and most of it was just conjecture.

"Why are there no historical records of this?" Jiang Bai wondered.

Even Fenderne has frescoes that record history, but this large island of Haigi has none.

"That's how it is on Haiji Island; most stories are passed down orally. If you'd like to know, I can tell you."

Jiang Bai had given up hope of knowing the true history of Haiqi Island. The stories passed down by word of mouth were probably vastly different from the facts.

However, he was still curious about how the witch would recount this history, and whether she, like the villagers, would turn history into her own imagination.

"We, the people of Haiqi Island, come from the abyss of the sea, and have always lived in a dark and desolate place. Two thousand years ago, the Great God of the Sea heard our voices, brought us out of the abyss, and created Haiqi Island..."

"Where exactly is the Abyss? Is it deep in the sea?" Jiang Bai had heard of this place several times, but he really didn't understand where it was.

The seabed? But how would one live underwater?

The shrine maiden Ruko stepped out of the coral palace, stood on the edge of the large seashell supporting it, and pointed to the bottomless, pitch-black sea below, saying:

"That is the Abyss."

"What about next?" Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow.

He had felt something was off about what was down there before. All the rivers and seawater on Haiqi Island converged at this point, like a gaping abyss that could never be filled.

He had planned to go down and take a look, but he hadn't had a chance to go yet.

"Yes, it was from this place that the Great God of the Sea brought our ancestors out of the abyss. However, the entrance has long been sealed, and all we can see now is the surface of the water."

"So, if you fall in, it'll just be into the sea, and nothing bad will happen?"

"Yes. But going down is easy, coming back up is hard."

Jiang Bai peered down and saw that it was indeed easy to go down but difficult to come up. The surrounding area was all cliffs, and the only way to get up was by climbing, which required considerable physical strength.

“The Great God has established a sea kingdom for us where there is no plunder, no bullying, and no one suffers from oppression. However, hunger torments the sea people. Fertile land is not in the sea. At that time, Narukami had already unified Inazuma and was brave and skilled in battle. The people begged the great Great God to grant them happiness once again.”

"The Great God did not agree at first, but after the impoverished people pleaded repeatedly, he finally granted their wish."

He trained the poor sea people into fierce warriors, driving ships and sea beasts. Waves and clouds, accompanied by whale songs, launched an invasion of the Land of Thunder.

"The people yearned for a brighter tomorrow and fought bravely. However, the Great God was defeated by the Thunder General's blade and slain on Hachiman Island. Umijima Island also fell into Inazuma's territory..."

On Haiji Island, where there are no written records of history, most of the history has been lost in the long river of time. Only the story of the Great Serpent has become richer and more vivid through generations of oral transmission.

The shrine maiden Ruko's speech was not long, and although it still contained some embellishments, it provided Jiang Bai with a considerable amount of information.

In summary, it's quite simple: the great serpent brought the people of the abyss out of the abyss and established the island of Haigi. Not long after, at the people's request, it launched an invasion and died.

Orochi's actual leadership of Umi-Gishima Island is estimated to have lasted only a few years, certainly no more than ten.

But this brief reign established the faith of the people of the sea, which remained unchanged even after they were incorporated into the land of Inazuma.

Of course, it could also be because General Thunder granted them a high degree of autonomy.

After hearing this part of history, Jiang Bai felt even more that General Lei Dian was merciful.

Chapter 477 Where is the Water of No Form?

Not only did they not oppress the invaders, but they also granted them the right to autonomy and did not force them to change their beliefs.

In comparison, the hatred the people of Haigi Island harbored for General Raiden seemed petty.

However, this is not incomprehensible. There are no schools on Haizhi Island, and the people's understanding of knowledge is limited to recognizing characters. They are also influenced by their elders. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for them to understand any profound principles.

If we want to truly change the current situation after Haigi Island, education must be addressed.

However, this is not something Jiang Bai needs to worry about.

"Thank you for your answer, Miss Ruko."

"No need to thank me. Spreading the glory of Lord Omikami is my duty."

After exchanging a few polite words, Jiang Bai prepared to leave, but after taking a few steps, he turned back.

"Miss Ruko, do you know where the Water of No Form is?"

"Formless Water?" Ruko paused for a moment before remembering what it was. "In a cave to the north, roughly in that direction."

She pointed in a direction, "The Water of No Form is a very powerful monster, but it basically never leaves its territory and is mostly in a dormant state. If disturbed, it will attack the creatures around it indiscriminately. Although I don't know what you want to do, please be careful."

"I know."

Since he had nothing else to do, Jiang Bai planned to go to the island tomorrow to get a core of the Water of No Form to feed Gudu, and wait for the results of the Heart Sea's investigation.

Judging from the information we have today, the Haiqi people have an extraordinary aversion to those who mine crystallized bone marrow, and most of the people on Bayun Island make a living from this.

With a little encouragement, some people will want to destroy the protective object, and they will even keep it a secret from their superiors.

This is probably the main reason for their indifference towards Hishikari Island.

No wonder Baoben dislikes the people of Haizhi Island so much; he probably already knew about their hatred for them.

When I get back, I need to remind Changci not to reveal that he has crystallized bone marrow, and also not to reveal that he comes from a mining family.

As he returned to his lodgings in the sunset, Changci had already prepared a meal, waiting for him to come back and eat together.

They even arranged a seat for Gudong in a proper manner, except that Gudong is an elemental creature, doesn't eat human food, and prefers things rich in elemental power.

Upon seeing Jiang Bai return, Gu Dong excitedly bounced around on the table.

It cleaned the tables, chairs, beds, and even the stove, windows, and glass very thoroughly!

Jiang Bai patted it twice and laughed, "I already know where the Water of No Form is. I'll take you there tomorrow."

Gudu jumped three feet high in excitement, almost sticking to the ceiling.

"Brother Jiang Bai, wash your hands and eat." Chang Ci placed the bowl of rice in front of Jiang Bai, the white rice piled up like a small mountain.

"I can handle this myself," Jiang Bai said with a hint of helplessness.

Changci smiled and sat back down in his seat.

While eating, Jiang Bai asked, "Changci, what are your plans for dealing with those crystallized bone marrow fragments?"

"I plan to sell it and buy a Mora."

"If you're going to sell it, it's best not to do so on Haiqi Island. The people there despise those who mine crystallized marrow, so I doubt anyone will buy it, and even if they do, the price will be very low. As for selling it in Liyue, it probably won't be easy either..."

Crystallized bone marrow is valuable in Inazuma because Inazuma possesses the technology to manufacture weapons using crystallized bone marrow, while Liyue does not, making it difficult to sell at a high price in Liyue.

Changci gripped the chopsticks in his hand, unsure how to broach the subject with Jiang Bai.

Selling to Jiang Bai is undoubtedly the best option, but he needs a lot of money to go to Sumeru. The mining of crystallized bone marrow is currently at a complete standstill. If it were a normal sale, he could raise the price, even several times over.

But Jiang Bai was someone who had always helped him; he wasn't a sucker.

His conscience wouldn't allow him to do such a thing.

Jiang Bai noticed his hesitation and offered, "How about this? I'll buy your crystallized bone marrow at 1.2 times the market price."

"Thank you, Brother Jiang Bai." Changci did not refuse and readily accepted.

The solution Jiang Bai has offered is the best solution for him now.

Jiang Bai repeated his instructions, "The residents of Haiqi Island despise the Shogunate's mining of crystallized bone marrow. Since you'll be staying here for almost half a month, you'd better not reveal your miner's family background, otherwise it will incite their hatred and hostility. Some radical groups might even try to kill you in secret..."

Changci nodded silently, feeling utterly powerless.

This is what it means to live under someone else's roof, in the territory of your enemy, where you could easily be in danger.

He must find his mother!

As long as his mother is there, he has a home.

After finishing his meal, Jiang Bai counted out Mora and had Changci carefully put her away. He also stored the crystallized bone marrow in the Sanqing Bell, intending to sell it in Daozu City later.

The next day, Jiang Bai took Gu Dong to explore the nest of the Formless Water, and Chang Ci followed along.

He still carried a bamboo basket on his back and wore a straw hat, with some simple food in the basket.

"Brother Jiang Bai, I want to learn martial arts. Can you teach me?"

"Why do you suddenly want to learn martial arts?"

"I want to protect myself, and I also want to protect my mother."

"Having ideas is a good thing, but learning martial arts is not just talk. You need determination, perseverance, and you have to be unafraid of pain."

"I'm not afraid!" Nagatsu nodded seriously.

Having gone through so much, he is no longer the little boy he used to be.

"Alright, let's begin today!"

Jiang Bai took out an ordinary longsword and handed it to him. "You have no foundation, so following the steps will be too slow. Let's start with actual combat, fighting against some weak monsters. You should fight with your instincts first, and then I will guide you. This way you can master self-defense techniques the fastest."

Changci doesn't have the time to slowly practice the basics; real combat is the fastest and best way.

"Mmm." Choji was very excited as he took the long sword.

However, his strength was limited; although he could lift it, swinging and chopping it was not so easy.

Although Haiqi Island cannot grow food, it is not small. In the wilderness away from the city, all kinds of monsters and elemental creatures emerge one after another.

Jiang Bai leisurely led Changci towards the Water of the Apocalypse, looking for little slimes or lone Hilichurls for him to practice on.

The original plan to find the Water of No Form on the same day was delayed for several days.

However, Jiang Bai wasn't in a hurry. Haiqi Island was quite beautiful, with a touristy feel to it. While practicing with Changci, he also made sure to collect any local specialties or unusual items he saw.

They also took many beautiful photos of Haiji Island with a camera, waiting to show them off to the headmaster when they got back.

Finally, on the afternoon of the third day, they found the nest of the Water of No Form.

Chapter 478 The Outcome of the Matter

The cave containing the Water of No Form is very well hidden. It is not in the water as Jiang Bai had imagined. Instead, it is similar to the Rock of No Form, floating in the center of a large platform in a dormant state.

Gudu could sense the abundant water element on Wuxiangzhishui and became unusually excited, jumping around on Jiang Bai's shoulder.

Jiang Bai did not approach directly, but first instructed Chang Ci to stay here and not come closer, and then put a shield on him.

As Jiang Bai approached the platform, the Formless Water, sensing the presence of life, instantly awoke.