Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"Aren't you the executor of the Fools? What are you doing here?"

Hu Tao looked at the person sitting across from Zhong Li at the tea table with some surprise.

She still remembered Jiang Bai saying that the Foolish Clan's executive officers had plotted against him.

Because of the young master and the lady, she didn't have a good impression of the Fatui as a whole. After all, they were the ones who released the demons to attack Liyue Harbor, so it would be strange if she had a good impression of them.

“I have nothing to do with the Fools anymore.”

Ah Mao remembers Hu Tao, but they aren't very close.

"Eh?"

Hu Tao was somewhat surprised. Had he actually broken away from the Fools? That was truly strange.

"Unilaterally announcing withdrawal," Jiang Bai interjected.

Ah Mao simply didn't want to have anything to do with the Fatui anymore, but within the Fatui's system and in the minds of the Fatui soldiers, he was still the sixth seat executor.

"Don't try to argue yet, just listen to me. You have absolutely no need to leave the Fools..."

Jiang Bai stopped the stragglers from saying what they were about to say.

He had actually wanted to say this before, but he was provoked by the doctor at the time and it wasn't the right time for a calm person to speak. Now that he has clearly calmed down, he can say these things.

Ah Mao lowered his eyelids, wanting to hear what he could say.

Jiang Bai sat down at one side of the tea table, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for himself and Hu Tao.

"Think about it, you've worked for the Fools for so many years, isn't it a bit of a loss to just quit now? All these years, have you saved anything? Do you have any Mora on you? And how long can you use it?"

The stragglers were stumped by the question.

He didn't have any Mora on him.

For the past five hundred years, he has spent most of his time either exploring the abyss or working on the doctor's lab bench, and he rarely needs Mora.

He had never paid attention to the executive officer's salary and benefits.

After all, he is a doll, and he can live without eating, so he doesn't have high requirements for his standard of living.

If he needed to buy something, his subordinates would pay for it; if he needed anything, Mora could simply go to the Northern Bank to withdraw the money. He never had to worry about Mora.

But thinking about it carefully, starting a new life does require a considerable amount of Mora.

First, he needs a place to live.

Buying a house is a considerable expense.

He also wants to go to Inazuma to atone for what he has done, and Mora needs to do all of this.

“I…don’t have Mora…”

"See? I knew it!"

Jiang Bai gave him a look that said, "I knew it would turn out like this."

These guys are completely out of touch with reality; they didn't even think about saving money for themselves before giving up their godhood!

Jiang Bai glanced at Zhong Li.

This is the most typical example.

The creator of Mora, who was supposed to be a god, didn't have a single Mora after giving up his divine position!

Is this even possible?!

"Since we need to make a living, Mora is a necessity. We need Mora for everything, from clothing and food to housing and transportation. With the title of executive officer, the salary must be quite high, right?"

"There won't be any shortage of funds, right? With these Mora, you can own as many properties as you want in the Seven Kingdoms, and you'll have a place to rest wherever you go!"

“I can earn Mora myself.”

Ah-mao was still unwilling to stay with the Fools because of Mora.

This is like saying he can't earn Mora without leaving the Fools.

"Are you stupid?! Why not take the free salary? You've worked for the Fools for so many years, don't you want some interest? Like, maybe you could bankrupt a Northern Bank or something..."

Walnut: →_→

Jiang Bai, you've revealed your true intentions.

All your talk about keeping him in the Fools is meaningless; you just want to drain the Northern Bank dry!

Ah Mao began to think seriously.

He's worked for the fools for so many years, he definitely deserves some interest.

"That's not all. The Ice Queen's plan to collect the Heart of God is grand, but we still don't know what they're up to. If you stay with the Fatui, you can get firsthand information from them. Information is extremely important..."

Jiang Bai appealed to Ah Mao's emotions and reason, finally persuading Ah Mao to reluctantly remain with the Fools as their executor.

It's normal for the executives of the Fatui to have conflicts, and that doesn't affect his desire for revenge against the Doctor at all.

As for tasks, you can just slack off and do nothing, or you can choose to refuse if you really can't handle it.

As for the Heart of God, it can be kept in his possession until all seven Hearts of God are collected.

If he can't wait any longer, leaving is perfectly fine.

Zhongli poured Jiang Bai a cup of tea to soothe his somewhat thirsty throat.

Hu Tao leaned back lazily in her chair, one hand resting on her knee and her chin.

"Alright, alright, now it's time to tell you what happened after you went to Sumeru."

Hu Tao didn't know what had happened between Jiang Bai and the scattered soldiers, but for the scattered soldiers to no longer want to be associated with the fools, something very bad must have happened.

The answers to these questions may lie in Jiang Bai's journey to Mount Sumeru.

After all, he was clearly brought back by Jiang Bai.

The stragglers also turned their gazes over.

He didn't actually know much about what happened to Jiang Bai after he arrived in Xumi.

"Let's make this clear first, after I tell you, you're not allowed to be angry with me, you can't pull my ears, and you can't pinch my waist!"

"Ok?"

Hu Tao's eyes narrowed.

"You didn't do something to betray me, did you?"

Her gaze held a hint of danger.

Attracting bees and butterflies and engaging in philandering can land you at the stake.

Jiang Bai froze, then quickly raised his hands to prove his innocence, almost swearing an oath to heaven.

"Master, my heart is as clear as the sun and moon for you. How could I possibly do anything to betray you!"

Knowing the truth, Zhongli drank tea and watched the show, smiling faintly and remaining silent.

Ah Mao rested his chin on his hand, looking at Jiang Bai and then at Hu Tao, lost in thought.

Chapter 739 I Want a Three-Day Cold War

"Alright, just tell me already!"

"A lot has happened, so I'll try to keep it brief and to the point."

Jiang Bai quickly organized his thoughts.

"After I and Sora arrived in Sumeru, we met a scholar who was living in seclusion in the forest, meditating and trying to connect with the World Tree. Sora and I were very curious about the World Tree, and with the scholar's help, we meditated and ended up entering the World Tree's space on our first try..."

"After that, things spiraled out of control. I didn't know anything at the time, I just touched that World Tree, and the massive amount of knowledge and memories contained within it almost turned me into an idiot. Luckily, I'm a bit special, and my brain protected itself in time by shutting itself off, which prevented me from becoming an idiot..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Tao frowned.

"You're so daring! How can you touch anything like that!"

She simply couldn't imagine what it would be like if Jiang Bai really became an idiot.

Jiang Bai scratched his head awkwardly, "That means I don't understand anything..."

If he had known, he wouldn't have done it.

"Next time something like this happens, you'd better be more careful!"

Jiang Bai nodded hastily. Having learned his lesson, he would never dare to touch anything casually again.

"Because of the brain's self-protection mechanism, I have temporarily lost my memory..."

"What? You've lost your memory! You didn't even tell me about something this big!"

Walnut was very angry, extremely angry!

No wonder this guy needed so many preventative shots; who would have thought he'd been suffering from amnesia all along in Sumeru?

And she never noticed!

Hu Tao was so angry she wanted to bite him!

"You're not planning to come back until you regain your memories, are you?!"

Jiang Bai felt a little guilty, "How could that be!"

There was indeed a reason why he hadn't returned; he was afraid of being exposed.

Moreover, since his memories haven't returned, he might not even be able to find his home when he goes back to Liyue Harbor.

It would be better to stay in Sumeru for now, so that Hu Tao won't worry about him.

"Master, please continue... Afterwards, we encountered a forest ranger who took us back after we fainted and treated us. However, he couldn't help with my problem, so he wrote to his mentor to inquire if he had any solutions..."

"Because I encountered the World Tree's uniqueness during my first meditation, the Faculty of the Church valued me highly, and I went to the Faculty of the Church afterward..."

That's pretty much where things started.

He learned the truth about the pollution from the World Tree and told the sages how to remove it, but at the same time, his movements were restricted, and he was unable to leave the underground laboratory.

Then they discovered the Church's god-making plan, the skirmishers, and the Doctor...

He encountered the Little Lucky Grass Queen, told her the true way to heal the World Tree, and then began plotting to obtain the Heart of the Grass God...

What happened next was completely unexpected. The Order of the Fathers began to see him as a threat as his memories gradually returned, so they drugged him and gave him to the Doctor as a test subject. The Skirmishers found out about this, and then the Skirmishers and the Doctor got into a fight...

Of course, in the end they lost and fled back to Liyue...

Hu Tao couldn't resist and grabbed his ear.

"Well, so much has happened, and you didn't tell me a single thing!"

Jiang Bai grimaced, "Ouch! Hall Master, spare my life!"

"Hmph, all talk and no action."

Hu Tao let go of his hand, deciding to give him the cold shoulder for three days!

Never speak to him until he realizes his mistake!

"If we had known that it was so easy to purify the World Tree's pollution, why would those sages have needed to do such a foolish thing..." Ah Mao's words were tinged with self-deprecation and sarcasm.

What was clearly a great undertaking of creating a god, and he was the god who was created, has now been turned into a foolish act.

The Church did indeed make him a god, but what good is becoming a god?

Confined within that mechanical shell, reduced to a tool to be used.

Even the Council of the Church could not control this "tool," ultimately leading to its own backlash.

It's truly laughable that they don't value or cherish the god who loves them, yet they expect a heartless machine to become a god and possess endless wisdom.

“I can understand, after all, it was a last resort.” Jiang Bai’s opinion differed from Ah Mao’s.

This is humanity's attempt at self-salvation, a new glimmer of hope emerging after five hundred years of fruitless attempts.

In this situation, how could one not give it a try?

Trying might offer some hope; not trying means there's nothing left.

Although they went down the wrong path and used the wrong methods, their goal was to save and heal the World Tree.

If they succeed, then everything will have been right; the sacrifices will become a monument, and they will be forever remembered by history.