"You?" Washizu looked at the not-so-tall Yu Jin, then laughed heartily, "Welcome! Welcome!"
Higi Village was short of people everywhere, and most of the refugees were women and children. Although they could work, they were still not as good as men.
Yu Jin arrived almost at dusk. After chatting for a while, the fiery clouds had spread to the horizon, and everywhere the eye could see was a brilliant orange-red.
Coupled with the golden-yellow surroundings of Higi Village, it looked like a paradise.
However, Yu Jin knew that beneath Higi Village's golden hue lay barrenness.
The power of Musou no Hitotachi was too immense. Even after hundreds of years, the Electro element contained within it had permeated the land of Yashiori Island through the ley lines.
Moreover, when the God Orobashi perished, his endless God blood was scattered across the entire Yashiori Island.
The combination of these two factors created the unique sight of withered yellow around Higi Village today.
Yu Jin followed Washizu out of the house. Outside, the laborers were returning one after another.
Children running around, women carrying farm tools, and men carrying ore—everything was so noisy yet harmonious.
Yu Jin took a look; it was a sight he had never seen before. And this was all thanks to the somewhat bald Washizu in front of him.
Dinner was prepared very early. As a small village, and in such a special period, everyone liked to gather and eat together.
Chatting together helped them dispel their negative emotions and allowed them to briefly forget the war.
Higi Village lacked everything except crystallized marrow. Wood was very precious, mostly used for building the frames of sheds. Even for cooking, dried grass was often used as fuel.
So, there were no bonfires, but there were always more solutions than problems. People used Mist Grass Pollen as bait to catch many Cicins as light sources.
Wild Cicins, not having been cultivated and screened with element power, were naturally much less dangerous than those in an Electro Cicin Mage's lantern.
However, the pale purple light made Yu Jin feel a bit strange.
At this moment, Washizu had a plate in front of him with some side dishes, a steamed bun in his hand, and a bowl of meat soup next to the plate.
This was a rare treat. When there was game, everyone liked to make soup. On one hand, Inazuma people had a habit of drinking soup, and on the other hand, stewing soup allowed everyone to have some meat.
"Aren't you eating? Although there's a war, it's just started, and we've prepared some food. One more person won't make a difference."
Washizu saw Yu Jin sitting under a tree with nothing in his hands and thought he was afraid there wasn't enough food, so he felt embarrassed to join them.
Yu Jin shook his head after hearing this and said, "You all eat. I have my own things."
With that, he casually pulled something out from his embrace and started chewing on it. It was as tasteless as ever.
Washizu nodded at Yu Jin's appearance. Adventurers always ran around, so it was reasonable for him to have food on him.
"Hey! What are your plans for tomorrow?" Yu Jin asked, looking at the now dark Sky.
Washizu thought for a moment, then replied, "Cut some wood in the morning, and dig for crystallized marrow in the afternoon."
Yu Jin nodded. He would just follow along tomorrow and see... Yu Jin sat in the tree, watching the stars fill the Sky and then fade again, as the rising sun broke through the dawn, announcing the arrival of a new day.
Early in the morning, Washizu and a group of men gathered at the village entrance, ready for another day of labor.
Yu Jin looked around, wondering why so many men were needed to go out and chop wood.
"Is the wood here that difficult to cut?" Yu Jin asked curiously.
When everyone saw Yu Jin ask, although he looked strange, considering he was brought by the village chief, one man enthusiastically answered him.
"You wouldn't know, it's incredibly tough to cut! We're close to Musoujin Gorge here, so either nothing grows, or what does grow is extremely resilient."
Then another person added, "There are few trees around us, so we have to travel far to cut them. With the war going on, a group of men going out is better than a group of women."
Yu Jin looked at the slightly crude watchtower not far away, then at the bamboo tubes in the women's hands, and nodded. It seemed Washizu was well-prepared.
"Alright! Let's go!" Yu Jin shouted loudly, running directly ahead of everyone.
Although the area around Higi Village was somewhat barren, there were still lives that could break through the environment and grow against the odds.
For example, the waist-high tree in front of him. Yu Jin struck it with a single slash, "Crack!" It got stuck.
"Tsk!" Yu Jin exclaimed, then put more force into it and cut it down.
"Boom!" The large tree fell to the ground, leaving only a smoothly cut stump.
The people following behind Yu Jin widened their eyes at the sight before them. One must know that the hardness of trees tempered by Electro element was comparable to steel!
And Yu Jin cutting it down so easily genuinely surprised them.
However, that was all it was. In Teyvat, with its extraordinary powers, cutting through steel, though not easy, was not impossible.
For example, Washizu could also do it, just not as effortlessly as Yu Jin.
But they quickly realized they were mistaken, because Yu Jin turned into an afterimage, and the trees in front of them rapidly collapsed.
And in the open space not far away, the logs that Yu Jin had processed quickly piled up.
Soon, a large stack of logs was neatly arranged before everyone's eyes.
"Is that enough?" Yu Jin poked his head out from behind the woodpile and asked.
"Enough... enough, more than enough!" Washizu nodded. He hadn't expected Yu Jin to be so efficient. With so much wood, if used sparingly, it could last for a year.
"That's good!" Yu Jin's head retracted again, and then he saw the log pile, like a small mountain, slowly lift off the ground—Yu Jin had lifted them!
The logs had no restraints, but they didn't scatter. However, everyone was too stunned to care about that now, as Yu Jin had already made their heads buzz with shock.
"Time to return!" Yu Jin shouted loudly!
Then the "wood mountain" rapidly ran in the direction of Higi Village. Yu Jin seemed to feel it wasn't enough.
So, Washizu and the others saw several such "wood mountains" piled up outside Higi Village.
When they returned to Higi Village, everyone only saw the village's open space filled with wood. They weren't amazed, because they had shouted themselves hoarse with surprise that morning.
"When are we going to dig for crystallized marrow?" Yu Jin, still feeling a bit unsatisfied, asked the somewhat dazed Washizu.
Washizu, hearing Yu Jin's words, suddenly shivered and quickly said, "You don't need to help with that; we'll do it ourselves."
"Why?" Yu Jin asked, puzzled. He didn't quite understand.
"Because crystallized marrow is a strategic material. We in Higi Village only secretly dig up some scraps. If there's too much, it will be very troublesome," Washizu explained.
Yashiori Island was rich in crystallized marrow, but all the large deposits were controlled by the resistance and the Shogunate. Higi Village could only find scattered fragments from abandoned mines and open fields to trade with pirates for food.
"Moreover, our village's location is excellent. It's close to Musoujin Gorge, remote, and the land is barren, so its strategic value is almost zero. Neither the resistance nor the Shogunate Army have any intention of bothering us."
"????"
"Don't look at me like that. Although we have a lot of shortcomings here, it's precisely because of this that Higi Village can be close to the battlefield yet enjoy some peace."
Washizu quickly explained, seeing Yu Jin's gaze.
Yu Jin understood Washizu's words: Higi Village was a desolate place, so desolate that neither the resistance nor the Shogunate Army wanted to bother with it.
"So, if you bring back a large amount of crystallized marrow, we'll actually be in trouble," Washizu finally said.
Then Yu Jin looked at the wood all over the ground and said, "I think this wood is pretty good. Its strength is almost comparable to steel. With so much, is it okay?"
Washizu scratched his head and said, "It's fine. No matter how strong they are, they're not as good as real steel, and they have a lot of drawbacks."
"What drawbacks?" Yu Jin asked. He hadn't felt any drawbacks.
"Like being difficult to process, or shocking people, and so on," Washizu said, then touched a piece of wood on the ground. A small electric arc immediately shocked his hand back.
"Hiss—, truly rotten wood! It still hurts to get shocked."
Yu Jin looked at Washizu, who was holding his hand, and after a long silence, asked:
"Does your Higi Village have any advantages?"
"Does my good character count as an advantage?"
"..."