Chitose stretched out his hand and picked up a handful of seawater, among which there were also blue dots, like stars in the sky. Occasionally, two large fish swim past the bottom of the boat, like a blue light embedded in it, and there is nothing to hide.

She smiled leisurely and said, "The Hidden Kingdom has really put a lot of effort into attracting people. ”

The boatman replied, "We have seen glowing algae for generations, and they are born under the Crystal Island, and they are not the only ones that others have set up. ”

The man was not convinced.

Yan Saburo raised his eyes and looked: "Are your ancestors Tibetans or outsiders?"

The man puffed out his chest and said proudly, "My family has lived here for generations. ”

"It turned out to be a local. "The boat sailed smoothly over several small islands, and it was not dark that it was not difficult to see the scenery on the islands with Chitose's eyes. Most of the islands are inhabited because the houses are dotted among the greenery, and some areas are still densely populated. "You usually make a living from fishing?"

"Mainly farming, occasionally going out to sea to fish. ”

Chitose pointed to a small island not far away: "Passing by a few islands, why don't you hang fishing nets in your village here?"

Traveling eastward, Tsubame Saburo passes several rivers and finally arrives at the seaside, where villages that rely on water usually dry their seafood and fishing nets on the beach.

But Chitose couldn't see a single fishing net here.

"Fishing is only available in January and February every year, and the rest of the year is closed. The boatman replied, "The messenger said that the fish should be recuperated." ”

Chitose gave a thumbs up: "Makes sense!" Turning his head to Yan Saburo's ear, "This sea is very quiet, and there are few fish." ”

If there are few fish and not enough fish, there will be no talk about recuperation.

Yan Saburo leaned back slightly, not letting her blow in his ear, and asked the boatman, "What month is it now?"

"It's September. ”

"And where does the fish on Crystal Island come from?"

The boatman was stunned: "This, I don't know." ”

Yan Saburo thought about the couple he met on Crystal Island at the beginning, and suddenly asked him, "How many children do you have?"

"Three. Speaking of his own children, the boatman grinned, "The eldest is already twelve years old, and the second and third were born last year and are twins." ”

"Young and promising. "The boatman looked to be no more than twenty-five or six years old. Chitose lay on the side of the gunwale, holding her cheeks, "Can we go up to the island for a walk?"

The boatman smiled: "Naturally, the island where I live is in front of me, it is the most populous island, the second largest in the area of the Hidden Country, and there are many delicious foods. ”

Adjust the bow of the ship and head to Soji Island.

The sea is as calm as satin, the gulls rise and fall, and the islands are like pearls in the picture. Chitose took a deep breath and felt the tide of the sea breeze in her lungs: "It's not bad to be able to stay here for a long time." ”

Before Yan Saburo could answer, the boatman had already followed: "It is true that there are foreign seafarers who will stay and not leave." ”

"And now, they're still in this world?"

"There are a few more. For us, the wall of fog is opened every five years. The boatman sighed softly, "But only the enlightened outsiders can stay." ”

Outsiders can only stay if they have been enlightened? Yan Saburo thought thoughtfully.

In the middle of the conversation, Soji Island arrived.

It is strategically located among the large and small islands of the Lost Treasure Country, and is a necessary place for many shipping routes, and to the east is the largest fishing ground in the Lost Treasure Country. As a result, it has the largest number of inhabitants, with a quarter of the population of the entire Tibetan country living on Soji Island.

At this moment, the sea is like a shuttle, passing back and forth, and more than half of the ships are sitting on black-robed people. When seafarers enter here from the world, they inevitably give birth to curiosity and play.

There are few cliffs on the edge of Soji Island, but there are more soft sandy areas suitable for boats. The island is densely wooded and warmer than Crystal Island. The boatman led the two men along the coast for more than a quarter of an hour, returning to the village where they lived.

The village is not large, with only about 40 households. Because the fishing season has long since ended, the nets are collected by the villagers and waited for the next year to be used.

Strangers arrived, and the legendary mysterious and noble seafarers came out to see the excitement of the village. But most of them didn't dare to approach, just waved and smiled in a friendly way—even the children who used to run around the ground maintained a curious but reserved attitude when they saw strangers.

Yan Saburo even found a little awe in their eyes.

When he and Chitose first arrived, the islanders were not afraid of them personally, but of course their identity - foreign visitors.

Focus: Invited by the gods.

The boatman's wife also came up with her three children, and when she was introduced by her husband, she greeted them with a smile on her face and warmly invited them to her home.

Yan Saburo politely refused, after all, time is precious, but he did not forget to take out a box of pastries from the storage ring and give it to the boatman's family. This is a box of sugar chestnut crispy with a crispy skin and a soft and glutinous filling, which is a specialty that he and Chitose bought in Yokosahama.

The family's eyes lit up.

There are also chestnut trees in the Tibetan country, but the way to eat them is relatively simple, it is nothing more than boiling or stir-frying. As for making it into such a delicate pastry, it can only be tasted by His Holiness above Shincha and the distinguished guests of the Crystal Island.

The child next door drooled for a long time, so the neighbor paced over after a while, and asked Yan Saburo cautiously: "Can the VIP also sell me a box, oh no, also sell my two cakes?"

He was holding a strange and huge gem in his hand, which was actually a concatenation of ruby and sapphire. Yan Saburo has also seen it in Yuncheng, the volume is less than half of this piece, but it is displayed as the treasure of the town store in the crystal cabinet by the Four Seas Commercial Bank, called "Mandarin Duck Gem".

It can buy thousands of boxes of sugar chestnut cakes in Yokohama......;

Chitose took it and shone it twice on the light, and before Yan Saburo could make a sound, he took out a box of snacks from the crocodile tambourine and handed it over. The gemstones are in good condition, and the sale is a net profit!

Both the goods and the silver are happy. Both sides are smiling, looking at each other like big fools.

For the villagers on the island, this thing is really not difficult to choose, and it is cost-effective to exchange it for a box of good things that they have never tasted.

Yan Saburo was particularly curious: "Gold and silver are not worth much here, what do you use to buy and sell?"

Without money, how do you measure value, how do you buy and sell things?

The boatman shrugged and said only one word:

"Sugar. ”

There is very little sugar in nature, and it is especially difficult to get sugar on the island, the plants that can be squeezed are all planted by the government, and the market does not allow sugar beet seeds to be bought and sold freely, and ordinary people will be severely fined if sugar beets appear on the ground.

Here, a tael of white sugar can buy twenty catties of salt.

Hearing this, Chitose also understood the reason why the sugar chestnut cake was regarded as a treasure by them.

The boatman was in a good mood and took them to the saltworks by the sea.

The village is located next to the endless bobble beach, where there is no soft sand, only black and strange solid rock.

Ask for a monthly pass, the penultimate day of January!

(End of chapter)