Chapter 709: Rice Wife's First Meal, Crystallized Bone Marrow

It was easy to convince Ying and Paimon, and the three of them sat in front of Inazuma's restaurant to enjoy dinner.

This store has clearly marked prices, and based on the conversation Jiang Yi overheard, it offers the best value for money for foreigners.

The space of Inazuma's civilian restaurant is particularly small, and there are no tables at the door or inside the store. One can only sit on a high stool and eat facing the long counter.

If there are too many people, they can only stand. The people in front finish eating quickly and the people behind move into the empty seats.

But this was once an outlying island. Now there are fewer foreign businessmen on the island, cargo ships rarely come and go, passenger flow has dropped sharply, and business of shops on the island has also deteriorated.

Many of them simply raised the food prices that were already ripped off by foreign tourists, making it difficult for foreigners staying on the outlying islands to pay for meals.

This store is the best one right now.

The store manager has a conscience and dares not sell products at too low a price, otherwise he will be bullied by other stores.

"Let me see...bird egg sushi, grilled eel, tuna sushi, animal bone ramen, miso soup, sunset taiyaki...OK! Give me three of all." Paimon shouted.

The name of the store was written under the gray-blue cloth.

The menu is written on a wooden board in the shop.

"You said temptation and test..." Under the dim light, shadows swayed, and Ying asked Jiang Yi.

"Yes." Jiang Yi pinched a Mora with three fingers and spun it on the table. The Mora spun like a spinning top, shining with golden light. "What do you think is the most conspicuous thing about Thomas?"

Ying thought for a second: "The other party is wearing the God's Eye of the Fire Element on his waist."

"That's right!" Paimon said, "Isn't it the 'Eye Hunting Order'? He walked in front of the soldiers without being caught."

"The other party's identity is unusual..." Ying confirmed.

"Yeah!" Jiang Yi listened to the sound of Mora turning, "Once we finish the business of the International Chamber of Commerce, the other party will probably reveal their identity. It doesn't matter whether it is a test or not, we just need to act according to our heart."

"Okay, the dishes are here." After chatting for a while, the owner had already brought the miso soup and sushi.

A bowl of soup with seaweed and tofu as the main ingredients, with a plain appearance and fresh and fragrant soup exuding a lingering yeast aroma.

According to the owner, you are only allowed to take one bite while eating, and the whole meal will become complete.

Jiang Yi took a sip and made no comment.

"In terms of craftsmanship, this soup is undoubtedly perfect," Paimon said, and then tasted the bird egg sushi.

Bird egg sushi is a home-cooked dish of Inazuma. It is made by placing sliced ​​bird eggs on seasoned rice. It is simple to prepare, but if it is done well, it is delicious.

"This one, although delicious, is not perfect." Paimeng shook his head pickily.

Tuna sushi, a traditional food of Inazuma made by hand.

The soft and slightly vinegary rice, paired with fresh fish fillets, is a slightly luxurious enjoyment for the locals.

"This one isn't either." Although Ying, as a chef, has never tried to cook Inazuma's dishes, he can feel what is perfect and what is ordinary by observing the effect of the food when eaten.

A perfect dish, with all the ingredients' characteristics fully brought out and the color, aroma and taste are all top-notch.

The appearance of the tuna sushi slices was not as good as the one provided on the Beidou ship during our last meal.

"It's just an ordinary restaurant after all." Jiang Yi watched the other party bring up the animal bone ramen and grilled eel meat.

The steaming hot animal bone ramen is topped with low-temperature cooked animal meat, bird eggs, and bamboo shoots.

The soup is salty and delicious, and it seeps into the noodles.

For dock workers, eating a bowl of this soup when they are tired can boost their spirits.

This bowl is of ordinary quality.

The owner's face looked a little dark.

Kabayaki eel, a dish made from grilled eel.

The cut eel meat is first steamed to remove excess fat, then grilled and drizzled with sauce.

Without a doubt, it is also ordinary level.

"Next time we will find the best restaurant." Paimon felt a little regretful while eating the eel.

According to the owner’s defense, at Inazuma, the chefs all agree on this statement: “It takes a lifetime of dedication to grill the perfect eel.”

"If you can do it, go ahead..."

Of course, the latter sentence was Ying's guess.

Jiang Yi smiled. He was afraid that if he really went up, he would be given the title of "Eel Meat Immortal".

While Thomas was waiting boredly, Jiang Yi, Ying and Paimeng started to eat the last of their snacks.

Sunset Taiyaki is a snack in the shape of sea bream made with ingredients such as sunset fruit, milk, flour and sugar.

The crispy golden crust wrapped with sweet filling is deeply loved by the people of Inazuma.

The owner said that before Inazuma, this dish was originally just an ordinary cylindrical shape, and then after continuous improvements, it gradually became the cute fish shape it is today.

Although diners complained about the food, he still professionally introduced all the dishes.

After eating and drinking, Jiang Yi paid the bill.

"It's very strange Inazuma..." After finishing the meal, Paimon realized, "The people here seem very polite and very rude."

"For example, those inspectors, these Inazuma people look friendly, but they are very exclusive and cold in their actions. They have no humanity, they smile on their faces, but they blackmail you with their backs." She complained, "And the shop owner just now, when we commented on a dish, he apologized once, but he didn't seem to have any ideas for improvement."

"I felt embarrassed after eating it."

Traveling and experiencing the customs and cultures of different countries is also part of it.

Jiang Yi took out a specialty fruit of Inazuma, a violet melon with a bright purple appearance.

took a bite.

The flesh is very peculiar.

Paimon swallowed and said, "Where did you get the fruit?"

"Before, when we went to Yuanguo Prison, I was one step behind and bought it." Jiang Yi threw out two violets like a magic trick, one for Paimeng and one for Ying.

“???” They didn’t notice at all.

What was following them at that time, the phantom of Jiang Yi?

The three of them asked for directions and arrived at the International Chamber of Commerce.

The president of the International Chamber of Commerce received them warmly.

The president wore a round hat and clothes that looked like Fontaine style.

"Oh, friends, are you here to seek the protection of the International Chamber of Commerce? Could it be that the Supervisory Office of the Far Country has made you bleed heavily?" The president looked at them angrily and worriedly.

"It was almost there, luckily... we have friends here." Ying said after hesitating. They couldn't say that they hypnotized the inspector.

"That's good, that's good. But... don't lose all your capital right at the start." The president breathed a sigh of relief for them.

Jiang Yi nodded. The president's character was worthy of his help.

"Has the Chamber of Commerce encountered any difficulties recently?" Paimon did not forget the mission.

President Hisahisu was in a low mood and didn't want to say much: "Difficulties... I'm used to being stuck in a dilemma and hitting a wall everywhere."

"The lockdown really makes it difficult for people coming from abroad," Paimon said sympathetically.

Jiulixu shook his head: "The root of the problem is not the isolation order. Even if the scope of activities is restricted, life can still be very good. The real thing that exploits us foreign merchants is..."

"…It's the profit-seeking guys in the Kanjo Bugyo."

When he spoke, his voice was muffled and low, weak and angry.

"High taxes and unreasonable rules and regulations are not the worst thing... The worst thing is that a new tax law has just been issued. The form of tax to be paid has changed from Mora to a product called 'Crystallized Bone Marrow'."

Jiang Yi raised his eyebrows.

"What is 'Crystallized Bone Marrow'?" Paimon asked in confusion.

Jiulisu explained: "Before the decree was issued, most merchants in the Chamber of Commerce had never heard of this kind of goods. It was not until an old merchant from Liyue identified that this was the material he had transported to the Kingdom of Winter when he was young..."

As if to vent his recent depression, the president of the International Chamber of Commerce talked a lot.

They said they were reluctant, but they still had to go everywhere to collect "crystallized bone marrow" and pay it as tax.

But it was soon discovered that this was just a temporary solution. As the demand for tax payment grew, the price of external "crystallized bone marrow" also continued to rise.

Later, only one merchant had the product in stock, and it was no longer available anywhere else...

monopoly.

As a businessman, I am naturally familiar with this situation.

Monopolists keep raising prices because they are forced to buy at high prices due to legal pressure.

This leads to a vicious cycle, and the taxes they pay are almost exceeding their profits.

"The most profitable method in the world is to rob money by setting rules." Jiang Yi didn't foolishly ask the businessmen why they didn't leave. The reasons were that they had sunk their capital and couldn't leave even if they wanted to.

At the same time, think about the thoughts of the person behind Thomas.

The test from the other party is to let him and Ying know the unfairness and unreasonable rules that are everywhere in Inazuma, and to experience oppression and difficulties.

Next, test their empathy and compassion for others.

Finally, can you and dare to resist unreasonable rules?

Well, there should be a few more. Jiang Yi touched his chin.

How many points will you get if you answer the question the other party wants?

"This is too much." Ying raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "If you discuss this with the people in charge of the Kanding Bugei..."

"Impossible!" said Kurisu. "We have also tried to communicate with the Kande Bugei about the law... But in this land filled with thunder, who can hear the cries of us merchants in desperate situations..."

He looked at the dark, starless night with despair in his eyes.

His eyes became moist, and he whispered the deepest emotion that every rice wife merchant feels for his hometown.

"Fontaine, Fontaine, my hometown..."

"I miss you so much..."

His energy and spirit seemed to be drained away, and he looked much older.

Although he is in his prime, his cheeks are sunken and his eyes are bloodshot and have dark circles from poor sleep.

The brown hair beneath the hat had turned much whiter.

Leaving each other some personal space, Ying, Paimeng and Jiang Yi walked aside.

"There's no chance for people to survive. Jiang Yi, what do you think?" Paimeng asked.