Chapter 1304: Chapter 1304

In early May, after the Kingdom fleet stayed at the Ypa Great Tribe for half a month, Red Stone Chief Matutumbe finally made a blood oath and chose to convert to the Chief Divine. From then on, he became the first Tribe Chief on the North American continent to voluntarily convert to the Chief Divine faith! And the Ypa Great Tribe, with five thousand tribespeople, promptly became the Kingdom’s first allied tribe on the Western Sea Coast of North America!

"Chief Divine bless! The wind of the ancestors comes from the South, and the long-separated brothers are now united! Salem! Kupula!..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

This thunderous cheer echoed from within the Kingdom’s exploration fleet, accompanied by the cannon fire soaring skyward, deeply etched into the hearts of all the Kumeyaay. Faced with the power of thunder and fire, the previously dissatisfied tribal priests and elders also closed their mouths and bowed their heads in awe.

"From spring to summer, this journey northward has been terribly dry with little rain... Thankfully, the fleet’s gunpowder grains have consistently maintained their good power!" Orıginal content can be found at n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

On the flagship longship, Exploration Captain Zuwaro watched the divine conversion scene, a smile spreading across his face. The missionary priest stationed here has been determined, and it is none other than Prepetcha’s First-level Priest Kuimu.

Judging from the plant-related name "Mu" and the eagle-related surname "Kui", he likely comes from the South of the Kingdom, possibly an illegitimate child of some Old Nobility. Applying to Divine Power University to become a Kingdom Priest, and even participating in sea exploration... is a true pathway to ascension for these noble descendants who possess cultural heritage but neither rank nor land!

"Praise the Chief Divine! I, Kuimu, shall stay here to spread the faith of the Chief Divine, guiding more Kumeyaay into the embrace of the Sun!"

"Kuimu, you must teach the Kumeyaay how to plant sweet potatoes and potatoes, tell them how to compost, how to cultivate and weed, just follow the guidelines from Divine Power University... Remember! Only by ensuring a plentiful harvest can you create true miracles that render the tribespeople devout believers of the Chief Divine!"

Scholar Mikki seriously instructed, personally choosing Kuimu, and the latter, like him, is a Kingdom Priest with a gentle assimilation philosophy.

"Exactly! Kuimu, the fleet’s northern exploration requires more food support! And the grain yield from your farming in the Ypa Great Tribe... all can be traded to become logistical support for the fleet... Therefore, for the faith of the Chief Divine and the Kingdom’s interests, you must work diligently!"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro smiled as he gave a few reminders. He had just completed trading with Red Stone Chief, using twenty bronze axes, forty bronze spears, and a small bag of gemstones to supplement the food for over seven hundred people for a month.

The further north the fleet traveled, the more pragmatic the Northern Land tribes became. Their demand for gemstones is much less than the prosperous southern tribes. They also value the food that the tribes have worked hard to surplus very highly. If Zuwaro had not offered solid bronze weapons for exchange or been an ally of the tribe, the Ypa Great Tribe would not have given up so much surplus food. But even so, this "fair" exchange rate is absolutely skewed in favor of the Kingdom!

"Mikki, we also need to find guides and translators from the Ypa Great Tribe for heading north. From the elders here, I inquired about a large bay in the North which could very well be the Golden Bay from His Majesty’s prophecy! The tribes there seem to speak a completely different language from here!"

In reality, though the Kumeyaay language differs greatly from Navajo, both belong to the Uto-Aztecan language family, sharing many cognate words. Once mastering Navajo, learning Kumeyaay isn’t too difficult, much like learning a dialect.

Further north, most of the native tribes in the California Bay Area belong to different branches of the Penutian language family. This language family and Navajo share no common words at all. Studying deeply, one can glimpse the migration and heritage of tribes from the origins of these languages.

"Indeed, Chief Divine bless! I will find Red Stone Chief to have the guides and translators for heading north join the fleet!"

Two days later, the Kingdom exploration fleet set off northward with newly joined Kumeyaay guides and translators. The exchange price for these two people was an "astonishing" ten bronze axes.

In mid-May, the fleet traveled six hundred miles north to discover a coastal narrow land surrounded on three sides by mountains, with an irrigation river flowing down from the mountains. This mountain-surrounded narrow land measures only seventy miles long and over thirty miles wide, housing seven to eight Chumash tribes each with a hundred or two hundred people.

Exploration Captain Zuwaro surveyed for several days, finding these Chumash tribes in the enclosed narrow land had little interaction with external tribes and were all very gentle by nature. They even voluntarily paddled small boats to bring acorns and berries to the fleet.

Ah, not bad! The Chumash people of this coastal narrow land still maintain the ancient lifestyle of gathering and fishing, only planting some simple vegetables and beans. Scholar Mikki tasted a variety of fresh foods while dining at several tribes.

"Acorn is the staple food, can be ground into flour. There are acorn pancakes, acorn balls, acorn dry..."

Mikki, while eating the fragrant acorn cake in hand, recorded with a charcoal pencil.

"Seafood includes bass, frogfish, and shellfish... meat includes rabbits, deer, and grouse... These are scarce, however. More common are wild onions, cauliflowers, sweetgrass roots... and some sweet or sour berries."

"Overall, the agriculture of these Chumash people is still very primitive. Due to insufficient food, their tribes are very small, unable to support specialized warriors, and have no priests. Within the tribes, only a few storytellers by the campfire pass down ancient tribal stories... Chief Divine! This truly is a blank slate of faith!"

Upon this subject, Scholar Mikki’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Seeing this, Exploration Captain Zuwaro also understood.

"Mikki, you wish to establish a settlement here, bringing all these Chumash people under the Kingdom’s control?"

"Indeed! Although these Chumash people are not tall and slender, unsuitable as warriors... they are extremely diligent, adept at hunting and fishing, and skilled at climbing trees and rocks... Most importantly, their disposition is very gentle, a rarity in the Northern Land!"

While speaking, Scholar Mikki grasped the Sun Amulet around his neck, sincerely praising.

"Chief Divine bless! Thank you for your guidance, lead us to discover such fertile soil in a valley! Here, being difficult to traverse inland and relatively isolated, offers no worries of land attacks yet is convenient for sea passage. This one to two thousand gentle Chumash people shall surely become Your most devoted believers in the bayside area and finest farmers!"

Listening to Mikki’s prayer, Exploration Captain Zuwaro nodded in agreement. He paused for a moment, then decisively made the captain’s decision.

"Mikki, what you say is very true! This not very large narrow land is sufficient for us to plant potatoes and sweet potatoes, supporting thousands or even tens of thousands of population!"

"Since that is the case, we shall establish a significant settlement here!"

"Leave one hundred and twenty people, two longships, three missionary priests!"

"Cultivate the land, fish for the schools, preach to the surrounding Chumash people, assimilate them into the Kingdom’s rule!"

Following this, Zuwaro’s spirits also soared. It was time for his favorite part, naming the new settlement that would be passed down through generations.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Since here is surrounded by mountains on three sides, facing the sea on one..."

"Let’s call it... Three Hills Port!"