Chapter 1310: Chapter 1310

No vineyards in the Napa Valley, nor the lavish wineries and large cellars filled with barrels of the later generations. Five hundred years ago, this was the land of Indian tribes, just like it had been for a thousand, ten thousand years in the past.

Walking from the ancient wilderness to today, countless Miwok people have lived and thrived in this narrow valley. They cleared the lands along the river, built tribal longhouses, passing them down generation after generation. The only constant was the clear summer sun and the Napa River with its sweet taste, irrigating the fertile soil along the banks.

"Such fertile land, so many fields! ... It must have been cultivated for a long time, but the crops are growing mediocre. Perhaps it’s the lack of fertilizer, or maybe the weeds haven’t been carefully removed... Of course, the biggest issue might be that it’s not warm enough..."

Scholar Mikki stood on the longship, traveling along the river, heading towards the heart of the North Bay Tribe. He observed carefully, and as he moved further in, the farmland along the river became increasingly dense. Corn, pumpkins, and beans grew leisurely alongside the weeds. Around him, thatched huts and grass houses gradually increased in number, and then after a stretch of riverbank, there suddenly appeared rows of wooden houses and stacks of firewood!

"Tribal longhouses... Wooden houses... Stored firewood... So many?"

Scholar Mikki widened his eyes, raising his estimation of the North Bay Tribe. In the more primitive Northern Land, cutting and chopping trees in the woods is not an easy task. Wooden longhouses could resist the cold but required many laborers. And this also necessitated a sufficient supply of food and enough tools, which means more people farming, hunting, and making tools.

Thus, as the fleet headed north, encountering many tribes, they gradually formed a consensus. That is, for a tribe, the more wooden houses there are, the bigger it would be, and its strength usually stronger! And with the number of wooden houses in this valley...

"Chief Divine bears witness! The great tribe of the North Bay might really have six to seven hundred tribal huntsmen, four to five thousand tribespeople..."

Based on the observations along the way, Scholar Mikki roughly judged, and became increasingly cautious.

Here was already the core camp of the North Bay Tribe, as the longboat approached the shore, attracting many tribespeople’s attention. And among the gazes of several hundred curious people, Scholar Mikki quickly jumped off the longship. He then followed the cloak-clad Huntsman Le Feng, who was carrying gifts and accompanied by the Kingdom’s warriors, heading to the largest chieftain’s longhouse.

And close to dusk, the chieftain’s longhouse was lit with bonfire, the inside was warm and filled with the scent of herbs. An elderly tribal shaman was hunched over, sitting cross-legged in front of the warm bonfire, taking advantage of the bright firelight to process some herbs. His face was engraved with yellow and red patterns, at first glance, resembling a red fox on the prairie. And those old wrinkles, like the bark of a pine tree, etched with time and frost.

"Honorable, wise Cedar Shaman!"

Upon seeing the Shaman Chieftain, Cloak Huntsman Le Tian lowered his head, showing respect on his face. Among the northern tribes, Shaman was an esteemed title, being known as "doctors, healers, prophets and diviners." In a more common kingdom manner, it’s a High Priest or even an Elder Priest.

In the hearts of many Miwok tribespeople, the Shaman’s status is actually ahead of both chieftain and priest, second only to All Gods and Ancestor Spirit. Because, chieftains and priests usually belong to one tribe, while a shaman can belong to many tribes. And to become a shaman in the Northern Land, one must have aided many tribal huntsmen, healed many tribespeople, allowing a reputation to transcend tribal boundaries and resonate in people’s hearts.

"Shaman, I have invited the leader of the Longboat Tribe! ... They have large ships, much larger than the tribe’s. They have many huntsmen, almost all those I have seen are hunters. I’ve carefully looked at their attire and weapons; this might be a powerful Kumeyaay Tribe, who fled south by ship after losing a battle..."

"But their leader seems divided into different factions. This visiting leader is the most gentle one, with no hostility! He seems to know nothing about the conditions of the Bay Tribe, and does not even know about you, the esteemed healer of all!"

Cloak Huntsman Le Tian lowered his voice, quickly reporting in the tribal Miwok tongue. Along the way, Scholar Mikki observed all around, while he silently observed Mikki.

Shaman Chieftain Cedar raised his head, looking sharply at Mikki in the doorway of the longhouse, and the two Kingdom’s warriors clad in leather armor. His calm gaze stayed on Mikki’s amulet on the neck for a moment, gradually becoming keen.

"They’re not Kumeyaay."

"Sun and bird... Kumeyaay do not have such Divine. His attire also does not match that of Kumeyaay."

"Go! Invite the guests in!"

Shaman Chieftain Cedar chuckled, pointed to a spot by the bonfire, and began singing gently.

"Heavenly Divine blows the bamboo flute, standing on tall trees, welcoming winds from the sea! Whether it’s the breeze bringing rain, or the cold wind bringing storm... since they chose to come, they are guests!... Come, sit by the bonfire, warm yourselves. Drink a cup of sour hot pursuit tea, share stories from afar!"

"Ah-ha! Greetings to you, honorable Cedar Chieftain, thank you for your invitation!"

Scholar Mikki bowed his head, gave a kingdom greeting to the Cedar Chieftain by the bonfire. He stepped forward and sat cross-legged by the bonfire’s spot. Then, with a gentle demeanor, he spoke with a smile before the elder Shaman Chieftain could open his mouth.

"Chief Divine bless us! Honorable chieftain, we come from the distant sea, following the prophecy of Chief Divine, with kingdom goodwill, arriving at this golden bay!... You are the landowner, we as guests, have some meeting gifts to present to the esteemed you!"

After finishing, Scholar Mikki gestured, two Kingdom’s warriors came forward with gifts. They placed a bag of Lake Gem, a piece of cloth, a bronze axe, a copper spear, a longbow, a copper arrow, and a fine leather armor.

"Praise Chief Divine!" Googlᴇ search NoveI-Fire.ɴet

The two warriors solemnly muttered a prayer in unison and backed to the doorway, their disciplined stance like moving wooden sculptures.

"Hmm... Gifts... Warrior..."

Cedar Chieftain’s eyebrows twitched, his face expressionless. He first picked up the bag of gemstones, glanced briefly and closed the bag. But then paused noticing the cloth bag in hand, and looked at the nearby fabric.

"Cloth bags...a piece of cloth...tribes from the South, far to the South..."

The Cedar Chieftain pondered for a moment, then reached out and picked up the bronze axe on the ground. Although he looked old, he still handled the heavy bronze axe with ease.

The Cedar Chieftain gently tapped the axe’s surface and touched the sharp edge of the axe head. He raised his eyebrows again, calmly placing the axe back down. As for the copper spear, he didn’t pick it up, merely extended his hand to feel the smooth spear shaft and gauge the quality of the wood.

"A metal axe, resembling the red copper of the Mountain Tribes in the East, but more resilient and sharper...the fir wood spear shaft is polished very smoothly; it’s an excellent long spear."

Then, the Cedar Chieftain glanced at the greatbow and copper arrows, calmly giving orders.

"Le Tian, pull this bow."

The cloaked Hunter Le Tian nodded, raised the greatbow, and slowly drew the bowstring. His face unmistakably showed a look of surprise, but he still pulled the bow to its fullest extent. After a few breaths, he pursed his lips and gently released the bowstring without letting it snap.

"...It’s stronger than the tribe’s bow."

The cloaked Hunter Le Tian was silent for a while before answering.

"...Twice as strong."

The Cedar Chieftain nodded again, touching the material of the copper arrow’s wooden shaft, his eyes finally changing.

"Fir wood shafts? Managing to use sturdy fir wood for arrow shafts?..."

Finally, the Cedar Chieftain felt the durable surface of the leather armor and quickly asked in the tribe’s language.

"Le Tian, how many people are there with such weapons and leather armor?"

Another moment of silent contemplation. The cloaked Hunter Le Tian furrowed his brows, struggling to recall for a long time before he answered.

"Quite a lot, most have them...the number...is at least half that of the Tribal Huntsmen!"

This time, it was the Cedar Chieftain who fell into silence. Scholar Mikki smiled faintly, patiently waiting for the two to converse. Although he didn’t understand the other’s conversation, he could roughly guess some content. This beginning was just as he had anticipated.

"Tribes from across the sea. I am already aware of your intentions and the desire to avoid war."

After a long time, the Cedar Chieftain spoke calmly. With aged yet sharp eyes, he watched the slightly bewildered Scholar Mikki and calmly inquired.

"Speak! From the distant South, you have come to this cold land and even established a camp in the bay; for what purpose? And you, risking your life to come to my tribe, what is it that you seek?"

"Please tell me the truth, distant guest, the more direct, the better!... Because our translator seems not very reliable."

This time, the Cedar Chieftain straightened his posture, as if transforming from an old fox into a brown bear. His gaze was sharp, and he spoke in a deep voice in the Kumeyaay language.

"In my youth, I traveled to the South, seeking herbal knowledge from various tribes and also learned their language..."

Watching Scholar Mikki’s changing expression, the Cedar Chieftain adjusted his language. He switched within the Uto-Aztecan language family, from Kumeyaay in the South to Ute in the Southeast, and finally to a not very standard but understandable Yaqui. At this moment, Scholar Mikki could finally stammer through a direct conversation with him.

"Speak! What did you come here for? And what are you here to seek?"

With that, a wise smile appeared on the Cedar Chieftain’s aged face. He spoke gently, yet his words hit directly at the heart of the matter.

"I suppose, having traveled such a long way from the sea. Upon arriving here, you immediately started cultivating farmland...perhaps it’s that you’re running short on food?"