Chapter 1313: Chapter 1313

"Cough! Witness the Chief Divine! The Cedar Shaman promises to supply our entire fleet and over five hundred people with food for five months. In this way, along with one month’s stock from the camp and hunting seals along the coast, it will be enough to last for half a year. And even if the grain harvested in the fields in October is insufficient, we will still have a surplus of food for two to three months..."

Miki the Sage pointed to the longship carrying the grain and explained softly.

"This is the first ship’s food, and there are many more behind it!... In exchange, we will give the North Bay Tribe eighty copper spears, forty bronze axes, ten longbows, ten sets of leather armor, and one borrowed bronze cloth armor... With each batch of food received, we deliver a batch of equipment, and finally the cloth armor."

"Hmm, this exchange ratio... alright! It’s quite reasonable."

Upon hearing this, Exploration Captain Zuwaro nodded slightly. The further north we go, the colder the weather becomes, and the surplus food of each tribe diminishes, making food more valuable. On this northern expedition, the fleet carries many bronze weapons, yet actual battles encountered are few. There are still plenty of weapons left, enough for each of the Kingdom’s Warriors to have two spares. However...

"Miki, you’ve promised the bronze cloth armor?"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro furrowed his brow and asked in a subdued voice.

"How did the Cedar Shaman know that the fleet has cloth armor? Did you let it slip?"

"Uh... Cough!... The Cedar Shaman didn’t consider battle, he just wants to borrow a set of Kingdom Armor to study... Once he understands it, he will return it. I think, letting him know the truly formidable might of the Kingdom can also elevate the fleet’s status among the Mivok people!"

Miki the Sage’s gaze flickered, inexplicably feeling guilty. In front of a truly cunning old fox, it’s hard to keep secrets and resist his terms. Thinking of this, he touched his nose and lowered his voice again.

"Additionally, the Cedar Shaman will send dozens of tribespeople to help us with farming. We can direct them, compost, grind bone fertilizer, weed, plow... anyway, they can handle all the tedious farm work. If dozens of people aren’t enough, they can recruit more for us. And after our autumn harvest, they are also willing to trade the harvested potatoes and sweet potatoes with us, using three times the weight of grain and meat! This way, even if the autumn harvest’s grain isn’t plentiful, there’s no need to worry about food..."

"What? Sending tribespeople to assist with farm work? Three times the grain in exchange for potatoes and sweet potatoes?"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro paused, pondered briefly, and reacted explosively.

"Chief Divine! Miki, you’ve handed over the Kingdom’s agricultural technology and new hardy crops to the North Bay Tribe?"

"Cough!... Zuwaro, don’t rush, this is beneficial for everyone!"

Miki the Sage tugged at his hair and explained cautiously.

"The Cedar Shaman will not only send people to help us with farming, but also recruit scattered Mivok tribespeople from the surrounding mountain forests to join our camp. With his prestige, he can rapidly expand our settlement! And the grain we lack can only be provided by the powerful North Bay Tribe, which has enough surplus..."

"Moreover, before departing, Your Majesty also requested that we spread better agricultural technology and crops across the vast Northern Land! The North Bay Tribe producing more grain is equally beneficial to us! After all, they are already our allies. The more grain they have, the more they can trade with us..."

"Alright!... Your Majesty’s request... Merciful Majesty!"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro was momentarily speechless, and had to nod in agreement. However, he quickly realized.

"What did you say? Allies? Did you and the Shaman Chieftain Cedar of North Bay swear a blood alliance?"

"Yes! Before I left, I swore a blood oath with the North Bay Tribe, formally becoming allies!"

Miki the Sage nodded, his expression also turning solemn.

"However, the one who allied with me was not the Cedar Shaman, but..."

While speaking, Miki the Sage pointed with his hand towards the proud and cloaked Hunter Le Tian in the distance.

"It’s him! He is the representative of the North Bay Tribe and the most outstanding hunter among the tribes!"

"Hmm? Just him? The most outstanding hunter?"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro narrowed his eyes, glanced at the cloaked hunter carrying the Kingdom’s longbow and bronze axe, and pondered. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI-Fire.ɴet

"The gifts you brought to Chieftain Cedar, were they all forwarded to him?"

"Yes! The Cedar Shaman, in fact, has no interest in fighting and killing. He is a knowledge seeker, a very peaceful and wise old fox..."

Miki the Sage chuckled and affirmed.

"I can feel it, he wants to change the Northern Tribes and leave something behind. And our arrival has given him a wooden door, an opportunity for change!... His enthusiasm for learning the Kingdom’s knowledge is even greater than that of most of the Kingdom Priests..."

"However, his attitude towards the Divine, even towards Mivok’s All Gods, is inexplicably indifferent. Regarding the oaths witnessed by the Divine, he seems somewhat dismissive... He deliberately had Le Tian act as a representative, which is likely a consideration for some kind of tribal internal inheritance."

"Oh, Zuwaro, I’m digressing! Chief Divine as my witness! Le Tian is an outstanding Hunter in a cloak and a popular candidate for the next Chieftain. The oath between Le Tian and me was made under the witness of the entire North Bay Tribes! So, this alliance is genuine and effective!... By the way, the Chieftain succession among these Northern Tribes is mostly nominated by tribal Elders and Hunters, which is essentially an ancient tribal electoral system... just like the Kingdom’s oldest epics."

"I see! The inheritance and change of the Northern Tribes?... Learning knowledge, not revering the Divine?... An alliance with a Chieftain candidate?... Tribal electoral system?"

The Exploration Captain Zuwaro stroked his chin, pondering for quite some time. He vaguely gained a deeper understanding of the Cedar Shaman of the North Bay Tribe and also had some guesses about the inner political structure of the Northern Tribes.

"Alright! In this Northern Land beyond the reach of the Kingdom, having one more ally is better than having one more enemy. No matter what this ally is plotting... when the Kingdom takes root in the North, capable of supporting thousands of Samurai... then no matter how strong they develop, they can only become a loyal ally and vassal of the Kingdom!"

The eyes of the Exploration Captain Zuwaro sparkled, contemplating the Kingdom’s long-term future. He never had doubts about the brightness and vastness of the future!

"As long as Your Majesty leads us! As long as the sun doesn’t set, the light of the Chief Divine will surely shine upon the Northern Land!... And this day, we will surely witness it, as long as we survive the exploration!"

Zuwaro murmured to himself, silently praying for a moment, then returned to the main topic of exploration.

"Miki, what agreements did you reach with the Cedar Shaman Chieftain? Did he tell you information about the North? Is the other great sea bay in His Majesty’s prophecy three thousand miles to the north?"

"Yes! Chief Divine as my witness! The Cedar Shaman has traveled the North and is aware of that sea bay. He is very interested in His Majesty’s prophecy, repeatedly inquiring... Around that sea bay, there is a coastal plain. It’s indeed, as in the prophecy, the last place suitable for cultivation in the far north, although the harvest is minimal... Therefore, there are also several large tribes of a thousand people there. One of them is called the Duwamish Tribe, along the Duwamish River... and further north, there are only small tribes of hundreds or even a hundred people, constantly migrating after the prey..."

"Oh, right! In the local Pugī Salish language, Duwamish means ’a rocky river.’ So, it can also be called the ’Yanhe Tribe’ on the rocky riverbank! The Cedar Shaman once healed several Hunters of the Yanhe Tribe, gaining his reputation with this tribe. As long as we take their Shaman inheritance token to the Yanhe Tribe, they will see us as friends and teach us the survival ways in the far north..."

Scholar Mikki was all excited, taking out the Cedar Shaman’s wood carving of a Flying Bird, gently touching the mysterious, strange carvings on it. This Flying Bird had red eyeballs, blue wings, carved very primordially, also detailed with some green patterns resembling water ripples or tree branches. This wooden carving seemed to be very old, even possibly hundreds of years, exuding a mysterious and strange, indescribable feeling. And once seen, it is indeed unforgettable!

"Ah! The Northern great sea bay in the prophecy!... The Yanhe Tribe? The survival ways in the far north?"

The Exploration Captain Zuwaro clenched his fists, eyes flashing with joy. Controlling the strong desire for exploration within, he solemnly pursued more answers.

"Miki! You haven’t said it yet! What price did you promise ultimately?!"

Scholar Mikki tugged at his hair, lowering his head, softly replied.

"I... I promised to teach the North Bay Tribes the Kingdom’s script and teach them the Chief Divine’s Book of Ama Colley."

"Spreading the script, teaching the Book of Ama Colley, is disseminating the faith of the Chief Divine! This is what the Kingdom has always been doing and one of the tasks most valued by Your Majesty... this cannot be considered a price, but should rather be counted as a gain!"

The Exploration Captain Zuwaro squinted at Miki, who was looking down, sternly questioning.

"Chief Divine as my witness! What else did you promise? Did you give them the Bronze Formula?"

Hearing this, Scholar Mikki shook his head fiercely.

"The Cedar Shaman indeed mentioned this matter. He said that the Paiute and Shoshone in the eastern mountains could produce a small amount of copper ware. But their copper is red, soft, even less useful than stone..."

"I also told him that’s because copper needs to be mixed with another metal to become sturdy bronze. But I have not seen such metal in the various Northern tribes!"

"The Cedar Shaman, although skeptical, also did not further question me about bronze..."

"Chief Divine as my witness! What else did you promise? Speak honestly!"

In front of the bay, the long wind blew by, the longship gently swaying. Scholar Mikki gazed at the longship that sailed thousands of miles, looking at the signs of damage and repair on it, and let out a light sigh.

"Chief Divine as my witness! I promised the Cedar Shaman... for the North Bay Tribe to provide sturdy timber, allowing the Craftsman and Hunters of the Mivok people to participate in the repair of the exploration longship!"