Chapter 1318: Chapter 1318

"The ancient Heavenly Divine (Hulu), appeared from the deep, thunderous sea. Like a storm, He walked upon the land of the East, and like a storm, His soul dispersed into the vast world..."

As evening approached, the fleet anchored at the eastern shore of the lagoon, in the lake garden tribe of the Wiyot people. Their response to the arriving exploration fleet was calm, like the placid lake water, without vigilance or mobilization. Especially when Scholar Mikki presented the token from the Cedar Shaman, the old Chieftain Tu Jing personally came out to host the fleet leaders.

The Wiyot’s lake garden tribe is situated at the lagoon’s edge, on a lakeside plain of reeds and tall grasses. There are no trees here, and lumber for building is scarce. Among the two to three thousand people of the lake garden tribe, there isn’t a single complete wooden house; all are low "wind shelter huts," densely spread along the lake.

These small huts of the Wiyot resemble a round cap worn on the ground, with a height of approximately 2-3 meters and varying diameters of 3-6 meters. At this moment, Scholar Mikki sat inside a hut, clearly seeing its pillars, made of relatively thin logs, while the spaces between them were filled with branches, bamboo, and reeds. Further outward are layers serving as insulation, made of tree bark, sod, and soil. As for the hut’s roof, it’s equally light, composed of tree branches, covered thickly with long grasses and reeds.

"A very simple hut, easy to set up, with materials readily available!..."

Scholar Mikki looked up, closely observing the chimney above the hut, seemingly aligned with the hearth below. The entire house lacked windows, with only a closed reed door, requiring one to bow down to enter.

"This little hut is quite warm! And its low height protects against the wind... Maybe we’ll find it useful when we reach the far north land..."

"Ah ha ha! The Wik-ni is ready! Added some of Chieftain Tu Jing’s seasoning! Come, eat while it’s hot!..."

With these words, the cloak-clad Hunter Le Tian eagerly took down several skewers of roasted eel from the hearth, handing them to Exploration Captain Zuwaro, Scholar Mikki, and old Chieftain Tu Jing. Then, according to his appetite, he picked up his own, the largest skewer of roasted eel, and happily began eating.

"Sss! So fragrant! Wow! So fresh! Sss wow! Truly worthy of being roasted by me!..."

Indeed, what the Wiyot people call "Wik-ni" is a specialty of the Western Sea Coast, the delicious eel! Scholar Mikki, impatient, took a skewer as thick as his arm and bit down hard! Then, the rich aroma, savory juices, and slightly sweet taste all lingered in his mouth, his eyes glimmering.

"Chief Divine, how delicious! Mmm... truly delicious!"

Scholar Mikki took big bites, savoring the eel’s crisp skin and tender, tasty flesh. Happiness filled his eyes, and even Hunter Le Tian’s expression softened instantly.

"Praise Chief Divine! Your skill in roasting Wik-ni is truly blessed by Chief Divine!..."

Lake garden tribe’s Chieftain Tu Jing also paused his singing of the tribe’s epic, eating the delicious roasted eel. Despite being the chieftain, he had no significant power to use the tribe’s stored food. So he could only take out a bit of his family’s provisions to invite the fleet’s leaders. His "wind shelter hut" where he lived was only slightly larger than others’, without any special decorations.

In reality, the Wiyot people by the sea maintained a very ancient and loose tribal structure. The chieftain’s power was minimal and even retained many characteristics of a matriarchal clan, deciding family affiliations based on the mother’s heritage.

The lagoon plain they were in was bordered by mountains to the north, east, and south, with the sea to the west. Their daily life was generally fishing-based, supplemented by planting and gathering, with little mountain hunting. This isolated fishing lifestyle lacked external pressure and did not produce sufficient wealth to advance society further. Perhaps generations of fishing have led the Wiyot people to be both peaceful and patient, unlike the clans in the mountains, who are sharp, decisive, and volatile.

"The Heavenly Divine spreads across the world, giving all things spirituality! Just like the eel in our hands has a spirit too. We eat it to fill our bellies, yet also we are grateful for it; this is the natural cycle and gift..."

Old Chieftain Tu Jing rambled on, leisurely eating roasted eel, with a warm smile on his face. After a while, everyone finished a heap of eel, contently leaning against the hut’s inner wall, enjoying the warmth of the hearth, with expressions of comfort and relaxation.

"Tribes from across the sea! You carry the token of the southern shaman, trusted guests from afar. You arrive at this lakeside camp, at our lakeside people’s home, what is it you wish to do?..."

In the language of the Wiyot people, the meaning of "Wiyot" is "people," or "lake people."

"We, exchange, food!..."

Scholar Mikki stumbled, looking at the translation book, piecing together words. He kept gesturing, even drawing pictures on the hut’s dirt floor, sweating in urgency.

Chieftain Tu Jing remained unhurried, slowly observed the simple drawings on the ground, leisurely guessing the intent.

"Hmm? Friend, are you not full? Do you need more scallop soup? Oh! You’re sweating; I’ll make some herbal tea for you!..."

As he spoke, Chieftain Tu Jing took some American wild mint, added some dried wild strawberries, and simmered them together in a clay pot. He handed each person a wooden cup, poured hot, aromatic herbal tea, and demonstrated taking a sip.

"Come! Friends! A cup of hot herbal tea, bringing our bodies in harmony with the Heavenly Divine’s spirit..."

"Chief Divine, how troublesome is this language barrier..."

Scholar Mikki opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. The Wiyot people were so isolated; their language varied greatly from other tribes, with a very limited spread. Even the North Bay Tribe’s Miwock translator couldn’t communicate directly with them. The source of this content ɪs N0velFire.ɴet

"Whew! Let’s just drink the tea first. A cup of herbal tea... this tea is quite fragrant..."

A cup of hot tea downed, everyone became much more patient. Scholar Mikki gestured and drew persistently, finally making Chieftain Tu Jing understand his meaning.

"Oh! You want to exchange the tribe’s food? Hmm, this isn’t for me to decide; we need the elder grandfathers from each family to come and decide together!..."

"The exchange goods? Hmm? Beautiful stones! But they can’t be eaten, so can’t trade for food. Hmm, sharp axes and spears, but not useful for fishing. Big bows, sturdy leather armor? Seems like not much use..."

Chieftain Tu Jing sorted through the fleet’s goods until finally seeing the cloth, causing his eyes to light up.

"Thick cloth for warmth! This is good; each family will be happy to trade food for it!..."

Seeing this, Scholar Mikki finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chieftain Tu Jing didn’t want gemstones, nor bronze axes, copper spears, bows or leather armor! Indeed, the Wiyot people are a peaceful tribe, without desires for combat or conflict.

In later historical records, the peace of the Wiyot people persisted until around 1860, when Yankee expansion reached this distant corner of the world. Subsequently, a brutal massacre completely destroyed the lake garden tribe, leaving over ten thousand Wiyot endangered. Yankee’s Eureka city was built on the lake garden tribe’s grave. Ironically, over a hundred years later, to express remorse for the massacre of the Wiyot people, a monument was erected in the city to repent for the past atrocities...

All of future events were yet unknown and would certainly not repeat here. Next came the question from Exploration Captain Zuwaro. He gestured, drew pictures, repeatedly emphasized, stressing the fleet’s needs.

"Honorable Chieftain Tu Jing! Chief Divine bears witness! We intend to leave fifty people around the lake garden tribe, to find a piece of lakeside land, to establish a Kingdom’s port, a place to farm and build houses!..."

"Hmm? No rush, let’s take it slow, step by step with gestures... You? Fifty people? New tribe? Land? Farming? Fishing? Building houses?..."

After a good while, old Chieftain Tu Jing understood Zuwaro’s meaning. He smiled gently, gradually nodding. This request did not need discussion among the tribe’s elders.

"All things have spirits, and the earth belongs to each tribe."

Chieftain Tu Jing spoke with a smile, his voice warm and kindly, like an elderly relative. He extended a finger and drew a lagoon. Then, he drew a small circle indicating the lake garden tribe’s position. He continued to draw another small circle half a day’s distance south from the lake garden tribe, roughly 30 miles away. Along the lagoon, there was precisely a river flowing from the south upstream.

"Tribes from across the sea! You have ships to fish yourselves. You have cloth to exchange for some food and can find tribespeople to assist. This lakeside tall grassland, without villages, nor any large prey..."

"You can build huts here, fish here, plant some beans around the lake... and then these sturdy men of yours can marry the tribe’s women, and everyone will be family!..."