Chapter 1327: Chapter 1327

"The sun and the moon are two twin Ancestor Spirits, possessing the great spirit of spirituality. The sun is the day and summer, the dry and warm land Ancestor Spirit. The moon is the night and winter, the rainy and cold underwater Ancestor Spirit... They chase from the land rising and falling into the sea, making summer days long and winter nights also long..."

In the round-domed huts of the Kus people, fleet leaders sit around the hearth, eating stewed salmon soup while listening to village elder Wokey singing the myths and epics of the Kus Tribe. Although everyone could not understand Elder Wokey’s chanting due to the language barrier, these old and poignant epics, with their deep and hoarse narration, carried a strangely reassuring feeling.

Salmon have a tradition of upstream migration to spawn, and are the fish most caught by these river and sea-dwelling fishermen. On a night that has grown somewhat cold, drinking a bowl of hot trout soup and roasting some easily picked scallops and crabs makes one feel comfortable. The only drawback is that these foods aren’t very high in energy. Other than a few beans as vegetables, there aren’t any filling grains.

"The Kus tribes, at least in this bay, primarily rely on fishing and hunting."

Miki the Sage observes the situation in the hut by the light of the bonfire. This kind of Kus person’s hut resembles those of the Wiyot people: round-domed and upside-down like clay bowls. But the Kus people’s huts are noticeably smaller, one must bend to stand straight inside, and the materials are lighter while the walls are thicker.

The reference to lightness means there are fewer wooden frames and more built with branches. A gentle sniff reveals a scent of cedar wood, with faint eucalyptus notes. The thickness of the walls refers to large amounts of packed reeds, grass, and pine needles, topped with a thick layer of clay.

"Low huts, thick walls... The wind must be strong and cold during winter. The lightweight materials should be to conveniently follow fish and prey, migrating when necessary..."

Miki the Sage’s eyes flash as he carefully surveys the surroundings, seeing no tools or bowls for grinding corn or stored pumpkins. Instead, he sees dried berries, rabbit jerky, and hanging smoked fish. In a corner of the hut, there are dense grass baskets, deer skin rugs, small bone ornaments, and a woven grass fishing net. He touches his chin, gaining a clearer understanding of the Kus people’s living conditions.

"Hmm... The climate here is no longer suitable for corn and pumpkins. Other than simply planting beans, the Kus people are almost a nomadic tribe. Fishing, hunting, and gathering, food sources are very unstable, unable to support many people... No wonder this tribe only has a hundred or so people! I’m afraid all the tribes around here are of this scale, quite dispersed..."

With that thought, Miki the Sage ponders for a moment before looking at Hunter Tuowu.

"Tuowu, can you use the Northern Land’s method of communication to gesture and ask him where there are large tribal villages around here?..."

The short night passes with difficult communication, and dawn arrives with broad daylight. As soon as the sky is bright, everyone wakes up in the huts, and the Kus people in the village have already started bustling around, preparing for the fishing in Kusi Bay.

Yes, this excellent harbor later came to be named after the Kus people, called Coos Bay. However, in the harsh waves of colonialism, the Kus people lost almost all their tribes, land, and language, leaving only a few place names to prove they once existed.

Five longships are docked in the vast expanse of Kusi Bay, with many Kus fishermen curiously peering at them. They are eager to know how large a tree was used to build such big longships and how many fish it can hold at once.

Initially, when encountered, the Kus fishermen were instinctually cautious about the fleet they’d never seen before. But when Exploration Captain Zuwaro gifted some practical warm cotton cloth, the Kus people showed a gentle and friendly nature, even returning a few picked emperor crabs. Hmm, the emperor crabs have little meat, hard shells, and can cut fishing nets, making them the least favored catch by Kus people. With no natural enemies in this coastal area, they are plentiful and worthless.

"Zuwaro, this bay extends for four or fifty miles. Three long rivers converge from the north, east, and south... Upstream six or seventy miles from the southern Long River is a wind-shielded river valley. There’s the only Kus tribe with a thousand-strong Great Tribe, the Valley Tribe."

Miki the Sage stands at the bay’s edge, surveying the green hills and plains and gazing at the distant northeast’s brown mountain range. This is a conveniently accessible natural port with vast expanses of riverbank fertile land ready for cultivation. Although the climate is cold and windy, just bring the potatoes...

"Chief Divine blesses! We can develop this bay without going south and contending with the Kus for that warm inland river valley. The Kus Great Tribe’s attitude isn’t yet known. Yet here, most Kus fishermen are friendly..."

"Praise the Chief Divine! Then we shall settle here!"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro nods, extending his hand towards the southern bay where the rivers converge, smiling and says.

"Here! There is a bay, a river, and a freshwater small lake—we’ll set up a new harbor here. Hmm, its name... Elder Wokey said they are people of the South, having migrated from the North to the South... Then the port of this bay shall be called... South Port!"

Upon hearing this, Miki the Sage’s eye twitches, rubbing his brow, keenly aware that with Zuwaro’s naming style, there will surely be a "North Port" as well. He was about to speak but saw Zuwaro smiling and whispering instructions to First Level Preaching Priest Keshu, who showed an expression both delighted and slightly hesitant.

"Chief Divine! Me, to manage the port?! Uh, to deal with Kus women..."

"Ahem! We shall leave fifty people and a longship here to build the Kingdom’s South Port."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro’s expression sharpens, sternly instructing.

"Keshu! You must strive for the Kingdom! Winter is approaching, farming must wait until next year. You must venture out for fishing, store the dried catches. You must imitate the Kus style, build enough small huts. You must also cut enough wood to stockpile at the camp..."

"Witnessed by Chief Divine! Your tasks are numerous, you must seize the time! Of course, you must also find flexible ways to get ’help’ from surrounding Kus people for preaching. They are friendly and their tribes are scattered, possibly migrating in the winter, try to ’keep’ them here... Keshu Priest, do you understand?"

"Yes! I... I understand."

Keshu Priest purses his lips, nodding heavily. His name is abbreviated from Cocoa Tree, symbolizing his noble lineage.

"Chief Divine blesses! The Kingdom will surely establish firm roots in this harbor!"

"Good! Excellent! As a Kingdom Priest, you should have such determination!"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro nods with satisfaction. He glances at the puzzled Miki the Sage and quietly reminds.

"Remember! If there’s corn, make it into cakes somehow, eat them! I’ve left good-looking cloth, intoxicating alcohol, and some herbs for you... So when the Kus people have to acknowledge you as relatives—be flexible, flexible, you must be flexible! Understood?"

Keshu Priest lowers his gaze, nodding gently, promising.

"When you return, the South Port’s population will surely double..."

"Bolder! Double twice! One can have two!..." Thıs content belongs to novel·fire.net

Exploration Captain Zuwaro speaks steadily, seemingly conveying serious affairs. Then, he gazes at Miki the Sage approaching, with suspicion on his face, and smiles as he speaks.

"Miki! We’ll stay here for a few days, help build some huts and continue north! It’s said not far north is another tribe worshipping the sun?..."

Upon hearing this, Miki the Sage raises his eyebrows, realizing his attention has indeed been shifted. Nodding, he gazes northward, affirmatively responding.

"Zuwaro, I asked around! Heading further north, after walking three days on land, about a hundred and sixty miles, there is a group of Sun-worshipping Tribes, the Siuslaw people!"...