Chapter 1339: Chapter 1339

The October autumn night carried a chill, and the wind in the Northern Land also had a hint of moisture. The rainy season was on the brink, and the flocks of wild geese had already migrated. The sky was vast, the sea roared, the night descended earlier, and the galaxy was clearer.

As night deepened, the two expedition leaders sat cross-legged by the fireplace, silently watching the flickering campfire, as if trying to discern some sign of fate.

Old Hunter Whale smiled, drank a cup of herbal tea, and went to the smoked meat area of the fishing village. Before resting, he had to carefully check the processing and storage of whale meat and arrange for hunters to stand guard throughout the night. After all, this was the food supply for the entire tribal village for a full month or two!

"Miki, what do you think?"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro sipped his tea, watched the old hunter walk away, and then softly asked.

"What he said, is it true?"

"With the Chief Divine as my witness! Zuwaro, he has no reason to deceive us. As a whaling hunter who has been at sea for many years, these tales from afar should be his personal experiences, not hearsay..."

Scholar Mikki touched his chin, pondered slightly, and made a judgement.

"So, the vast bay in Your Majesty’s prophecy might not be a suitable settlement for the fleet at present!..." Updates are released by novel-fire.ɴet

"Hmm. We thought the same."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro nodded, his face calm. His gaze flickered before he spoke softly.

"Miki, don’t you think this whaling tribe is very fit to be the sailors of the fleet?..."

"Uh... ah? Zuwaro, what do you intend to do?"

Upon hearing this, Scholar Mikki was taken aback. He stared at his friend’s face and spoke in a deep voice.

"With the Chief Divine as my witness! The further north we go, the more dangerous the waves. The fleet’s sailors must go aboard willingly to be reliable!..."

"Haha! We think the same..."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro chuckled awkwardly, then his expression became solemn.

"With the Chief Divine’s blessing! Miki, I plan to establish another port for the Kingdom here, to create a new settlement!"

Upon hearing this, Scholar Mikki was taken aback for a moment, calculated for a moment, and nodded slightly.

"Yes! This place is about 800 miles from North Port... It’s time to build another supply port! However, this is the territory of the Whale Tribe, we must first seek the tribe’s consent... It would be best to establish a blood oath alliance with them!..."

"Hmm. We think alike... I plan to leave a ship here, with fifty men. I will let my cousin Priest Zuyu oversee this place!"

"First Level Preaching Priest Zuyu? Alright, he is indeed quite reliable. Let it be him!"

During the entire northern journey of the exploration fleet, the origins of the priests aboard varied greatly. Some were from the Old Nobles of the Kingdom, some were from the Kingdom’s commoners, some were orphans adopted by the Divine Revelation Place, and some managed to join through familial connections. In the view of the entire priestly class of the Kingdom, participating in the exploration fleet was a highly risky yet high opportunity pathway open to all! This path might not appeal to the nobility priests with better backgrounds, but for others, it was exceptionally precious...

And at this moment, only Xiuluo and those involved in the exploration knew: On this vast North-South Continent, how many unenlightened tribes awaited conversion, how much undeveloped land and minerals, and how many unknown possibilities and opportunities awaited!...

The flickering campfire reflected upon human hearts. Scholar Mikki pondered for a moment, suddenly noting Zuwaro’s previous words.

"Zuwaro, you just mentioned leaving a ship?... Does that mean we will continue our sea voyage from this cape?... Where are we heading? The Great Island in the northwest, or the vast bay to the east?"

"With the Chief Divine as my witness! We go to the vast bay!"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro’s expression was solemn as he made his decision.

"No matter what, we must take a look! To see the place in Your Majesty’s prophecy!... Even if, we leave immediately after..."

"Alright! May the Chief Divine bless us!"

The two longships stayed for three days in the Makkan’s Whale Tribe. During these three days, Scholar Mikki and Old Hunter Whale Hai established a preliminary mutual trust. Mikki, with an open expression, explained to the old hunter the purpose of the fleet while making gestures.

"...The Chief Divine guides us, bestowing the prophecy of Divine Revelation!... We will continue northwest, to the cold Far North land, seeking the new continent in the prophecy, along with new plants, animals, and tribes... to completely transform the entire world!..."

"Far North land... Distant northwest... Storms, surges, and snow..."

Old Hunter Whale Hai gazed at Mikki’s demeanor, pondered for a while, and then softly sighed.

"Brave longship shaman! The prophecy of your prophet... is definitely not an easy path! May the Ancestor Spirit bless you!... As for your other requests..."

Upon this, Old Hunter Whale Hai showed a gentle smile.

"Our tribe’s land is vast and shared together, enough to accommodate fifty strong men! Your longship is also large enough to serve as the lead ship and whale hunt with us! And this vast sea and land is big enough to accommodate both us and you, to accommodate two allied and mutually supportive tribes, and even in the future become a single..."

"So, I can swear an oath of alliance with you! Right in front of the tribe’s totem pole, to swear with our ancestors in mind! However, what you mentioned about offering to the totem Chief Divine, we need to really see it to believe!"

"Alright! The great Chief Divine spreads the light! He will bring crops that can grow here, along with durable weapons and tools, and also cotton fabrics and firestones to keep the whole tribe warm..."

Scholar Mikki nodded gravely, promising.

"The Chief Divine will bring you change, all good changes! And witnessing all this, your change in faith will be sincere!"

"Hmm... I will watch closely and wait patiently..."

Two days later, the sacred alliance ceremony was held in the Whale Tribe’s village, Scholar Mikki represented the Kingdom, and Old Hunter Whale Hai represented the Whale Tribe. The two swore an oath with blood, drank blood wine, ate raw whale meat, and pledged to be brothers. Thereafter, the exploration fleet set up a new Kingdom settlement, Whale Harbor, on the edge of the Whale Tribe’s village. The other longship in the fleet was left behind; the crew built shacks and cellars to store whale meat, participating in the Makkans’ whaling activities...

From then on, the vast exploration fleet was reduced to a single lonely flagship. It carried fifty people, along the towering coast, heading southeast to the vast bay.

The stretching snow-capped mountains appeared once more to the south of the longship. And rivers flowing from the mountains merged along the coast, one after another. The longship veered southeastward, sailed calmly through the strait for about four hundred miles, then once again saw the opening of a sea bay more than ten miles wide. Sailing into this wide opening towards the south, an endless vast sea bay abruptly appeared before everyone!

"Oh Chief Divine! This truly is... this is truly!... The prophecy of Your Majesty has been fulfilled once again!"

Although everyone anticipated it, seeing this prophesized vast bay with their own eyes still invoked an indescribable awe in all their hearts!

This expansive Seattle Bay was even larger and longer than Golden Bay! It stretched four to five hundred miles, invisible in both north and south, while it branched out in numerous tributaries from east to west, resembling an endlessly winding blue serpent. Countless big and small lakes shimmered like the sparkling scales on the serpent’s body, or like the tear of the Goddess of Life, infusing the land with life!

"The orange-yellow sky, the shimmering lake surface. The clear bay, the dense pine forest. The verdant woods, the white distant mountains. And... the faintly visible tribal camps and smoke clouds!"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro squinted, his expression turned wary. Now was the supper time, and several smoke trails rose from three sides of the longship. Such tribal density was almost rarely seen along their journey.

"Go! Head for the nearest smoke! Stay alert!..."

Soon, the longship approached a village of the local tribes. Scholar Mikki shifted his gaze, paused slightly at the village’s central wooden longhouse, and looked towards several just-harvested pumpkin fields. He pondered briefly and drew a conclusion.

"Zuwaro, this tribe must have at least a thousand people!... It seems that there are many tribes here, just like we saw at Golden Bay!"

"Is that so... a tribe with at least a thousand people, as many as there were at Golden Bay! But..."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro looked towards the village with its flickering figures, watched the densely packed shacks, and couldn’t help but express his feelings.

"Oh Chief Divine! When we were at Golden Bay, we had ten longships, over five hundred samurai and sailors, capable of directly defeating any tribe! But now, we only have one ship, fifty people... Such strength is vastly different than before...!"