"Ahem! Witness the Lord God! Cedar Shaman promised to provide our entire fleet of more than five hundred people with food for five months. In this way, plus one month's inventory of the camp, we can also hunt some seals along the coast. The fur seals are enough to last half the year. And even if there is not enough food harvested in the fields in October, we will still have a food surplus of two to three months..."
Mickey the Knowledgeable pointed to the long ship carrying food and explained softly.
"This is the food for the first ship, and there will be many more to come! ...In exchange, we gave the Beiwan Department eighty bronze spears, forty bronze axes, ten longbows, ten pairs of leather armors, and There is a pair of bronze cloth-faced armor on loan... Every time a batch of food arrives, a batch of equipment is delivered, and finally the cloth-faced armor is given.”
"Well, this exchange ratio... okay! It's quite reasonable."
Hearing this, exploration captain Zuvalo nodded slightly. The further north you go, the colder the weather, the less surplus food each tribe has, and the higher the value of the food. This time heading north, the fleet carried many bronze weapons, but actually encountered few battles. The fleet still has a lot of surplus weapons. Even if they take out these, they will still be enough for the kingdom's warriors to have two spare weapons. but…
"Mickey, you also promised a bronze cloth mask?..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo frowned and asked in a deep voice.
"How did that Cedar Shaman know that the fleet had cloth face armor? Did you let it slip?"
"Uh...cough!...Cedar Shaman didn't think about fighting. He just wanted to borrow a pair of kingdom armor and study it carefully...and he will return it after he studies it and understands it. I think, let him know the kingdom's true power, It can also improve the status of the entire fleet in the hearts of the Miwok people!"
The knowledgeable Mickey’s eyes flickered, and he felt a little guilty for no reason. In front of a real old fox, it is difficult for him to hide his words and refuse the other party's conditions. Thinking of this, he touched his nose and his voice became lower.
"In addition, the Cedar Shaman will send dozens of tribesmen to help us farm. We can command them to compost, grind bone fertilizer, pull weeds, plow the ground... Anyway, they can do all the complicated farm work. If there are dozens of people If it's not enough, they can help us recruit more people. And after our autumn harvest, they are also willing to exchange the harvested potatoes and sweet potatoes with us for three times the weight of grain and meat! In this way, even if there is not much food in the autumn harvest, Don’t worry about food either…”
"What? Send tribesmen to help us with farm work? Triple the amount of food in exchange for potatoes and sweet potatoes?"
Exploration captain Zuvalo was stunned for a moment, thought for a moment, and then jumped to his feet to react.
"Lord God! Mickey, have you handed over all the kingdom's agricultural technology and new crops that are cold and drought-resistant to the North Bay Department?"
"Ahem!... Zuvalo, don't worry, this is about everyone getting what they need, and it's good for everyone!..."
Mikey, the knowledgeable man, pulled his hair and explained carefully.
"Cedar Shaman will not only send people over to help us with farm work, but also recruit Miwok tribesmen scattered in the surrounding mountains and forests to join our camp. With his prestige, he can make our settlement complete in a short period of time. Expand! And the food we lack can only be provided by the powerful North Bay with enough surplus..."
"What's more, before departure, His Majesty also asked us to spread better agricultural technology and crops to the vast Northland! The North Bay can produce more food, which is also a great thing for us. ! After all, they are already our allies. The more food they have, the more they can trade to us..."
"Okay!... Your Majesty's request... Merciful Majesty!..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo was speechless for a moment and could only nod in agreement. But soon, he reacted.
"What did you say? Ally? You and the shaman chief Cedar of the North Bay Department formed a blood-based alliance?"
"Yes! Before I left, I swore a blood oath with the Beiwan Department and officially formed an alliance!"
Mickey the Knowledgeable nodded, his expression becoming serious.
"However, the one who formed an alliance with me is not the Cedar Shaman, but..."
As he spoke, Mickey the Knowledgeable pointed his hand towards the proud cloak hunter Lotte not far away.
"It's him! He is the representative of the North Bay Tribe and the best hunter in the tribe!"
"Huh? Just him? The best hunter?"
Exploration captain Zuvalo narrowed his eyes, glanced at the cloaked hunter who was carrying a kingdom longbow and a copper ax, and asked in a deep voice.
"The gifts you brought to Chief Cedar were all transferred to him?"
"Yes! Cedar Shaman actually has no interest in fighting and killing. He is a peaceful and wise old fox who pursues knowledge..."
Mickey the Knowledgeable smiled and answered affirmatively.
"I can feel that he wants to change the tribes in the North and leave something behind. And our arrival has given him a wooden door and an opportunity to change! ... His enthusiasm for learning the knowledge of the kingdom even requires him to More than most of the kingdom’s priests…”
"However, his attitude towards the gods, even the gods of Miwok, is indescribably indifferent. He seems to be a little dissatisfied with the oath witnessed by the gods... It is probably some kind of intention to let Lotte come forward. Considerations of inheritance within the tribe.”
"Oh, Zuvalo, I'm going too far! Witness the Lord God! Lotte is an excellent cloak hunter and a popular candidate to be the next chief. The oath of alliance between Lotte and I was witnessed by the entire Beiwan tribe! So, This covenant is real and effective!…By the way, the succession of chiefs of these northern tribes is overwhelmingly recommended by tribal elders and hunters, which is the ancient tribal electoral system…just like the oldest epic in the kingdom.”
】
"That's it! The inheritance and changes of the northern tribes?...Learning knowledge and not worshiping gods?...A covenant with chief candidates?...Tribal election system?"
Exploration captain Zuvalo touched his chin and pondered carefully for a while. He vaguely had a deeper understanding of this cedar shaman in the North Bay. There are also some speculations about the internal political formation of the northern tribes.
"Okay! In the North, where the kingdom has no power, one more ally is better than one more enemy. No matter what this ally is planning... when the kingdom takes root in the North, it will be able to support thousands of warriors …Then, no matter how far their strength develops, they can only become loyal allies and vassals of the kingdom!”
Exploration Captain Zuvalo's eyes flashed as he considered the kingdom's long-term future. And he has never had any doubt about the brightness and vastness of the future!
"As long as His Majesty leads us! As long as the sun does not set, the light of the Lord God will surely shine on the north! ... And we will definitely see it on this day, as long as we survive the exploration! ..."
Zuvalo murmured to himself, prayed silently for a moment, and then returned to the main topic of exploration.
"Mickey, what other agreement did you reach with Chief Cedar? Did he tell you information about the North? That another great bay predicted by His Majesty is three thousand miles away in the north?"
"Yes! Witness the Lord God! Cedar Shaman has traveled to the north and knows about that large bay. He was very interested in His Majesty's prophecy and asked over and over... There is a coastal plain around that large bay. It is indeed like As predicted, it is the last place suitable for planting in the Far North, although the harvest is very small... Therefore, there are also several large tribes with thousands of people there. One of them, called the Duwamish tribe (Duwamish), along the Duwamish Shihe...and further north, there are small tribes of hundreds, or even one or two hundred people, migrating everywhere in pursuit of prey..."
"Oh, by the way! In the local Puke Salish language, Duwamish means 'a rocky river'. Therefore, it can also be called the 'Rock River Department' on the rocky river! Cedar Sa Manchu once rescued several hunters from the Yanhe tribe, and this tribe also knew his reputation. As long as we find the Yanhe tribe with the inherited token of their line of shamans, the other party will treat us as friends and teach us how to use it. The way to survive in the Northland..."
Mickey the Knowledgeable looked excited, and took out the wood carving of flying birds given by Cedar Shaman, and touched the mysterious and strange patterns on it. This flying bird has red eyes and blue wings. The painting and carving are very simple, and it also has some green lines that look like water waves and branches. This woodcut seems to be many years, even hundreds of years old, and it has a mysterious, strange and indescribable feeling. Once you have seen this woodcut, it will indeed be hard to forget!
"Ah! The prophesied great northern bay!...Iwakawa tribe? The way to survive in the far north?"
Exploration captain Zuvalo clenched his fists and his eyes flashed with joy. He restrained his strong desire to explore and asked in a deep voice.
"Mickey! You haven't said it yet! What price did you promise in the end?!"
"Ah...uh..."
Mikey, the knowledgeable man, tugged his hair, lowered his head, and answered softly.
"I...I promised to teach the characters of the Beiwan Kingdom and teach them the Ali Sutra of the Lord God."
"Teaching the text and the Ali Sutra are all spreading the faith of the Lord God! This is what the kingdom has been doing, and it is also one of the tasks that His Majesty attaches most importance to... This cannot be regarded as a cost, but as a gain!"
Exploration captain Zuvalo narrowed his eyes, stared at Mickey who lowered his head, and asked seriously.
"Witness the Lord God! What else did you promise? Did you hand over the bronze formula?"
"Uh! No! I didn't!"
Hearing this, Mickey the Knowledgeable shook his head violently.
"Cedar Shaman did mention this. He said that the Paiute and Shoshone people in the Eastern Mountains were able to produce a small amount of copperware. But their copperware was red, soft, and even inferior to stone tools. Very useful…”
"I also told him that it was because copper had to be mixed with another metal to become solid bronze. But I didn't see this metal in the ministries in the North!"
"Although Cedar Shaman didn't believe it, he didn't ask me about the bronze..."
"The Lord God witnesses! Then what else did you promise? Tell the truth!"
"Uh...okay!"
In front of the bay, a long wind blew, and the long boat rocked gently. Mickey the Knowledgeable looked at the long ship that had sailed thousands of miles, looking at the signs of damage and repairs on it, and sighed softly.
"Witness the Lord God! I promised the Cedar Shaman... to provide strong wood from the North Bay Department and allow the Miwok craftsmen and hunters to participate in the repair of the exploration longship!"
