At the beginning of October, the Kingdom's fleet set sail again from the Kingdom's North Port on the south bank of the Columbia River. By this time, the entire fleet had been reduced to two longships and a hundred men. While staying in Beigang, there are two long boats, a dozen canoes, a hundred warrior sailors, and more than a hundred tribal people. item

Before officially leaving, the exploration leader Zuvaro found an opportunity to carefully instruct the two preaching priests, Tushan and Tuhe. These two priests were born as commoners, more precisely, they were orphans of commoners raised by the kingdom. In the Kingdom of the Lake, there are quite a few orphans raised like this. And their only affiliation is the kingdom's priests, and the exploration fleet that obeys the divine revelation. In Zuwaro's heart, the trust in the two of them exceeds that of several other descendants of nobles.

"Bless the Lord God, remember what I said! The situation in this area of ​​the river mouth is very complicated, but there are also many opportunities... You have to grasp it with two hands, one hand is hard, and the other hand is soft. Sometimes it is hard, and sometimes it is soft. Some places are hard, some The place is soft... get it?"

"Understood, boss!"

"Ha! What do you understand?"

"The hard ones are weapons, and the soft ones are leather armor."

The sturdy Priest Tushan scratched his head and replied seriously.

"Witness of the Lord God! We use strong weapons to face the challenges of hostile tribes, and use soft leather armor to protect those tribes who are willing to surrender!" Xiang

"Yes, Not Bad!"

Exploration Captain Zuwaro pondered for a moment, then nodded. It seems that Tushan is more suitable for managing the military affairs of the settlement. Then, he looked at another priest.

"Tuhe, what do you think?"

"Uh... the soft one is the tongue, tell the tribal people in the camp. They are our brothers, they are protected by us, and they also have to believe in the main god... as for the hard one..."

The tall and thin Tuhe smiled and answered in a low voice.

"Marry with the women of the tribe...and if there is a thorn in the hunter, deal with it!...Boss, this is what you taught us..."

"Cough!..." item

Expedition Captain Zuwaro rubbed the center of his brows, his expression a little unnatural. He glanced at Mickey quickly, and said softly.

"Be careful! In this wild northern land, every believer of the Lord God is very precious... After I leave, you will be in charge of civil affairs, and Tushan will be in charge of military affairs. You should cooperate! Lord God bless you!"

"Understood, boss! God bless you!..."

Watched by the crowd on the shore, the two longships sailed into the waves of the Northland. Autumn in October is still bright, but the cold of winter has already left its traces. The leaves of the trees on the shore are withered and yellow, and the mountains have also turned a chilling yellow-brown. After traveling three hundred miles, the fleet came to an obvious bay. The people who settled on the inner side of the bay were the Chehalis.

The language of the Shalis belongs to the not widely distributed Salishan language family. It's a pity that no one in the fleet will and can't understand it. Therefore, when the fishing boats of the Xiali people approached and greeted each other, both parties looked blank. However, the knowledgeable Mickey still knew the names of their tribe through repeated gestures and introductions by the other party.

"Cháli? Xia Lali? Uh, pointing at the river, and pointing at yourself... This river is also called Xia Lali River, Xia River?...Then you are the Xiahe Department?..."

The well-informed Mickey guessed and roughly knew the name of this tribe. Next, is the skillful gift-giving link. He first sent a copper dagger and asked the fishermen to bring the fleet to the tribe. Then, he gave the tribal chief Xiahe a copper axe, and the other party gave back a piece of white reindeer hide. Yes, here, the North American caribou has been occasionally caught. And this also means that the white extreme north is getting closer! item

"Hey Yo Hey! Ah Ya Ya Hey!...The big river flows from a great lake far away, and the big lake is dug by a big ancestor whale...The body of the ancestor whale turns into a rushing Xia River; the skeleton of the ancestor whale turns into a wide river channel; The tears of the ancestral whales are the water of the Great Lake...and our ancestors came from the Great Lake...Where is the Great Lake? It is to the east and north, there are countless lakes and countless fish..."

Summer is the time of harvest and a time of celebration. The fleet stayed in the Xiahe Department for two days, added some smoked fish, venison and berries, and happened to meet the Fish Festival of the Xiali people. This is a very important tribal ceremony, and it is also an important festival to celebrate. Almost all the tribes with seven or eight hundred people are dispatched. The fleet was also invited to join the ceremony.

"The Xia River is rushing, and the souls of the ancestors protect the tribe, just in this flowing water! The salmon swim, the great spirit brings food, and also brings the vitality of the tribe!..."

Chief Xia He, wearing only a shawl and bare upper body, danced and sang vigorously by the river, his voice resounding like thunder. And the strongest hunters and fishermen of the whole tribe lined up by the river. Then, under the surprised eyes of the knowledgeable Mickey, the chief Xia He shouted something, and hundreds of young and strong men rushed into the river in one go!

"Come on! More fish will come in this fat autumn season, waiting for the warriors to catch!...Go! Strong boys, whoever catches the first fish of the festival will be the murloc of the tribe !..."

Chief Xia He smiled and watched the churning river. The young and strong of a hundred or so tribes are all bravely splashing in the big river, fishing with bare hands. The women, young and old of the tribe all stared wide-eyed at the naked men in the river.

The older woman laughed loudly and stretched out her fingers for comparison, while the young girl's face was flushed, and her eyes didn't blink for a moment. Because the fish sacrifice twice a year in spring and autumn can also be regarded as their coming-of-age ceremony... Item

The men show off their strong and agile bodies, and the skills of fishing and supporting their families, while the women keep their eyes open and pick and choose, looking for a desirable object. And if several women take a fancy to one at the same time, it's time for a man to choose.

"Well... this fishing and hunting tribe is very simple! There are no nobles or priests..."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro touched his chin, looked at this large-scale tribe, and pondered it carefully for a while. Afterwards, he watched with great interest a tribal hunter with excellent water skills, clinging tightly to a big fish with both hands, and swam over from the big river relying only on the strength of his two legs.

"Hey! Such good water skills! What a natural sailor!"

Zuvaro stared at this extremely agile hunter, quickly leaning towards the shore. And when he landed, he immediately held up the big fish in his hand. Then, boiling cheers sounded from the crowd of onlookers.

"Xwálq??! Svalaq! Svalaq! Fishing warrior! Tribal murloc!..."

The excited shout fell on the ears of everyone in the fleet. Although they couldn't understand it, it was obviously a very high praise. The hunter held the big fish high, triumphantly, and called out his name to the crowd. item

"The ancestral spirit blessed me! The most outstanding hunter of the tribe! The Murloc Xia Osprey!..."

In the tradition of the Xiali people, the warriors who win the fishing contest are called "murlocs". This is a very high honor title, and the benefits are immediate.

Soon, more than a dozen tribal girls with ponytails all rushed towards the victorious hunter Xia Osprey. They surrounded Xia Osprey and shouted loudly for comparison, asking each other to choose a wife. And the strong Xia Osprey took a look around, and chose a girl who was also strong and strong. And this is also the tradition of the northern tribes, who regard physical strength as a common aesthetic for men and women.

Soon, other young adults in the big river also returned with the fish they caught. The women of the tribe also ran towards them. As for the young and strong who finally caught fish, or those who only picked up some crabs and shrimps, they could only return in despair, and no women even went to see them. And if they want to change such unbearable treatment, they can only practice fishing skills and become more familiar with water before the next spring fish festival.

"The competition within the tribe...it turns out to be mainly fishing...It's really interesting!"

The leader of the exploration, Zuwaro, was full of interest and watched the whole fish sacrifice ceremony until it was getting dark. And the following content is not suitable for children, so it is not suitable to read it again.

"Zuvalo, what do you think of these Charisans?" Xiang

"The Lord God testifies! These people are natural sailors... strong and agile, and familiar with the situation in the Northland... just..."

"Just what?"

"It's just that we don't understand their language. From the way they relaxed and celebrated, there shouldn't be any hostile tribes around... If you want to spread the faith and recruit sailors, you still have to take your time!"

During the two days of repairing in the Xiahe Department, everyone also made gestures and inquired about the situation of the "Bay of Hundred Lakes". And hearing their inquiries, the tribal chief Xia An was obviously a little excited. He said a lot in one go, but unfortunately, few of them were really understood by the fleet... Finally, he drew a sketch on the mud floor, and the knowledgeable Mickey carefully recorded it. .

"Hundred Lakes...Great Lakes...Great Bay...Once the ancestral land...Northeast...There is a river..."

"Where are you going? Two roads... one is the river, go east, south, and then north... follow the river to find... but there are many tribes... fighting..."

"The other is the sea, going north, to the northernmost point...turning southeast, rowing all the way...there is a big bay...all lakes...a lot of catch...many tribes..." Item

Zuvaro and Mickey pondered for a long time before they understood what Chief Xiahe meant. They discussed it for a while, and finally decided to take the safe and easy sea route: first go north over the cape, then turn east by south. If you can't find it, go to the shore and ask the tribe.

The fleet continued to head north, and towering mountains appeared on the east coast. On the peaks of the mountains, there is white snow, and it looks like clouds in the sky. In later generations, this group of mountains has a very shocking name called "Sanctuary of the Greek Gods"... Oh no, it is "Olympic National Park". One of the most famous peaks is "Olympia West Peak".

Under the gaze of the "Mountain of the Gods", the fleet traveled northward for five hundred miles before arriving at a sharp cape. The continuous coast is interrupted here, forming a wide water surface to the southeast, which can also be seen as an extension of a long strait. In the northwest direction, it was a steep cliff that reappeared after being interrupted for dozens of miles.

"Witness of the Lord God! This is already between 48-49 degrees north latitude, near the edge of the extreme north... The coasts on both sides, one goes to the northwest and the other goes to the southeast... If His Majesty's prophecy is followed, it should be..."

The long boat stopped at the cape, and everyone watched the steep and turning coast, looked at the desolate gray-brown cape, and listened to the beautiful singing of the whales. In later generations, this cape and strait are famous whale watching places, and it is also a must pass for countless whales to and fro. Well, a great place to catch big fish too.

"Zuvaro! . . . "

The exploration captain Zuwaro was still thinking about the prophecy, but was suddenly interrupted by Mickey. When he raised his head, he saw his friend's ears pricked up, and his ears were listening attentively. item

"Zouvaro, listen! Listen carefully! Northeast? Is there any strange sound?"

"Well…"

Zuwaro rubbed his ears, and listened for a while, with a dazed look on his face.

"Mickey, I only hear whales calling. It seems to be in the northeast, and it seems to be in the north. Oh! There must be several whales!  …"

"No! No! The one in the north is a whale. Although the one in the northeast looks like a whale, it doesn't look like it's not a whale. It's strange..."

The knowledgeable Mickey frowned, and scratched his hair in distress. He thought for a while, and then called the cloaked hunter, Le Tian, ​​and asked him to listen carefully.

"Letian, you have good ears, listen carefully..." Xiang

"Eh? This is? This is!..."

The cloaked hunter Lotte had good ears, shaking like a bat. Afterwards, his complexion gradually changed, becoming serious ~lightnovelpub.net~ and even showing a little fear.

"Letian, what did you hear?"

"Ancestral spirit! I heard the cry of a whale, and a strange cry that resembles a whale, but is not a whale! The cry is very rhythmic, and it keeps looping... This... this must be the Ice Banshee!"

Speaking of this, Le Tian, ​​the cloaked hunter, showed panic and spun around on the deck uneasily.

"Ah! The myth of the tribe, the whale singing in the far north!...The legendary ice and snow banshee! The man-eating sea monster!..."

"Uh..." item

The knowledgeable Mickey was speechless, looking at the always daring cloaked hunter, and fell into the fear of the myth. He shook his head and looked at Zuvaro.

"Zouaro, did you really not hear anything?"

"The lord **** bears witness! The sound of a whale floating so far away can only be heard by a dog's ears, right?...Well, I'm not scolding you..."

Exploration Captain Zuvaro grinned and shook his head. Afterwards, he rubbed his chin, glanced at the warriors on the ship in armor and holding spears, thought for a while, and made a decision.

"Mickey, let's lean over and have a look!"

"Ancestral spirit, don't go! The voice has changed! It has changed!"

Seeing Zuvaro's movements, the cloaked hunter Le Tian hurriedly called out. With a heavy heart, he listened with his ears sideways, all kinds of tribal legends were churning in his mind, and his face was constantly turning pale. item

"Listen! Screaming! The whale is screaming!... The banshee's voice is gone, only the whale's voice is left... This is the banshee's hunt!..."

"Huh?...The voice has indeed changed!...It seems to be..."

The knowledgeable Mickey pondered for a while, then pulled his hair vigorously. Afterwards, he looked at Le Tian helplessly, and said to Zuvaro.

"Zuvalo, wave the command flag! The movement is ahead of us, near the northeast coast. Let's go and have a look!...Let's go! The Lord God bless us!"

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