The October morning on the Tundra was cold and silent.

Weak sunlight struggled to pierce the thick cloud cover, casting a faint, hazy glow over the icy plains.

A biting wind howled past, sweeping flurries of snow into the distance.

Feng Mountain got up, stepped over Tom who was snoring on the floor, and tiptoed to the door when Maria’s voice sounded from behind him.

"Khilla, are you going out?"

"Yeah, I’m going to Kivalina to bring back some people for logging. Should I bring your grandmother over while I’m at it?" Feng Mountain turned around.

Maria looked hopeful for a moment, but then she shook her head. "There’s no room in the camp. We can’t impose on everyone. Let’s wait until the log cabins are built."

"Alright then. A lot of people might be coming for lunch, so have Jenny make some extra food." The girl’s maturity made Feng Mountain’s heart ache a little.

Maria nodded obediently.

Feng Mountain turned to open the door. Nash and Yves were already standing outside.

The three of them nodded to each other and left the camp, heading for the airstrip.

After pulling the waterproof tarps off the two planes, Feng Mountain and Yves inspected their condition.

Before they left, he instructed Nash to hunt a few more reindeer. With so many people coming for lunch, it would be embarrassing if their guests, who were coming to work, didn’t get enough to eat. He also told him to keep an eye on that crazy girl, Erica.

With everything arranged, the two planes took off, one after the other, and soared into the sky.

The P750 was faster, its speed of 300 kilometers per hour leaving the bush plane far behind. Feng Mountain had Yves fly ahead to Kivalina while he piloted the Carnation at a slower pace.

Receiving his orders, Yves pushed the P750’s throttle to full, and in an instant, the slow-moving Carnation was left so far behind its tail was out of sight.

Feng Mountain pursed his lips and patted the plane’s dashboard. "We’ll just take our time. No rush. Safety first."

Two hours passed.

Through the windshield, Feng Mountain saw a black dot in the distance flying rapidly toward him.

As they grew closer, he saw it was his own P750. Through the window, he could see it was filled with residents of Kivalina Town, who were waving at him.

Little Swan’s face was practically pressed against the glass, and he was making a funny face, as if mocking Feng Mountain for flying so slowly.

’What’s so funny!’

’I’m just being safe.’

Feng Mountain responded with a contemptuous finger gesture.

As the two planes passed each other, Yves’ voice came over the radio. He said he was carrying nine town residents and some tents and fuel on this trip, and that he’d have to make a few more runs. He would refuel in Kivalina on the last trip.

The thought of the 11.60 US Dollar per gallon price at the Kivalina airport soured his mood.

’Once the storage tanks arrive, I won’t let Kivalina earn a single cent from me.’

When the Carnation landed on the airstrip, Old Swan and several other town residents were waiting by the side, grinning as they guided the plane into its parking spot.

Feng Mountain jumped out of the cabin, and before he could speak, Old Swan spoke first. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Feng, I’ve got 40 men for you, all expert loggers. The fishing boat is ready too, we can leave whenever."

’Forty men?’

Feng Mountain pulled down his balaclava, a playful smile on his face. "Does Little Swan know how to log too?"

"Er..."

Old Swan’s smile froze. He scratched his head in embarrassment. "That kid’s never done this kind of work before. He’s just going to Crown Territory to have some fun."

’At least you’re honest.’

Feng Mountain rolled his eyes at him, then turned his gaze to the faces of the town residents waiting for the plane. They were mostly in their 40s and 50s. At their age, they might not find work in the city, but they were experts at hunting and manual labor.

"Thank you all. I’ve already sent someone to hunt reindeer. I guarantee you’ll all eat and drink your fill!"

The town residents, holding their logging tools, responded enthusiastically.

"Feng, don’t you worry. I worked as a logger at Kechiken Forest for 20 years. I even won an outstanding logger award."

"That’s right, there won’t be any problems."

"You’re our respected Sheriff, after all. Louise said you made quite a splash in Fairbanks."

"Alright, quiet down!" Old Swan quickly interrupted their chatter. They still had to go out fishing, and wasting time was like wasting whitefish. "Colin, you take them and wait for the plane. Feng and I are going fishing."

With that, he pulled Feng Mountain away from the airport amid the hubbub.

At the dock, the fishing boat was ready. Feng Mountain saw another boat nearby, and thinking of the Fire Seed’s urgent need for Soul Power, he immediately said,

"Let’s take that boat too. I have a feeling we’ll have a huge haul today."

"Really?" Old Swan’s eyes widened. Seeing Feng Mountain nod in confirmation, he hurried back toward the airport. When he returned, two Inuit men were following him.

"Feng says it’s going to be a huge haul today! Get on the boat and follow us closely."

Sent off by a crowd of the elderly, women, and children, the two fishing boats slowly sailed out of the lagoon and into the Ice Sea.

As the weather grew colder by the day, the floes on the sea surface gradually grew larger. In the distance, waves crashed against the ice, sending up tall splashes of water that instantly froze into crystals in the cold air.

The fishing boat nimbly weaved between the ice floes.

"Feng, ever since you came to Kivalina, the Spirit of All Things has begun to bless this forgotten land. We’ve already hunted five seals, and we’ve even seen Bowhead Whales several times," Old Swan shouted from the helm of the fishing boat.

Feng Mountain nodded.

’Those animals must have smelled the scent of the Breathing Technique and came to the waters of Kivalina from the open sea.’

"Remember, don’t hunt the whales."

"I know. No one hunts whales anymore." Old Swan steered the boat around an ice floe, gesturing to the boat behind them to watch out for submerged ice.

Half an hour later, they left the area of floating ice.

Arriving at the fishing spot, the two boats pulled alongside each other.

Feng Mountain grabbed a rope from each net, one in each hand. His expression was solemn as he muttered something in Mandarin that Old Swan couldn’t understand.

The few Inuit men on the boat didn’t dare make a sound. Even in modern society, they still believed in the existence of the Spirit of All Things, and there was a rumor in town that Feng Mountain was its emissary.

’Feng Mountain must be praying to the Spirit of All Things, reciting a Spell for a bountiful harvest.’

’A Spell?’

’I’m just reciting the Three Character Classic. If I don’t put on a bit of a show, how are you supposed to believe me?’

Catching Old Swan and the others’ pious expressions out of the corner of his eye, Feng Mountain stopped his recitation. If he kept going, they’d probably get on their knees.

He secretly cast his Breathing Technique onto the nets and released the ropes.

"You can cast the nets now!"

Old Swan and the other Inuit men quickly threw the nets into the Ice Sea, attaching marker buoys at the end.

Once the nets were cast, all that was left was to wait to haul them in.

With time to spare, the two boats separated and went back among the ice floes to see if they could hunt a seal.

Perhaps it really was the effect of the Breathing Technique.

Not long after entering the ice floes, they came across a Ringed Seal swimming toward the direction of the nets.

Old Swan raised his rifle and pulled the trigger.

After the gunshot, a blossom of blood appeared on the frigid sea surface, and the Ringed Seal dove into the icy water.

"Hit!" Old Swan grinned broadly, cutting the engine and letting the boat drift quietly on the waves, waiting for the injured Ringed Seal to surface.

A short while later, a dark gray animal floated to the surface not far away.

Old Swan quickly started the boat. His helper grabbed a gaff with a barbed hook, and once the boat was close, he thrust it into the water and pulled up the cold body of the Ringed Seal.

’Here it comes! Here it comes!!’

The scene Feng Mountain dreaded most had arrived.

The helper pulled out his Hunting Knife and sliced open the Ringed Seal’s belly. Since it had just been killed, steam was still rising from its stomach. With a swift cut, he pulled out a steaming, bloody liver, cut off a piece with his knife, and shoved it into his mouth, chewing heartily.

He offered the other half of the liver to Feng Mountain. As he grinned, his gums were stained with seal blood. The sight made Feng Mountain wave his hands in refusal. ’I really don’t have a taste for this. The Soul Power is enough for me.’

Seeing that Feng Mountain wouldn’t eat it, the helper passed it to Old Swan.

The piece of liver was the size of a fist. Old Swan didn’t bother using a knife; he tore into it with his teeth, swallowing it down in a few bites.

"Feng, take this seal back to Crown Territory. You can render a lot of seal oil from it."

"No need. You guys don’t have enough food, keep it for yourselves. We have reindeer in Crown Territory." Feng Mountain refused directly. After eating the musk ox stewed in seal oil that Maria had made last time, he had sworn never to touch any food related to seals again.

Old Swan revealed a mouth of bloody gums. "You’re a good man!"

After hunting the first Ringed Seal, they hunted another unlucky seal near a different ice floe.

This time, Old Swan called the second fishing boat back.

With the two boats side-by-side, the four Inuit men shared the seal’s liver right there. They also ate the layer of seal fat, three fingers thick—pure white blubber—slurping it down piece by piece without a care for the fishy taste.

But that was nothing.

The most shocking part was yet to come.

One of the other Inuit men cut out the seal’s eyeballs and passed one to each person. Old Swan took one and put it to his lips, sucking on it.

The sight sent several shivers down Feng Mountain’s spine.

’This isn’t just hardcore, it’s on another level. Even back in China, people only eat sheep eyes after they’re cooked.’

’Who just sucks them down raw like that?’

"Feng, want a taste? It’s a delicacy," Old Swan said politely, holding up the seal eyeball as he noticed Feng Mountain’s stare.

Feng Mountain quickly shook his head and refused.

’What kind of respectable person eats that?!’

The four Inuit men laughed happily, speaking in the Inuit language that Feng Mountain couldn’t understand.

’No wonder Louise said at the indigenous peoples’ conference that the Inuit have short lifespans, with only about 25% living past 60, and that they desperately need public healthcare. Eating raw meat and all sorts of weird favorite foods every day... it’d be a miracle if they didn’t have short lives.’

Feng Mountain shook his head helplessly.

After enjoying their feast of raw seal, the two boats separated and returned to the net markers.

As expected, the ropes on the marker buoys were tangled together.

Old Swan excitedly pulled up a marker buoy and began hauling the net onto the boat.

Soon, whitefish were thrashing in the net.

Cheers erupted from the second boat not far away, likely from the excitement of seeing their catch.

As the net was hauled in, the boat’s hold filled with whitefish. Old Swan and his helper were grinning from ear to ear, and Feng Mountain was too.

The Soul Power pattern appeared once again on the Witchcraft Bone Ring.

After hauling in the net, Feng Mountain had Old Swan call the other boat over.

The two boats pulled alongside each other, and the four Inuit men once again cut open the whitefish and began sharing the raw flesh.

After collecting the Soul Power from the second boat’s catch, the corners of Feng Mountain’s mouth curved upward.

’With this harvest, the range of the tribe’s Fire Seed can be expanded again, increasing the area of land its light covers.’

Laden with their catch, the two fishing boats slowly made their way back to Kivalina.

The town residents waiting at the dock saw the holds full of whitefish and cheered excitedly, raising their hands in the air. Children ran alongside the boats as they came in.

The boats docked, and the residents, carrying baskets, eagerly crowded around, cheering as they were handed large whitefish.

’Distributing the fish has nothing to do with me now.’

’There’s still a ton of stuff to do back at Crown Territory.’

Feng Mountain found Old Swan and told him he was heading back to Crown Territory.

Old Swan quickly handed over the task of distributing the fish to an Inuit elder, then shouldered a crate of whitefish and followed Feng Mountain to the airport.

The Inuit who were going to Crown Territory for logging were nowhere to be seen; Yves must have already picked them all up.

He found the airport manager and had the Carnation fully refueled.

Feng Mountain took Old Swan with him and flew the plane out of Kivalina.

...