Hmm?

’How did I end up standing by the fire?’

Feng Shan, waking from the ancestral dream, was stunned to find himself standing by a fire. He looked around and saw not only the fire, but also that he was surrounded by kneeling Inupiats.

"Mayor Robert, I’m sorry. Did I do something offensive?"

Feng Shan had an apologetic look on his face. He scratched his head, his mind a complete blank, with no memory of the dreamlike scene that had just occurred.

Seeing everyone on their knees, he assumed his unintentional actions had disrupted their ceremony.

"No, no, Spirit of All Things, it is our mistake! Please forgive your believers," Mayor Robert said, his voice hurried and devout as he knelt on the ground.

His forehead was still pressed firmly to the ground, his body trembling slightly as if in the presence of an incredibly sacred being.

The other Inupiats also remained in their prostrated positions, none daring to stand. Their hearts were filled with the same reverence and trepidation.

In their minds, they replayed the miraculous scene of whales flying out of the bonfire.

They were convinced it was a display of the Spirit of All Things’ divine power.

’Those must have been the whales killed by the tribe over the years. The Spirit of All Things used Feng Shan to release their souls.’

Feng Shan was speechless. The situation was baffling, and he had no idea what had happened.

He turned his head and looked at Bruce, the only other person still standing.

"Buddy, what’s going on?"

Bruce looked just as shocked and confused, unsure how to explain.

He scratched his head, his gaze darting back and forth between Feng Shan and the kneeling Inupiats.

"I... I’m not really sure either."

"Just now, it was like you were possessed or something. You walked into the circle of fire and started dancing. Then sparks shot out from the flames, forming into whales that flew into the sky. After that, they all knelt and started calling you the Spirit of All Things."

As Bruce spoke, he pointed at the Inupiats who were still kneeling reverently.

"Oh, right, I have a video of it."

What?!

’Possessed?’

Feng Shan blinked. ’How can I have no memory of this at all?’

He subconsciously directed his consciousness toward the Witchcraft Bone Ring. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Within his perception, he discovered that besides the red Soul Power that was always flowing slowly inside the Witchcraft Artifact, a peculiar speck of golden light had appeared.

This speck of golden light was clearly distinct from the red Soul Power, and the two did not mix.

A strong sense of curiosity and doubt welled up in Feng Shan’s heart. ’What is this golden light?’

He carefully moved his consciousness closer to the golden speck.

The next moment, his mind filled with the sounds of people praying to the Spirit of All Things, both men and women.

’This is faith.’

The faith of the Inupiats from the Kaktovik Tribe in the Spirit of All Things.

According to the tribe’s traditional beliefs, the tribal Fire Seed held a unique and profound meaning, representing important missions like guardianship, propagation, proliferation, and inheritance.

Faith, on the other hand, symbolized purification, blessing, and hope. Furthermore, the tribal Fire Seed was a vessel for that faith, and the two were so closely intertwined as to be one and the same.

However, unlike the relatively eternal tribal Fire Seed, faith was somewhat fragile and would gradually dissipate.

In just that brief moment, Feng Shan had already noticed the golden speck of light in the Witchcraft Artifact was steadily disappearing, which seemed to mean that some element related to faith was slowly fading away.

Seeing the change in the Witchcraft Artifact, a realization dawned on Feng Shan.

He seemed to understand the origin of this faith. It was a power born from the Kaktovik Tribe’s deep attachment to their ancestral land and their devout reverence for the Spirit of All Things.

It had guided him to Kaktovik through some unseen force.

This faith, however, had been formed gradually over long ages through the Kaktovik Tribe’s relationship with this land and the natural world around them.

At this moment, Feng Shan realized his task was to do everything he could to hold on to this dissipating faith.

"Mayor Robert, I need you to do something."

Mayor Robert, still kneeling on the ground, immediately raised his head. His eyes were filled with reverence, as if he would carry out any of Feng Shan’s commands without hesitation.

Feng Shan walked over to the half-butchered whale carcass.

He placed his hand on the whale’s head, channeling the speck of golden light from his Witchcraft Bone Ring into it, then turned back to look at Mayor Robert.

"From now on, Kaktovik shall be the Land of the Falling Whale. This whale’s corpse will be your tribe’s totem of faith."

Before his words had even faded.

A fierce wind suddenly swept across the calm surface of the sea.

The gale seemed to have been summoned from the depths of the ocean, howling as it rushed ashore.

The wind churned the sea, raising enormous waves that crashed against each other with a deafening roar.

All the members of the Kaktovik Tribe, including Mayor Robert and even the young tribespeople working far away, simultaneously heard the long, ethereal calls of whales in their ears.

The calls seemed to transcend the limits of space, echoing directly in their minds.

For the Inupiats of the Kaktovik Tribe, this sound carried an ancient summons, stirring them deeply.

In that instant, their hearts swelled with a powerful longing for their ancestral land, a reverence for their tribal traditions, and awe for the Spirit of All Things.

The young tribe members far from home stopped what they were doing, their eyes growing distant. It was as if the sound had transported them back to the shores of their homeland, where they could see countless whales swimming in the sea.

"Yes!" Mayor Robert knelt again, pressing his forehead to the ground.

Feng Shan knew his task was complete.

He quietly led Bruce away from the beach.

The sea wind howled.

After some time, Mayor Robert slowly raised his head.

His eyes were still filled with a mixture of shock and bewilderment. Everything that had just happened felt like a waking dream.

He looked thoughtfully in the direction Feng Shan and Bruce had gone.

Then, his gaze shifted to the corpse of the Bowhead Whale. The spot Feng Shan had touched now seemed to hold a new hope within it.

The other members of the Kaktovik Tribe looked up one by one.

Suddenly, someone shouted.

"Look, the whale pods are back!"

At this cry, everyone’s gaze shot in unison toward the churning surface of the sea.

Amidst the surging waves, enormous dark shapes gradually appeared. Some whales even breached, crashing back down onto the surface of the water.

As they drew closer, the familiar silhouettes of the whales became clearer.

They swam through the water, their movements both elegant and powerful, their spouts of water glistening in the sunlight.

They’re back!

They’re all back!

The eyes of everyone in the Kaktovik Tribe grew moist, and tears of excitement and emotion welled up.

...

「Back at the bar.」

On the way back, Bruce had a strange look in his eyes and a hesitant, constipated expression on his face.

"If you have a question, just ask. Otherwise, go to the bathroom. Holding it in for too long is bad for you," Feng Shan said as he sat back down in his chair and took off his gloves.

"Buddy... are you really the Spirit of All Things?" Bruce had lived in Kaktovik for over twenty years. While he couldn’t claim to fully understand the Inuit beliefs, he had a decent grasp of them.

In his eyes, everything that had just happened was simply incredible.

He had been replaying the scenes in his mind the entire way back, his shock never subsiding. That’s why he had such a conflicted expression; he wanted to discuss it with Feng Shan but didn’t know where to begin.

"Are you an idiot? People are about to land on Mars. How could there be a Spirit of All Things?" Feng Shan naturally wouldn’t admit he had anything to do with it. "That was just a lucky coincidence. A gust of wind came up, so I took the opportunity to protect the whales. Isn’t that what you wanted?"

’Is that so?’

Bruce was still skeptical and subconsciously scratched his head again.

’I’ve scratched my head more today than ever before. If I keep this up, I’m going to go bald.’

Although Feng Shan had given him a scientific explanation, he was still shaken.

"Alright. Well, either way, thank you."

Just as Bruce was about to ask more, the bar door was pulled open again.

It was Mayor Robert again, but this time he was flanked by tribal elders.

Bruce recognized all of the elders. They held positions of status in the Kaktovik Tribe and were highly respected figures.

"Everyone not involved, get out!" Mayor Robert shouted, sweeping his gaze over the lazy patrons in the bar.

The next moment, the patrons immediately stood up, hung their heads, and scurried out of the bar.

Bruce had just stood up when Mayor Robert said, "Mr. Bruce, you stay."

’Alright!’

Bruce sat back down awkwardly, but a gossipy expression appeared on his face.

Mayor Robert walked up to Feng Shan in just a few steps. His attitude was extremely respectful. He bowed slightly and then asked in a quiet, cautious, almost subservient tone,

"Sir, please, how should Kaktovik proceed from here?"

’Sir?’

Hearing Mayor Robert’s tone, Bruce had to suppress a laugh, almost bursting out loud.

He never would have imagined that the authoritative and imposing Mayor Robert, a man whose word was law in the tribe, would now be speaking to someone with such a humble attitude and tone.

He then turned his gaze toward Feng Shan.

’And you still say you’re not the Spirit of All Things.’

Feng Shan sighed and gestured for Mayor Robert to sit. "How your tribe moves forward is your business. What does it have to do with me?"

"However, I can give you some advice."

At these words, Mayor Robert, who had just sat down, immediately straightened his back.

Feng Shan was speechless and rolled his eyes.

"Here’s the thing. I think developing tourism would be a good idea for you. In a little while, a batch of tourists will be arriving in the Crown Territory. I can recommend they come visit here."

"Oh, and you don’t need to hunt whales anymore. It’s bloody, the meat is contaminated with heavy metals nowadays, and you don’t even eat it. Why bother killing them?"

"Understood." Mayor Robert nodded earnestly, looking as if he were about to pull out a small notebook to take notes. "I’ll organize people immediately to drive all the Polar Bears out of Kaktovik to prevent them from harming the whales."

Hearing this, Bruce nearly jumped out of his seat.

’What’s that supposed to mean? Protecting the whales means driving out the Polar Bears? Polar Bears and whales are both important parts of the Arctic ecosystem. They survive and reproduce in their respective ecological niches. You can’t take extreme measures like expulsion against Polar Bears just to protect whales. What kind of logic is that?’

Feng Shan quickly waved his hand. "That’s not necessary. The Spirit of All Things means all things grow. Protecting whales doesn’t mean you have to harm Polar Bears. Besides, tourists like to see Polar Bears too. Let them handle their own relationship; you don’t need to interfere."

Mayor Robert turned to the tribal elders behind him.

"Did you hear that?"

"Tell the government that starting today, we will no longer offer land on our reservation for oil development."

"And no oil pipelines will be allowed to pass through the Kaktovik reservation."

The tribal elders all nodded in agreement.

’What?!’

Feng Shan’s expression froze. He realized that he seemed to have inadvertently interfered in the affairs of the North Slope Petroleum Company.

’But I have a pretty good relationship with the North Slope Petroleum Company. They provided people and planes to help me build my camp for free.’

Just as Feng Shan was about to probe deeper, Prince and Princess pushed open the bar door and crept in, followed by two white furballs.

White furballs!

White... furballs?

They looked familiar, but for a moment, he couldn’t remember where he had seen them before.

...