Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 102: Explanation

The White Wolves pulled the sled through the newly built mountain path, racing all the way to the Glacial River Beach.

Sitting in the sled, Maria’s gaze was captivated by the scenery along the way, a feeling she had never experienced before welling up inside her.

Having lived her whole life in Kivalina, the farthest she had ever gone was out to sea to fish. Compared to the cold, gloomy Ice Sea, the Crown Territory had an indescribable, special quality.

The sky here seemed bluer, the air fresher. The distant, rolling snow-capped mountains were a stark contrast to the cold, silent landscape of Kivalina.

As the sled ventured deeper onto the snow-covered river beach, a patch of green appeared in her vision.

The splash of color looked completely out of place amidst the vast white snow.

It also sparked a strong sense of curiosity in Maria. She sat up, eagerly looking toward the patch of green.

Suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief.

She was looking at a patch of Tundra, vibrant and full of life.

’How could this be?’

’How could there still be mossy vegetation on the Far North Tundra in winter? Shouldn’t it be buried under the snow?’

As the White Wolf sled entered the range of the Fire Seed, Feng Shan shouted, "Whoa!"

The sound echoed across the open, snowy river beach.

The White Wolves obediently slowed down, panting heavily. Their fur was slightly damp from running, and the heat rising from their bodies froze in the cold air, forming clouds of white mist.

They came to a stop at the edge of the mossy vegetation.

There was a clear dividing line here.

On one side was accumulated snow, and on the other was mossy ground. The convergence of white and green created a scene of stark and bizarre contrast.

Before Feng Shan could speak, Maria threw off the deerskin blanket, a shocked expression on her face. She jumped off the sled and walked onto the mossy ground, looking this way and that, occasionally squatting down to feel the moss and confirm it was real.

Her eyes were filled with surprise and disbelief, and she murmured to herself.

"This is incredible. Absolutely incredible."

If this were the southern coastal region of Alaska, seeing green at this time of year would be normal. But this was the Far North Tundra, and a Far North Tundra in the dead of winter, with snow sealing the mountains in a world of ice.

Only this specific area was covered in green moss, while a thick layer of white snow surrounded it.

Moreover, standing in the area of mossy vegetation, the temperature was surprisingly not as cold.

Maria was utterly amazed by this. She couldn’t help but hold out her hands, feeling the strange temperature difference.

"Feng, why isn’t the moss here frozen to death?" Maria’s eyes were wide.

Feng Shan rubbed his nose. "It might have something to do with the land itself. Maybe there’s a natural gas leak, so the ground temperature is higher. Follow me."

As he spoke, Feng Shan led Maria to the fire pit.

A cluster of flames danced in the cold wind, surrounded by a circle of large and small stones. There was no kindling of any sort; it was as if the fire was burning out of thin air.

Maria was captivated by the incredible sight before her. She slowly approached, her eyes fixed on the flames without blinking.

"Feng, why is the fire burning without any wood?"

Regarding the tribal Fire Seed, Feng Shan had been pondering for some time what excuse he could use to make it public without arousing too much suspicion.

For this reason, Feng Shan often tossed and turned alone late at night, his mind constantly running through various possible plans and their consequences.

After all, the tribal Fire Seed was lit on the Glacial River Beach. It was impossible to hide. Any plane flying over the river beach would see it, not to mention the various satellites passing overhead.

In the future, more and more people would inevitably come to the Crown Territory. The tribal Fire Seed was too mysterious and unique; if not handled properly, it would attract a series of unnecessary troubles and attention.

It was better to guide curiosity than to suppress it. Rather than being secretive, it was better to display it openly.

Feng Shan understood this principle well. But how could he display it openly, and in what way, to both satisfy curiosity and minimize potential negative impacts?

After racking his brain, and thanks to the books left by his grand-uncle, he finally came up with a solution—or rather, an explanation.

The phenomenon of "ground fire."

Ground fire, also known as an underground coal fire, occurs when a coal seam beneath the earth’s surface meets the conditions for combustion and either self-ignites or is ignited by other means, resulting in a large-scale subterranean blaze.

The phenomenon of ground fire is widespread, occurring in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is not only found in China but is also common in countries and regions like India, the United States, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, and Central Asia.

There is another type of ground fire, called a natural gas ground fire.

This refers to the natural combustion of underground natural gas. These fires are typically fueled by shale gas or coalbed methane.

When the gas accumulates to a certain level underground and comes into contact with oxygen in the air, a spontaneous combustion reaction occurs, producing flames.

In summary, a natural gas ground fire is a special natural phenomenon.

The tribal Fire Seed bore a strong resemblance to a natural gas ground fire.

Furthermore, Alaska has extremely rich oil and natural gas reserves. This is especially true in the Far North Region, north of the Brooks Range to the coastal area of the Beaufort Sea, which is a synclinal slope known as the Arctic Slope—one of Alaska’s largest oil and gas basins.

The Crown Territory happened to be located on the edge of the Brooks Range, so the appearance of natural gas underground would be a plausible explanation.

Of course, if someone were to use instruments to test and analyze the tribal Fire Seed, the natural gas explanation would fall apart.

However, Feng Shan would not let that happen.

’At worst, I’ll just bury a gas tank under the Fire Seed. If anyone comes to inspect it, I can secretly release a bit of gas.’

After listening to Feng Shan’s explanation, although Maria didn’t fully understand it, she felt it made a lot of sense. A hint of trust replaced the confusion in her eyes, and she nodded slightly.

"You can pick some of these berries to take back to camp. They taste pretty good," Feng Shan said, holding out a wicker basket and pointing to the dark red fruits scattered among the moss.

"Okay." Maria took the wicker basket and began to gather berries.

Meanwhile, Feng Shan stepped over the fire pit and walked up to the tribal Fire Seed. The Fire Seed seemed to sense his arrival, its dancing flames twisting joyfully as if showing off their vitality to him.

He crouched down, reached his hand into the flames, and channeled the Soul Power that had accumulated in the Witchcraft Bone Ring over the past few days into the Fire Seed.

Upon receiving the Soul Power, the Fire Seed followed Feng Shan’s command. It didn’t flare up dramatically like last time, instead maintaining the size of a torch flame.

However, the light of the fire grew deeper. Within the orange-red flames, a hint of mysterious, ethereal blue now appeared.

After transferring the Soul Power, Feng Shan sat on a stone by the fire pit and communicated with the Fire Seed.

He instructed the Fire Seed to use all of this new Soul Power to expand the radius of its light.

「The next moment.」

The Fire Seed in his mind’s eye erupted with a dazzling light. The darkness surrounding it rapidly receded under the impact of the intense radiance.

It was as if the darkness had a life of its own, continuously shrinking under the pressure of the light until it vanished completely.

The land originally hidden in darkness was revealed, piece by piece.

Maria, who was picking berries, suddenly noticed that the temperature seemed to have risen again. She stood up and looked toward the border of the mossy vegetation, seeing that the snow seemed to be melting.

Feng Shan observed the illuminated area of the Fire Seed in his mind. The last time, its light could cover about five mu. This time, it had clearly more than doubled in size; by his calculation, the Fire Seed could now affect a total of about twenty mu. The area had effectively doubled twice over.

But on this Glacial River Beach, twenty mu of land was less than a thousandth of the total area, perhaps even less.

’The road is long and I have far to go.’

Silently reciting a line he had read in a book, Feng Shan got up and walked toward the mossy ground to check on the vegetables.

The Fire Seed his ancestors left him came from the Houtu Tribe, and Houtu represented the earth’s fertility and bountiful harvests.

Twelve days had passed since planting. Nourished by the Fire Seed, the vegetable seeds had already broken through the soil and sprouted. The various vegetables had grown leaves, each one so tender and succulent it looked like juice would squirt out with the slightest pinch.

The lettuce’s growth was especially pleasing, changing day by day. In just a few more days, it would be ready for harvest.

SCREECH!!

The cry of an eagle echoed from the sky.

Maria looked up to see a dark shadow falling rapidly from the sky, landing heavily on the mossy ground.

It was a plump wild rabbit.

’Why would a rabbit fall from the sky?’

Just as Maria was looking bewildered, a White Feathered Eagle dove from the sky. Right before reaching the ground, it abruptly spread its wings and landed steadily on the stones of the fire pit.

Seeing Maria, the White Feathered Eagle tilted its head in confusion, its sharp, dark eyes staring intently at her.

’A Falcon!!’

On the Tundra near the Kivalina Ice Sea, Falcons often appeared. A few years ago, some strange-looking foreigners had come to Kivalina, offering a high price to capture Falcons, but the adults had driven them away.

Maria recognized what the White Feathered Eagle was and cautiously took a few steps forward.

Suddenly, the White Feathered Eagle’s eyes turned exceptionally fierce.

The feathers on its body stood on end, and it leaned forward slightly into an attack posture, as if warning Maria not to make any sudden moves.

Startled by this sudden action, Maria froze, her heart pounding.

Feng Shan hurried over, raising a hand to signal the eagle to relax, then reassured Maria.

"Don’t be afraid. It’s a tenant of the Crown Territory. It usually catches some Thunderbirds and wild rabbits as rent."

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