Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 78: Fishing

By the Kivalina Lagoon, a few fishing boats were tied forlornly to the shore.

In the end, Feng Shan couldn’t resist the temptation of a fishing trip and agreed to go out to sea with Old Swan.

But when he saw the fishing boat, Feng Shan couldn’t help but feel a surge of doubt.

The wooden boat looked thoroughly weather-beaten. The hull’s planks were old, covered in signs of wear, and the bow even showed signs of repair. It looked as if it could fall apart at any moment.

’Can this wreck of a boat really travel on the Ice Sea? What if it hits an ice floe on the way?’

"Feng, this is the Whale," Old Swan said, pointing proudly at the wooden boat. "She’s as old as I am. We once hunted a Bowhead Whale together in her."

’What’s there to be proud of?’

Feng Shan pursed his lips. He took a life jacket from an Inuit man and put it on. If the boat sank, he’d be counting on it to save his life.

"Just the two of us?"

"Of course not." Old Swan shook his head and pointed toward the residential area. "Our help is coming now."

The roar of a snowmobile engine broke the silence.

Little Swan came speeding over with a passenger, executing a stylish drift to a sharp stop in front of them.

"Save your fuel! Save your fuel! How many times have I told you?" Old Swan scolded his grandson, pained by his wastefulness.

Little Swan pretended not to hear. He hopped off the snowmobile, grabbed a fuel can from its rack, and jumped into the wooden boat to start fueling the outboard motor.

Meanwhile, the passenger from the back of the snowmobile walked over and removed a thick fur hat, revealing a delicate face.

’Isn’t that the girl from last night?’

Feng Shan was surprised. He hadn’t expected such a seemingly delicate girl to be going out to fish at sea.

"This is Maria. She was supposed to go work in Juno, but her great-grandmother fell ill, so she stayed home to look after her," Old Swan explained, taking the opportunity to make an introduction.

Feng Shan met Maria’s shy smile with a slight nod before walking straight to the boat.

Remembering the task Aunt Louise had given her, a flicker of disappointment crossed Maria’s face.

"It’s alright," Old Swan comforted her in a low voice.

On the boat, Little Swan finished fueling the outboard motor and yanked the starter cord. After several pulls failed to start the engine, he kicked it in frustration.

VRRROOOM!!

The outboard motor roared to life.

Feng Shan couldn’t help but crack a smile. ’So foreign machines are just like the ones back home. They need a good kick to get them working.’

Little Swan then turned the tiller, bringing the boat alongside the bank.

"Feng." Old Swan and Maria hopped aboard first. The boat swayed, and they reached out a hand to help Feng Shan on.

Feng Shan waved them off, leaped onto the boat in a single step, and stood perfectly steady.

Old Swan gave him an approving thumbs-up.

Once everyone was aboard, Little Swan stood at the stern, controlling the tiller. He didn’t look like a thirteen-year-old at all; his movements were crisp and practiced, without the slightest hesitation. With the rudder held steady, the boat moved forward smoothly under his command.

As the boat moved farther from the lagoon, the water grew choppier, and scattered ice floes began to appear.

The boat pitched and rolled in the Ice Sea, swaying with the surging waves. Feng Shan’s stomach lurched with every movement. After all, this was his first time on a boat in a sea full of ice.

Seeing Feng Shan’s tense expression, Old Swan chuckled reassuringly. "Don’t be afraid, Feng. Little Swan has been able to pilot this boat by himself to track seals since he was eight."

’Really?!’

An awkward smile touched Feng Shan’s pale face. He gripped the gunwale tightly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Little Swan was just as skilled as his grandfather claimed.

Whenever an ice floe drew near, he would swiftly turn the rudder, deftly altering the boat’s course to avoid the potential danger.

Sitting in the boat, Feng Shan was so nervous he hardly dared to breathe, his heart in his throat.

Just then, a huge ice floe drifted rapidly toward them from the left. Little Swan decisively threw the tiller to the right, and the boat thrillingly brushed past the ice.

After dodging the floe, Little Swan even had the nerve to flash Feng Shan a triumphant grin. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

’What the hell are you grinning at?!’

’Just drive the damn boat!’

Feng Shan really wanted to go over and smack him one. This was no time to be showing off.

As the boat pressed on, the ice floes grew denser. Little Swan’s movements became more frantic, and even Old Swan had to move to the bow and shout out directions.

After passing through the field of ice floes, the boat finally reached a patch of open water.

The calm surface of the sea allowed Feng Shan’s taut nerves to relax slightly.

Just then, a yellow ball appeared, floating on the water’s surface—it was the marker for their fishing net.

Little Swan adjusted the boat’s course, heading toward the yellow buoy to begin hauling in the net.

Old Swan leaned over the side. As they neared the yellow buoy, he reached out, grabbed it, and hauled it aboard. He then found a rope attached underneath it. "Maria, Feng, get ready to haul in the net."

Before his voice had even faded, Old Swan was already pulling hard on the rope. It creaked under the strain as the fishing net began to rise slowly from the sea.

Perhaps due to his age, Old Swan was already panting with exhaustion after pulling up just a small section of the net. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, only to quickly freeze into tiny pellets of ice.

Feng Shan and Maria quickly took the rope from him and began to pull with all their might.

Leaning over the side, Old Swan felt the net suddenly become much lighter. He glanced back at the two of them. ’It certainly isn’t Maria providing all that strength, so it must be Feng Shan.’

’I never would have guessed he was so strong.’

With Feng Shan’s help, hauling in the net became much easier.

The net emerged from the sea little by little, water streaming from its mesh. But to their disappointment, it was empty.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Old Swan’s face, as if he were already accustomed to empty nets.

Suddenly.

A silver gleam flashed in the water.

"There’s a fish!" Old Swan’s heart leaped with excitement.

Standing in the boat, Feng Shan couldn’t see clearly into the water, but at Old Swan’s shout, he quickened his pace pulling in the net.

Soon.

A half-meter-long whitefish was hauled into the boat.

Out of the water, the whitefish thrashed wildly on the deck, tangling the net into a mess.

Maria grabbed a short club and brought it down on the fish’s head several times. THWACK! THWACK!

A moment later, Feng Shan felt a faint, warm current surge through his body. The Witchcraft Bone Ring was collecting the whitefish’s Soul Power.

’This girl is fierce!’

The first catch of the day brought smiles to the faces of the three Inuit.

But as they continued to haul, by the time the entire net was aboard, their catch amounted to only three whitefish. The smiles on the faces of Old Swan and the others slowly faded, replaced by disappointment and dejection.

No fish meant no food. No food meant no future.

In the heavy atmosphere, Feng Shan remained silent, unsure how to comfort them.

’Should I give them a hand?’

Among the arts of Witchcraft was the Breathing Technique. As its name implied, it could influence life and propagation, granting vitality and change to all things.

In his dreams, his ancestor had used this form of Witchcraft on livestock and plants to great effect.

Seeing that it was still early, Old Swan decided to try their luck with one more net and began readying it with Maria.

Feng Shan pretended to help, grabbing the fishing net with his right hand while silently chanting the Breath Spell. He was drawing on very little Soul Power, however, and knew he couldn’t maintain it for long.

The three Inuit on the boat remained completely unaware.

Little Swan piloted the boat forward at a slow crawl as Old Swan and Maria fed the net back into the sea.

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