Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 81: Farewell

The plane slowly took off as the town’s residents waved their goodbyes.

The propellers spun rapidly, emitting a tremendous roar.

The residents stood on both sides of the runway, their faces filled with sincere smiles as they waved vigorously, bidding Feng Shan farewell.

"Buddy, what did you do in Kivalina for all these Inuit to come see you off? And what’s with all the pelts in the cabin? They look like they were just skinned," Tom said, glancing out the window as he flew the plane.

"Give them a dozen or so reindeer and over twenty North American Gray Wolves, and they’d welcome you even if you were a pile of dog shit," Feng Shan explained with a grin.

Tom frowned. "Fuck, you’ve got a point. But I can’t help but feel like you’re insulting me."

Feng Shan, however, turned his head to look into the cabin.

The once-spacious cabin was now filled with reindeer hides, wolf pelts, and gifts from Kivalina: handmade fur sleeping bags, a narwhal tusk, a barrel of seal oil, and a wooden sled.

The three little ones and the three White Wolves were lying listlessly on the pile of pelts.

’Yup, airsick. Just like Nash.’

Kivalina was 420 kilometers from Crown Territory. It had taken Feng Shan a full five days to chase the Wolf Pack there, but this P750 plane, flying at 300 kilometers per hour, would make the trip in just an hour and a half.

"Feng, we’re at Crown Territory!" Tom called out.

A drowsy Feng Shan turned his head to look out the window.

Three snow-capped mountains came into view. The familiar scenery was invigorating.

After just a few days away, a strange emotion welled up inside him. It felt like a child returning to the warmth and safety of home.

The fatigue from the journey vanished in that instant.

Perhaps sensing Feng Shan’s excitement, or maybe wanting to give his big-spender client a little bonus, Tom deliberately circled once over the snow-covered Crown Territory before gently landing on the runway.

’This is a nice plane. It can land directly on a snowy runway, has a large payload, a long range, and is pretty comfortable to ride in.’

’Maybe I should buy one to use in rotation with the Carnation.’

Feng Shan was very satisfied, feeling only a slight vibration as the P750 touched down.

The moment the plane stopped, he eagerly exited the cabin and took a deep breath of Crown Territory’s frigid air.

’Ah, so refreshing! So clean!’

Nash staggered off the plane. Perhaps due to the P750’s superior stability, his airsickness wasn’t as severe.

Prince and Coca-Cola opened their drowsy eyes. Seeing the familiar landscape, they were instantly full of energy, leaping from the cabin to frolic in the snow.

The Little Wolf Cub, however, timidly ran to Feng Shan’s side and gazed blankly at its strange new surroundings.

Feng Shan picked up the Little Wolf Cub and walked over to the three White Wolves who had just disembarked.

"From now on, Crown Territory is your sanctuary. But you are not to hunt here. If you run into danger, come find me. Now go!"

With that, he bent down and placed the Little Wolf Cub beside the three White Wolves.

The helpless Little Wolf Cub let out a whimper. Hearing the sound, Prince and Coca-Cola stopped their playing and ran over to comfort it.

"Buddy, are those wolves?" Tom suddenly shouted.

He’d thought they were just three white dogs. But after hearing the cub’s cry, he realized they were wolves—and the famous Taiga Wolves of the Arctic Circle, no less.

"Yeah. You’re just figuring that out?" Feng Shan shot him a look that said *’You’re an idiot’* before noticing Prince had grabbed the Little Wolf Cub by the scruff of its neck and was trying to drag it toward the camp.

"It belongs to this Tundra, not like you. You’re good for nothing but eating and being lazy."

WHIMPER!

Prince whimpered in annoyance, but he did stop trying to drag the Little Wolf Cub away.

Coca-Cola approached like a caring big sister, gently licking the Little Wolf Cub’s fur before nudging it toward the three White Wolves with her head.

The three adult White Wolves seemed to understand Feng Shan. One of them bent down, gently took the Little Wolf Cub by the scruff of its neck, and they ran off toward the vast, white Tundra.

Long after they disappeared from view.

Three long howls drifted in on the biting wind.

The little cub’s departure left Prince and Coca-Cola dejected. They lost all interest in playing and, as if resenting their master’s heartlessness, turned and trotted back to the camp by themselves.

"Buddy, you did a dumb thing. There’s no law in Alaska against keeping wolves," Tom said, enjoying the drama and adding fuel to the fire.

’You don’t know shit!’

Feng Shan responded leisurely, "I think Old Swan gave me a piece of dried shark meat. How about we have that for dinner?"

"Dog shit! Fuck! Feng, you can’t do this to me."

Tom let out a wail and hurried back into the cabin to help Nash unload the pelts, hoping his actions would convince Feng Shan to abandon the cursed shark meat dinner.

They faced a pile of pelts.

Fortunately, one of the gifts from Old Swan was a sled, so they didn’t have to go back to camp and get their own to load everything.

As they loaded the fresh reindeer and gray wolf pelts onto the sled, Tom picked up a heavy black wolf pelt and asked, puzzled.

"Huh, this pelt is really heavy. What kind of wolf was it?"

"A North American Gray Wolf. I think it was called Fenrir or something," Feng Shan replied casually, holding the barrel of seal oil.

Hearing the name, Tom froze, his eyes glued to the heavy black wolf pelt in his hands.

"Buddy, are... are you sure... this is Fenrir?"

Feng Shan’s tone was nonchalant. "Yeah, that’s what Old Swan said. I even collected the 3,000 US Dollar bounty from the state."

"Fuck! Black Wolf Fenrir actually died by your hand? Buddy, do you have any idea how famous he was?" Tom laid the Black Wolf pelt on the snow and spread it out. Old Swan had deliberately left the head intact when he skinned it.

The ferocious wolf head looked just as it had in life.

Its eyes remained wide open, conveying a wild and untamable spirit, its sharp teeth looking ready to pounce on prey at any moment.

Tom immediately whipped out his phone and started taking pictures of Fenrir’s pelt from every angle.

He took shots from the side, from the front, and even laid down on the ground for a better angle. He was one step away from crawling inside the pelt for a selfie.

Just as Feng Shan was about to lose his temper, Tom finally put his phone away, still not fully satisfied, and looked at Feng Shan with pure envy.

"Buddy, I bow to you. This beast escaped from the State National Guard six times. It even changed the reindeer migration routes in northern Alaska, which is why so many people in the Far North Region went hungry this winter. Do you know how many people wanted it dead?"

"You’re going to be a hero to everyone up north. You’ll be able to drink for free anywhere you go."

"Oh."

Feng Shan’s one-word response made Tom want to jump up and down in frustration.

’If I’d been the one to kill Fenrir,’ Tom thought, ’I’d be drinking for free in every town in the Far North Region.’

"Don’t forget the wolf pelt. Nash and I are heading out," Feng Shan said. Without waiting for Tom’s reply, he and Nash started pulling the sled toward the camp.

’Fuck!’

’Hey, wait for me!’

Tom quickly rolled up the Black Wolf pelt from the ground and hurried after them.

「Back at the camp.」

Feng Shan noticed that the wall of firewood stacked beside the bus was less than half its original size.

’What happened here?’

’I’ve only been gone a few days, how could so much firewood be missing? Did an animal steal it to roast itself?’

The next moment, the mystery was solved.

Frank emerged from the bus. His once-bright golden hair was now dull and lifeless. His face was pale, his cheeks were sunken, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He swayed as he walked, looking completely drained of energy.

Upon seeing Feng Shan, Frank nearly burst into tears. He cried out, his voice thick with emotion.

"Feng! Why didn’t you answer your phone?"

...