Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 83: Promise

’Of course I know it’s a good gun.’

Feng Shan pursed his lips and asked directly, "How much is this gun worth?"

’Value?’

Frank and Tom glanced at each other, not understanding why Feng Shan would ask such a question. ’Is he planning to sell this gun?’

"A very large number of Mosin-Nagant M91s survive, with over 17 million units produced during World War I and World War II. But this one is from the Tsarist Russia Tula Arsenal, giving it an authentic original pedigree. Its collector’s value would be very high."

"That’s right. A standard, brand-new Mosin-Nagant M91 goes for about 500 US Dollar on the market. Yours could command a premium. I think 700 US Dollar would be a good price."

US Dollar!!

Feng Shan’s heart couldn’t help but start pounding wildly.

There were at least a thousand of these rifles in the cave. At 700 US Dollar each, 1,000 of them would be 700,000 US Dollar.

’Hmm!’

’Doesn’t seem like that much after all. It’s not even enough to cover the interest on the bank loan.’

’I got excited over nothing.’

"Come on, I’ll take you somewhere."

Feng Shan beckoned to the two of them, his enthusiasm completely gone, and walked toward the back of the camp. Frank and Tom followed, completely bewildered, until they saw a wooden door appear on the face of Beheading Cliff. Both of them froze, utterly stunned. Frank, in particular, had a look of shock mixed with his daze.

"Feng, what is this?"

"It’s just what it looks like—a cave," Feng Shan shrugged.

"Bullshit, of course I know it’s a cave. I was with Feng... No, I mean, how can there be a cave here?" Frank blurted out without thinking. Realizing his slip of the tongue, he quickly changed the subject.

Feng Shan assumed Frank was just emotional from seeing the cave and didn’t pay much mind to what he’d said. He walked over to where he had pressed the mechanism last time.

"There’s a hidden mechanism here. Nash and I found it while cleaning out a drainage channel. The mechanism seems to be connected to Gunpowder, and then the cave was blown open."

"Buddy, is there treasure inside? Gold or antiques?" Tom wasn’t interested in old stories from the past; he was much more curious about what was in the cave. ’Such a precise mechanism must be for hiding a precious treasure.’

Just like Dr. Jones in *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, going through one dangerous trap after another to find a legendary treasure.

"Want to find out?" A slight smile played on Feng Shan’s lips. He gestured for Nash to hand the kerosene lamp to Tom. "What could be more exciting than seeing a treasure with your own eyes? Go on."

"Damn right! My blood is pumping!" Tom took the kerosene lamp, excitedly pulled open the wooden door, and rushed into the cave. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Frank, however, didn’t move. Instead, he looked at Feng Shan with an unusually calm expression.

"Did you find the documents?"

"I found them," Feng Shan nodded.

An indescribably complex expression crossed Frank’s face. After a moment, he asked dejectedly, "Then... is there anything in there about me?"

’Anything about you?’

Feng Shan thought for a moment before shaking his head uncertainly. "I didn’t look closely. There were just some letters, most of them written in Russian. I don’t know Russian."

"No, there must be something for me. Feng, I hope you’ll let me see those letters." Frank suddenly grew agitated, his eyes pleading.

"No problem," Feng Shan agreed readily.

Just then, Tom walked out of the cave, his face dark. Muttering a string of "fucks" and "bullshits," he came up to Feng Shan with a look of disbelief. "Feng, *that’s* the treasure you were talking about?"

Feng Shan smiled and nodded. "What did you expect?"

The disappointment was practically overflowing from Tom’s face. "Bullshit! To use such a secretive method just to store old rifles... I mean, yeah, they’re worth a bit of money, but this is completely different from what I imagined."

Standing to the side, Frank suddenly roared, "That’s enough! Even if it’s garbage, it was a gift left for Feng."

After shouting, he stomped off toward the bus, fuming.

"What’s with him?" Tom asked, staring blankly at Frank’s retreating back. In all the years he’d known him, he had never seen Frank get angry.

Feng Shan didn’t understand either.

’Maybe it has something to do with my grand-uncle.’

...

After the incident with the cave, Frank found a letter in the wooden box. After reading it, he just sat under the wooden shelter, staring into space.

Feng Shan wanted to say something several times, but seeing Frank’s desolate expression, he swallowed the words before they left his throat.

’Sitting out there in this freezing weather... isn’t he afraid of freezing to death?’

The only thing Feng Shan could do was light the fire in the stove.

Tom sat in front of the radio, bragging to those irreverent old coots about Black Wolf Fenrir.

Nash was nowhere to be seen, probably having run off to the Glacial River Beach again.

Feng Shan felt the atmosphere was a bit oppressive, but he couldn’t say why.

Feeling helpless, he ducked into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

The smoke and fire in the kitchen helped to dispel some of the gloom in his heart. He skillfully picked up the ingredients and began to wash and chop them.

The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was especially clear in the kitchen. Whenever he was in a foul mood, Feng Shan would gradually calm down by keeping busy in the kitchen.

However, that oppressive feeling still lurked in the back of his mind, causing Feng Shan to lose focus from time to time.

...

「October arrived, and the Far North Tundra officially entered winter mode.」

It was just past seven-thirty, but the sky was already completely dark. The brilliant aurora made its silent debut.

The cold also grew more rampant.

The wind howled, whipping up shards of ice that clattered against the body of the bus.

"Dinner’s ready!" Feng Shan brought out a basin of spicy stir-fried Thunderbird Meat. The numbing, spicy aroma instantly filled the bus.

In that rich aroma, the kick of the chili and Sichuan peppers blended perfectly with the savory fragrance of the Thunderbird Meat. It shot straight into one’s nostrils like an invisible force, stimulating the taste buds and making one’s mouth water.

Tom instantly dropped the radio handset and, in a flash, appeared by the fireplace, his eyes glued to the tempting basin of spicy stir-fried Thunderbird Meat.

"Where’s Frank?" Feng Shan frowned, looking at the empty little living room.

Tom pinched a piece of Thunderbird Meat and stuffed it into his mouth. Hissing from the spice, he mumbled and pointed towards the door, "Still outside. I’d advise against going to get him. He’s not himself today."

’Of course he’s not himself!!’

’Did you have to state the obvious? A normal person wouldn’t sit in the ice and snow for that long.’

Shaking his head helplessly, Feng Shan untied his apron and stepped out of the bus.

Only after going outside did he realize the firewood in the stove had long since burned out.

The hood of his parka obscured most of Frank’s face, revealing only a pair of dull, lifeless eyes staring blankly into the distant Tundra.

The wind blew relentlessly, but he seemed oblivious, huddled there motionlessly.

It was the first time Feng Shan had ever seen Frank like this.

The Frank who was always so full of life, so silver-tongued, who had flirted with countless girls, was now so dejected and desolate. It was utterly astonishing to Feng Shan.

Feng Shan slowly walked over to Frank and crouched down, trying to find a trace of familiarity in the figure bundled up in the parka.

Frank’s head was bowed, his shoulders trembling slightly, making Feng Shan realize the immense pain he was suffering.

The contrast was like a roaring fire suddenly extinguished, leaving only cold ashes.

"What exactly is wrong? Tell me, I’ll help you!"

After speaking, Feng Shan stared intently at Frank, hoping for an answer.

At that moment, Frank lifted his head. His eyes were filled with confusion and pain, the rims red as tears welled up.

The muscles in his face twitched slightly, and his lips trembled as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out.

Finally, he managed to speak, his voice hoarse and broken, filled with deep despair.

"I... I’ve lost the most important thing to me."

"Feng, promise me, if there ever comes a day when you don’t need this bus anymore, please leave it to me."

"Promise me!"

...