"Chief Divine witness! I’ve decided. Don’t stop !..."
The expansive bay was calm and unrippled, with the occasional plump fish leaping up, creating ripples of shimring water. Along the plains by the shore, the leaders of the fleet were whispering among themselves, seemingly faced with a difficult choice. anwhile, five Miwock Hunters stood on the other side, near their canoe, patiently waiting while vigilantly watching the debating crowd.
"Since the Chieftain of the North Bay Tribe has extended an invitation, it probably isn’t with ill intentions. On the contrary, if we decline it, they might misjudge us and it could lead to conflict and fighting... We have just arrived here, the fields have just been planted, and the houses aren’t built yet. We will need a period of stability to establish our roots!"
Scholar Mikki, with determination in his eyes, looked at the other leaders and firmly grasped the Sun Amulet around his neck.
"May the Chief Divine protect ! I must go to the North Bay Tribe! If we are to settle here long-term, we must connect with the surrounding tribes! Moreover, our fleet is running low on food. We must trade with the Miwock people!..."
"Mikki, I didn’t say you couldn’t go..."
Exploration Captain Zuwaro frowned, clearly worried.
"It’s just that if you encounter any danger... Let’s have Stonefirm accompany you with a team of armored Samurai to the North Bay Tribe. anwhile, I’ll be on standby with ten longships ashore..."
"Zuwaro, I’m not going alone; I have Translator Luchong with ."
Scholar Mikki smiled confidently as he replied.
"As long as we can communicate, the power of language will outweigh a hundred Samurai! Furthermore, going with the Samurai might provoke hostility from the North Bay Tribe. If that tribe really has many hunters, should anything go wrong, a few Samurai would be futile, rely sacrificing themselves in vain..."
"So, let go by myself! I believe the Chief Divine will protect !"
Seeing Mikki’s determination, the Exploration Captain sighed. He shook his head, giving a quiet order, and two Samurai followed behind Mikki.
"Don’t refuse... just these two. When you visit that important Shaman Chieftain of the North Bay Tribe, it wouldn’t make sense to go empty-handed! Bring so gemstones, cotton cloth, bronze axes, and copper spears as gifts... Should any trouble arise, these gifts might give us a chance to ransom you back..."
"Alright... fine!"
This ti, Mikki didn’t refuse. He just looked up at the midday Sun and once again prayed devoutly.
"Supre Main God! May you protect , protect our fleet, and also protect the Miwock people here!"
With the need for gifts, the Miwock canoe clearly wasn’t sufficient. A Kingdom longship, accompanied by the Miwock hunters’ canoe, rowed northward together.
Scholar Mikki invited the Cloaked Hunter Le Feng to join him on the longship and gifted him a silver Sun Amulet.
"Ah? Such a large ship!"
The Cloaked Hunter Le Feng looked on in astonishnt, unable to hold back his amazent.
"How large must the wood be to carve a boat of this size? Do you have trees in the South so big that it takes a dozen people to encircle one?"
"Such longships are a blessing from the Chief Divine!"
Scholar Mikki smiled warmly, pointing to the Sun Amulet in Le Feng’s hand, and spoke gently and fondly.
"With the protection of the Chief Divine, all kinds of miraculous powers will appear before you! And as long as you believe in Him, revere Him... such power will be granted to you, and even your tribe!..."
"Huh? The Southern Heavenly Divine Ancestor Spirit? Can He build ships?... Ah?! He transforms from a sacred Tree Spirit, able to grow trees into the shape of ships? Wow! Truly a mighty and extraordinary Heavenly Divine Ancestor Spirit!"
The Cloaked Hunter Le Feng expressed his amazent. Their exchange clearly had so misunderstandings, as Translator Luchong shivered slightly to show it wasn’t his fault.
They continued their enthusiastic but sowhat lost-in-translation conversation all afternoon. The longship had rowed fifty to sixty miles, not even reaching the northern coast. This vast sea bay was overly wide, stretching over a hundred miles from West Mountain Port to the North Coast. A single day’s effort would not be enough to reach their destination.
As night fell, they steered towards the eastern shore and spent a hasty night on the beach. In Golden Bay during June and July, dayti temperatures hover around 20 degrees, while nightti temperatures fluctuate around 10 degrees. Overall, the climate is mild, but sotis fierce winds necessitate sleeping wrapped in thick blankets.
"Ah? Is this a fabric blanket? Not a fur one?"
The Cloaked Hunter Le Feng ca forward, touching Mikki’s blanket with a face full of surprise and admiration.
"Your Southern Tribes have so much fabric! In our tribes, only the Chieftains and Priests have clothes made from fabric!..."
These everyday conversations, Translator Luchong managed reasonably well. Scholar Mikki’s eyes twinkled as he smiled and asked,
"You lack cloth? Then what are your clothes made of?"
"Leather, or grass. It gets cold in the winter, so we have to wrap ourselves up thicker. The tribe tried to grow cloth, but it didn’t work, so we have to trade from the South..."
Cloaked Hunter Le Feng gestured with his hands, explaining many things about tribal trade.
"We travel south to trade with the Yokuts. Sotis we use fur to exchange for the cloth in their hands. And they too can’t grow cloth, having to trade it from tribes even further south..."
Scholar Mikki stroked his chin, speculating that the cloth ntioned by the other party probably ant both "cloth and cotton". However, what the other party just ntioned...
"The southern Yokuts? What tribe is that? We ca all the way from the south but never encountered them?"
"Oh! They don’t live on the coast but in the inland valleys and riversides of the south... Their tribes are many, like the scattered feathers of a grouse... They are better at farming than us, able to grow a lot of squash, corn, beans... They also grow purple coneflower and frankincense trees..."
"Purple coneflower and frankincense trees? What are those?"
Hearing about new plants, Scholar Mikki perked up, his sleepiness instantly dissipating.
"Are they tasty?"
"Uh... The purple coneflower is a flower, an important herb for the tribe. Especially if one catches a cold, coughs, or sneezes, it is relied upon for treatnt. Well, if injured, consuming it alleviates pain and prevents wounds from festering... As for the leaves of the frankincense tree, they also relieve pain... When hunters travel far, they carry so dried purple coneflowers..."
Cloaked Hunter Le Feng rummaged around and took out a small bunch of gray-blue purple coneflower from his chest, handing it to Mikki.
"Try it! The tribe’s priest says these purple coneflowers can ward off disease, bringing the vitality of the earth to hunters! Yes, you can eat them directly or brew them as tea..."
Curious, Scholar Mikki took the purple coneflower, examined it, sniffed it, and then popped it into his mouth. He chewed on it; it was initially bitter but gradually beca sowhat sweet. After a while, he indeed felt a bit sedated.
"Local herbs, treating diseases... Purple coneflower, frankincense tree..."
Mikki thought for a mont, then imdiately took out a roll of paper, and moved to the campfire. He drew the shape of the purple coneflower, recording the effects of this herb, occasionally asking Hunter Le Feng a few questions. Since the fleet intended to settle down here permanently, the local diseases that might erge would certainly appear. The tribe’s herbs would be very useful to everyone and could even benefit the kingdoms and alliances in the South.
"Le Feng, you know so much, truly a learned, wise, brave cloaked hunter! Uh... Are there other herbs?"
"Hahaha! You speak so nicely!... Yes! There’s also corn silk for treating blockages in n... and yarrow for blockages in won...""This!... Go on... Are there more broadly used herbs?..."
"Oh! Eucalyptus leaves for treating various wounds and body aches... Sage, used by many southern tribes, helps to sleep well when brewed as tea... Since you co from the south, you should be familiar. Uh... Purslane tea, it’s sour and tasty, but I’m not sure what it’s used for. But the priests say there are benefits..."
The moon rose, and the bay was tranquil in the night. The two, eting from the southern and northern lands, continued gesturing and talking around the campfire well into midnight.
The next day, Scholar Mikki, drowsy, sat on the rocking longship, continuing to sail north. The longship rowed over forty miles, finally reaching the north bank. Then, under Hunter Le Feng’s guidance, everyone continued rowing upstream along a broad great river toward the northern inland.
"So wide, the water is very clear... Le Feng, what river is this?"
"Ah? Oh, this water is drinkable, you can drink it straight. It’s a bit sweet, Sweetwater River!"
"Uh..."
Scholar Mikki glared at the translator Gleebuck and asked again.
"I ant, what river is this? Its na, na!"
"Na? Hmm... around this river, many flying birds land, and there are big cats coming to catch the birds. We usually call it Birdcat River!"
"Birdcat River?..."
Scholar Mikki blinked and recorded the river’s na on paper. Unbeknownst to him, this river would later be known as the "Napa River" in Spanish, aning "the river where leopards lurk." Nor would he have known that in later generations, the fertile land irrigated by this Sweetwater River would be the globally famous wine-producing region, California’s "Napa Valley"!
The valley’s terrain is very narrow, stretching over a hundred miles north to south, surrounded by mountains on three sides and having a warm and pleasant climate. The Napa River flows through the valley, nourishing the fertile lands along its banks and eventually feeding into the southern Great Bay. As they rowed along the river for half a day northward, patches of lush green farmland began appearing on both riverbanks. Then, a series of tribal camps stretched for miles, with continuous thatched huts and straw houses, and thousands of Mivok tribespeople erged in the fertile valley!
"Oh, Chief Divine! A valley suitable for farming between mountains, the powerful and prosperous North Bay Tribe, I have finally arrived!"
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