"Ancestor! You who have co from the west, that sea, that route... is it really so difficult?"
"Indeed! The Chief Divine bears witness, Shell, you cannot possibly imagine the dangers and hardships of such a voyage!"
The sea is frozen, the sky like a bright mirror. The sun is not warm, yet it shines on the snow, making it crystal clear. Exploration Captain Zuwaro gently reached out, stroking the long hair of the Ezo girl Thousand Island Shell. Her hair was slightly curly, yellowish, and felt like a short-tailed cat.
"Ancestor... I want to hear you speak... please, tell !"
The girl Thousand Island Shell leaned against Zuwaro's chest, quietly listening to his words, even though she couldn't understand much of the xica Language, she still relied on him like a well-behaved cat. She knew that whether a man is sad or happy, he needs a patient listener. Just like the tribal legends say, won are the ears and nimble hands for n to listen, whereas n are the eyes and running legs for won to hunt.
"Under the Chief Divine's protection! Our voyage from the west was like an icy abyss... Ah! On the Divine Revelation's island chain, the frozen season would last from November to April, often accompanied by terrifying ice and snow storms that sweep across one lonely island after another, snapping tall trees, freezing small trees into ice sculptures. Even in early spring, the heavy snow would follow the cold tides, as snowflakes large and fast as stars falling from the sky!... Then, though sumr is mild, it is accompanied by thick fog that hides the sun, and constant vigilance is needed to avoid crashing into rocks. Deep autumn brings great waves, as tall as ten people high, frequently seen... only the brief early autumn is suitable for sailing, but it's so short and urgent!"
"Winter is frozen, stormy. Spring snows, like fallen stars. Sumr foggy, unseen. Autumn waves, hard to sail... Oh Chief Divine! Only the truly brave and the devoted can row across thousands of miles of island chain to reach this divine Western Sea Continent!"
Zuwaro showed a face of recollection, his expression revealing years of hardship. Even reminiscing the past, he felt the difficulty and test of navigating the island chain. He couldn't help but tighten his arm around the girl, as if wanting to hold on to warmth and softness. His deep gaze once again fell upon the empty tomb's stone tower, his voice lowered, sorrowful.
"The Chief Divine witnessed last October, when Warrior Captain Tamicao led five supporting longships to the camp at Divine Snow Mother Island. Among ten or so people left on Snow Mother Island, two warriors did not survive the extre winter cold and died of frostbite. Only the Unanga and Sugpiaq sailors, native to far north of the Jiao People Clan, truly adapted to the coldness."
"Tamicao established Divine Snow Mother Port at Snow Mother Island's supply camp by leaving one fishing longship and sixty warriors and sailors. Afterwards, he led four longships westward, seeking the next great island hardest to reach on the island chain route, Divine Ancestor Island... a true island of death! On this over a thousand miles route, they faced terrifying great waves, sinking one longship."
"In such deadly waves, even stabilizing a longship was difficult, let alone rescuing people... a total of sixty-two brave souls couldn't even utter a prayer before death, swept away by the icy seawater, disappearing! The remaining three longships could only struggle forward, seeking nearby islands and reefs, then crashing ashore avoiding waves."
"Oh Supre Main God, protect the devoted fleet! They finally reached the small islands surrounding Divine Ancestor Island, but one longship hit a reef and stranded, unable to continue sail... the fleet thus left sixty people on Divine Ancestor Island, leaving winter food and coal, dragged the broken longship ashore, awaiting repairs next year... thereby establishing the camp of Divine Ancestor Port and contacting the Unangas on the island... and from Divine Ancestor Port to the nearby Peninsula beca easier..."
"Once settling everything, Tamicao led the last two longships westward... urgently arriving at the ice-covered Peninsula before November's freeze, encountering hunting Mountain Hunters! Then, they reached our sumr camp, leaving only a small team at Divine Twins Smoke Harbor. After that, the two longships continued southward here, at the main Divine's South Mountain Port, eting with us at the port... God's protection, it was truly difficult!"
Speaking of this, Zuwaro's expression was emotional, almost witnessing the exciting reunion again. On the sea where the first snow had fallen, two battered longships appeared from the north, rendering everyone speechless from surprise. When the warriors of the kingdom t, the excited prayers resounded from the ship, not even the fearless storm-challenging warriors held back tears, and they wept like children weighing one or two hundred catties!
"The third batch of support fleets from Chire High Priest, carrying more than ten longships, sailed for over a year, traveling nineteen to twenty thousand miles! Almost nonstop on this journey, changing people without changing ships, barely delivering the support of two shiploads before the winter freeze to the Peninsula!... Along the journey, twenty ports supplied, more than ten ships supported, sinking one, breaking another, allowing the two ships to arrive safely!"
"What is a miracle? This is a true miracle!... Without the Chief Divine's protection, without Your Majesty's Divine Revelation, without the Priest's guidance, without the warriors' devotion and fearlessness!... Such a grand voyage could not possibly happen!... Likewise, without stable exploration returns, such a challenging route, such high voyage cost, such great miracle, how can it be sustainably maintained?"
Zuwaro sighed deeply, his handso face showing rare desolation. He lowered his head, gazing deeply at the girl in his arms, his eyes hidden with unresolvable lancholy, yet holding a man's genuine resolve.
"Chief Divine witness! All the devoted sacrifices, all the fleet's responsibility, now rest on my shoulders, I am their leader! I must lead these fearless warriors, and bring back the rewards of exploration from the Western Sea for the Kingdom! ... Shell, can you understand my feelings? Can you perceive my sorrow, see the heavy burden on my shoulders?"
"Ancestor!... I... I understand! ... You... you are a great Shaman Chieftain, a true man!"
Thousand Island Shell, the Ezo girl, pursed her lips and gazed at her husband with adoring eyes. She voluntarily took her husband's icy hand and placed it on her warm chest, as if trying to use her body to warm him. But Zuwaro gently shook his head, withdrew his large hand, and rely ruffled Shell's hair.
"No, Shell, you don't understand! … For this far northern route, I have sacrificed everything, offering my body and soul… Chief Divine witness! I, Zuwaro, must stabilize this Western Sea Route, absolutely must bring back the craftsn, livestock, and crops of the Western Sea Continent, bring back everything in Your Majesty's Divine Revelation!"
"Oh… Ancestor! I understand, I really understand you…"
Upon hearing her husband's negation, Thousand Island Shell felt a bit anxious, her eyes seemingly dimd. She vigorously shook her head, grasped the man's hand again, and answered earnestly.
"Ancestor, my man! All tribes migrate from cold, barren places to warm, prosperous ones… But only you, only the tribes who co by longship, migrate from good, warm places to cold, barren bad lands!"
"So I know, you co here not to seize our land, but truly for the Divine! You have brought our tribes here, yet generously treated everyone, provided them with food and fuel for the winter, so that won and children can survive… You do not treat us as slaves, but really treat us, the Utari people, as mbers of the tribe! Just as you said, we are all 'Jiao People' born of the Divine Bird thousands of years ago, are one family! My tribesn also believe your words, believe the Divine Bird of flas, which is a true guardian spirit!"
Thousand Island Shell spoke rapidly, her chest heaved with urgency. She tightly embraced the sorrowful man, leaned against his broad chest. Then she raised her head again, hopefully inquiring.
"Ancestor! You are my husband, I am also a mber of the tribe… Is there anything I can do for you? Or any way we Utari people can do for the guardian Divine Bird?"
The so-called Utari people are the self-identifier of the Ainu, aning "trustworthy partner." Upon hearing Thousand Island Shell's question, Zuwaro pondered with so hesitation. After a while, he ruffled the woman's head and gently spoke.
"Shell, I do have so doubts about the situation in the South… From the Wa captives, I've heard that the Southern Utari have fought the Wa people on the Great Southern Island... Your tribe migrated from the Southern Great Island, do you know what the situation there really is?"
"Ah! Are you asking about the southern Great Island of Ainu Maoxili?"
Thousand Island Shell listened carefully for a while, and then suddenly realized. She blinked and ntioned the Ainu na for Ezo land, Aynu-mosir, aning "a good place for people to live." After contemplating for a while, she slowly gestured in response.
"Ancestor, the situation on the Southern Great Island is very complex, the Utari tribe divides into many branches! … Well, this starts with the 'Mountain Spirit', 'Ocean Spirit', and 'Village Spirit', the three guardian spirits of the tribe…"
"A long ti ago, in this land of Ainu, there were no ferocious Wa people, nor the various Divine spirits of the Wa… Only the 'Mountain Spirit' bear, the 'Ocean Spirit' orca, and the 'Village Spirit' Fish Owl… These three guardian spirits protected the Utari people from the Southern Island to the further south Great Island, across a thousand islands' North Island, it was all our hunting and fishing holand!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers