A cup of greenish, moss-scented tea was placed before him.
Feng Mountain hesitated.
’I wonder if the Witch’s body can handle this tea.’
But faced with Old Swan’s warm hospitality, Feng Mountain had no choice but to pick up the cup and take a tiny sip.
Instantly, his tongue protested in agony.
It was sour, bitter, and astringent, not to ntion the dregs that scratched his throat.
Old Swan cheerfully picked up his own cup, took a large gulp, and said with relish, "Tastes good, doesn’t it? Moss helps regulate the digestive system. It’s good for you."
’It’ll definitely regulate the digestive system, all right.’
He had only taken a small sip, and his stomach was already starting to gurgle.
’Another sip and I’ll probably have a case of explosive diarrhea right here on the spot.’
While Feng Mountain complained silently, he put on a look of enjoynt and naturally set the cup down. "I’m planning to return to the Crown Territory as soon as possible. Do you know if there are any flights out of Kivalina?"
Old Swan thought for a mont before replying.
"Every Wednesday, the Coast Guard flies in a shipnt of frozen halibut donated by the food bank. You can leave on that plane."
’Wednesday?’
Today was Monday. That ant he would have to wait two more days.
To be honest, after seeing that moss tea, Feng Mountain had lost all hope for Kivalina.
’If the tea is this bad, I can’t even imagine the food.’
"There’s another way. You could have Vampire Tom fly in to pick you up, but it would be very expensive," Old Swan suggested.
’That’s a good idea.’
Feng Mountain was just about to take out his satellite phone to contact Tom.
Suddenly, the low growl of a White Wolf and a woman’s scream sounded from outside the room.
The people inside quickly got up and went out. They saw three White Wolves standing on the porch steps, growling a warning at a slightly plump, middle-aged woman.
"Old Swan, why don’t you tie up your sled dogs?" The middle-aged woman, who seed to have fallen in fright, snapped at Old Swan while brushing snow off herself. He just grinned and pointed a hand at Feng Mountain. "Louise, these dogs aren’t mine... Holy crap, Feng, are these your dogs?"
Old Swan’s expression froze as he looked at the White Wolves.
On the Tundra, it had been too dark to get a clear look at the three White Wolves. He had assud they were just ordinary Inuit sled dogs. Those hounds look just like wolves, but their barks and temperants are much milder.
But standing under the light...
As an old Inuit hunter, he recognized at a glance that these three white dogs were Alaskan Taiga Wolves, also known as barren-ground wolves. Their bodies, covered in long, white fur, were their trademark.
"Feng, are they Taiga Wolves?"
These past few days, the three White Wolves had worked without complaint and bravely faced danger, earning his approval long ago.
Feng Mountain had no intention of hiding it and admitted it readily.
"That’s right. They’re my White Wolves. My apologies, ma’am, for scaring you."
Unexpectedly, not only was the woman not angry, but she broke into a smile, a complete change in her deanor.
"Not at all. How could such lovely animals scare ? I just slipped. Excuse , are you Mr. Feng from the Crown Territory?"
"Old Swan, it’s been a while since I’ve had your moss tea."
With that, the woman walked into the house without waiting for an invitation.
Feng Mountain narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Old Swan, who just shrugged. "Buddy, that’s Louise, the mayor of the Kivalina Town Governnt. She’s in charge of Kivalina."
’Mayor?’
’She dares to call herself mayor of a town with only a little over 400 people?’
’Back ho in the countryside, she’d be a village chief at most.’
’Then again, why is a mayor being so friendly to ? I don’t even know her.’
Feng Mountain told the White Wolves to rest in the open space next to the cabin and walked back into the room, curious.
Louise didn’t seem to mind the sll in the room at all, inviting Feng Mountain to sit down with a beaming smile.
"Mr. Feng, I heard you’ve inherited the land in the Crown Territory?"
"Yes?"
"What are the living conditions like in the Crown Territory? How many reindeer migration routes are there? Does the governnt have any plans for infrastructure developnt in the Crown Territory?"
’Is this woman crazy?’
’Why is she asking so many questions? Is she running a background check on ?’
A hint of displeasure appeared in Feng Mountain’s gaze as he looked at Louise, but she didn’t seem to notice and kept asking about the Crown Territory.
Just then, Little Swan pushed the door open and shouted excitedly, "Grandpa, the bonfire’s been lit! Everyone’s waiting for you."
"Then let’s go!" Feng Mountain didn’t want to stay in the room a second longer. He got up and headed for the door.
Louise was about to say sothing, but Old Swan stopped her with a look and followed him out.
Walking down the muddy street, Old Swan suddenly said to the silent Feng Mountain, "Louise is a good person. She didn’t an to offend you. There are so things..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Feng Mountain guessed it had to be related to Kivalina.
’Too bad I’m just a passerby. I have neither the interest nor the energy to care about these things.’
As they passed by the town’s residents, Feng Mountain noticed that most of them were middle-aged and elderly people, won, and children. There were very few young adults.
When they reached the end of Shaba Island, the Black Wolf was tied to a wooden pole and hoisted high in the air.
A bonfire burned brightly, dispelling the chill from the sea.
Several elders were dressed in white reindeer hides, wearing hats made from the tails of so unknown animal. They held single-sided hand drums, which they struck by rotating them, producing a clear, rhythmic echo.
The townspeople danced around the bonfire to the accompanint of the hand drums, their laughter and cheers echoing in the night sky.
Children weaved through the crowd, playing and laughing, their faces beaming with joy.
When Feng Mountain appeared, the won, showing no restraint, laughed and sward him, pulling him into the dance with many hands.
’These won are so strong!’
Feng Mountain could only shake his head with a wry smile as he stood in the middle of the group of won, stiffly moving his arms and legs while also guarding against hands reaching out from the shadows.
When the dance ended, the dancing residents moved away from the bonfire and ford a circle.
Feng Mountain was sweating profusely. He looked down in annoyance at his leather coat, which had been pulled open, revealing several greasy handprints on the T-shirt underneath.
’Good thing I reacted quickly.’
’Otherwise, this pack of predatory won would have had their way with .’
Just then, an elder wearing a white reindeer hide walked up to the bonfire and began speaking to the residents in an ancient, lodic language.
Louise ca to Feng Mountain’s side and translated in a low voice.
"The chief is saying that with the Black Fenrir returned to the earth, the Kivalina Tribe will once again welco the arrival of the reindeer herds. Food will fill the tribe’s storehouses, and the tribe will no longer go hungry."
When the elder finished speaking, the residents let out a series of cheers.
The next mont, everyone’s eyes turned to Feng Mountain in unison. Being stared at by so many pairs of eyes made him extrely uncomfortable, but he couldn’t just leave.
At that mont, a beautiful young Inuit girl appeared.
The girl’s eyes were clear and bright, her nose was straight, and her lips were slightly upturned in a natural smile. She walked up to Feng Mountain, holding a wooden tray.
On the tray was a soggy, foul-slling bird, a piece of dark brown at with a greasy sheen on its surface, and finally, a piece of black and white at with the skin still on.
Seeing this strange combination of food, Feng Mountain couldn’t help but frown slightly.
The girl’s gaze was sincere, fervent, and full of respect. She spoke in a clear voice.
"Honored guest, you killed Fenrir. To show our gratitude, we have specially prepared these Inuit delicacies for you. Please, try them."
’Eat this stuff?’
’Are you sure you’re not trying to repay my kindness with malice?’
Faced with a crowd of townspeople whose eyes were filled with expectation, Feng Mountain felt he had no choice. He first picked up the piece of black and white at with skin on and put it in his mouth to chew.
’Hmm, it’s not bad. More normal than I expected.’
The at was slightly chewy, with a texture close to beef jerky. The fat didn’t have much of a particular taste, just a faint fishy sll.
After eating the first piece of at, the pressure on Feng Mountain eased considerably.
’It seems it’s not as scary as my great-uncle said. After all, every culture has its own unique cuisine.’
’Back ho, so people can’t stand cilantro but love fish mint.’
Thinking of this, Feng Mountain picked up the piece of dark brown at.
But as he brought it to his lips...
A sll like stale urine aged for decades shot straight into his nostrils.
BLECH!!
He gagged!
...
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