Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1745 - 1248: Connecting East Asia’s Far Northern Sea Route (Part 1)

March is the cold ice period, north of 50 degrees north latitude in the North Pacific, it is still a world of white crystalline, bitter cold death. And the far northern route connecting North America to Northeast Asia, the coldest and most short-lived coastal route of this era, starts from Whale Harbor at 49 degrees north latitude and ultimately reaches the Kamchatka Peninsula at over 50 degrees north latitude.

The first half of this far northern route is along the coast of Alaska, North America, with the warm Alaska Current, reaching as far north as Divine Blood Bay Port at 60 degrees north latitude. The latter half is the windy and wavy Aleutian Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula where the cold Kurile Cold Current flows through, actually much colder and more difficult!

A vast ice sheet rules the North Pacific, and the Alaska Current can only flow beneath the ice. Starting from Whale Harbor (N48, W124) and heading north for nine hundred miles, reaching the northern tip of present-day Vancouver Island, is the Kingdom's second port on the far northern route, Divine Shell Fish Port (N50, W127).

"Chief Divine protection! The ice outside the port has melted, after half a month, fishing boats can go out to fish... The population in the port has increased again, when planting potatoes this year, we still have to plant more! ... Hmm, this winter the snow is very heavy, it's very hard to get through, the Heiltsuk Tribe across the sea are also having a hard time. When it's navigable, we'll bring some fish harvest, go across the sea to appease the struggling small tribes, and bring back more people to supplement the population!..."

High Priest Fish stood at the edge of the port, gazing at the long and narrow strait in the East, and the faintly visible mountains on the opposite side. Beside him were not only two ax-wielding Warriors of the Kingdom, four hook-carrying Slauth fishermen, but also three Heiltsuk hunters with wooden beast hats. Whether they were Slauth or Heiltsuk, they were generally a head taller and a size larger than the Kingdom's warriors.

This year's winter ice was very thick, the cold waves also exceptionally frequent. A group of over thirty Heiltsuk tribe members escaped on the solid ice to Vancouver Great Island, eventually being fortunate enough to be absorbed by Divine Shell Fish Port, choosing conversion to the Chief Divine.

This tribe actually originally had about a hundred people, but after one winter, there were only thirty left. Extreme cold and heavy snow, lack of food and fuel, frozen waters making fishing difficult, and the tribe had no stored food... These small fishing and hunting tribes on the far northern continent had such limited ability to resist cold disasters. And in the vast inland further east, there are countless such scattered small tribes, blooming like ephemerals in the harsh winter.

"Hmm... The port already has 340 people and has opened large potato fields. We're the closest to Whale Harbor, when it thaws in April, we'll need to send a longship southward, bring a shipload of salted whale meat, and then go around the tribes to gather more people!..."

After more than two years of development, Divine Shell Fish Port already has over 300 people, and its development speed is not very fast. The characteristics of this port are that it is on a safe sea island, and also planted large fields of potatoes, so it can also be called "Potato Port."

Compared to the ambitious, fast-growing Kingdom Priests on the Western Sea Coast, the Priests of the Far North Coast are much more simple and unadorned. Their minds are all about how to store food, how to accumulate fuel, and how to help the tribe in the port survive the winter... On this desolate gray-white far northern continent, survival problems are always the first priority! And the cost of nurturing tribes is indeed high, far incomparable to the warm and fertile various parts of the Western Sea Coast.

The Ice Sea reflects the vast, floating ice glistens white. From Divine Shell Fish Port heading north, one must travel a full fourteen hundred miles to reach the next Kingdom Port, Divine Eagle Wing Port (N55, W131). The size of this port is noticeably larger than the "Potato Port," with rows of short pit houses built. On the ice-bound shore, two longships are moored, and over a hundred tribespeople spread out on the ice, all guarding their own fishing holes, competing with patience and luck in ice fishing.

"Ah! Chief Divine protection! The fish is on the hook, it jumped up! Wow! It's a big white fish!..."

"I caught one too!..."

"I caught three!..."

"Shh! Keep it down... Priest Pineapple didn't catch any fish, and he doesn't look happy... When it's over, each of us should give one fish to the priest!..."

"No, you can't give it directly to the priest, he might not be pleased... Better sneak it to the priest's wife!"

"Huh? Why wouldn't the priest be happy if we give him fish?..."

"What do you Tlingit fish people know? The priest's wife is the daughter of our Tsimshian Eagle Island tribe's chieftain! She told us the priest is thin-skinned, even on a grass bed he's restrained and proper..."

"Ah! Speak quietly, explain it to me in detail... I'll give you a fish!..."

"Huff! Huff!... Ice fishing... not at all theological... all about luck!... all my luck is used to protect the tribe... Chief Divine protection!..."

The Priest Boro, wrapped in thick furs, crouched by the chiseled ice opening, waiting patiently yet helplessly. Beside him was his tall and robust Tsimshian wife, Qin Yan, looking at her husband who couldn't catch any fish, with a smile on her face, while whittling a fishing harpoon in her hand. She was the daughter of the Chieftain of the Great Tribe of Eagle Island and held an inherent influence over the more than three hundred Tsimshian people in the port. She was also very satisfied with her husband, especially when compared to the other longship chieftain who married her aunt. That aunt, after just getting pregnant, vanished from sight…

Indeed, among the many ports along the far northern routes, Divine Eagle Wing Port, continually marrying the Great Tribe of Eagle Island and winning the support of coastal tribes, was perhaps the largest of the far north's major ports! This major port boasted over 600 people, almost double that of Potato Port. The population consisted of over a hundred from the Kingdom's Main Force, over three hundred Tsimshian people, and around two hundred Tlingit people. In front of the Chief Divine sacrificial altar here stood two totem poles of the tribes. One was the eagle totem worshipped by the Tsimshian and the other was the fish totem worshipped by the Tlingit, so it could also be called 'Fish Eagle Port'.

The two totem poles stood tall together, like the inheritance and emblem of the Northern Land, also corresponding to the creatures in the water and sky. And when the White Eagle flew a hundred miles north, reaching the edge of a winding bay shining with gold and stone, it was the Kingdom's port on Douglas Rich Island, Jinxi Port (N58, W134).

Currently, the scale of Jinxi Port was similar to "Potato Port," also having around 300 people. The most notable feature of this port was undoubtedly the most abundant and extremely astonishing gold mine area in North America — the Juneau Great Gold Mine. This was a "gold mining port" sitting on a gold belt that could drive all the Kingdoms of the Old Continent crazy! 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

However, the warm bonfire was lit in the Temple, and thousands of jin of gold sand flashed a magnificent light on the altar. The Priest Jin Zhan, draped in thick furs, sat cross-legged in front of the altar, holding a stone carving knife in his hand. Listless, he lazily carved the emblem of the Chief Divine onto a golden amulet. Beside him, a pile of gold talismans weighing one jin each was stacked carelessly, at least over a hundred, discarded like useless stones…

"Oh Chief Divine! It's infuriating!… There are clearly so many gold mines here, with divinity prophesied by Your Majesty!… Yet Chimere, who is in charge of the second fleet, didn't leave me a longship! But whether it's the Divine Eagle Wing Port to the south or the Divine Blood Bay Port to the north, they both received supplementary support with longships!"

"Ah! Could it be that, my port with gold mines ranks last on the entire far northern route? Could it be that I, Jin Zhan Hua, a descendant of the Great Nobility, can't even compare to those commoner priests?… No, at least better than Potato Port's Long Yu… right? That's second to last?… Ah! My lungs are about to explode! I'm not carving anymore!"

"Bang!…"

With a face full of anger, Priest Jin Zhan furiously raised his hand and threw the one-jin gold talisman like a frisbee out of the small temple's door. Upon closer inspection, over a dozen or twenty gold talismans were already lying in the snow outside the door, with no one bothering to pick them up; even the ground squirrels didn't want them!…

In fact, Priest Jin Zhan's estimation was quite accurate. Among the ports on the far northern route, Jinxi Port, sitting atop a large gold mine, had very poor land, with only ordinary fishery resources. From Chimere's perspective, who was responsible for the second support fleet, this place was "very unsuitable for farming," and with very limited longship supplementation from the Kingdom, naturally, it wasn't arranged here.

Thus, by the frozen port of Jinxi Port, there was only a lonely longship and dozens of canoes. Yet, over a thousand miles to the northwest, at the Kingdom's Divine Blood Bay Port (N60, W145), three longships lay frozen!

Chimere held Divine Blood Bay Port in high regard, reallocating two longships and leaving over 150 of the Kingdom's Main Force here. With the addition of these Kingdom's forces, the Divine Blood Bay Tribe rapidly expanded to around 500 people, with many Kingdom's Warriors present to keep things in check and continue to absorb the surrounding tribespeople…

As the successor to the far northern route's leadership, Chimere's arrangement was based on considerations of development potential and a stable foothold. This "Blood Bay" port at the junction of "Blood River" had the best fishing resources among all the far north ports, and the most convenient waterway access, connecting the vast interior of the far northern continent, with great geographic advantages!

With an abundance of fish, more tribes could be supported, sustaining a more significant Kingdom port. Convenient transportation meant connecting with more tribes, making it easier to incorporate and convert them! In fact, not far west of the Blood Bay Tribe, was the magnificent Heavenly God Ancestor Peak, with Long Bay tribes along Long Bay at the base of the mountain. Due to the towering Mountain God Ancestor Peak blocking the cold currents from the north, it was one of the rare warm fertile lands along the entire coast of Alaska, with the highest tribe density. Actually, Zuwaro had a similar plan, to relocate captured Deer Clan Hunters in two boats to Divine Blood Bay Port…

"Chief Divine be witness! Divine Blood Bay Port is the critical heart of the far northern route, our 'Tiger Waist Port'!"

Last summer and fall, after leaving this encouragement to the robust Priest Leopard, Chimere continued westward with seven longships to send warmth, no, to send support to Zuwaro, thousands of miles away… As for Chimere's position during this early spring ice season…

"Cough! Sukeichiro, how much longer will it take for these peculiar four-legged riding beasts… to give birth?"

"Ah! High Priest Sir, please don't come near, absolutely don't come near! Horses get temperamental during pregnancy and might kick you!… They've been pregnant for almost ten months… in another month or two, they'll give birth to foals!"

Note: The Easter egg chapter contains the overall map of the far northern route.