Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1747 - 1250: The Converted Kamchatka Tribe and the Martyrs’ Stone Tower

The winters on the Kamchatka Peninsula are particularly long, the sky after the snow is blue and bright, like an endless sea. The snow-covered plains connect with the boundless Ice Sea, resembling pure white clouds. The sky is the sea, the ground is the cloud; this is the winter coast of Kamchatka.

Between the clouds and the sea, the central part of the Peninsula rises with towering snow-white mountains. Beneath the hills where the snowy mountains stretch to the shore are dozens of sturdy wooden cottages built from logs, more semi-underground huts, and three frozen longships along with dozens of small boats at the shore, together forming a considerable port camp by the sea. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

This is the Kingdom's Shinnan Mountain Port, the second Kingdom Port on the Kamchatka Peninsula, also where Zuwaro leads the Samurai and Northern Tribes, primarily residing and operating their main Winter Camp. In actuality, this is already the southernmost point of the Kamchatka Peninsula. From the end of the southern coastline, just across the narrowest point of only twenty or more miles of ice-bound Strait, lies the northern Great Island of the Kuril Islands, known in later years as Severo-Kurilsk.

The cold ice wind blows across the Strait, and the Chief Divine's Hummingbird emblem flag hangs outside the South Mountain Port camp on a cedar tree, frozen straight. To the local Mountain Part people, the longship Sea Tribe with "some peculiar small bird" as its totem is often thus called the "Bird Tribe."

"Great bird's Chief Divine bless! It's thanks to the black stone brought by those two large ships that we could save so many herds of reindeer this year! Alas, these precious fuels diminish with use... who knows if more tribal large ships will come next year?..."

"Ah, may the tribe's bird god bless! Unfortunately, one of the three large ships that came last year sank halfway; it is said that dozens of elite Warriors died, and a whole ship's food and black stone were lost... Otherwise, we could have piled up another warehouse full of the tribe's black stone, enough to last until next winter... Hmm, two large ships arrived, bringing so many Warriors to the clan! After the thaw this year, the Shaman Chieftain is likely to lead us southward again to those smaller island tribes and seize some more food and women!..."

Two tribespeople of the Rokube Tribe return slowly, carrying hay from outside the camp through the snow. Although they speak the local tribal language, their foreheads are engraved with the Hummingbird emblem, and they identify themselves as tribespeople of the Bird Tribe. Clearly, the Kingdom's policy of equal assimilation, the deep spread of Chief Divine faith, and the nomadic people's faint admiration for strength are gradually forming a new branch of the Jiao People, Kamchatka's "Bird Tribe!"

"Yo! Yo!..."

"Hoo! Hiss!..."

As they sense the hay approaching, the cries of dozens of stags come from nearby, seemingly quite excited. And when the two tribespeople cross the low hills, nearly a thousand strong reindeer appear suddenly before their eyes!

A large group of reindeer with long antlers, dark and dense, gathers in the mountain hollow outside the camp, huddling in a simple fence for warmth over winter. The deer herd is the most important means of production for the Northern Tribes, akin to fishing boats. And at least a hundred tribespeople at the port are responsible for collecting daily hay, caring for these deer that long for migration and fresh tender grass. Some diligent tribal women, half-kneeling in the snow, murmur prayers while carefully milking the does for fresh milk for the day.

"Warmth from the firebird bless! May the deer herd produce more milk, and may spring come soon!..."

For the nomadic people, whether herding cattle and sheep in Northeast Asia or reindeer in the far north, the most common food is dairy products rather than meat. If it's not absolutely necessary, no one is willing to slaughter their livestock, reducing their tribe's means of production.

From inside the winter shelters for the deer, there's a row of racks drying venison and pelts. The venison on top is fresh and red, clearly not long slaughtered. Due to the winter's sparse hay and severe climate, not all deer can be expected to survive. Almost every month, the loss of old or weak deer to the cold or hunger pains the tribespeople at the port.

"Hoo! Chief Divine bless! Treat the hides carefully! This batch of newly made leather armor is meant for the Warriors arriving on the new longships; it must be sturdy and durable!"

Not far away, over twenty able-bodied men of the tribe are wearing fur cloaks, squatting in the snow, carefully using dull Stone Knives to repeatedly scrape the surface of the reindeer hides. They occasionally add a handful of snow powder, salt powder, and foul-smelling yellow powder to make the tanned leather harder and more pungent.

These reindeer hides are first left to dry completely, then soaked in lime water or wood ash lye for alkaline treatment. Since leather, not fur, is being made, the soaking time is relatively longer. After several weeks of soaking, the fur on the hides starts to fall off, almost losing all activity, leading to the point of dehairing. Once the dehairing is completed, there's a long process of drying and hardening, up to the current final step, nitration tanning. As for the tanning agents used, the Kamchatka Tribes do not have alum or Glauber's salt, their only options are brine and urine nitrate...

"Ah! Such good reindeer pelts, to be turned into leather armor... it's a bit of a pity! These are top-grade fur mats..."

"What do you know? Chief Divine bless! Once the snow melts, the tribal Warriors will be dispatched... Let's hurry and make the leather armor! This is the consumable for tribal warfare; the tribes on the southern islands are also capable fighters, some even wield Long Spears made of unknown metals..."