Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 52: Ignite

"Darling, who was that?"

On the large hotel bed, a beautiful, still-charming woman leaned close to Frank’s ear and asked affectionately.

"A friend I don’t know very well." One of Frank’s hands roamed over the woman’s body while the other skillfully saved the satellite phone number, adding the note "little guy."

He then tossed the phone onto the carpet, a solemn, holy expression on his face as he suddenly reached out and pinned the woman down.

"Succubus Witch, this priest must eliminate you."

"Oh, Father Frank, I am a sinner! Please punish me, whip me!"

...

’This guy is going to work himself to death in a woman’s arms sooner or later.’

Feng Shan put away the satellite phone and said to Nash, "Let’s go. We’re heading down the mountain."

Going down the mountain was much easier than going up. Without heavy equipment to slow them down, the two half-slid, half-tumbled their way back to the foot of the mountain in just over ten minutes.

"We’re not going back just yet." Feng Shan stopped Nash and turned toward the Glacial River Beach.

The two crossed the rugged, complex terrain and arrived at the central area of the Glacial River Beach. Large chunks of glacial ice were scattered everywhere, most of it blue ice.

Feng Shan searched among the blue ice fragments and soon found a suitable place to ignite the tribal Fire Seed. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

It was a flat, gravelly patch of ground about ten square meters in size.

"Go gather some stones," Feng Shan said, picking up a rock and placing it in the center of the gravel patch.

Nash didn’t ask why, carrying out the order without hesitation.

Soon, a pile of rocks was collected, and Feng Shan used them to form the shape of a fire pit.

A fire pit was what people in the old days used for lighting fires for warmth and cooking. There were no strict requirements for its shape; it could be square or round.

Building one was especially simple. Rocks, bricks, or stone slabs would all do. More discerning builders might use long flagstones, while a step down would be old firebricks. If you had nothing else, simple rocks were fine.

Feng Shan used rocks of various sizes to build a circular fire pit, then dug a small hole in its center.

With the fire pit built, he still needed to gather five items representing Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth from within the Crown Territory. Finally, he would use his Soul Power to ignite the tribal Fire Seed.

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth were simple; the materials were readily available on the Glacial River Beach.

Metal, however, was a problem.

’Where can I find an item of the Metal element that belongs to the territory?’

’I can’t just use any random piece of metal to make do.’

Feng Shan’s brow furrowed. He turned to look at Nash, hoping this native-born Indigenous Person might have a solution.

"Do you know where I can find metal in the Crown Territory? Preferably ore."

’Metal... ore?’

Nash hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He raised a hand and pointed toward the Melt River. "Ore. Have."

’He really knows a place!’

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Feng Shan’s face. "Quick, take me there."

Nash nodded, turned away from the fire pit, and Feng Shan followed behind him.

The two crossed the Glacial River Beach to the bank of the Melt River. Nash stooped down and squeezed through a narrow fissure in the river’s ice sheet. When he emerged again, he was holding a black rock in his arms.

"Khilla, ore."

Taking the rock, Feng Shan felt his hands sink with its weight, and he almost dropped it.

The black rock was heavy in his hands. Its surface was smooth, worn down by years of meltwater. Wiping away the moisture, he could see scattered golden specks dotting its surface.

’Could this be gold ore?’

Feng Shan was both surprised and curious.

The Crown Territory has gold ore, so why didn’t his grand-uncle mention it in his diary? Was he worried the American Government would find out? But Frank had said that the American Government sent several survey teams back then and found no valuable mineral resources in the Crown Territory.

’If the gold ore is scarce, why was Nash able to find a piece so easily?’

"Are there many rocks like this in the river?"

Nash shook his head and pointed to the death-ray mark on his face. "Few. Not many like in tribe. Many white men came to dig. I killed them. Was expelled."

Hm.

Feng Shan narrowed his eyes. He pieced something together from Nash’s thick accent; it seemed to be related to why he was driven out of his tribe.

But this wasn’t the time to get to the bottom of it.

Igniting the tribal Fire Seed was the most important thing right now.

He returned to the fire pit, carrying the gold ore.

The five elemental items from the Crown Territory—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—were now assembled: gold ore for Metal, a willow branch for Wood, a chunk of ice for Water, burning wood for Fire, and gravel for Earth.

Feng Shan placed these five items into the small hole he had dug in the center of the fire pit. Under Nash’s confused gaze, he placed his right hand on the ground.

He slowly recited the Witchcraft Spell used by his ancestors in his dreams to worship Lady Houtu.

As he recited the Spell, the Witchcraft Bone Ring on his right hand released a wisp of flame that leaped across each of the five items.

But only Feng Shan could see this leaping flame; Nash only saw Feng Shan pressing his hand against the ground.

After the mysterious flame had burned the five items to ash, a single wisp of fire emerged from the ground, swaying like a tender sprout breaking free from the earth’s bonds.

Nash’s mouth slowly fell open, his expression shifting from confusion to reverence.

He hurriedly knelt, pressing his forehead tightly against the cold ground, but his heart was ablaze.

’Such a miracle.’

’Only a Tribal Elf could perform such a feat.’

’The ancestors be praised.’

’I’ve found the Tribal Elf. I can return to the tribe now.’

The tribal Fire Seed swayed precariously in the cold wind, nearly extinguishing. Every flicker was a desperate struggle to maintain its faint existence, yet it persisted, fighting for that tiny, shimmering spark.

Feng Shan quickly drew Soul Power from his Witchcraft Bone Ring and channeled it into the Fire Seed.

With the infusion of Soul Power, the Fire Seed gradually stabilized.

Phew!

Only then did Feng Shan dare to breathe a sigh of relief, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

In his dreams, his ancestor was the guardian of the tribal Fire Seed. He could not only control the Fire Seed to communicate with the tribal deities but also use it to manage all of the tribe’s affairs.

’I wonder if there are any tribal deities in this world.’

Before communicating with the deities, his ancestor first had to resonate with the Fire Seed to receive the deity’s attention and blessing.

Feng Shan gazed at the Fire Seed and followed his ancestor’s steps to resonate with it.

「A moment later.」

The bad news was that he couldn’t communicate with any deity. Perhaps they didn’t even exist in the same world.

The good news was that the Fire Seed’s other functions had not disappeared.

This result, however, made Feng Shan feel strangely relieved. Without the gaze of a so-called deity, the Fire Seed would be completely his own.

The next moment, the Fire Seed appeared in his mind. Feng Shan could see everything within the range illuminated by its light, while beyond that was pitch-black darkness.

Although the area illuminated by the Fire Seed was small, covering only the fire pit, the land within its light was beginning to change.

The originally barren and dead land seemed to be granted new life by the faint flame. The color of the dry, grayish-white soil gradually deepened, shifting toward a vibrant, brownish-tan.

At the same time, nutrients in the soil were activated, and microorganisms began to stir, injecting new vitality into the exhausted land.

A few hardy grass seeds began to sprout, struggling to break through the soil’s hold.

Feng Shan quietly watched the changes taking place under the Fire Seed’s influence.

’As long as the Fire Seed is not extinguished, this Glacial River Beach will one day become a paradise full of life and hope. There will be shady green trees, a riot of blooming flowers, and the sweet songs of birds.’

Having done all this, the next step was to wait patiently—wait for the Fire Seed to burn, and wait to infuse it with more Soul Power.

"Nash, let’s go. Back to camp."

"Khilla, Nash must guard the flame. It is weak." Nash did not get up. He remained kneeling by the fire pit, his face filled with piety and awe.

"Don’t worry, it won’t go out." Feng Shan understood Nash’s sentiment. ’But,’ he thought, ’the only way to extinguish the Fire Seed would be to kill me first.’

Nash reluctantly got to his feet and followed Feng Shan, looking back every few steps as he regretfully left the snowy mountain.

「Back at the camp.」

Prince and Coca-Cola, who had been playing and roughhousing, immediately crowded around him.

They circled around Feng Shan, sensing an indescribable new aura on their master. It made the little ones unwilling to leave his side for even a moment, as if afraid they would lose that reassuring presence if they looked away.

...