"The Main God guides us! Zuwaro, Grandmother Island is northwest of here. For an Unangax canoe, even at its fastest, it would take seven days to paddle there—that makes it a distance of more than seven hundred li!..."
"Blessed by the Main God! Seven hundred li... If a Longship rowed at full speed, it might only take four days!..."
"But... the distance isn't the biggest problem! The biggest problem is that on the sea route to Grandmother Island, there aren't any intermediate islands, nor any landmarks to use as reference... A Longship could easily lose its way and fail to find its bearings!..."
"Miki, no matter what, I want to try! We've already heard clear rumors of the New Continent, and we also have the nautical chart from His Majesty's divine revelation! Before the freeze comes, in this final half-month window, I must give it everything I have and sail west!..."
"...All right! Zuwaro, I'll shift as much of the food and Fire Stone from both ships to you as I can... Blessed by the Main God! May you reach the western New Continent, and may you return safely!..."
"Blessed by the Main God! I'll definitely be able to reach it! But if, by any chance—if I can't come back... Miki, the rest of the sea exploration will have to be left to you!... This Divine Snow Mother Island lies at 53 degrees north latitude, almost level with God High Mountain Island at 52 degrees north. The distance between the two great islands is also more than a thousand li, making it very suitable for establishing another port. In truth, on this chain of islands, every great island with tribes on it should have a supply point established. That would be much safer!"
October had reached its very end, and