The Lord of Great Auspiciousness Who Enjoys Five Years of Longevity and Saves from Suffering and Calamity, the Mother of the Lotus Department, White-Robed Guanyin

"Hachiman Great Bodhisattva, bless us! Shipwright Kim, have the sails and ropes of the Zheyang Ship all been stored properly? The most important thing is the sails..."

"My lord! This lowly one has already put away the sails and ropes. So long as they don't get too wet and freeze over, the sails won't split!..."

"Mm, good!... The sea is freezing over, so we'll have to stay here in the Deer Tribe camp for the winter this year. The Zheyang Ship will be left by this river... It won't freeze and crack open, will it? Especially the bow that was smashed before..."

"My lord, the bow has already been repaired. There shouldn't be any major problems. Of course, if we could drag the ship ashore, that would naturally be safest... Er, the ship is too heavy. If there aren't enough people to haul it, leaving it on the frozen river is also fine. It would be best to clear all the cargo out of the hold, so the part frozen beneath the water is shallower... Then every few days, drag the ship around a little, and don't let the ice grow too thick..."

"Mm... Hachiman Great Bodhisattva, bless us! Shipwright Kim, then do as you said! When spring comes next year, whether we return smoothly to warm Katsuyama Castle or fall into the endless Abyss of Kusatsu will all depend on you, and on this ship!..."

"My lord! This lowly one understands!..."

Little Deer Moss River twisted and wound, flashing with the white light of drift ice as it trickled into the Far North Sea to the northwest. Before anyone knew it, November was already more than half over. In northern Kamchatka Peninsula, the coastal freeze was gradually deepening, and the shoreline was covered in snow half a calf deep.