The Shubuto River ran north to south, stretching eighty li from Ezo's northern coast to its southern coast, cutting the vast Ezo Land in two. This was the narrowest part of the entire Moshiri Peninsula, and it was likewise a little more than a day's voyage by galley from the mouth of the Shiribetsu River, roughly eighty li. In the language of the Ainu People, "Shubuto" meant "a river of many stones"—Stone River.
A low-hanging night curtain shrouded the jagged, stone-strewn banks. Tall reeds swayed in the silent north wind. After Reed had passed two moonlit nights there, the silence along the river suddenly vanished. By the time Morning Sun rose from the eastern mountains, ten Kan-style ships packed with warrior monks, along with three merchant ships emptied of gold, had already moored at the mouth of Stone River, as if they had appeared out of nowhere. Only, on closer look, the bows of the Kan-style ships pointed northeast, while the bows of the merchant ships pointed southwest...
"Morino, after coming all this way, you actually mean to take three merchant ships straight back to Omi? Why not stay at the Kakizaki Clan's port and wait for me another half month or month? Once I have purged demons and defended the Way, and taken another batch of gold from the Sanda People, I can escort your merchant ships back and report this great merit to the sect together!..."
"May Buddha protect us! Senior Brother Juehui, there is far too much gold loaded on my ships. If we dock for long at the Kakizaki Clan, and word leaks out, it will be all too easy for people to set their eyes on us!... Besides, in this gold trade, we still have not divided accounts with the Kakizaki Clan. According to Senior