Spider lilies bloomed; early summer was a season of splendor. Blue wildflowers swayed in the grass by the sea. Unbroken stretches of shrub spread their emerald branches. Together with the red birds flying through the sky and the gray rabbits darting through the grass, they formed a picture brimming with life.
Such magnificent scenery fell into the eyes of these people who had drifted so long and survived calamity after calamity, and it was so beautiful it was almost unforgettable. Old militiaman Chiwako knelt on the beach, greedily taking in everything before him, breathing the reassuring scent of soil. And when he spotted a beautiful Spoonbill landing and pausing nearby, he was so delighted that drool ran from his mouth.
"What a fat egret... How wonderful!"
The fleet came ashore, and the archers aboard finally had a chance to show their skill, hunting game with their bows. By evening, the Longship rested against the beach, and bonfires rose along the shore. Hot roasted meat carried its aroma through the air, paired with freshly boiled thick white fish soup and delicious soft-yolk Sea Turtle Eggs; it was as if they had instantly arrived in the Divine Kingdom.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone finally came back to life. Lying on the solid earth, they could at last sleep properly. When the morning sunlight fell across their faces, new hope leapt in their hearts. And with it came another crucial question.
"Where is this?"
"Blessed by the Main God! We're still around twenty-three degrees north latitude... This should be Huastec Land. If we want to return to the region occupied by the kingdom, we have to follow the coast south!"
Hearing that answer, the old militiaman nodded. He counted the crew: twenty-one people, a third of them wounded, and