Gold Mountain's bay was clear, pale blue with a hint of translucent green. Beyond the bay, the sea was a deep expanse of azure. Sunlight fell on the different waters, refracting into rippling waves, just like the two men's feelings at that moment.
"Main God! Miki, you... you promised the North Bay Tribe the structure and construction of Longships too?!"
Exploration Captain Zuwaro's eyes went wide as he stared fixedly at Scholar Miki, like the unfathomable sea. His emotions heaving, he seized Miki by the arm and spoke in a low voice, like the sea's growl.
"Damn it! If the Miwok People learn how to build Longships, then the Kingdom's advantage in ships in the Northlands..."
"No! Zuwaro, building Longships isn't that easy!"
Scholar Miki shook his head and cut him off in a grave voice.
"The Main God bears witness! The Miwok People don't have many metal tools. It's hard for them to work large timber, and hard for them to build and repair big ships! With their productive capacity, even if they understand Longships, all they can imitate is a slightly larger Canoe. And if they have somewhat better boats, so they can fish and transport things better, that's no harm to us... They're our allies!"
"Allies? How many days has it been since we formed this alliance? It was the same with the Ipa Great Tribe! Miki, you trust these northern tribes far too much!..."
At the mention of the covenant, Exploration Captain Zuwaro was plainly somewhat dismissive. In the end, he did not believe these northern tribes of a few thousand people truly had the strength or qualifications to form an alliance with the Kingdom.
"Zuwaro, a blood-oath covenant has the witness of the gods and the ancestors! It's built on the trust between both sides,