The sea wind was faintly cool. Morning mist rose over the early sea and spread through the mountain ridges. The Redwood Trees in the mountains merged with the dawn fog, their towering trunks appearing and vanishing by turns, deep and endless, ethereal as a dream.
Five Kingdom Longships lay anchored along the coast outside the Redwood Tribe, where a simple camp had been set up. Kingfishers cried in the nearby villages. The warriors, armored and armed, woke from shallow sleep and began preparing breakfast. The Redwood Tribe in the village did the same. Wary hunters carried newly exchanged Copper Spears on their backs, raising cooking smoke while keeping vigilant eyes on the coast, watching the southern tribes that had come from the sea.
"Hiss! This fruit is really sour!..."
Scholar Miki yawned, took the berries Zuwaro handed him, tossed them into his mouth, and chewed. In an instant, he jolted and almost jumped on the spot.
"This? Zuwaro? This fruit?..."
"Here! Got them from the Redwood Tribe yesterday, along with two grass baskets. His Majesty said that when we go to sea, we have to eat more fruit, so we won't get some kind of bad blood... Haaha! Fruit this sour should keep for a long time."
Exploration Captain Zuwaro held back his laughter and used the wooden spoon in his hand to stir the salmon, sea clams, and unknown vegetable roots boiling in the clay pot. The aroma of seafood rose from the steaming pot, making stomachs rumble.
"Cough! Zuwaro, is it ready? Can we eat?"
"Let it boil a little longer. The fish and shellfish traded from the Redwood Tribe were probably caught two days ago. Not that fresh... But it's not a big problem, as long as they're cooked through."
"Mm."
Scholar Miki nodded, gazed at the