Chapter Summaries

Exploration captain Zuwaro recalled the Kingdom fleet’s colonization voyage up the western coast, from its first settlements on the Guano-rich peninsula to its arrival at the Kumeyaay territory. The chapter left the fleet and the Ipa Great Tribe avoiding a battle and beginning a peaceful exchange after interpreters were found.

• Zuwaro recalled how the fleet split at the peninsula’s southern tip, leaving settlers to establish South Birdstone Village and mine Guano.
• The fleet sailed north and founded North Birdstone Village, leaving another group to farm, fish, and gather Guano.
• A Seri hunting party ambushed the fleet, but its warriors were overwhelmed and the captives provided laborers and rumors of the far north.
• The fleet reached fertile land near San Diego but found it occupied by the Kumeyaay tribes.
• Miki met Matutumbe, the Red Stone Chief of the Ipa Great Tribe, and interpreters helped both sides communicate and avert war.
• The Ipa Great Tribe and the fleet shared a banquet of drinking and dancing.

Scholar Miki met the Kumeyaay and formed an alliance with Red Stone Chief Matutumbe through a blood-eye oath. Months later, exploration captain Zuwaro recalled the first meeting and learned the meanings of the Kumeyaay words “Silem,” “Yukul,” and “Ku'upla.”

• Kumeyaay Priests sang their creation story as Red Stone Chief Matutumbe welcomed Scholar Miki and asked whether the visitors came in goodwill.
• Scholar Miki offered Matutumbe gemstones and said the fleet came as brothers from the south.
• Matutumbe explained that brothers needed a blood oath, and he and Miki carved eyes into their arms and pressed them together.
• The Kumeyaay celebrated the alliance with cheers, songs, and a welcoming banquet.
• Months later, exploration captain Zuwaro remembered the meeting and learned from a young Kumeyaay woman that “Silem” meant brothers, “Yukul” meant husband and wife, and “Ku'upla” meant mingling.

Scholar Miki learned about the Kumeyaay tribes and the powerful alliances along the Colorado and Gila Rivers, then sought a peaceful way to bring the Ipa Great Tribe to the kingdom's Main God. He persuaded Zuwaro to leave priests and crop supplies with the tribe, on the condition that Red Stone Chief convert publicly and swear a blood oath.

• Red Stone Chief Matutumbe described the Kumeyaay tribes and their neighbors, and Miki mapped the Colorado River, the Gila River, and the rival Navajo and Apache alliances.
• Miki asked whether Red Stone Chief would accept a powerful divinity, and demonstrated the Tiger-Crouching Cannon's destructive force.
• Red Stone Chief said destruction could inspire fear but that the tribe needed a power of life before it would accept the Main God.
• Miki proposed leaving a missionary priest, two assistant priests, protective warriors, and drought-resistant sweet potatoes and cold-resistant potatoes with the Ipa Great Tribe.
• Zuwaro agreed to Miki's plan, requiring Red Stone Chief to convert in a public ceremony and swear a blood oath before the tribe.

After the Ipa Great Tribe joined the Kingdom as its first west-coast ally, Zuwaro’s fleet continued north and found a sheltered coastal valley inhabited by gentle Chumash tribes. He decided to establish a settlement there, named Three Mountain Port, and left people and ships to develop it and bring the locals under Kingdom rule.

• Red Stone Chief Matutumbe converted to the Main God’s faith, making the Ipa Great Tribe the Kingdom’s first allied tribe on North America’s west coast.
• Zuwaro and Miki instructed the new missionary Kuimu to teach farming and strengthen the Kingdom’s religious and logistical foothold among the Kumeyaay.
• The fleet secured a Kumeyaay guide and interpreter in exchange for ten Bronze Axes, then sailed north.
• Zuwaro’s fleet reached a sheltered mountain-ringed coastal valley where several small Chumash tribes lived by gathering, fishing, and hunting.
• After Miki urged settlement, Zuwaro left one hundred and twenty people, two Longships, and three missionary priests to farm, fish, and assimilate the Chumash.
• Zuwaro named the new settlement Three Mountain Port.

The exploration fleet left Three Mountain Port and continued north along California’s coast, encountering a Salinan village. After a translator identified the village elder’s words, Zuwaro greeted him with a word meaning “respect,” leaving the two groups facing one another in cautious peace.

• Zuwaro and Miki watched Ke Bao work alongside the Chumash and agreed he could manage Three Mountain Port.
• The fleet left Three Mountain Port with five hundred-odd men and ten Longships, continuing north past towering redwoods and a brown bear.
• The explorers reached a Salinan village identified by its oak-and-bear totem, where armed villagers watched them warily.
• A Salinan elder approached the shore and greeted the fleet, but Miki could not understand him.
• Deer Worm translated the elder’s greeting and suggested that Zuwaro answer with “K’elqom,” meaning “respect.”
• Zuwaro stepped off the Longship and called “Huchum! K’elqom!” to the elder.

Zuwaro’s exploration fleet reached a fertile bay occupied by the powerful Kono Great Tribe and learned that the region held vast deposits of golden rocks. The chapter left Zuwaro and Miki convinced that the prophesied Golden Bay lay farther north, near a huge inland lake and a mountain of gold.

• After trading with the Salinan's Oak Tribe, Zuwaro led the fleet north on a current that greatly increased its speed.
• The fleet arrived at a broad bay with flat fields and rivers, where Miki noticed a large tribe’s settlements and urged the crew to land.
• The fleet met the Kono Great Tribe, and Deer Worm found that their languages shared enough similarities to make communication easy.
• Sea Dog Chief welcomed the visitors with a feast and accepted Zuwaro’s Lake Gems.
• Sea Dog Chief told Zuwaro about shining golden rocks in the northern mountains and a great lake near the Miwok People, leading Zuwaro and Miki to identify the region as the prophesied Golden Bay.

Zuwaro's fleet reached the vast Golden Bay and surveyed its shores for a safe place to establish a settlement. They found a fertile plain beside a freshwater lake and river, where Zuwaro named the harbor West Mountain Port.

• Miki wondered why schools of fish were swimming north together as the fleet sailed along California's coast.
• Zuwaro led the ten Longships into a vast bay and recognized it as the Golden Bay foretold by His Majesty.
• Miki and Zuwaro vowed to establish a settlement and plant the Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes brought aboard.
• After searching the bay for two days, Kumeyaay Deer Worm spotted a fertile plain, river, and freshwater lake with no nearby tribes.
• Zuwaro named the harbor West Mountain Port as the sun set behind Tamalpais Volcano.

Zuwaro’s fleet made first contact with Lefeng, a cloak hunter from the powerful North Bay Tribe, whose hunting grounds included the land where the newcomers were settling. The Miwok hunters invited the fleet’s leader to visit their tribal chief, Cedar Puiatti.

• Zuwaro’s fleet settled at West Mountain Port and hurried to build shelters and plant crops while hunters from nearby tribes watched them.
• Lefeng introduced himself to Zuwaro as a cloak hunter of the North Bay Tribe and explained his name and bear-marked cloak through Deer Worm.
• Scholar Miki learned that the North Bay Tribe had about twenty cloak hunters and possibly around six hundred ordinary hunters.
• Lefeng said the fleet’s settlement occupied North Bay Tribe hunting grounds, and Chakapu Shijian angrily threatened to fight for the land.
• Deer Worm explained that hunting grounds could shift between tribes and that only sacred lands and farmland were truly claimed.
• Lefeng invited the fleet’s leader to visit the North Bay Tribe’s chief, the wise shaman Cedar Puiatti.

Scholar Miki traveled with Miwok hunters to meet the North Bay Tribe, learning about local trade, medicinal plants, and the valley’s geography along the way. He reached the fertile Napa Valley and saw the North Bay Tribe’s extensive settlements and farmland.

• Scholar Miki persuaded the fleet leaders to let him visit the North Bay Tribe, then sailed north with Lefeng and two warriors carrying gifts.
• Miki learned from Lefeng that the Miwok traded with the Yokut People and heard about Purple Coneflower, Frankincense Tree leaves, and other medicinal plants, which he recorded.
• Miki and Lefeng continued talking through the night, and the next day the party reached the northern shore and followed the Bird-Cat River inland.
• Miki and his companions rowed through the long, fertile valley and saw farmland, thatched settlements, and thousands of Miwok tribespeople.

Scholar Miki reached the North Bay Tribe’s core camp and met its shaman-chief, Cedar, who recognized that Miki’s people were not Kumeyaay and assessed their gifts and military strength. Cedar questioned Miki directly about the newcomers’ aims and suspected they had come seeking food, leaving Miki to answer.

• Scholar Miki observed the North Bay Tribe’s extensive farms and many wooden houses, then estimated its population and number of hunters.
• Hunter Letian introduced Miki to Cedar and reported his suspicions about the newcomers and their strength.
• Cedar identified that Miki’s people were not Kumeyaay, welcomed them, and invited Miki to speak beside the bonfire.
• Miki presented gifts, and Cedar examined the tools, weapons, and armor while Letian said the newcomers had many equipped fighters.
• Cedar switched languages to question Miki directly and suggested that the newcomers had traveled north because they lacked food.

Scholar Miki explained the Longship Tribe’s mission and plans to Shaman Chief Cedar, who tested whether the newcomers posed a threat. After Miki vowed the fleet would settle at Golden Bay and continue its perilous exploration north, Cedar offered help in exchange for returns.

• Scholar Miki told Shaman Chief Cedar that the fleet came from the Lake Kingdom to spread the Main God's faith, trade for food, and explore northward.
• Miki revealed that he was the fleet’s deputy captain and that more fleets would eventually follow, while Cedar said he trusted Miki personally but not the tribe’s promises.
• Cedar asked whether the Longship Tribe had come to claim Golden Bay’s gold, and Miki insisted the fleet would settle there and keep searching for a new continent.
• Cedar warned Miki that the northern coast held deadly storms, ice, and hunger, but Miki declared the fleet would risk its lives to continue exploring.
• Moved by Miki’s resolve, Cedar offered food, guides, interpreters, and help from Miwok tribes farther north in return for unspecified benefits.

Scholar Miki returned from the North Bay Tribe with grain, a tribal translation guide, and help for the Kingdom’s planned exploration north. Zuwaro learned how Cedar Shaman had aided the expedition, then suspected Miki had promised him something in return.

• Miki returned to West Mountain Port after more than twenty days with a boatload of grain, and Zuwaro welcomed him back.
• Miki showed Zuwaro a translation guide covering several tribal languages and explained that Cedar Shaman had dictated most of its entries.
• Miki explained that Cedar Shaman had learned many languages while traveling as a healer whom tribes protected and welcomed.
• Miki said Cedar Shaman had also supplied a token and that Letian could guide the explorers and help them communicate with northern tribes.
• Zuwaro asked what Miki had promised Cedar Shaman in exchange for his help, and Miki guiltily lowered his head.

Scholar Miki explained the food, weapons, farming, and alliance agreements he had made with Cedar Shaman and the North Bay Tribe, while Captain Zuwaro questioned what the kingdom had promised in return. The chapter ended with Miki admitting that the tribe would supply timber and help repair the fleet’s Longship.

• Scholar Miki told Captain Zuwaro that the North Bay Tribe would trade grain for weapons and send tribespeople to help farm in exchange for the kingdom’s crops and agricultural knowledge.
• Miki revealed that he had formed an alliance with Letian, an influential hunter and candidate for the tribe’s next chief, and described Cedar Shaman’s interest in knowledge and the northern tribes’ system of choosing leaders.
• Miki reported that Cedar Shaman knew of the great bay three thousand li north and gave him a carved token that could help the fleet reach the Duwamish, or Rock River, Tribe.
• Captain Zuwaro questioned Miki about what else he had promised, and Miki said he had agreed to teach the North Bay Tribe writing and the Sutra of Ali but had not revealed the bronze formula.
• Miki admitted that the North Bay Tribe would provide sturdy timber and have its craftsmen and hunters help repair the exploration Longship.

Scholar Miki defended sharing shipbuilding knowledge with the North Bay Tribe, arguing that trust and cooperation with the northern tribes would strengthen the Kingdom’s exploration and prepare an alliance against the White-Skinned Demons. After hearing His Majesty’s vision for leading the tribes of both continents, Zuwaro agreed, and Miki urged him to set sail soon based on what he had learned about the northern climate.

• Zuwaro confronted Miki over promising to teach the North Bay Tribe how to build Longships, fearing it would weaken the Kingdom’s naval advantage.
• Miki argued that the tribe lacked the tools and production capacity to build true Longships, and that treating northern tribes as brothers required offering them useful help.
• Miki explained that the North Bay Tribe’s timber and labor would let the fleet repair its damaged ships quickly and support future exploration.
• Zuwaro praised the Cedar Shaman for securing mutually beneficial terms, while Miki accepted that the tribe would grow through its own use of the Kingdom’s knowledge.
• Miki described His Majesty’s ambition to unite the northern and southern tribes and share knowledge to help them resist the White-Skinned Demons, and Zuwaro was inspired by the vision.
• Miki told Zuwaro that His Majesty had also supported establishing a fief in the Northern Continent, then urged him to set sail based on what he had learned about the climate.

Scholar Miki warned Zuwaro that the west coast would soon turn stormy and icy, so the fleet divided its forces to develop West Mountain Port and continue north before October. After demonstrating the fleet’s cannon to the Miwok chiefs, Zuwaro led six Longships toward the prophesied great bay.

• Miki explained that the west coast was calm and dry through October but became cold, rainy, and dangerous afterward, prompting Zuwaro to hurry the northern exploration.
• Miki proposed bringing craftsmen and timber from the North Bay Tribe to repair ships at West Mountain Port, while Jia Shu and Shijian stayed behind to oversee the settlement.
• Miki advised that only six ships and three hundred people should continue north, leaving the rest to build the port and trade with nearby tribes.
• Zuwaro asked Miki to invite tribal chiefs within two hundred li to West Mountain Port before the fleet headed north.
• Zuwaro split the ten Longships among the northern expedition, local trade, and a voyage south carrying news, then fired the fleet’s cannon before the Miwok chiefs.
• Zuwaro ordered the six-ship expedition to sail north and search for the great bay foretold by the king.

The exploration fleet reached the Pomo Bear Hunter Tribe, where Letian explained its bear-hunting origin story and tried to establish contact. A Pomo hunter recognized Letian as a friend, leaving the fleet welcomed by the tribe.

• Zuwaro admired the northern coast and wanted to hunt seals, but Miki warned that hunting was forbidden until October to protect pregnant females.
• Letian identified the Ba'po settlement as the Bear Hunter Tribe and recounted the legend of its ancestress, a huntress who fought a bear and gave birth to bear-blooded Pomo.
• More than four hundred Bear Hunter warriors assembled on the beach as the fleet approached.
• Letian approached unarmed, removed his clothes, performed a war dance, and knelt before the warriors.
• A Pomo hunter recognized Letian's bearskin cloak, raised him up, and the crowd welcomed him as a friend.

The Kingdom’s exploration fleet left the Pomo and traveled north to the Wiyot, where the crew began arranging a trade for the tribe’s river delicacy, Wik-ni. Zuwaro looked at the welcoming fishermen with an unsettling appetite as the fleet prepared to visit their settlement.

• The Pomo welcomed Letian and the fleet, then traded supplies with them and gave Zuwaro a bear pelt before the explorers departed.
• After five days at sea, Letian identified the Wik-ni River and described the Wiyot and their large settlement at the Lagoon.
• The fleet found the Lagoon and encountered Wiyot fishermen, who greeted them and showed interest in trading.
• Miki used Cedar Shaman’s translation book to ask about exchanging food, and the fishermen offered Wik-ni.
• Letian praised Wik-ni as delicious, and Zuwaro agreed while staring eagerly at the Wiyot fishermen.

The exploration fleet met the Wiyot Lake Garden Tribe and negotiated for food and land to establish a Kingdom port. Chief Tujing welcomed them and agreed to let them settle south of the tribe beside a river flowing into the Lagoon.

• Chief Tujing welcomed Zuwaro, Miki, and Letian after Miki showed him the Cedar Shaman’s token.
• Miki and the others shared roasted eel and herbal tea with Tujing, then used gestures and drawings to ask about trading for food.
• Tujing rejected the fleet’s weapons and valuables but agreed that the tribe’s households would trade food for thick cloth.
• Zuwaro asked to leave fifty people to establish a port, and Tujing offered them lakeside grassland about thirty li south of the Lake Garden Tribe.
• Tujing suggested the newcomers build huts, fish, plant beans, and marry women from the tribe.

Exploration Captain Zuwaro left Priest Xi Feng in charge of Lake Bay Port and urged him to convert the Wiyot people by arranging marriages with them. He pressured Xi Feng into agreeing to marry a Wiyot female headman, and went to propose on his behalf.

• Zuwaro established Lake Bay Port on the eastern shore of the lagoon and assigned Xi Feng fifty men and a Longship to develop it.
• Zuwaro explained that Xi Feng could gain influence among the Wiyot people by learning their language and spreading the Main God's faith.
• Zuwaro proposed that the fifty men marry Wiyot women to build ties and bring their families into the faith.
• Zuwaro urged Xi Feng to marry a widowed Wiyot female headman whose three sons and influential relatives could strengthen the Kingdom's local position.
• Xi Feng reluctantly agreed to the marriage for the sake of the Main God's faith and his family's revival, and Zuwaro went to propose on his behalf.

The Wiyot Tribe held a joyful wedding between Priest Xi Feng and tribal leader Tulan, marking a formal alliance between the southern Kingdom’s fleet and the northern tribes. The ceremony ended with the fleet’s cannons introducing the Wiyot people to the Main God’s name, Huitzilopochtli.

• Tujing presided over the wedding of Xi Feng and Tulan on the lakeshore as the Wiyot people celebrated.
• Tulan’s sisters and sons teased the newlyweds, and Tulan flung her youngest son across the sand to stop the boys’ disruption.
• Tulan resolved to bring her tribe south to live by the lake with Xi Feng, while Xi Feng worried about his formidable new wife.
• Tujing concluded the ceremony and declared that the marriage would symbolize the start of the Kingdom’s northern expansion and assimilation.
• Zuwaro led the sailors in prayer and ordered the fleet to fire ceremonial cannons, and the Wiyot people praised Huitzilopochtli.