Landlord in the Arctic

On the surface, however, she could only force herself to stay composed, trying to keep her expression placid so Feng Mountain wouldn’t see her inner fragility.

Soon, the sound of hooves grew closer, and the great herd of horses arrived at the outskirts of the Bear Tribe camp.

Dim, yellow lights glowed faintly from within the camp.

Just a few days after the Bear Tribe arrived, David had run a power line to the camp. The electricity supply wasn’t exactly plentiful, but it was enough to cover basic needs like lighting.

For cooking and heating, however, everyone was still used to burning wood.

After all, the Moonlight Forest lay just outside the camp, filled with towering, ancient trees that were decades, if not centuries, old. Timber was an abundant resource.

The herd remained outside the tribal camp’s fence while Feng Mountain led Natasha inside.

Hearing the commotion, the tribespeople stopped what they were doing and approached Feng Mountain with simple, warm smiles to greet him.

As they greeted Feng Mountain, all eyes fell in unison upon Natasha, who stood beside him.

She was strikingly beautiful and should have projected an air of noble elegance, but right now, she looked rather disheveled.

The fiery, stinging pain tormenting her had worn away her usual temper, and her typically proud demeanor had vanished without a trace.

When she walked, her body canted forward involuntarily, each step a study in suppressed pain. It was a posture that easily sparked the imagination.

After all, a single man and woman appearing together on the vast, deathly silent Tundra—especially when the woman, Natasha, was clearly having trouble moving—was a combination of factors that ignited the tribe’s curiosity like a wildfire.

The tribespeople exchanged knowing looks, their faces breaking into indescribable smiles as their eyes twinkled with a particular sort of understanding.

The women were especially enthusiastic, hurrying forward to surround Natasha and fuss over her.

Feng Mountain smiled, warmly greeting each member of the tribe before leading Natasha to the tent belonging to Nash’s father.

After a period of rest and recovery, Nash’s father, Bear’s Fang Dene, was mostly back on his feet. He even helped out with the tribe’s herding work from time to time.

"Khilla, what brings you to the camp today?" Bear’s Fang Dene approached, clad in an animal-skin robe and wearing a gentle smile.

"Just showing a friend around on horseback. I figured I’d stop by and see if the tribe needs anything," Feng Mountain said, gesturing to Natasha at his side.

A knowing, man-to-man smile spread across Bear’s Fang Dene’s face, full of unspoken meaning.

He then turned and called out loudly in his tribe’s language.

A moment later, Nash’s eldest younger sister, Zicao, called back from inside a tent before emerging.

She carried two wooden bowls, her steps light and her face graced with a shy, simple smile.

She walked right up to Natasha and spoke in broken, yet sincere, English.

"This is fresh milk. Drink up. It will help with the pain and make you strong."

After she spoke, she looked toward Feng Mountain and added, "Khilla, this bowl is for you."

’I...’ Natasha knew the girl had misunderstood her relationship with Feng Mountain, but she was too embarrassed to correct her. She could only accept the wooden bowl in silence.

She shot a resentful glare at Feng Mountain.

Raw milk has a strong, gamey taste that most people find unpalatable. If it isn’t filtered right after milking, it can also contain impurities, resulting in a poor texture and an unpleasant drinking experience.

But faced with Zicao’s expectant gaze, Natasha braced herself, raised the wooden bowl to her lips, and took a tentative sip.

The moment the raw milk touched her tongue, Natasha froze.

There was none of the nauseating, gamey flavor she had expected. Instead, a taste of supreme freshness bloomed on her palate.

Natasha could feel the milk’s rich, full-bodied texture on her tongue. Its intense, milky fragrance filled her senses, a powerful impact on her palate that let her experience the purest, most genuine flavor of milk.

"How is it?" Seeing the beautiful woman’s surprised expression, Zicao was secretly overjoyed. Her eyes narrowed into happy crescents as she asked, full of anticipation.

Natasha was in no state to answer Zicao’s question. She gripped the wooden bowl with both hands and began to gulp it down, looking for all the world like she was savoring the rarest of delicacies.

"Of course it’s good. The cows graze on untainted pasture, so their milk is naturally delicious." Feng Mountain grinned, sipping unhurriedly from his own wooden bowl. He glanced at Nash’s father and added, "Dene, remember to bring everyone from the tribe up to the main camp for Christmas Eve tomorrow. We’ll have a celebration together."

"No problem. We already sent four beef cattle and ten sheep up to the camp this morning," Bear’s Fang Dene readily agreed.

Nearby, Natasha stared blankly at the empty wooden bowl in her hands, utterly bewildered. She couldn’t fathom how she had managed to down such a large bowl of milk in one go.

One thing was for certain, though: the milk was unbelievably delicious.

She closed her eyes, and for a moment, she could still feel the rich, mellow flavor dancing on her tongue and lingering in her mouth.

’How did I never know the beef and milk from Crown Territory were this good?’

"Want some more?" Zicao asked with a warm smile when she saw the empty bowl.

"No, thank you!" Natasha snapped back to reality, a polite smile quickly forming on her face. She gave a slight bow as she handed the bowl back to Zicao with graceful composure.

Her gaze swept idly across her surroundings, and she found herself drawn to the hide tents scattered about in a pleasing arrangement, each with a distinctly Indian style.

And so, with a spark of anticipation in her eyes, Natasha asked softly, "Could you show me around the camp?"

"Of course! Follow me!" Zicao nodded without hesitation, her face beaming with a friendly, enthusiastic smile.

With that, she turned and led Natasha on a tour of the camp with a light, cheerful stride.

After watching the two of them disappear between the tents, Bear’s Fang Dene slowly turned his gaze back to Feng Mountain. A hint of concern colored his expression as he spoke.

"Khilla, that woman isn’t a good match for you. I think Jenny is a much better choice—she’s gentle and capable."

"Zicao would be a good choice, too. She’s skillful, treats people sincerely, and is a good, down-to-earth girl you could build a life with."

"Or you could wait for Liu Lan to grow up. That child is clever and intelligent, and she’ll definitely grow up to be a real beauty."

’Anything but this!’

An exasperated expression, somewhere between a laugh and a cringe, crossed Feng Mountain’s face.

’Jenny and Zicao were fine, he supposed, but Liu Lan was only ten years old. He wasn’t some kind of creep; how could he have designs on a little kid?’

At that thought, Feng Mountain quickly raised a hand to stop Bear’s Fang Dene’s misguided matchmaking. He changed the subject, asking,

"I’m planning to expand the ranch and buy more cattle and sheep. What do you think?"

The mention of their actual work immediately energized Bear’s Fang Dene. His eyes lit up, and he eagerly agreed.

"Even if you hadn’t brought it up, I was just about to look for you! The Mossy Tundra is recovering at an incredible rate, faster than I could have imagined. We could double our current herds of cattle and sheep, and the pasture could still easily support them. We wouldn’t have to worry about a forage shortage at all."

"Then it’s settled. After Christmas, I’ll buy more cattle and sheep from Horned Ranch. I plan to get the ranch’s livestock operation properly established and start selling commercially. From then on, the daily operations of the ranch will be entirely managed by the Bear Tribe."

Feng Mountain lifted his chin slightly, laying out the plan he had been formulating for a long time.

Given the current situation, relying solely on the fishing industry was unrealistic.

The Fire Seed Totem might be helping them bring in bountiful catches, but government policy was too unpredictable. An order to ban fishing could come down at any time, which would be a major blow to Crown Territory’s development.

That being the case, it was far better to focus on developing the resources Crown Territory already possessed.

The plantations were one avenue with enormous potential, allowing them to use the Fire Seed to improve the soil and grow various crops.

The other avenue was the ranch. Raising cattle and sheep on the rich Mossy Tundra was both stable and sustainable.

....