Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 317 - 256: Rejection (2)

Before long, he reached the edge of the Ice River, where the Carnation was parked quietly on the frozen surface.

Feng Shan quickly hopped off the snowmobile and bounded onto the plane in a few quick strides.

Once inside the cockpit, he rapidly started up the systems. As the propeller began to slowly spin, the Carnation wobbled forward across the ice, gradually picking up speed.

Finally, it lifted off the ground and gradually vanished into the sky, leaving only the roar of its engine echoing over the ice field.

Meanwhile, the Elder Chief of the Wild Bull Tribe stood at the entrance of his tent, his face filled with helplessness and disappointment as he watched the plane disappear.

At the same time, another plane landed on the ice.

The tent flap was thrown open, and a travel-worn Jeff walked in.

As soon as he entered the tent, he habitually scanned the interior, his eyes searching every corner. However, he didn’t see any sign of Feng Shan.

Jeff then walked over to the Elder Chief, a hint of confusion on his face.

He saw the Elder Chief sitting alone by the bonfire, staring at the still-steaming food before him, lost in thought. He had a faint feeling that something was wrong.

Jeff cleared his throat lightly to get the Elder Chief’s attention before asking in a low voice,

"Chief, where’s Feng? I heard he was coming to the tribe early, so I rushed back from Anchorage."

"He left." The Elder Chief slowly raised his head, his face full of disappointment as he shook his head helplessly.

’He left?’

’The roasted meat is still hot, and he’s already gone.’

’Did the Elder Chief’s negotiations with Feng fall through?’

After grumbling internally for a moment, Jeff decided he had to figure out what was going on. He asked, even more cautiously,

"Chief, did you mention that matter to Feng?"

"Yes, but Feng didn’t give me an answer." The Elder Chief sighed softly, the disappointment on his face growing more pronounced.

’He didn’t give an answer.’

’What’s that supposed to mean?’

Jeff’s brow furrowed. "So did he agree or not?" he asked, confused.

The Chief sighed again, a trace of resentment in his eyes, and said slowly,

"I made him a very generous offer. I was even willing to give him shares in the North Slope Petroleum Company and the Indigenous Company, but he neither accepted nor agreed."

Then, the Elder Chief paused, and a glimmer of light returned to his eyes.

"But I have a feeling that Feng must have a way to help the Wild Bull Tribe receive the blessing of the Spirit of All Things. Judging from his expression and reaction, it’s not that he can’t do it. He’s just hesitating. Maybe he has his own concerns, or maybe the bargaining chips I offered weren’t enough."

’Bargaining chips.’

Jeff nodded slightly. He thought the Elder Chief’s analysis made some sense.

’Since Feng Shan didn’t reject it outright...’

’...that means there’s still room for negotiation. The key is whether they can come up with a bargaining chip attractive enough to move Feng Shan.’

’There’s no problem in this world that can’t be solved.’

’It’s just like doing business. As long as both sides can agree on the terms, a deal can always be made.’

’But what does Feng Shan need?’

Silence fell over the tent, broken only by the CRACKLING of firewood in the bonfire.

...

High in the vast sky, Feng Shan was piloting the Carnation, racing toward Crown Territory.

The straight-line distance from the Clark Lake District to Crown Territory was 800 kilometers.

At the Carnation’s speed, he would only need to refuel once mid-trip to get back to Crown Territory in five hours.

It was a long journey, but thankfully, the Carnation had an autopilot function.

After setting the destination and engaging the autopilot, Feng Shan sat back in his seat, pulled out his phone, and found Hu Zi’s WeChat.

It was 4 PM in Alaska, which meant it should be 7 AM back home in China.

At this time, Hu Zi should be awake.

He started a video call. It rang a few times before connecting.

However, the face that appeared on the screen was Xiaohua’s round, cute face.

"Brother Shan, it’s so... early... Why are you calling? Is... something up?"

The plane was flying at an altitude of 3,000 meters, and the signal was intermittent, causing the video and audio to cut in and out.

"Can’t I call you just to chat? It’s still afternoon over here. Where’s Hu Zi?"

"Him? He’s in... the kit... chen... cook... ing. Do you want to..."

Before Xiaohua could finish her sentence, the screen went black. Feng Shan saw the "No Signal" message on his phone and knew he had entered a dead zone.

’The connection probably won’t be back for a while.’

"Oh well, I’ll catch up on some sleep first," Feng Shan shook his head with a sigh and muttered to himself.

He’d attended the award ceremony early in the morning, then flew to the Wild Bull Tribe. After all that running around, he felt a bit exhausted.

He pulled a blanket out from under his seat, unfolded it over himself, adjusted his position, and leaned back, slowly closing his eyes.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!

A rapid alarm blared from the instrument panel, the shrill sound echoing through the cramped cockpit.

Feng Shan’s eyes snapped open. He looked at the instrument panel and saw the fuel indicator light flashing an eye-piercing red, the warning signal exceptionally stark.

He sat up and quickly checked the other relevant data on the dashboard, searching the GPS map for a place to refuel.

The nearest airfield was in Ruby Town, a small settlement on the banks of the Yukon River.

Feng Shan disengaged the autopilot and took manual control of the Carnation.

「Half an hour later.」

The plane appeared in the sky above the Ruby Town airfield. Through the window, Feng Shan could see several planes parked beside the dirt runway. Like the Carnation, they were all bush planes. There were also quite a few town residents near the runway.

Likewise, the town’s residents quickly noticed the Carnation in the sky. They all stopped what they were doing and looked up to observe the unfamiliar aircraft.

After all, Ruby Town was a semi-isolated town on the edge of the Yukon River. It didn’t see much traffic, either people or planes, on a typical day. The nearest town was Galena Village, 65 kilometers away.

So, the sudden appearance of a strange bush plane made the residents very curious.

As the Carnation landed steadily on the dirt runway, kicking up a cloud of dust, the plane slowly came to a stop.

Feng Shan opened the cabin door, hopped out, and stretched his somewhat stiff body.

The curious townspeople who had been watching all walked over. One of them, who seemed particularly friendly, was the first to speak up, asking inquisitively,

"Hey, buddy, where you from?"

Feng Shan, a faint smile on his face, answered politely, "The Clark Lake District. Say, fellas, can I get fuel here?"

"Sure can! Pete, you got business!" a Caucasian man in work clothes shouted over his shoulder upon hearing Feng Shan’s question.

No sooner had he spoken than a middle-aged Caucasian man covered in grease slowly emerged from behind the skeletal frame of a bush plane by the runway.

He unhurriedly set down the tool in his hand, wiped his hands on a towel draped over his shoulder, and then ambled onto the runway. He walked up to the Carnation and gave the plane a thorough look-over.

After finishing his inspection, Pete looked up slightly at Feng Shan. "Fifteen dollars a gallon. You want it?"

"Pete, your heart is rotten to the core! Fifteen dollars a gallon? Why does God even let you live on this earth?" The man in work clothes made an exaggerated expression upon hearing the price. He then looked at Feng Shan and offered a kind reminder, "Buddy, you could go to Galena Village. The fuel will be cheaper there."

Feng Shan first shot the man in work clothes a grateful smile.

However, considering his fuel was already at the warning level, he really didn’t want to risk flying another sixty-five kilometers to Galena Village. If something unexpected happened along the way, it would be a huge problem.

So, Feng Shan looked at the middle-aged man, Pete, and shrugged helplessly.

"Fill ’er up, buddy. I’d rather not fly another few dozen kilometers."

WHEW!

The middle-aged man let out a whistle and turned toward a pickup truck fitted with a fuel tank.

He hadn’t even blinked at the high price of fifteen dollars a gallon. Seeing such a decisive customer, the surrounding townspeople sensed a business opportunity. They immediately crowded around him enthusiastically, all talking at once as they pitched their own goods.

"Buddy, I’ve got smoked reindeer meat at my place. Wanna buy some? It’s cheap."

"How about some dried salmon to take with you? It’s delicious."

"Want some Yukon River wild mountain goats? I just caught three. They’re still alive, and the meat is excellent. I can even butcher one and cook it up for you, free of charge."

"Sir, I have blueberry jam, smoked salmon, and caviar."

Looking at the enthusiastic residents, Feng Shan maintained a polite smile, but he was inwardly marveling at how business-minded the people of this small town were.

’I’m not interested in the other stuff, but those three Yukon River wild mountain goats sound pretty good.’

’A hundred Suffolk Sheep are supposed to be delivered to the camp soon anyway.’

’I can raise them all together.’

...