Landlord in the Arctic

Feng Shan had been hiding in a corner, laughing heartily as he watched the hilarious dance moves of Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide.

But unexpectedly, Zicao, Erica, and Tammy spotted him.

Their eyes lit up as if they had discovered a treasure. They quickly broke away from the dancers, rushed over, and unceremoniously dragged Feng Shan into the crowd.

At first, Feng Shan tried to resist, but he was hopelessly outnumbered and could only let them pull him along.

When the people of the Bear Tribe saw that Khilla had joined the dance, their faces lit up with pleasant surprise, and they quickly cleared a space for him in the center.

Feng Shan was ushered into the middle of the crowd. Everyone formed a circle around him and, in unison, performed a gesture of a bear raising its arms.

The scene looked as though they were expressing deep reverence before the Bear King.

Seeing this, Feng Shan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself,

'What else can I do?'

'Might as well dance!'

'It's not like I haven't done this before, and the moves don't look too difficult anyway.'

With that, Feng Shan composed himself and began to follow the dance moves.

He bent his knees, squatted slightly, and clenched his fists, swaying his body left and right to the rhythm of the wooden drums, trying his best to imitate a bear's gait.

Though his movements might not have been as practiced or precise as those of the Bear Tribe members, his earnest effort earned him rounds of applause and laughter from the crowd.

With Feng Shan joining the lively dance,

the atmosphere of the entire gathering instantly soared to its peak, as if a fire had been lit and was now burning ever brighter.

The people of the Bear Tribe were greatly encouraged, and the beating of the drums grew more powerful.

The THUMP THUMP THUMP of the rhythm was soul-stirring, as if it were about to merge with the heartbeats of the people.

The rousing beat was like a series of bugle calls, inspiring everyone to dance with abandon.

However, even as most people immersed themselves in the joyous atmosphere, joining the dance to release their passion, a small group stood on the periphery, watching quietly.

Chief Welta of the Wild Bull Tribe, for instance, stood at the edge of the crowd with his arms crossed, his gaze calm as he watched the scene.

The Bear Tribe's dance was an act of worship for their Tribal Guardian Spirit, the Iron Brown Bear, not the American Bison his own tribe revered.

In his eyes, to join the dance rashly would be akin to betraying his own tribe.

So, he chose to watch from afar.

There was also a group of leaders from the Taiga Alliance, who watched on coldly. Their faces held a trace of indifference and detachment as they put their heads together, whispering amongst themselves.

In their eyes, what did the dance of the Indians have to do with the Inuit?

Besides, the two peoples had a long-standing feud.

How could an Inuit possibly join such a dance?

As the dance went on, the atmosphere at the party grew ever more fervent.

From time to time, people carrying drinks would make their way through the crowd to offer one to Feng Shan.

Caught up in the dance, Feng Shan had no intention of refusing. He accepted all offers, taking each drink and downing it in one gulp.

Combined with the constant circling of the bonfire and non-stop movement, the physical exertion was considerable, and his head was starting to feel a bit fuzzy.

「Just as the dance reached its climax.」

The crowd was immersed in the joyful rhythm and fervent atmosphere.

Everyone suddenly noticed Feng Shan in the very center raise his hands toward the bonfire for some unknown reason.

The people around him froze for a moment, then stopped dancing.

They all turned to look at Feng Shan, their faces filled with confusion, wondering what he was doing.

But in the next moment,

the fiercely burning bonfire, as if infused with some mysterious power, sent sparks surging several meters high, dancing wildly into the night sky.

Then, miraculously, the twinkling sparks in the night sky began to arrange themselves, gradually forming a breathtaking image.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

The entire area fell silent. The previously boisterous atmosphere was now enveloped in an aura of mystery.

Even the Bear Tribe members on the wooden drums stopped involuntarily, forgetting to play.

One by one, they stared into the air, eyes wide and jaws agape in shock.

Their gazes were filled with disbelief as they stared intently at the shape of a bear formed by the sparks.

It was a tall, burly brown bear, so lifelike it seemed ready to leap down from the night sky at any moment.

It had a distinct bear's head with round ears and sharp teeth. The muscles on its massive body were clearly defined, radiating a sense of power. Its thick claws looked capable of shredding anything, and its two sturdy legs were planted firmly.

At that moment, the bear of sparks raised its arms and tilted its head back, roaring at the night sky.

Though it made no sound, the people of the Bear Tribe felt as if they could truly hear a bear's roar echoing in their ears.

The roar was deep and resonant, filled with majesty and power, as if their Tribal Guardian Spirit was conveying a message to them.

"All things have a spirit... That's the Guardian Spirit, the Iron Brown Bear."

In the crowd,

an elder of the Bear Tribe was the first to react, his voice trembling with awe and excitement.

The rest of the Bear Tribe members were as if frozen by an Immobilization Spell, stunned in place. They slowly raised their heads, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.

Their faces showed shock, joy, and above all, profound reverence.

Some of them even dropped to their knees, clasping their hands together and bowing in worship toward the image of the brown bear formed by the sparks.

They muttered prayers, as if pouring out the reverence in their hearts to their Guardian Spirit.

The other guests who were not Indigenous People were also stunned, each one staring with wide eyes and slack jaws, their faces a mask of disbelief.

None of them had ever seen such a magical sight before.