Landlord in the Arctic

Fack!!

Feng Mountain cursed inwardly, only then realizing he was still clutching that damned G-string.

He looked around helplessly, a tumultuous mix of emotions churning within him.

’I should give it back.’

Natasha had already made herself perfectly clear.

She’d touched it, so it was ’dirty’ and she didn’t want it anymore, yet she’d insisted on shoving it at him as a return gift.

But holding this thing was like holding a hot potato.

Feng Mountain felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, completely ill at ease.

Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, his face a mask of resignation, and put the G-string back in his pocket.

Right now, the cold snap crisis was imminent.

The top priority was to focus on solving the camp’s urgent problems.

As for this awkward gift, he would just have to wait until the disaster passed and find a chance to get rid of it quietly.

’Hopefully, everyone will have forgotten about this whole mess by then.’

He went to the storage room.

He found the satellite phone amidst a pile of miscellaneous junk.

At that moment, Feng Mountain didn’t want to stay in the log cabin a second longer. He just wanted to get away from this place of trouble.

The moment he stepped out of the log cabin, a bitter, cold wind carrying sheets of snow slammed into his face, making his cheeks sting with pain.

When he got a clear look, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

In just that short amount of time, nearly half a meter of snow had already accumulated on the ground.

The heavy snow was still falling, showing no signs of stopping.

The entire world seemed to have been devoured by this endless white.

CRACK!!

The sharp, piercing sound of a branch snapping broke the snowy silence.

Immediately after, a continuous series of cracks rang out, like a sorrowful symphony narrating the tragedy of this cold disaster.

Feng Mountain followed the sound with his eyes and saw it was the sound of fruit trees, unable to bear the heavy weight of the snow, their fragile branches snapping one after another.

The fruit trees, once lush, vibrant, and full of life, were now a tragic sight under the raging blizzard, with broken branches and shattered wood scattered everywhere.

’This cold disaster is a huge loss!!’

Feng Mountain’s eyes were full of heartache as he stared at the ill-fated fruit trees.

These fruit trees were the fruit of his own blood, sweat, and tears.

He had spent a tremendous amount of effort to plant them in the first place.

He’d had them airlifted thousands of miles to the Crown Territory, and the Fire Seed had invested a great deal of Soul Power to help the fruit adapt to the climate of the Far North Tundra.

He had hoped they would grow strong and bear fruit.

How could he not feel heartbroken now, watching them suffer such heavy damage in this cold snap?

If the moss died, it could be cultivated again, but if something happened to the fruit trees, the loss would be far too great.

To recover their vitality, it would take a long time and a lot of Soul Power.

Feng Mountain immediately communicated with the tribe’s Fire Seed.

He told it to do its best to protect the root systems of the fruit trees, without consuming too much Soul Power.

As long as the roots didn’t die, with the Fire Seed’s protection, the branches and leaves could grow lush and strong again in the future. There was still hope.

However, the Fire Seed’s response struck Feng Mountain’s heart like a heavy hammer, and he could no longer stay still.

To counteract the camp’s plummeting temperature and resist the cold snap’s assault, the stored Soul Power was being consumed at an astonishing rate.

At the current rate of consumption, the Soul Power would be completely depleted in just over half a day.

And once the Soul Power was exhausted, the tribe’s Fire Seed would be extinguished, and everything would be buried in ice and snow.

Fack.

Feng Mountain threw his head back, cursed viciously at the gray-black sky, and the sound was instantly snatched away by the howling wind.

When it rains, it pours. One bad thing was happening after another.

’If I’d known this cold snap would be so fierce, I would have stored more Soul Power beforehand. I wouldn’t be in this situation now.’

’What do I do now?’

The swirling snow blotted out the sky as Feng Mountain stood stiffly in the blizzard, letting the flakes pile up on him without restraint.

Time passed, second by second.

Before he knew it, he was completely covered in white snow, looking like a snowman from a distance.

Just as he was about to fall into despair, the snowman suddenly moved.

Feng Mountain snapped out of it as if waking from a dream, fumbling frantically to pull out his satellite phone.

With fingers stiff from the cold, he struggled to work the screen and quickly composed a text message to Alvin.

Last night, some of the crew had left early for Anchorage to pick up the River Beach, which had just finished its refit and maintenance.

This morning, Alvin had also left the Crown Territory to rendezvous with the River Beach.

Based on the itinerary, he should already be on the ship by now.

A flicker of hope ignited in Feng Mountain’s eyes.

’If I can just contact Alvin and have the River Beach start fishing operations immediately... with the abundant fishing resources in the Bering Sea, I can provide a continuous supply of Soul Power for the tribe’s Fire Seed.’

This was the only way to turn the situation around and save the camp.

....

Alvin, where are you now? Are you on the ship?

Feng Mountain’s red, frozen fingers tapped urgently on the satellite phone’s keypad.

Every tap was filled with anxiety and anticipation.

After the message was sent, he clutched the phone tightly, staring at the screen without blinking, as if that would make the reply come faster.

After a moment, the satellite phone finally chimed, indicating a new message.

Feng Mountain’s heart leaped, and he quickly opened it.

Boss, I’m on the ship now. The River Beach’s refit and maintenance went well. We’re currently heading back toward Saint Paul Island.

Seeing this message didn’t smooth Feng Mountain’s furrowed brow. The situation was urgent, so there was no time for pleasantries. He replied immediately.

His fingers danced across the keys, and the message was sent in a flash.

Don’t head back yet. Start fishing operations immediately.

Before long, Alvin’s questioning reply arrived.

?? Boss, it’s not fishing season. There are no high-value products worth catching right now.

After reading Alvin’s reply, Feng Mountain was so anxious he stomped his foot. He paced back and forth in the snow, the white puffs of his breath instantly scattered by the cold wind.