After traveling on the sea for four days and four nights, they could finally spot signs of Severnaya Zemlya .
During that time on board, Steve and some of the men played cards . As for Li Du, he brought along some of his people to prepare the fish at night and dry it during the day .
The temperature in the Arctic Circle was extremely low . In the current season, the temperature stayed below zero degrees Celsius at night . They would hang up the fish and brush the water off it . When they were done, there would be a snow-white layer of ice on the surface of the fish .
When they got down from the ship, they threw the frozen fish into boxes in the car's trunk . It sounded as though they were throwing bricks .
Steve picked up a frozen herring and smiled . “This thing is not only food, it can double as a weapon . If we had this previously, we would not have had to use a grenade . We could have used this to deal with the pirates!”
It was not a simple matter to get onto Severnaya Zemlya . The Vilkitsky Strait separated it from the mainland . There were no good ports on the archipelago . There were only two natural piers that could be used to dock ships after some cleaning up .
Li Du looked over and saw that Severnaya Zemlya remained isolated in the vast and cold ice sea . He could faintly see snowy caps on the land .
The archipelago was shaped in an intricate way . The four main islands looked like they had been carved from ancient glaciers . There were swamps and hills on the islands, and some hills in the north were snowy all year round .
Fortunately, there were some greens on the southernmost Bolshevik Island . Some scarce, cold-tolerant perennial plants such as chickweed and rockfoil grew there . If not for those patches of green, the entire island would have looked quite desolate .
However, there were definitely some people on the island . As the Ice Sea Narwhal neared the pier, they spotted a few small boats made of wood .
The boats floated slowly on the clear and deep sea, tied to the pier by cables . There were also some neat-looking houses by the coast . Although they were made out of wood, they did not look like roughly constructed huts .
Sophie took out her camera and sighed softly . “This is such a beautiful place . It's a heaven for photography enthusiasts . ”
Severnaya Zemlya might be deserted, but the scenery there was unbeatable . The island was either green or snow white or grayish-yellow, just like a glazed ice sculpture .
However, there were few people who would be willing to live there . Even though the scenery was beautiful, people would get sick of it after some time . Humans still needed change and a lively place to be happy .
The cargo ship carefully leaned on the dock . As the dock was too narrow, the crew of the ship could only lay down a narrow iron plank as a passage to the land .
Steve went for a look and shook his head . “Nope, it's not wide enough for a car . How can we get down?”
Driver threw away his cigarette and squatted for a look . He said, “Move, let me do it . ”
Driver got into the car and adjusted the direction of the SUV on the ship . Then he drove the car out slowly .
Only half of the tires on both sides were in contact with the iron plank . The rest of the tire was in the air . Li Du looked out and saw that the current was strong below . His heart nearly stopped as he realized what a dangerous feat Driver attempted to pull off .
Driver, however, drove the car down steadily . One car after another – all without any mishaps .
The crew on board could not stop themselves from applauding . “Bravo, bravo! What an expert!”
Most of the cargo on the ship was supplies . They had to stock up on those, including food, vegetables and fruits, clothes, tents, and other things, such as drugs, oxygen tanks, and various kinds of fuel .
As they moved all their supplies onto land in multiple trips, the pier was soon piled like a small market .
There were some small wooden houses on land and a few families lived there . Steve went over to discuss the possibility of renting six of the houses, which was quickly settled, and brought their supplies in .
They had arrived at the pier at noon but by the time they had organized their supplies, the sun had already set .
When the weather was good, the Arctic Circle had the most beautiful nights in the world . There, the stars were brighter . The colors of the stars in the night sky were vibrant, appearing red, orange, green, blue, and purple . There were thousands of them, too many to count .
Li Du looked up and truly felt close to the stars that filled the sky above . It was as though the stars were all hanging over his head .
“Our hands can reach the stars, stunning the people above,” he quoted to Sophie . “Look, our idioms and culture are so meaningful . We can find a representation of them anywhere in the world . ”
Sophie adjusted the settings on her camera and smiled . “That's why I'm so in love with the Tang poems and Song idioms . ”
There were quite a few houses on the shore, more than 20 on the pier and even more inland . There were some small, sparsely populated villages on the island . Although there were few people, they clung to this harsh and beautiful area .
Ice Sea Narwhal had brought them some necessities: salt, vinegar, tea, sugar, spatulas, scoops, bowls, clothes, bedding, glassware, oil, and more . They had everything in every variety .
In the night, there was a bonfire on the edge of the pier . People from the village kept approaching, having come over to do business with the crew of the Narwhal . Living there, they could only rely on foreign vessels to supplement their living necessities .
Just like the work Li Du had done for some time in the past, the transactions there were all based on barter . They exchanged items for other items that they would need .
The items that the ship had brought from outside were all very cheap . However, it was inconvenient for the people on the island to get out, and hence, the merchandise was considered valuable, and its price rose when it was on the island .
The items that the villagers used to trade were mainly wild resources, such as sealskin, bird eggs, abalone, dried shrimp, fish fillets, hides, antlers, etc . In addition, there were also some more precious items, such as silver and golden sand .
The captain and the crew inspected the items brought over by the villagers . They would accept the things as long as they were in decent condition . Then, they let the villagers take their pick of the supplies the ship had brought in .
There were few conflicts, as the locals were very obliging . If the captain and the crew shook their head to reject their offer, the villagers would put down what they had chosen and go for another item .
Someone had set his eyes on a cotton coat, but he only brought over some dried shrimp . Hence, the captain shook his head . However, the man was attached to the coat and kept holding onto it .
Li Du said, “No need to be so stubborn, right? Look at his clothes, they are so tattered . Just help that man out . ”
The captain said helplessly, “We've never thought about making a fortune in such transactions . We can only make a small amount of money to pay for the oil . We are selling some items at cost . I know that he is very poor, but we can't sell at a loss . You know, sir, we are not philanthropists . ”
Li Du was ready to fork out his own money but Steve stopped him and shook his head . “It's not the right time . ”
There had been no context to Steve's words, and Li Du did not understand what he was trying to say . However, since Steve stopped him, he figured there must be some meaning to that and decided to keep observing the situation .
The transaction finally drew to an end, and the villagers left the pier . There were still quite a few items that nobody had bought .
Steve let the captain set the price and bought the leftover items .
Li Du asked, “What's the meaning of this?”
Steve smiled, “It's more meaningful to help people when they are desperate, rather than just give them what they feel like having . Buddy, we will be staying for some time on the island . When the villagers happen to need something we have, we can help them out . Then we can gain more by earning their trust and affection . ”
Chapter end
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