Since they were attacked on the way, they became more cautious during the rest of the journey.
What was supposed to be a forty-minute journey took an hour and a half to complete. After Luke's death, there was another tricky problem — no one could take over his previous job of driving the sled. Fortunately, Zhang Heng stepped forward at this time. He had been observing how Ole controlled the dogs to steer the sled. Now, he had no problems with steering, acceleration, and deceleration.
At first, Ole and Alesia were still a little doubtful. However, after Zhang Heng practiced for five minutes, they were relieved. After that, Zhang Heng carried Satchus, Ole carried Luke's corpse, and Alesia took Song Jia with her. Once again, they set out on their journey.
After that, they did not encounter any more danger. As they got closer and closer to the tribe, Alesia gradually relaxed. When she saw a low building on the snowfield, she completely relaxed.
"We're home."
Alesia's tribe had a population of more than two hundred people, and it was one of the largest tribes in the area. Although people had been moving out over the years to live in Nuuk or other towns on the island, almost half of them still stayed. Most of them were old people, and there were not many young people like Alesia.
It could not be helped. Young people always yearned for the outside world. In fact, even Alesia spent most of her time in Nuuk. She studied there, and after graduation, she also worked there. She would only come back periodically to learn about shamanism from Kuna.
Unlike what was recorded in the books and videos, the houses in Alesia's tribe were not igloos made of ice. Instead, they were wooden houses similar to those in the town. They looked very sturdy, but the colors were not as bright as those in the town. Some houses even had snowmobiles next to them. Zhang Heng also saw a grocery store and even a gas station.
It could be seen that modern civilization had a great impact on the Inuit tribes on the island. Even the people who remained here had basically left the primitive lifestyle of the past, and their way of life had changed greatly.
According to Alesia and Ole, in the Inuit tribe today, although the relationship between the people was still very close, they no longer raised their children together, regardless of their parents. Children were also sent to school to learn cultural knowledge, even though the result of this was that the young people chose to leave the land after coming into contact with the rich and colorful life outside.
But Kuna once said that nothing could be forced. If one day the tribe really disappeared, it proved that everyone lived the life they chose. There was nothing wrong with that. In fact, over the years, many small tribes had disbanded on their own, or united to form large settlements, developing into towns.
Perhaps such a day would come for Alesia's tribe in the near future. But for now, there were still a lot of people who chose to stay here. After seeing Alesia returning to the tribe, the people in the tribe greeted her and Ole warmly. Ole was also a frequent visitor here, and basically everyone in the tribe knew him.
Other than that, they were also looking at Zhang Heng and Song Jia with curious but harmless gazes. Alesia's tribe was not far from Nuuk, and there were usually some visitors. However, foreigners with yellow skin were rare. As for Song Jia, no matter where she went, she would attract a lot of attention from the opposite sex.
But soon, they realized that someone was missing. Luke, who had gone out to provide support, was not in the group. When they saw the thing that was covered by a blanket behind the sleigh, many of them realized something, and their expressions became sorrowful.
"Kuna is waiting for you at her place," an old man said to Alesia.
"Okay, let's go now."
Alesia brought Zhang Heng and the others to a small wooden house. This house was no different from the other houses in the tribe, but everyone who passed by this house would subconsciously lighten their footsteps, and a look of respect would appear on their faces.
Alesia knocked on the door, and soon, a gentle voice came from inside. "Please come in."
Alesia pushed the door open and walked in, while the others temporarily stayed outside, giving the master and apprentice space to greet each other. Five minutes later, the door of the wooden house opened again, and Alesia poked her head out. "It's done. The teacher has invited you in."
Although Olay had always been ridiculed by his two companions for being a boorish man, he still showed the proper etiquette. He let Zhang Heng and Song Jia walk in front, and he was the last to enter the house, closing the door behind him.
When Zhang Heng entered the house, he saw an old woman in her sixties or seventies sitting at a table. Unlike what he imagined, the old woman was not wearing any strange traditional clothes or strange jewelry. She was wearing a thick gray sweater and a pair of cotton pants, looking no different from an ordinary grandmother.
If it weren't for Alesia standing beside her with a respectful look on her face, no one would believe that this old woman was the most powerful shaman among the Inuit.
Zhang Heng and Song Jia bowed to the old woman as soon as they entered the house. The latter waved her hand and asked them to take a seat at the table. After that, she got up and went to the kitchen to take out a pot of freshly brewed coffee.
"You guys came at the right time. The Brazilian coffee I asked someone to buy for me online has finally arrived. Yves, who went to Nuuk to run some errands, brought it back for me. Let's try it together," Kuna said with a smile.
Alesia took out five teacups from the cabinet, then took the pot of coffee from Kuna and poured it into the cups. Olay took one of the cups, looking flattered. Ignoring the fact that it was hot, he drank it in one gulp.
Song Jia, on the other hand, picked up the cup and sipped it. Zhang Heng was the only one who did not drink.
When Song Jia saw this, she put down the cup and whispered in Zhang Heng's ear in Mandarin, "This is coffee made by Kuna. Even if you don't like it … you should at least drink some to show your respect."
Before Zhang Heng could finish, Kuna interrupted, "It's okay. I can feel that he doesn't mean me any harm. He's just a little more vigilant. This is completely different from his parents. I remember that his mother loved to smile. It was as if she didn't have any guard against the world. Even in the isolated Inuit tribe, I rarely see such a pure smile."
(End of Chapter)
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