Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 276 - 236: Result 2

Chief Welta was slightly taken aback by Feng Mountain’s words, then his eyes narrowed.

A flicker of surprise, barely perceptible, crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. A faint, smug look even appeared on his face.

"Mr. Feng, how did you know?"

"Back in the seventies, I was part of a delegation from the United States and had the good fortune to study in China for several months."

"I learned a great deal in your beautiful country, including the famous *Art of War* and guerrilla warfare tactics. I must say, the wisdom of the Chinese is truly profound."

’Dammit!’

Feng Mountain cursed inwardly. ’So he did learn our tricks. He came back and used them on his own people, scheming against the Bear Tribe. How shameless.’

On the surface, however, Feng Mountain still tried to maintain a casual, teasing demeanor.

But in the next moment, Chief Welta’s tone shifted. The faint, smug look on his face vanished, replaced by a solemn and slightly aggrieved expression.

"Mr. Feng, you don’t actually believe that I was secretly orchestrating the recent events that have befallen the Bear Tribe, do you?"

’Isn’t that exactly what happened?’

’So you have the guts to do it, but not to admit it. I despise you for that.’

Feng Mountain shot him a contemptuous look.

Chief Welta shook his head with a bitter smile.

The wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen with that wry smile as he waved his hand helplessly.

"You’ve misunderstood me. The Dene Chief being injured by a moose, the white men invading the reservation to illegally pan for gold... these are internal matters of the Bear Tribe. I knew nothing about them."

"When the Bear Tribe brought up the idea of migrating, as a director of the Athabasca Federation, I had a responsibility to monitor the situation. After all, it concerns the overall strategy and development of the entire Athabasca Pack."

"My proposal to have the Norton Bay Economic Development Company manage the Bear Tribe’s reservation for mineral development was simply a way to make rational use of the land’s resources from the Federation’s perspective, securing some benefits for the whole Bear Tribe. I only suggested this after seeing their intention to relocate."

Feng Mountain didn’t believe a word the Elder Chief was saying now. He cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"If the Bear Tribe’s reservation is handed over to the Norton Bay Economic Development Company for development, what will they get?"

A confident expression immediately appeared on Chief Welta’s face, as if he had been expecting this question all along.

"Fifty percent of all profits from development on the reservation will go to the Bear Tribe. In addition, besides their dividends from the Indigenous People’s fund, the tribe’s elders will receive a monthly pension. This will provide them with better financial security, so they no longer have to worry about their livelihood."

"As for the young people of the tribe, the Norton Bay Economic Development Company will provide them with jobs. This means the youth will no longer have to struggle to find work and can have a stable source of income near their homes."

"Furthermore, the company will offer housing services for all tribe members, as well as a fully-funded medical plan. From now on, no matter who gets sick, they won’t have to worry about medical costs and will be able to receive timely and effective treatment."

"Finally, for the tribe’s children, if they wish to attend school, the Norton Bay Economic Development Company will pay all of their tuition until they no longer wish to study. We can even provide additional scholarships and living stipends for Indigenous People."

’These terms are incredibly generous!’

After hearing Chief Welta’s presentation, Feng Mountain was stunned and began to have his doubts.

Fifty percent of the development profits going to the Bear Tribe was already a substantial income in itself.

On top of that, they were offering such incredible benefits to the tribe.

From pensions for the elderly and jobs for the young, to a fully-funded medical plan for all members, and even tuition, scholarships, and living stipends for the children—every single aspect had been meticulously considered.

’By this calculation, the Norton Bay Economic Development Company would barely make any money.’

The suspicion that had just arisen in his mind began to waver in the face of Chief Welta’s seemingly sincere promises.

For a moment, Feng Mountain couldn’t make up his mind, so he turned to look at Nash and Elder Xiong Ya.

"What do you two think? And don’t worry about what I want."

Nash’s mouth hung slightly open, a conflicted look on his face. He pondered for a long while before speaking.

"Khilla, I just want to take my father and my family to the Crown Territory."

Elder Xiong Ya, however, stood with a solemn expression, his profound gaze fixed on the Susitna River, as if he could see glimpses of the tribe’s past life in its babbling waters.

Then, Elder Xiong Ya slowly turned his head to look at Feng Mountain, his eyes filled with a complex mix of helplessness and resolve.

"Great Khilla, the truth is, we don’t want to leave the reservation. This land was passed down by our ancestors. It carries so many of the Bear Tribe’s memories and traditions. It is our root."

"But the problem now isn’t us—it’s those greedy white men. Ever since traces of gold were discovered on the reservation last year, they’ve rushed in like jackals. They see nothing but profit, with no regard for our tribe’s survival or peace."

As Elder Xiong Ya spoke, his fists clenched unconsciously, and a furious fire burned in his eyes.

"They maliciously hunt the animals, causing our once-abundant game to dwindle. They destroy the forest, devastating the natural environment we depend on for survival. They even drove away our teacher, cut the power lines, and used all sorts of despicable methods to try and force us off this land."

"The Bear Tribe is too weak. We simply can’t stop the white men from plundering our land. Before the Dene Chief was injured, we held a council of tribal elders to discuss whether to migrate or stay. At the time, none of us thought it would get this serious."

"We still thought we might find a way to resist their incursions and continue to live peacefully on this land. But their greed and cruelty far exceeded our imagination."

Elder Xiong Ya sighed softly, his breath heavy with helplessness for the tribe’s fate.

"As an elder of the Yosemite Bear Tribe, I agree on behalf of the tribe to migrate to Khilla’s Crown Territory. As for the reservation, it can be handed over to the Norton Bay Economic Development Company. I hope they can protect this land and not let it suffer the same destruction the white men have caused."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Elder Xiong Ya’s eyes. Although his heart was filled with reluctance, he had no choice but to make this decision for the future of his tribe.

Feng Mountain nodded in understanding.

If the Bear Tribe’s land were a barren wasteland, it would be a different story. But a gold mine was discovered, and to certain people, that was an irresistibly juicy piece of meat.

Take the American Government, for example. It has always had a strong desire to possess all kinds of resources. It was never going to just let go of a gold mine found on the Bear Tribe’s reservation.

It would probably try everything, using all sorts of high-sounding justifications or some underhanded methods, to get its hands on this land and the gold within it.

And those greedy white men were like sharks that had smelled blood, swarming onto the reservation.

They didn’t care if the Bear Tribe lived or died; all they wanted was to dig up the gold as fast as possible and claim that mouth-watering fortune.

It was no wonder the Bear Tribe had suffered so many incursions. Faced with people who would stop at nothing for profit, the tribe’s weakness became all the more apparent. They were powerless to resist the plundering.

So, Elder Xiong Ya’s decision to migrate and to hand the reservation over to the Norton Bay Economic Development Company was truly a desperate measure, born from a desperate situation, for the tribe’s survival and future.

’If gold is ever discovered in the Crown Territory, my fate might be even worse than the Bear Tribe’s.’

’The weak have no right to demand fairness.’

Feng Mountain sighed silently and looked at Chief Welta.

"Chief, the Bear Tribe agrees to relocate and hand the reservation over to the Norton Bay Economic Development Company. However, I have a personal request. When developing the reservation, I hope you can preserve as much of the original landscape as possible."

"You can rest assured on that. I don’t want a shattered reservation either," Chief Welta promised in a deep voice. He then turned to Jeff and nodded. Jeff immediately took out his phone and stepped aside to make a call.

"Those damn white men... it’s time they faced the wrath of the Assabasca people." Chief Welta gripped his ceremonial staff tightly.

...