<h4>Chapter 1296: Migration Route</h4>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Northern Inds, moremonly known in Russia as Severnaya Zemlya – literally meaning Northern Land, were off the coast of the Arctic Ocean and consisted a part of Russia’s northernmost region.


    The inds were located between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea in the Arctic Ocean, across the Vilkitsky Strait from the northernmost point of Siberia, Cape Chelyuskin.


    The archipgo included several inds, thergest of which were October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, and Pioneer. In addition to these fourrge inds, there were more than 70 smaller ones.


    With a total area of 37,600 square kilometers, the inds had arge territory and a small poption. There were almost no permanent residents on the inds. Because of the freezing temperatures, nearly half of the area was covered by ciers all year round.


    The cier area was uninhabitable, with the temperatures below freezing all year round, and often 30 or 40 degrees below freezing in winter. Apart from the cier area, the rest of the territory belonged to the arctic tundra climate belt, with sparse vegetation and a dry climate.


    Little Ford told Li Du that there had been some fishers and hunters on the ind who used to hunt seals, walruses and beluga whales in the waters around the inds, but that they had left as global marine conservation groups included those animals in the protected species’ list.


    Steve added, leaning over the side of the boat, “You’re wrong. They did not leave because conservation groups prohibited hunting those animals. They left because the animals were being killed in suchrge numbers that the poption dwindled and they did not get many harvests. That’s why they left.”


    “Have you ever been to this ind before?” asked Li Du.


    Little Ford pointed to Steve. “He’s been here. Actually, his family first discovered this ind.”


    Steve sipped his steaming coffee and exined, “It was my great-grandfather. He was a ship captain who loved to sail around the world. Columbus was his idol, but my great-grandfather was not quite as famous. ”


    The news surprised Li Du. “Your great-grandfather discover Severnaya Zemlya? When it was that? And none of the inds was even named after him? What a pity.”


    Steveughed and said, “He was lucky toe back to New York alive. It was more than eighty years ago when the Bolsheviks were the mainstream, and capitalists like him were caught and shot.”


    The names of the four main inds in the archipgo told quite inly that they must have been discovered during the Soviet era, or they would not have such politically charged names.


    “Then what is the purpose of our visit to this ind? Look for extraterrestrial meteorites? Are you sure there are meteorites on the archipgo?”


    “We are here to explore the history of human expansion. From the beginning of the evolution of modern humans in East Africa 160,000 years ago, the boundary of human life has been extending outward. This is the end of the expansion,” said Big Ford with a smile.


    Li Du was stunned and said, “Here is the end of the expansion? You mean this is thestnd that man has found?”


    “It’s not that simple,” said Big Ford, shaking his head. “Your guess is right too, of course. This, indeed, is thestrge area ofnd discovered by explorers. Do you know what Steve’s great-grandfather was looking for here?”


    Li Du shook his head too and said, “I don’t know... would it be a meteorite?”


    “You won’t believe it. He followed Polynesians here,” Steve himself said. “Yes, Polynesians, they left their mark.”


    Li Du raised his hand. “Wait a minute, Polynesians? What the hell are you saying? Don’t Polynesians live in the South Pacific?”


    He had learned about it during his trip to Australia. Polynesians were the broad ethnic group in the Oceania Polynesian Inds, including the Maori, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Hawaii, Tahiti, Toku, people from the Cook Inds, Niue, and Easter Ind. The Polynesian people had more than ten main branches, and more than 90 minor ones.


    Indeed, Polynesians were believed to be thest of the human migrations, and ording to archaeological findings, researchers believed that Polynesians crossed the ocean to reach the Pacific Inds about 2,000 years ago.


    Big Ford exined further, “Polynesians belong to the Mongolia race. Molecr anthropology has confirmed their roots originated in the East. Between four and six thousand years ago these people migrated to Taiwan, and after two thousand years more they crossed the sea again beyond the Mnesian Inds before moving to the Pacific, with local indigenous gene fusion forming the modern Polynesians.


    Li Du asked, “What does that have to do with it? The South Pacific and the Arctic Ocean happen to be on the opposite sides of the earth, right?”


    “Yes, that was the strange thing. Polynesians were supposed to belong in the south Pacific, so wasn’t it odd to find traces of their lives in Severnaya Zemlya?” said Big Ford as he shrugged.


    Li Du frowned and said, “Well, you are trying to say this is another mystery of the world?”


    The Ford brothers nodded simultaneously, and Little Ford said, “The mystery wasn’t solved.”


    “Based on what we’ve found, there’s a hypothesis that the first way the Polynesians went was north. From climate surveys and sea routes, it was indeed easier for them to go north,” said Steve.


    “They went all the way north until they came to the Northern Inds, which are far beyond the Arctic Circle, and found that it was no suitable ce for people to live, which meant that they were on the wrong migration path.”


    “It was a terrible mistake that could have destroyed their entire race, but they corrected it and went back to where they started. Instead of going north, they went south, across the equator into the South Pacific, and found a new, warmer, richer ce to live.”


    Li Du said, “I understand, but how could they go back? The fifth dimension, right? They found the node of the fifth dimension or some gate through which they went back to where they started.”


    Steve nodded. “That’s a usible theory.”


    Li Duughed and said, “Maybe they split up into two groups at the beginning? Doesn’t it make sense to say that the ones who went all the way north failed and the ones who went all the way south seeded?”


    Steve waved and said. “First, they were primitive tribes and didn’t have enough people or resources to travel the two routes. Second, if they did split up, those who stayed would have died at Severnaya Zemlya, and there would have been more evidence on or around the ind, and...”


    He was about to go on with his exnation when the captain’s anxious voice sounded, “God help us! What bad luck we have today! We’ve run into pirates! Get ready for battle!”