Fairbanks is a home-rule city within the Fairbanks-North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in its Interior region, located in east-central Alaska on the banks of the Chena River, a tributary of the Tanana River, with Anchorage approximately 400 kilometers to the south.
It was founded in 1902 during a gold rush and incorporated in 1903.
With Anchorage about 400 kilometers to the south, the two cities are connected by rail. Due to its high latitude, it is the major city in North America closest to the Arctic Circle.
Its winters are long and cold, while summers are cool and short, and it experiences both midnight sun and polar night.
Feng Mountain sat in the passenger seat, taking in the signs of civilization outside the window. The neatly laid-out streets, the buildings of various architectural styles, and the constant flow of cars and pedestrians all stood in stark contrast to the desolate Far North Tundra he had just come from.
It truly gave Feng Mountain the feeling of having returned to civilized society.
"Buddy, first I'm taking you to get something to eat. You've got to try the best food in Fairbanks. You know, I had to book a table two days in advance. Their Emperor Crab and lobster are to die for."
Frank drove away from the airport and onto a road that ran along the river. On the wide expanse of water, people were kayaking, some were picnicking on the grassy banks, and others stood fishing in the river, clad in waders. It was a peaceful, quiet scene.
Soon, the car pulled up in front of a boat-shaped wooden lodge with a sign for The Pump House. Frank parked the car. "Out you get, buddy."
"What about these two?" Feng Mountain asked, looking down at Prince and Coca-Cola in his lap.
"Bring 'em, of course. You're not planning on locking them in the car, are you? Damn it, the animal welfare folks would sue me for animal cruelty," Frank grumbled, his expression dramatic.
After locking the car, the two of them walked through the main doors of the wooden lodge.
From the outside, the lodge looked like a ship. Just inside the doors stood an enormous taxidermied Polar Bear, which, according to Frank, the restaurant's owner had personally hunted many years ago.
Entering the main dining hall, they found the decor had a retro vibe. Lacquered wooden tables and chairs and antique-patterned chandeliers were eclectically mixed with the kind of rugged decorations typical of Alaska.
Many tables were piled high with food, and customers were digging in, their faces slick with grease.
A waitress approached them with a smile. She wasn't the slender, blonde-haired, blue-eyed type of beauty, but a woman with a barrel waist. Still, from her delicate and well-proportioned features, you could tell she must have once been a stunning woman.
"Frank! I saved your usual spot for you!"
"Winnie, you're as thoughtful as ever," Frank said, dramatically spreading his arms to offer a grateful hug.
The waitress warily took half a step back, clenched her huge fists, and adopted a fighting stance, looking ready to plant a heavy punch right on the refined-looking scoundrel in front of her.
Frank wisely retracted his arms and cleared his throat awkwardly. He turned to Feng Mountain. "Buddy, didn't you just say you wanted to see how they make the Emperor Crab? I'll take you to see it. The Pump House has a bright, open kitchen."
"???" Feng Mountain blinked a few times.
"Winnie, don't worry about us, I know where our table is." As he spoke, Frank grabbed Feng Mountain and hurried off down an aisle toward the kitchen.
The waitress pursed her lips and muttered, "Coward," under her breath. Then her smile returned as she turned to greet the new customers who had just walked in.
Frank glanced back furtively, and upon seeing that the waitress wasn't following them, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I've escaped Death's clutches once again."
Feng Mountain couldn't understand Frank's behavior. 'He's not married,' he thought. 'If he likes her, he should just pursue her.'
"You like that woman?"
"Like her?" Frank reacted as if he'd been struck a mortal blow, shaking his head in frantic denial. "How could I like that she-dragon? Winnie was the 2009 Alaska Women's Fighting Champion! She could take on ten of me by herself. How could I possibly like her? Absolutely not. As God is my witness."
"To hell with your witness, buddy. You definitely like Winnie. Ask your heart!" A smile touched the corners of Feng Mountain's lips as he poked Frank in the chest.
With that, he turned and walked toward the restaurant's kitchen area, carrying Prince and Coca-Cola.
Just as Frank had said, the restaurant had a semi-open kitchen facing the dining area. There was also a preparation counter where, under bright lights, a chef was putting on a show of preparing an Emperor Crab, allowing customers to witness his exquisite skills up close.
A crowd of expectant diners stood before the preparation counter.
Before the handsome young chef, a giant Emperor Crab lay still, its hard shell glinting coldly under the lights.
The performance began.
The young chef picked up a pair of sharp shears and, with a few clean, decisive movements, snipped off the Emperor Crab's thick legs, producing a series of crisp snaps.
Next, he took a small knife and skillfully slid it along the seams in the crab's shell, precisely separating the carapace from the meat. His hands seemed to dance as he quickly flipped and cut the Emperor Crab.
Every movement was fluid and natural.
As the young chef worked, the Emperor Crab meat was extracted piece by piece, revealing the tender, white flesh to the crowd, making everyone's mouth water.
The young chef would occasionally hold a piece of the Emperor Crab high in the air to show the crowd, then return to concentrating on the ingredient in his hands.
The watching diners periodically let out gasps of amazement and bursts of applause.
But while Feng Mountain was captivated by the spectacular performance, his eyes were fixed on the dismembered Emperor Crab on the counter, a strange excitement glinting in his gaze.
Because just a moment ago, at the very instant the young chef had pierced the Emperor Crab with his knife, Feng Mountain had felt a warm current of Soul Power flow from the Witchcraft Bone Ring on his right hand.
'Can it collect Soul Power from animals I didn't hunt myself?'
'And can it collect Soul Power without even touching the creature?'
'What did I forget from the dream?'
Feng Mountain watched as the young chef scooped another flailing Emperor Crab out of a tank and set it on the counter. He immediately focused all his attention, trying to sense any changes from the Witchcraft Bone Ring.
He was two meters away.
When the chef pierced the Emperor Crab with his knife, Feng Mountain once again felt a warm current of Soul Power from the Witchcraft Bone Ring surge through his body. It was slightly stronger than what he'd gotten from the grouse and the Thunderbird, but significantly less than from the reindeer and the brown bear.
After several more tests, Feng Mountain continued to gauge the distance. He confirmed that the Witchcraft Bone Ring could automatically collect any ambient Soul Power within a five-meter radius.
"Buddy, what's with all the stopping and starting? Aren't you hungry?" Frank walked over. He was long since immune to the spectacle of dispatching an Emperor Crab; he'd rather just be eating the legs.
Feng Mountain pointed to a solitary table directly opposite the kitchen, about four meters from the preparation counter. "Maybe you could ask Winnie to move our reservation over here."
"Fack, I picked the best table! It has a gorgeous view of the Chena River. What's the view from here? Other customers?" After he said it, something suddenly clicked for Frank. A grateful smile spread across his face, and he clapped Feng Mountain hard on the shoulder. "I get it. Thank you!"
"???" Feng Mountain looked completely baffled.
'Why is he thanking me?'
'I just want to be a little closer to the preparation counter to make it easier to collect Soul Power.'
'You've got the wrong idea!'
...