Rise of Rurik

"Dad, are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious." Gould continued to emphasize, "Our family must leave."

Snow Leva's mind was very confused. He held his head in his hands and closed his eyes as if meditating.

"Actually, you still don't want to leave?" Gould asked.

"No. It's a little sudden..."

Gould shook his head and reassured, "Oh, silly boy. Even if we leave Unkrath, we'll still be selling our wares in Merlaren. Trust me. Tell me now, the fair. Are there any rumors?"

"rumor?"

"For example, the rumor that the Rus attacked the Gotlanders."

Speaking of this, Snowleva couldn't hide his excitement. He groaned, "At least in terms of fighting, I admire the Rus very much. The merchants in the market are saying that the big leader of the Rus is more courageous than the leader of Melalen."

"You dare to attack because of the Rus?"

"Yes, they dared to attack. But the leaders of Meralen were only on the defensive. In my opinion, it would be better for Meralen to organize an army and continue to attack the Danes, the masters of the Gotlanders. In this way, we will Can sell our wares to the troops on the expedition. Trust me, Dad. We'll make a fortune."

Now, sipping sweet, viscous red wine in a delicate glass, Gould is delighted to see such insightful words from his son.

He sighed happily: "You're very smart, you already know a good time to do business. Haha, if the Mellarens are willing to organize an army, of course we will take the opportunity to sell the goods. They will be very happy with the leather we send. "

Snowreva was still blushing, and he continued, "That's right, that leader has no intention of assembling an army. You know, the merchants are looking forward to that day."

"Really?" Gould quickly drank the glass of wine, then suddenly forced his face down and said solemnly, "Maybe, they will."

"Dad, what's wrong with you?"

"I...I'm worried about one thing. I suspect that the Danes will give the Gotlands a run for their money. War may be imminent."

"Oh! Is it? That's a good thing."

Snowleva had a look of hope for war. Gould saw only the desire to make war fortune from the face of his eldest son.

But completely forgotten, maybe Melalen may become a war front.

Gould said solemnly: "Who will the Danes attack? The Rus? No, that's too far. The Danes want to fight back, and they want to attack the Mellaren. They must know that Mellaren has a lot of wealth and is far from Denmark. The man's nest is also very close. The Danes either do nothing or attack here."

Snow Leva's face has become a little embarrassed, he grumbled reluctantly: "In this way, we can sell them all the leather. We can raise the price, and they will buy it."

"You are right, but, as a big businessman, you must know how to enjoy wealth if your life is gone? We need a strong backer, and we need to prepare ourselves with a wealth that can get away with it. Road. In my opinion, the only way is to go to the Rus, to the far north. From what I know about the Rus, they will often attack the Gotlands when they have the first sweetness. Sooner or later, the Danes will Launch a large-scale counterattack, and then I don't want you to stay in this place."

"Ah?! Could it be, Dad! You even have your island..."

"Bah! It's just the alms given to us by the leader named Olegin." Speaking of his experience, Gould was not happy: "That guy claimed that all the land on the land belonged to their tribe, we only have such Small islands to build shops. Of course we can set up shops on the shore, then we have to pay them. Why! Do you really like this small island?"

Snowreva smiled honestly: "Actually... I really like it a little bit."

"Look at your success!"

"Oh, Dad, it's my fault." Snowleva hurriedly relented: "Thank you for your teaching, I understand. If we are in danger, we will retreat with all our strength."

"Oh, that's right! I have a very good agreement with the Rus, they are much more generous than the Melalen! We can set up shops in the territory of the Rus, import their special products and transport them here for huge profits. That The child named Rurik, he pays great attention to the contract, he will inherit the position of the head of Ross. You remember, he will be the backer of our family in the future. You have to remember that you are my eldest son, you will inherit most of my family business.”

"Then...what about my brothers?" Speaking of this, Snow Leva's heart thumped, and he asked cautiously.

"You don't need to worry about them. I can give you 80% of the property, and all of them can only get 20%."

Hearing that, Snow Leva's hanging heart suddenly dropped!

For many years, the 30-year-old was most afraid that his father would no longer like him, and that he would no longer give him the main family property.

The reason why he thought so was indeed for a very simple and practical reason. It was just like the unknown ownership of the family property, and the troubled Snow Leva had always been a little troubled.

Gould drank another glass of wine, and by the beating flame of the oil lamp, he couldn't help but look at his two lovely granddaughters.

The two little girls are innocent and the eldest granddaughter is about to get engaged. Which boy can be her husband? That boy must be the family's business partner!

Alas, unfortunately, they are all girls.

Thinking of this, Gould gave his eldest daughter-in-law a sharp look, which made the eldest daughter-in-law tremble.

Taking advantage of this, Gould opened his mouth again: "My son, you are fine wherever you are. You are already thirty years old, and up to now, you have not given birth to a grandson for me. You are my future hope, but What if you don't have a son in your life!"

"Oh, Dad. My wife and I will try."

"Your wife?" Gould was a little drunk, and he couldn't keep his mouth shut. He no longer cared about his daughter-in-law's feelings, and said bluntly: "If you can't do it, you will marry another one. You know better than us that there are many women in the market, and many of them are beautiful Brittan women. It's cheaper than other merchants, so why don't you buy a few! You should be like me, let them have children, and once they have a son, they will be promoted to wives."

Father's words were too explicit, and Snowleva shivered, not knowing what to say for a while.

Only her eldest daughter-in-law could hear these words like she was sitting on pins and needles.

Unable to let her husband speak, she left her seat directly, crawled up to Gould with a humble attitude, and said with a firm look: "Dad, I will work hard. I will definitely give birth to a son. No! It's two, Three! And now I..." Saying that, she slowly sat up straight and stroked her stomach: "Actually, I already have it."

"Oh? What a happy event!" Gould was excited, and threw the glass in his hand to the side, and half of it spilled a leather pad.

Gould stood up, dragging his daughter-in-law's chin with his right hand, his face kindly.

He understood that the eldest son did not marry another one for so many years. He was a rare person among businessmen, and it was because he liked his wife. This woman was the wife he personally chose for his eldest son back then. Because of these pasts, Gould also had feelings for this woman for many years.

The daughter-in-law was more proactive than the son, and she was obviously afraid of losing her status.

"I'm like my daughter." Gould showed a rare tenderness: "You have to work hard. I have found a new future supporter for your husband, and our family has a security guarantee. And you, the continuation of the family falls on your shoulders, and your responsibility is very heavy."

"Yes, Dad, I can do it."

After a while, an oily roast lamb was finally lifted up.

This is a sheep, a ready-made one that Snowleva bought from the Mälaren market. There are still more than ten sheep in the sheepfold on the island. Snowreva bought sheep, and he had no intention of raising them to cut wool, he just wanted to eat meat.

In terms of eating meat, elegant? That doesn't exist.

As the most honorable person, Gould tore up a lamb thigh with his bare hands, almost, this is the best part of the roast lamb.

The family eats a sheep, and the two men here eat the most. Gould and Snowreva have large stomachs, and that's why they can eat suet balls.

At this time, it is served with freshly baked fermented bread, and fresh onions to relieve tiredness, accompanied by wine, and life is beautiful.

Only a very wealthy family can live such an extravagant life. The Melalen tribe is very rich, but the gap between the rich and the poor is serious. Those ordinary farmers still live on a pound of oat porridge a day, selling the extra wheat in exchange for All kinds of daily necessities, and even a series of equipment needed during the war.

Every sturdy man of the Melalen tribe has the obligation to accept the call of the great leader.

In the same way, the Rus, the Uppsalas, the clansmen of all tribes have this obligation.

The only exceptions are those merchants with large assets.

Don't expect the loyalty of this group of businessmen at all. Although they are part of the alliance, whoever really offers favorable conditions will run to his territory in large numbers. If the situation changes, the merchants will take their wealth and organize a fleet to run away.

Gould, who had eaten comfortably after three rounds of wine and food, was already lying on his side, with one arm resting on his head, like a lump of rotten fat.

Seeing that his father was so leisurely, Snowleva felt that his hospitality must have made his father particularly satisfied.

Seeing this, Snowleva asked, "From tomorrow onwards, shall we go to the lively area of ​​the market?"

"Tomorrow? No, take a day off."

"Alright, we can just count the goods."

"Our goods do need to be counted again, and there is one more thing." Gould stared into his son's eyes: "You must prepare at least a hundred pounds of silver."

"Huh? So much? What to do?"

"Of course I'm going to the market to buy!"

"Purchasing?" Snow Leva was puzzled after hearing this: "Dad, but those crystal cups have long been bought by others. If we go again, we won't be able to buy any expensive treasures. There are only a lot of street goods there. I can't blame us spending so much money?"

"Really? What do you think I want to buy?" Gould sat up.

"Yes... like gems? Oh, those gems are very rare. Besides, amber isn't expensive here."

"I want to buy people." Gould said succinctly.

"People? The ones locked up, the women. Oh, Dad, are you that confident about your body? Mommy's here too..."

Snow Leva subconsciously felt that his father followed his own hobby again, and wanted to have some younger women serve.

Gould smirked: "Son, you're thinking too much. I know the Norwegians must have gone to that island in the west and kidnapped some women, probably some Breton women. I'm going to buy the last batch, all of them. To the Rus. I forgot to tell you, the Rus have given me many tasks this year and promised me great benefits when they are done. They need a lot of servants, both men and women."

"Oh? Or something like that?!"

"In my opinion, we bought all those people in the market, even children, and brought me back to this island together."

Hearing his father's bold words, Snowleva was really startled.

The Vikings in the Baltic Sea region have traded slaves since ancient times.

For example, farmers who went bankrupt became debt slaves, and creditors were sometimes brought to the market by these people in exchange for a good price to pay off their debts.

In addition, many poor people tied up with ropes are simply ordinary people from Britain and Frank. In the past 50 years, foreign slaves such as Melalen Market have gradually increased, and most of them are women.

A woman is a woman, and the peasants of Mälaren can't handle that much. They will try their best to sell the grain they grow, accumulate wealth, and buy a foreign woman from the Norwegian dealer. Their purpose is very simple, that is to take this woman as a wife.

For example, the great leaders of the Melalen tribe, as well as the powerful and wealthy households in the local area, they chose the best looking and stayed in their own mansions as servants.

Gould continued, "Son, should you know the price of those people, is it still the same as before?"

"Yes, the average man is still twenty silver coins, and the woman is still thirty silver coins. A good-looking woman, or a strong man, can be up to a pound of silver, usually about fifty silver coins. That is, those Norwegians No kids. At least I didn't find out this year."

"What's the use of children!" Gould shrugged and couldn't help complaining: "That Rurik, he told me that he must get some children for him, saying that good servants should be trained from an early age. Those Norwegians will not kidnap. If you come to a child, you will be kidnapped, and you will die on the vast sea."

"That's true." Snow Leva smiled honestly.

"So, there should be many young men in the market who are eager to be mercenaries for others? Are there many of them?"

"This... this kind of person always exists, Dad, you should understand. If you need more mercenaries, you should go to the taverns in Melalen."

"Okay. I will recruit some more people and send them all to the Rus people. I am recruiting a group of mercenaries for them at the request of the Rus leader. You see, we will get a lot of men and women, and they will all stay for the time being. On this island. Boy, you need to prepare to feed them at least until August."

"Ah? Our island..."

"Then you build some wooden shacks! Then go to the market to buy some food, and go to the fishermen to buy some fish. You remember how much it cost, and report it to me in August, don't worry, the money Russ will eventually Give it back to us."

In this way, Gould rested on his own island for a whole day, and took the fifth day of June. The most prosperous land market. Because it was just a temptation, he did not land with his own goods at all.

He is not worried about the sales of his goods at all, and his colleagues have already gone to the island controlled by him to trade with money. For those, the eldest son will take care of it. After the roast lamb feast, the eldest son had already witnessed the magic of soap, and Gould fully believed that the eldest son would become an excellent salesman. In the future, it is estimated that he was selling an artifact washing tool. The Laren tribe spread.

At that time, a group of wealthy households with rich families who especially like novelty gadgets will come to their own island uninvited.

Regarding the current situation of commodity trade in the market, the son has made a good report to himself, so Gould has not been so curious anymore.

Gould was still wearing gorgeous clothes, and accompanied by more than a dozen guards headed by Yevlo, he began a revolving "shopping".

Sure enough, most of the things on the market are street goods, such as linen, cowhide, sheepskin, wooden daily necessities, and even last year's surplus grain. It is these large-scale goods that are the largest commodities.

Still in a familiar corner, here is the so-called People's Market, which has been dominated by Norwegian businessmen for a long time. The poor people who have been taken from Britain by all means are sold here.

How different the reality was from what Gould thought, only after inquiring he learned that most of the people had been bought by the wealthy households of Melalen.

A strong Norwegian businessman with a Norwegian forest cat fur hat on his head told Gould bluntly that he drove a carriage with a cage, over the mountains and hired fishing boats to transport his "commodities" here. . Gould knew that this man was simply eager to make more money.

Here are five wretched women who are trembling with fright. Their clothes are completely different from those of the locals, but they are not very different in appearance.

They were all Britton women, and even had some beliefs that Gould thought was strange, but they couldn't satisfy him with their looks.

Gould especially remembered that the two Britton women he bought two years ago, because of their good looks, he paid the profiteer two pounds of silver and a cordial greeting in order to get them!

The Norwegian businessman offered thirty silver coins, and as a result, Gould spent one pound of silver and forty silver coins to buy two of the man's unique Norwegian forest cat skins, and took them all away. Although the Norwegian businessman was unwilling, considering that he had not sold them for many days, and had to pay for the food for nothing, although he suffered a loss, he simply did the business.

After all, they are Norwegian businessmen who have climbed the mountain. Gould feels that they are either selling some foreigners or selling extremely soft and unique cat skins. Other than that, there seems to be not many good things to come out.

Today, Gould was just doing an investigation. He even went to a pub to investigate the price of those ale, and figured out how much craft ale he could bring back to Rurik.

He did some more scouting for young people looking for employers, and got some insight into the state of the "manpower hiring market" this year.

Some Melalen farmers, who owed money to their landlords, had to sell their land to pay off their debts in order to avoid becoming debt slaves. As a result, such men are left with all their strength. They need to do some physical work for an employer, or even serve as mercenary bodyguards, to earn some money to support their families.

Most of Gould's own guards were of this composition. It's just that Gould chooses young people who are alone, so that they have no family and can only be loyal to the gold master.

Since Rurik's agreement with himself does not have so many restrictions, it is no problem to hire people with family members and send them to Roseburg.

For the time being, Gould did not make such a decision. He first took the five women he originally bought to his island, lifted the shackles of their hands and feet, gave them food, and announced their future. No one cared about their mood, and Gould felt that it was a great mercy for him to give them the leather bedding for temporary sleep, as well as some fish and porridge.

Indeed, Gould only needs to be responsible, that is, to send all the absorbed people to Roseburg safely.

If Rurik and Otto were to be more merciful, that was their business. At that time, they will just pay these people for three months of food, which is not much anyway.