Rise of Rurik

An old Otto enjoys a rare hangover.

He slept very deeply all night, and when he woke up, the sun had already risen.

Perhaps the distillation process had removed a lot of dirt. After waking up, he didn't feel an unbearable headache, but instead felt a sense of emptiness all over his body, as if he had been rowing all day and then fell asleep. Feel.

But when he remembered how he felt when he was drunk, he got up and nibbled on some bacon, and hurriedly rushed to the blacksmith's shop in Klavassen, and took the last part of the distilled wine.

Otto has fallen in love with it since the first time he enjoyed it.

In the days that followed, the ale of the entire Ross tribe was concentrated in the hands of the chief.

Generally speaking, a barrel of ale often sells for ten silver coins at the market in Roseburg. If you have the most mellow taste, it is normal for the price to rise to twenty silver coins.

Usually prices are constant, only this year things have changed dramatically.

In this era, ordinary civilians gain wealth either because of accidents or because of war dividends. Don't expect them to save and spend the first time to improve their lives. This is the norm.

This is what Marlos's theory of spiritual needs describes. In layman's terms, it means that people need to eat well and then eat well.

How to eat well? Eating wheat cakes, nibbling barbecue meat, and serving meals with ale every day is a real joy in life.

The merchants deliberately raised the price, and the Rus's fighting power was also fierce.

Those ale that first entered the port have long been sold out. While the merchants took the opportunity to raise their prices, more merchants began to spontaneously send Melalen's ale to Roseburg after inquiring.

Otto bought ten oak barrels of ale at nearly half the market price, for which he spent one hundred and fifty silver coins. The wines weren't fine wines, but even the most mundane stuff, he thought, was perfectly capable of turning them into vodka.

What is now called vodka is nothing but the exact name Rurik gave to the self-processed distilled spirits of the Rus.

In Rurik's view, only what is close to pure alcohol, without any aroma, and only with alcohol smell, is worthy of being called vodka.

It is inappropriate to say that vodka can be said to be denatured alcohol without added acetone. Rather than a drink, it's more appropriate to say the fuel that makes the car go wild.

So the burden of processing and distilling vodka suddenly fell on Kravassin.

The sudden work can add fuel to the fire of this busy blacksmith family.

Is there any other way? That is the order of the chief of the tribe. The order is strict, but it also means that huge benefits can be obtained.

What task did Otto give them?

That is the ale that must be processed in an oak barrel every day into three flammable vodka glasses. Although Otto came into contact with real spirits for the first time, the taste of real alcoholics does not need too many tests. He would try to light the spirits himself to verify that the maker had poured water into it.

More precisely, he also listened to his son Rurik's explanation that the so-called ale can't burn and the flame of vodka can burn the beard, because there is more water and less water.

Under pressure, what else can Clavason do? It seems that the most important thing in the work of distilling wine is supervision.

He gave the student Kamne the supervisory job, and under the pressure a magical thing happened.

People in the White Tree Manor in Novgorod, far to the east, would never have imagined that Kamne, an orphan whose parents had died, was being trained by the Varyags to become the best winemaker.

The good stuff Otto wasn't indulging in personal pleasure either. He stuffed his latest vodka into a water bag made of a beast's stomach pouch and gave it to his most important guys.

This time it's good, Kravason's fame is even greater. Many good people learned about the source of vodka in the name of ordering swords. They still couldn't understand how ale became a "good wine to burn". In short, the leader regarded igniting vodka as a miracle to play with, and by the way, once again proved his son's nobility.

Otto was certainly not an alcoholic. He really longs to enjoy the nectar and jade liquid every day, and after all, he knows that his life is not long.

"Burning Vodka" is a kind of miracle. He is in the tribe, and his elderly cronies, who are also very important people in the tribe, publicize and display this miracle.

However, every night his father became a little drunk, and Rurik looked at the old guy and couldn't help but worry.

Rurik, of course, is eager to build his new house, and now the new house, which imitates the Novgorod-style wooden house, has finally reached a very critical stage. There was a deliberate crack in the wooden wall, stuffed with compacted moss. And on the solid wooden beams arranged in a herringbone pattern, wooden logs are laid. After all, after laying moss, a layer of logs is pressed to supply energy for the tiles.

This is a wood-carved wall, a wood-carved wall with a stone-stacked fireplace, and its completion is probably only a few days ago.

Rurik gradually put his mind on the new house. It was obvious that his father was originally interested in the new home, but now his mind is all about the wine.

Finally, one quiet night, while his father was still in good spirits, at the dinner table, he talked about his worries.

"Dad, you've been drinking too much during this time."

"Oh? Really a lot? I feel like my soul is wandering Valhalla every night during this time. I...even saw Brynhilt. The Valkyrie told me..."

"Brunhilt?" Rurik thought it was absurd, it was just a legend. The Rus people generally recognize this god, and it seems that no one except the priests can claim to be in line with this god. Rurik deliberately asked, "So, what did the Valkyrie say?"

"Oh. He said he would die in a war in many years, as a true warrior."

Hearing her husband say such words, Niya was startled, she hurriedly coughed twice: "Don't be silly, you are a man who is going to die at home."

Otto shrugged, dismissing his wife's words. He looked into his son's eyes, and as a soldier, he taught Rurik carefully: "Know where is the best place for a man to end up?"

"It's a battlefield, I know!"

"You know?" Otto was surprised.

Rurik really knew what his father liked to hear, and he deliberately said: "A true warrior, he will die in the last moments of the last war. In this way, he will die in battle, instead of aging as if Withered roots and branches die quietly."

Rurik was just quoting a famous quote from a general a thousand years later, and at this moment, it really shocked Otto the most.

To be fair, the words he quoted were really shocking, and they were really for the soldiers.

The excited Otto suddenly stood up, and under the attention of his family, he suddenly raised his son with a happy smile on his face.

After a while, Otto reluctantly fell silent and continued the previous topic: "My soul did go to the door of Valhalla, it was not a dream. The Valkyrie told me that in many years I would die in war, and you, Rurik, You will take my place. Don't worry, these are fate. The Valhalla said, "I have enjoyed the wine of Valhalla in advance, and this is a kind of proof! It proves that I have been chosen. Maybe anyone who drinks this wine." , can become heroic spirits after death. Child, do you know? Your uncles all feel that you gave them this opportunity!"

Rurik's eyes widened suddenly, and he felt that things had become very bizarre.

Of course, the old guy Otto was dreaming, but when he spread the dream to "uncles", that is, important figures of the tribe such as Harrodsen, the situation changed completely.

Over the years, Rurik had acknowledged Otto's fatherhood.

The current situation is also very clear. Although in the past, the leader of the Ross clan was selected through an open choice, now, that guy has the courage to challenge "the one chosen by Odin"?

He will be pro-government, and once the big leader Otto dies, no matter what his age, he will definitely take over as Dawei.

Rurik's greatest need now is to have the greatest power of the clan. Now Otto is more and more addicted to the psychedelics brought about by alcohol, while Rurik is more and more enjoying the feeling of being surrounded and worshipped.

Of course, he has to become a new leader, or even upgrade to a prince, or a new name like Caesar and Augustus.

But, before that, Rurik felt that his father Otto had to pave a wider and firmer path for his future.

In other words, the Ross tribe that he took over must be powerful.

Therefore, Otto must not die suddenly because of drinking.

Seeing that Otto was very excited, and his mother Nia's wry smile, Rurik made a blank face, righteously grabbed the sleeping bag around Otto's waist, and pulled it down abruptly.

"Oh? Rurik, do you want to drink too?"

"No, Dad, you can't drink any more tonight."

"Why?" Otto said in surprise: "I wish you grew up a little longer so we could drink together."

"Forget it. I'm just afraid that if you drink too much, your soul will never come back to Valhalla."

"How is that possible?!" Otto could hear that his son was afraid of his own drinking and death.

Can drinking kill people? Otto didn't know the power of alcohol, he thought it was ridiculous.

But Rurik didn't let go of the water bag, and said more seriously: "Actually, Kanuf told me everything. You old guys are drinking, and Kravasen told me a lot of things. The desire is so strong.”

"What's wrong with that? We should have fun because we are noble."

"No! Although vodka is good, it will erode your heart and make you forget your responsibilities as a leader. Dad, you should lead your clan to become prosperous, so that the poorest clan can eat and drink well. Since it is pleasure, if you Bringing the whole clan to enjoy together, that is the most perfect."

Otto was a little embarrassed. Hearing his son's opinion, he felt that his son's words made some sense, but they didn't make much sense.

Rurik was still holding the water bag: "Dad, I must limit your alcohol intake in the future to make sure your mind is clear."

"But you can't limit your father. My child, you should listen to me about this."

This is so, because there is only one son, and Otto is frankly doting on Rurik. In many things, he deliberately accommodated his son, but it was entirely because of his son that Otto had to be polite to the maid Rumia.

He was supposed to be the leader of Yiyantang, but in the end, because of Otto's deliberate laissez-faire, Rurik already had a great deal of freedom at a young age.

Rurik was actually already doing things that only the chief should have the right to do, such as training the army! Even if those troops were just a bunch of eight or nine year old boys. In this way, sensitive warriors can also estimate a future full of combat.

Rurik shook his head: "Dad, we should make an appointment."

"what is that?"

"A pact about how much you should drink each day."

"Okay." Otto breathed a sigh of relief: "As much as you say."

"This..." Rurik thought of a good idea again, he hid his latest plan in his heart, and returned the water bag to Otto for the time being.

Rurik pointed to the glass on the table: "One glass a day, not more."

"Oh! That's all? Too little."

"Are you less? Dad, for three vodkas, we took the essence of a barrel of ale. If things go on like this, the ale in the entire league won't stand up to us Russ. You should at least be in moderation."

"Okay, okay, I won't argue with you. Your words have some truth. At least you want to give me an exception today, which is my last indulgence?"

"Alright." Rurik shook his head helplessly, and then in shock saw his father unscrew the cork of the water bag and pour strong wine into his mouth.

This move shocked Rurik and even Nia.

Otto, he had indeed enjoyed his last indulgence of the day.

It wasn't because he simply responded to his son's good intentions of self-control, but because he really couldn't continue drinking.

Just because the next day, Rurik just arranged a simple training for his guys in the morning and ended the training hastily. He rushed to the blacksmith shop and explained his new plan to Kravasen.

A thing that Cravasson felt unreliable, but had a promising future.

Specifically, it was an entirely new invention, one that combined spirits and glasses.

Since Kravason invented the "Suppressing Glass Constraint Bottle Mouth" in a short period of time, Rurik had the idea of ​​directing Kravason to make small glass bottles.

And, for the sake of efficiency, it's time to try glass blowing.

The work of blowing glass is a test of skill. Indeed, the untrained person operates it rashly, and the recoil heat can instantly destroy a person's lungs, and finally cause a tragic death.

What if it is not a human lung that blows, but an air sac?

In other words, the existence of the lung itself is an air sac. The birth of the lungs came from the buoyancy air sacs evolved from the ancient bony fish. The essence of the lungs is a retractable air sac. Breathing with the lungs can be described as an evolutionary operation from a sideline to a main business.

Rurik thought of the craft of making the bottle by blowing air with the currently available bladder blower.

According to his own understanding, it seems that it is not difficult to blow glass bottles.

Originally, Rurik felt that it would be difficult for Kravassen to make a bronze tube. Who would have thought that this old guy would first cast a bronze plate, forge it thinner, then crimp it and heat it up and weld it, it would become a tube. This tube is now the core component of the distillation equipment.

This time Rurik was simply an engineer, calling all the Kravasen family to the blacksmith shop.

Including the future sister-in-law Lilia, and the only servant Kamne.

Rurik ordered Lilia to sweep a sandy field with a broom, and then he made everyone sit down with leather cushions.

Holding a wooden stick, he drew sketches on the ground and explained in his mouth.

For any craftsman, his ability to understand logic is very high, and even based on descriptions, he can make up the appearance of the finished product in his brain.

This was the case with Cravatson and Kawhi, and even Lilia and Kamnei expressed some understanding.

Not to mention that Lilia and Kamne are children, but they are still illiterate. Since they have been living as craftsmen these days, the two have been exposed to a lot of practical knowledge.

Children's ability to imitate, their determination to pursue excitement, their curiosity, and their need for achievement are all extremely high.

Lilia has become an experienced glass maker, and her hands have shed skin because of many calluses and even contact with alkaline substances.

Kamnier is even more incredible, the child has learned a number of skills, and now he has begun to supervise the production of distilled spirits.

The people present were all craftsmen, and of course Rurik was an engineer.

Rurik made several such demands.

First: Make a bronze tube. One end of the bronze tube is glued with a soft molten glass liquid, and the other end is connected to the air bag blower. Blow up with a blower, forcing the molten glass into a hollow existence.

Second: Make a special bronze mold with the shape of a small narrow-mouth bottle inside. The mold can be divided into two parts, and the mold can fit when the bronze tube drags the molten glass into the hollow interior of the mold. And the mold can't be big, it must make the finished product very delicate.

Rurik made some gestures, and Clavathon realized what was happening just by imagination. He naturally thought it was amazing, but he still had doubts about the wonderful results Rurik showed.

Suspect? Then use the finished product to verify the doubt and reliability.

In fact, there is nothing magical about Rurik's request, because the mass-produced glasses of later generations are all like this.

That's the mechanical blowpipe, which blows molten glass into a bottle of constant volume inside a metal mold. Because of this operation, the mass production of glass containers in the world at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century was triggered.

This is the power of industry!

Isn't it better to make molds and burn clay? For now, nothing is faster than casting bronze.

It was August 14th, and Rurik asked his father to drink less alcohol yesterday, and this afternoon, when the sun went down, Kravassen had already made the mold.

In just half a month, the winemaking technology of the Ross people has completed technological innovation, and even the wine vessel has changed.

This mold is really unusual!

Because Rurik required special processing of the clay mold, in addition to having a special shape, the inside was also engraved with words in reverse.

The clay mold used as the inner liner was chiseled with the Roman letters "RUS" and "VODKA", here Rurik has no intention of engraving the Ron letters.

Anyway, the general trend in the future is indeed that the Roman alphabet becomes the mainstream of the world. The reason is that it is the script of the Roman Empire, nothing more!

Besides, Rurik felt that the modern Roman alphabet he knew of later generations was a very mature alphabet.

The negative inscriptions on the clay mold will become the positive inscriptions on the bronze ware as the casting is completed.

The words RUS and VODKA are raised!

Since the bronze mold cools down instantly after being quenched, Clavassen wants to experiment now.

To make a bronze pipe, this work was undertaken by Kawei.

A family of two senior blacksmiths, they are also excellent smelting talents. When Kravason completed the bronze mold, Kawhi's side also completed the task.

The cracks of the bronze tubes under the high temperature were fused, and this tube was completely able to withstand the heat of the molten glass.

After all, Rurik asked to add lead oxide into the glass liquid. Of course, lead is poisonous. Since it is poisoning other people's heads, and he is trying to make money, it is as the so-called. Then there is the issue of dosage.

This night, the extremely dynamic Clavason family started a great feat!

A viscous liquid glass, or a sticky hot substance, adhered to one end of the copper tube.

The soft glass mass is placed in one half of the mould, and the other half is closed immediately. Rurik was afraid that when blowing, the glass liquid would overflow from the gap on both sides of the mold, so the mold was pressed with a stone.

Kawei, who operates the airbag blower, is in action!

This man with strong arms, who is good at rowing and blacksmithing, admires his wife Lilia for his strength. Now, this is a slightly slow but absolutely powerful suppression. The strong air pressure from the air bag completely changes the glass mass in the mold. looks like.

So that some soft glass overflowed from the mold entrance.

Rurik smiled as the mold was opened...

Cravatson laughed, Kawi laughed, Lilia and Kamne couldn't believe their eyes for a while!

Because, a glass container is done!

Clavasson held the dagger and cut the glass attached to the mouth of the bottle along the copper tube. Because the glass is still very hot now, its softness is easy to cut.

Besides, because the inside of the mold is coated with a layer of toner before blowing, the glass bottle can be released without hindrance.

All right now, Rurik squeezed his hairless chin and was satisfied to see the characters he needed.

"Rurik, it's good, I think we have succeeded!" Klavathon said excitedly.

"Yes, and the character you want. This is the character that proves it is from our Ross tribe? Or the character of the Romans?" Kawi said in surprise.

"You're right." Rurik grabbed a piece of leather and put it on his hand, and fiddled with the bottle that still scalded the flesh. Although the tower is hot, it has now cooled to the point where it cannot be plasticized.

As long as the cold wind blows, it will cool down faster! It is this kind of glass bottle that is easy to break, or it collapses immediately after it is filled with boiling water.

However, when it hits the cooled spirits, there is no problem.

"What are you going to do next? Simply fill the wine?" Kravason asked comfortably.

"Of course! It has to be filled with wine, because it's VODKA! If it's something else, we'll have to revise the mold." Rurik said enthusiastically, "Then let it cool down naturally, and we'll wash it inside. Then, pour in the distilled spirits made today."

"Is it for the leader?" Clavason asked with a smile.

"Of course! I made an agreement with my father. In order to prevent my father from indulging in fine wine, just like the Bona who was beheaded by him, I can only do this and restrain him!"

Clavasson didn't care about Rurik's decision, and he continued to mutter: "If that's the case, why make such a fancy bottle in order to restrain the leader? So that we have learned new skills."

"Of course to make money!"

"Yo! You're really not humble at all."

"Of course." Rurik became impatient: "Klavathon! Kawhi! Do you know what I think?"

"Selling wine? Wouldn't it always be to put vodka in a bottle and sell it with the bottle?!" Kavey asked knowingly.

"You are very right." Rurik immediately introduced the bright future: "I just want to sell wine! You know that glass bottle of Gould, it is the treasure of the Romans, and Gould used it to get it. Thirty gold coins! And what else! The Romans also had some ways of making good wine, but they were not as clever as us. Gould's bottle of wine is worth at least forty gold coins, what do you think of us?"

"This..." The excited Klaverson's heart was about to explode: "We also sell forty gold coins?"

"No. Not many people can afford that price. In my opinion, ten barrels of ale can be made into a barrel of vodka. One barrel of vodka in this bottle is enough for fifty bottles."

Rurik's estimate was fairly accurate. It was completely reasonable for ten barrels of ale to turn into 50° vodka. The glass bottle he made had a capacity of about 200 ml, and it had to be said that it was a real small bottle.

It is precisely because of its small size that it is very delicate, and it just caters to people's needs for babies. Baby, it should be pocket-sized.

Besides, it is a baby and a good daily necessities.

Whoever owns this bottle can use it for honey, ordinary ale, or even pure water.

Especially pure water, at first glance, others think it is loaded with good wine!

In this way, Kravason made five such small bottles in one go, and they were not annealed at all, but were naturally cooled quite quickly. Experience and not fully understood theory led him to conclude that the bottle was not heat-resistant for the time being.

Anyway, it is a wine, it is also an experiment anyway, and it does not require too much.

As a result, the spirit obtained from a barrel of ale distilled today is completely filled into five glass bottles with the words "Ross Vodka" printed on it. Its shape is indeed a bit like a glass bottle of coffee sold in a supermarket in Rurik's impression. With the oak stopper closed, its appearance gives Rurik a strong sense of momentary confusion.

It is as if the products of the industrial age after a thousand years appeared in the wild ninth century.

Check it out! It still has mold marks on it! It is a dark line that runs through the entire bottle, that is, the closing line of the two-lobed mold, which also indicates its manufacturing principle. Of course, only the best craftsmen realize how it was created. This kind of person, I am afraid there are only a handful of people in Eastern Rome.

And this is the gift Rurik intends to give his father. Then tell Otto to drink a bottle a day.

Although it is a bottle, it is enough to have two or two pot head.

But Rurik thought more about its commercial value.

They are all selling wine, and they must reap more profits.

What's the cost here? Finished ale, distillation labor costs, glass bottle production costs, packaging costs, and sales costs.

So adding up to this, a bottle of wine sells for 150 silver coins, right?

After all, it is only a glass bottle, and its value is another hundred silver coins.

Really one hundred and fifty silver coins? Will it still be too expensive? If I only sell to big merchants, I won't be able to make money from small merchants.

Rurik was still undecided, but he had already made an agreement with Kravassen to mass-produce new types of glass bottles and try to make distilled spirits as much as possible.

Rurik felt that he could set up a company called "Ross Vodka", and the engraving on the bottle was his trademark!

As for the price, he made an acceptable range, that is, a bottle of spirits, one hundred silver coins to one hundred and fifty silver coins.

It is indeed very expensive, and a bottle of wine is enough for an ordinary man to live for four years! Anyway, spirits are not something that ordinary people can enjoy.

The price can also be reduced in the future, that is, the premise is that the production capacity must explode!

Production burst? He felt that food production capacity had to explode first, otherwise everything would be delusional.