Rise of Rurik

Temperatures in Roseburg are no longer aggressive, and even by midday, one can soak up the sun's palpable warmth.

March is here, and the ice sea has no tendency to thaw, but everyone believes that changes are taking place in places that are invisible to the naked eye.

Until now, the supply of supplies in Roseburg has been very stable. In particular, the stockpiles of wheat, which are regularly released, basically ensure that the wealthy residents don't take up too much, and the wheat benefits most people.

What other major events happened in Rosberg during the more than three months that Rurik was away?

In fact, there is no major event, and the days go by day by day. Just like in the winter of previous years, most of the residents trapped in the fjord are staying at home. On the contrary, there are a group of hard-working people who are working in production without fear of the cold.

They ran to set up camps on the ice far away from the fjord, and tried their best to cut through the ice with iron pestles everywhere, to lure seals in desperate need of breathing holes to float up and wait for the opportunity to kill them with harpoons. They even lowered their hooks using the ice holes they had dug out, and they were often able to catch a little cod. After all, cod is hungry in winter.

Just like in the previous year, the seal leather was sold to merchants, the oil was sold to priests, and the meat and edible offal of the seal were shared by the tribe. In the past four months, more than 3,000 seals have been hunted, and the scope of activities of Ross' ice hunters has been further expanded.

That is to say, when Rurik built the soap industry, the great economic benefits brought unprecedented demand for oils and fats. How could the seal hunters miss this opportunity to make money? Besides, the residents of Ross can't live without soap, they can't stand the condition of being greasy, smelly and dirty. The domestic price of soap is still the same, but now because of the huge inflow of silver coins, most Russ people no longer feel that soap is a rarity. Just catch a seal, sell the leather to a merchant, and change hands for two sulphur soaps with silver coins (economical soaps have been stable for a long time).

Most of the boys and girls in Ross were put on vacation. As long as there was no request from Rurik, they would not have any training in winter, and naturally they would not receive any food rewards. You don't have to worry about the kids going hungry at all.

They have practiced fighting, logging and even archery in the warm season. Although they are young, most of them already have the ability to hunt and kill small animals to support themselves. Besides, their parents stockpiled enough smoked fish for a winter as usual, and even a wall of frozen herring piled at the base of the log house. Oh, and among the seal-hunting army, there are also boys with steel-headed harpoons.

Only those orphans who had served Rurik entirely and had been collected by various means were eligible to be nourished by Rurik's food all the time. These boys and girls are not free, such as Carlota, Fisk, Kanuf and others, they have become veritable "King of Children". When Rurik himself is not there, the orphans must obey the requirements of these people, Either logging, or going to the smithy as a servant,

Or simply get involved in the hard work of cooking fat to make soap.

They have strong perseverance and a grateful heart, and they are eager to grow up to become a warrior as soon as possible, so that they can serve their masters better. Realistically speaking, after becoming fighters, they have the right to grab trophies for themselves on the battlefield.

It's just that they don't know that the benefits of their labor in winter will far exceed the wheat they eat.

Rurik has returned, and he has returned with a great deal of wood for shipbuilding.

Roseburg in the ice and snow was full of boredom, and the hunting team returned with a lot of supplies, and the entire Roseburg was a sensation.

As usual, the chief father and son came to the holy priest's house.

Many buildings were demolished and replaced with woodcuts with wooden floors and fireplace chimneys. The long priest's house is an old house. It is still strong after so many years, and it seems that there is no need to tear it down and rebuild it.

High Priest Veria, her shriveled mouth nearly lost her teeth.

Coincidentally, Rurik was eating a grilled fish in Elronborg, and one of his front teeth finally reached the critical value of falling. Another deciduous tooth fell off, and Rurik's body completely entered the stage of complete tooth replacement. No, he has grown a lot taller.

Villa seems to be able to leave in her sleep any night, and she has been prepared for a long time, but she has insisted on it until now.

"You... are finally back."

"Yeah." Otto, who was sitting cross-legged casually, smiled, "Great priest, you are still healthy."

"I... I'm too old to actually persist until now."

When Veria spoke, Rumia, who was dressed in plain clothes, had long hair scattered, and had a rope loop on her head, was sitting upright.

There were two girls sitting beside the high priest, Rumia and Rumi. Their names had exactly the same meaning, even their ethnicity.

She admired the two girls, especially their characters. The dead Bona was killed because she was greedy for money and greed for power and forgot her duty. These two girls are different. Vilia had seen so much, she could not feel the ambition of the two children, they were just quietly doing the work of priests and submitting to their leader.

"Big Chief." Villa whispered softly and said hoarsely: "Thanks to God's blessing, I think I have completely completed the task of the rest of my life. Lumia has learned everything about me, and she... is already qualified to be independent. To hold a ritual...she is the true successor to the high priest I can admit."

"High Priest?! You!" Otto couldn't laugh anymore, he heard the danger in these words. Because of Villa's official resignation, I am afraid it will shock the entire Roseburg! Since countless people have been born, Veria has been the only high priest, and it is difficult for everyone to imagine what the era would be like without her. At least Otto is now a little apprehensive

Rurik, why didn't he understand?

The old woman in front of her should be seventy-five years old. This is a miracle of mankind in the current Nordic world.

"Should she be aware that her death is approaching? Yes! It must be so. Dying people can predict their own end." Rurik was really sad and lamented this woman's life.

Vilia, the high priest was the first immigrant of the Rus tribe to its present location, and her life represents the Rus' past.

The Rus had a new beginning, and Rurik dared to conclude that history would eventually date the Rus, and everything had changed since AD ​​828.

Otto continued to soothe, like a son soothing his old mother.

Oh, in multiple senses, Otto treats Villa as his mother.

"High priest, don't have strange thoughts. You will live a long life. God has always cared for you, and you will always guard Ross."

Villa's shriveled mouth squeezed out a smile, which was completely different from the two girls with tense expressions sitting next to them.

"Don't be silly...my child. I have foretold my end, darling, don't grieve for me when I leave, I'll go to Valhalla and be promoted to Valkyrie. Otto, one day sooner or later , maybe I will lead your soul to Valhalla. I hope you remember my face when I was young."

"Hey, how can I forget." Otto laughed, a smile that was bitter and relieved.

When she was young, Villa was also a beautiful woman. When Otto remembered, Villa was thirty years old. She still maintained her beauty, but she could not let go of the pain of losing her child, so she devoted all her efforts to serving God.

In fact, there is a mentality of "renunciation as a nun".

Villa coughed twice and tapped the wooden staff again: "Okay, you still tell me, your father and son, what happened in the north. Tell me something new about this old man."

Aging has severely limited Veria's mobility, her legs and feet have become more unchanged, and recently she can only be carried by a sedan chair made by lower-level priests. She stayed at the priest's house almost all day long, dozing off on weekdays, and when she woke up, she saw the beautiful glassware placed beside the pillow, and even the porridge that had been boiled in the glass bowl when she was eating. Seeing things, the first thing she thought of was Rurik!

The dramatic changes in Rosberg were contributed by Otto and Rurik.

She stayed in the longhouse and relied on the people around her on weekdays, especially Lumia's tips to learn about the outside world.

Rurik, for example, is hiring the best shipbuilders to build ships of the greatest size ever.

Otto intends to tell the good news that he has led his team to hunt a huge amount of leather in the brand-new Oriental Forest.

Villa didn't seem to take it so seriously, she just wanted to know what Rurik had done.

No, Rurik bluntly told the dying high priest about the ship's materials and masts.

The boring life brings motivation. Vilia originally felt that she had taught Rumia everything about being a high priest, and she could wait to die quietly. Now she has a new hope.

"That Avrora, you call the ship a woman? You're a little smart. Rurik, when will your ship be finished?"

"Just this year! Just when the sea is thawing." Rurik knew that her time was really running out, and these words were loud and clear.

"That's a good thing."

On the surface, Vilia's expression did not fluctuate much, but in fact her heart was full of excitement. She felt that she could not be angry or ecstatic, and she could not tolerate any violent mood swings and violent activities, otherwise, her body like a broken ship could capsize at any time.

"April! It's April! When the sea thaws, that's when my ship is launched. Now the mast material is ready, it must be four months, and the hull is almost finished. By the new trade season, my ship will be Just go to Melalen, go to New Roseburg in the east, and preach the power of our Rus."

Rurik's words meant that he would not leave a way out for himself, and he felt more and more that Veria was just hanging his breath, eager to witness a great existence and then leave peacefully.

So, where is the construction of the Avrora?

The returning people made the already prosperous leather trading market even more prosperous. Those leather merchants are urgently processing all kinds of leathers bought, and there are also leather factories like Verdegen, and his men are hurrying to make ready-made garments. The so-called slaves, as long as they give food to their mouths, are extremely merciful. That's what Fodgen did. He forced his subordinates to work hard, and the labor efficiency that was squeezed out was really indescribable. He has been selling the clothes he made, and he is also desperately stocking up, hoping to make a fortune in Melalen.

Rurik, who returned, quickly returned to his home to rest. He immersed himself in a wooden barrel and took a good bath.

Otto pursued more comfortable enjoyment. After wiping off the soap bubbles from his body with warm water, he got into the Finnish steam room and gave himself a sauna to eliminate all the fatigue. He washed himself clean so that Nia could get his wife close.

Dirty does not belong to Roseburg, because as long as conditions permit, everyone hopes that they can always keep clean and fresh. Soap is the key to a comfortable and refreshing feeling, which naturally and objectively contributes to the overall health of the Rus.

It is very obvious that the death toll in Roseburg this winter is all elderly, and the miraculous birth rate of newborns is zero.

Everyone can't think of the power of soap. If you insist on saying a truth, everyone subconsciously believes that this is a new round of favor from Odin to the Rus.

The day after Rurik returned, Rurik took a few mercenaries and headed straight for the huge shipbuilding workshop in Hortra with a free attitude.

Before them, the sleds carrying a lot of wood had been blocked at the door of the workshop, making it a little troublesome for people to come and go.

The trouble is just going in and out. The boat builders in the workshop are really eager to run over the boat materials themselves. It’s better to block the door so that they don’t have to carry a big axe and go far away to select a good boat. material.

Rurik came this time, not only in a hurry, but also with a clear purpose.

He is going to discuss something with Hotra, and the other party has no right to refuse. He didn't come empty-handed either. The hacksaw made in Elrond Castle carried by his entourage will bring new innovation to the shipbuilding industry.

"It's jingling inside, and they start working early in the morning." The casual Yevlo said casually.

"Maybe they worked all night. Let's go in and see."

It was still cold in the morning, and Rurik didn’t want to continue to pester on the snow outside, and wanted to break into the shipbuilding workshop directly.

Yevluo and others raised their heads one after another, not to mention that this huge wooden house is not only amazing in length, but also has a huge interior space.

It is actually a large factory building, which is very different from the steel factory buildings that can be built quickly after a thousand years. This factory building is purely wooden. However, it also uses a pine wood frame structure. After stacking a large number of logs, the plant is so successful.

Rurik's visit was not abrupt at all, and Hortra and other busy craftsmen had long been ready.

There are a lot of oil lamps inside the workshop, and the lamps of seal oil bring key lighting and keep the whole workshop warm. Rurik hurriedly ordered his subordinates to close the small wooden door, and then subconsciously looked at the closed large wooden door.

He turned his head, and the sight in front of him instantly made all words superfluous.

It was a large hull, significantly larger than longships and cargo ships.

The keel of the big ship is obviously lying on a large number of pine sleepers, a large number of ribs are built around the keel, and the wooden boards attached to the ribs are layered on top of each other. It seems that the entire hull is basically completed! This was beyond Rurik's expectations.

At this moment, Hortra, who was standing on the bow, was holding a hammer in his hand. He shouted enthusiastically to the following: "It is the honorable Lord Rurik, you are finally back."

Rurik raised his head and looked at it from the current angle. He felt that the bow foot was four meters high. In fact, it was indeed more than four stikas from the keel.

Standing here, Rurik looked at the towering bow and not only sighed, "Ah! I'm really a small existence. It's just me who can steer this ship."