Rise of Rurik

In the core area of ​​the Gulf of Bothnia, the huge ice packs formed by the accumulation of expanding sea ice are quietly melting on the seafloor.

The ice covering the entire sea is slowly disintegrating, and the thickness of the sea ice is getting thinner every day.

But this series of changes is still not obvious until now.

The sea is frozen, and the ice on the Great Lake is still hard. Thanks to these ices, Olekin, the leader of Melalen, finally chose to hold important news of the tribal alliance at the beginning of March, and continued to inform the scattered alliance tribes through messengers.

Olegin has already begun to act.

The ice layer of the Great Lake is also nearly half a meter behind. No one can even think about sailing on the ice, and don't expect to be able to move fast with just a pair of feet.

The Meralen tribe also kept some reindeer, but they did not develop it as an industry. Their reindeer are domesticated by a small number of small families, and their purpose is almost always for traveling and pulling carts.

The Lake Mälaren must be too big, and the waterways in it are extremely complicated. On weekdays, everyone’s long-distance travel is naturally the first choice for boats.

Reindeer can pull carts and are naturally good at pulling sleds.

Who would stay outside for a long time if there was nothing important to do?

This time, Origen, in the name of the leader, summoned all the people who owned reindeer in the tribe. He rented the deer directly with money, and also gave the owner of the deer some tasks—running to the tribes with the leader's messenger .

The reindeer sleighs were dispatched one after another, and Olegin's messenger ran to the Yermalen tribe, the Gran tribe, the Ankras tribe, and the Uppsala tribe with a rune-written document engraved on the wooden board and an oral decree. Even some small tribes located in the north.

The residence of most of the tribes in the alliance is clear, except for the increasingly powerful Ross tribe. They seem to exist on the edge of the alliance system, not only they lack direct communication with the core Melalen, What's more, the location of the Rus people's territory turned out to be a place further north in Nordland (Northland).

It was only last year that Olegin had a clearer understanding of Roseburg's location than ever before.

Just by boat, it takes three days to travel from Mälarenburg to Roseburg with the wind, so sending a messenger with a reindeer, the messenger will experience a arduous and remarkable journey.

The messengers who delivered the news came back one after another, and they brought back the promise of the local tribal leaders, that is, when the ice and snow melted, they would bring the embassy to Melalenburg to meet the leader of the alliance Olegin in person.

The time is basically in April.

The simple things were done logically, and the envoy was sent straight to Ross, and the adventure could not be delayed any longer.

A messenger named Benadict was ordered in danger.

At first this guy refused, he was not stupid enough to ride a reindeer sleigh and run wildly on the frozen sea for three or four days.

Olegin made him think carefully about whether the order was carried out, and even the consequences of refusing it.

Could it be that the clan leader can order a clan member to die at will?

Olegin didn't express the threat outright, but only revealed the meaning, which made people very worrying. After nearly ten days of thinking, Benadict thought of his wife and children, so he had no choice but to fight for his life. He has already prepared Juewu to freeze to death on the icefield, and he just wants his family to be safe.

The appointed time has come.

Benadict put on his thick clothes and accidentally cut off half of his beard. With a rather spiritual look, he walked into the towering wooden wall and half-kneeled in front of the leader.

In the huge room, there were a group of armed private soldiers standing on both sides, thinking that the person wearing the thick bearskin coat was Olegin.

"You're here! Have you made up your mind?"

Olegin's words were not aggressive. When Benadict raised his head cautiously, he saw a golden "garland" appear on the leader's forehead.

right! That's the wreath, with some red gems and translucent amber on it, and it's really pretty.

But is that just beautiful?

Olegin melted some precious gold and silver coins, supplemented with precious stones, and made a crown for himself.

Ordinary people don't know the concept of "Golden Crown" or even the symbol of power that it can be derived from.

On the contrary, the businessmen provided a lot of information from the south, and even some legends about the Frankish kingdom.

The supreme ruler of the far south, he has a beautiful crown made of gold, a beautiful treasure that is unique and a symbol of his power.

Olegin, who intends to do something great in his lifetime, intends to fight his last breath to get a Viking glory.

Whether the glory can be obtained depends on the results of the alliance.

Before that, the ambition in his heart has prompted him to build a symbol of power for himself in advance - a golden crown, and the so-called noble title called "Koenig (King)".

How could an ordinary person like Benadict know these things about honor?

He complimented: "Boss, I have already thought about it, and I am willing to go."

"Leader? Are you still calling me chief?" Olekin pretended to be displeased, but the corner of his mouth turned slightly upward, "Now call me Koenig. This is my new title, a noble title. From now on I will be your Koenig. "

This word is actually a term that the merchants heard from the Franks to describe the great ruler. In fact, it is an ancient Germanic language to describe the word "unparalleled", which describes the status of the monarch very well.

Olegin, who wants to be the king of the alliance, intends to decide on a new name this year and use it from generation to generation! However, to be king in the alliance, is that still the alliance?

If Benadict were ten smart people, he should be able to guess some of Olegin's intentions.

"Respected Wang, I have made up my mind. As long as you can ensure the safety of my family, and as long as you can ensure that if I die in the snow, I can continue to support me based on my family."

Olegin was afraid that this guy wouldn't go, and he really didn't just randomly assign arduous tasks to individuals. There are many sayings about Benadic in the tribe. For example, this person can walk in the snow for a long time without freezing to death. The so-called "Ice Warrior". Actually? That incident was clearly that this guy took a risk hunting in winter, and ended up getting lost in the snowstorm. He not only survived with the strong perseverance of going home to see his wife and children, but he found his way home. Such a name.

Now, he wants to take risks for the Melalen tribe for the name of the "Ice Warrior".

Olegin was afraid that this person would still refuse, so he smiled and said: "Okay, you go to deliver the letter, as long as you deliver the letter, you will complete the task. If you really die, don't worry, I will take care of your wife and children. ."

Why does this sound so awkward?

Benadict hesitated for a moment, and quickly "Thanks Lord Ron".

Olegin didn't want to wait any longer, he urged Benadic and Yufu to act immediately. Therefore, on the second day after the meeting, a sleigh pulled by two deer, carrying two people wrapped up like polar bears and a batch of wheat cakes, guarded the most important wooden board with carved characters. Towards the far north of Roseburg.

Olegin wasn't stupid enough to really let the "Ice Warrior" freeze to death. Together with his husband, he lent the two of them the best warmth, which was the two polar bear skins that Rurik gave him.

Since polar bears have no fear of severe cold, can they still freeze to death with their skins close to them?

The vast land is sunny, and the ice field illuminated by the sun is almost blinding Benadict's eyes. They ran north along the frozen sea for two days, and Benadick never dreamed that he would encounter a crazy ice hunter.

He deliberately negotiated with the hunter, and clenched the iron sword hidden behind the leather.

After all, in this sea area, you can't trust strangers too much.

Benadict was not attacked, and because of the white bearskin coats they wore, they were respected by sealers, who had to weigh the strength of a "polar bear hunter". The two sides were so absurd that they were afraid of each other, and they didn't let go of their guard until they completed the initial negotiation.

Are these actually the hunters of the Ross tribe? They actually keep hunting in the winter!

The messenger who was shocked by the miraculous thing, after learning the identity of the messenger, realized that the seal hunter, who was expected to get a big reward, would continue to waste time on the ice? Anyway, the ice layer has thinned significantly, and the way of catching seals will also change.

Originally, neither Benadic nor Yufu knew the clear route to Roseburg. The news he received said that as long as you follow the coastline, you will be able to enter the fjord of Roseburg. Now with Ross Hunter as the navigator, they finally arrived at their destination in the evening of the fourth day.

At this moment, the Avrora standing on the frozen coast has just erected its mast. Rurik dismissed the strong men and let the shipbuilders step by step prefabricated wooden decks in the form of tenon and tenon, like Lego blocks. on the boat.

On the other hand, a group of women also accepted the task of Rurik. They were skilled tailors. They were working together to weave a huge triangular sail from old cloth, new hemp rope, wool thread, and even old sails. , its surface area is more than twice that of a typical long-ship sail.

The core of the ship has been built, and she is now being built more and more to perfection.

In recent days, the most lively thing for the entire Ross tribe is building large ships. Ordinary people have seen the unprecedented great achievements of their tribe. They are proud and at the same time praise Rurik's ability.

The leader Otto finally realized the reliability of the big ship, and he was supporting Rurik's cause in his own way. Otto made an amazing move, which was to remove the dragon head sculpture of the captain's flagship, which was mothballed in winter, and it would be installed on the Avlora. There is also the flagship's only big sail, which serves as the heart of the new sail, as it is printed with huge interlaced blue stripes representing the oars, a Rusian emblem.

With the power of the leader, Otto appointed the Avlora as the flagship of the leader of the Ross tribe.

Contributing to the flagship of the Ross tribe and leader, all those involved have a little self-movement in their hearts. Their stomachs were also warm, after all, anyone involved in building a large ship, even a woman, Rurik would provide a little oatmeal.

The entire clan invested huge manpower and material resources, and it was almost a clan mobilization to speed up shipbuilding. Otto and Rurik naturally ignored some important things.

It was not until the messenger of Melalen arrived that Rurik suddenly remembered that the edict about the alliance seemed to have arrived now.

"Don't look! Continue to drive the reindeer, I will take you to the chief's mansion." The seal catcher urged.

For the first time in his life, Benardick came to Roseburg, and he couldn't believe that there was such a large settlement in the far north. Even though the world was still clinging to ice and snow, he saw the docks, the masts of ships, and even the new, behemoth ships.

How could he not keep his eyes on the ship?

"Hey! Hunter, that thing over there is a boat?!"

"Yes! It's our Avlora, the glory of our Ruth people. She's going to be in the water soon. How about it, can you Mellaren do it?"

"This... can't be done, really can't be done." Benadict had no intention of arguing, he really admired the ability of the Ross people.

Actually? Isn't the ability to build large ships still from the Melaron people? It was Melalen's shipbuilders who were capable of building the Avlora, but her chief designer was Rurik himself. In a sense, the Avrora can be described as a joint construction of the Rus and the Melarons.

"It's here." The seal catcher's sleigh stopped: "I can't get close to the area of ​​the leader's mansion in front. You will be questioned by the leader's mercenaries. Messenger from afar, show your paper board, They won't make it difficult for you."

In this way, like a polar bear, Bernardick, he had been swaggering in Roseburg for a while to attract the attention of a large number of people.

At this moment, the sky is beginning to dim, the brilliance of the setting sun shines on the frozen fjord, and the whole world has a tragic beauty in the cold.

The wandering people went home one after another, soaked in the blacksmith shop and chatted with Klavassen and Kavey, Rurik, who had to temporarily put down the half-carved "design drawings" in their hands, and hurried back to their own home to meet Yuandao Messenger from.

By the time Rurik returned, Otto was already serious and conversing with the stack.

Rurik came in a hurry. He trotted all the way across the steps and pushed open the closed wooden door with all his might. In an instant, a warm air rushed through his body.

"You're back! Rurik!" said Otto casually, looking up.

Hearing this, Benardick, who had goosebumps in shock, hurriedly turned his head.

"Ah, I'm back. Melalen's messenger...is...you?!"

Rurik suddenly looked at Benadict, then took off the velvet cap with a calm expression, flicked his neck, and the golden ponytail also swayed.

In this situation, Benadict was taken aback again. Could the child in front of him be a girl? Do not! He is a boy, a very handsome and beautiful boy, an innocent boy.

Is this Rurik? Benadict had never met Rurik when he was in Melalen, even though Rurik and his men once swaggered in the local market. He has heard too many legends, and some of the recent legends describe Rurik's appearance, a handsome boy.

"Hey, let me ask you something. Are you a messenger?!"

Benedick accidentally saw Rurik's open teeth, and thought to himself that this beautiful boy has reached the age of changing teeth, so he will not be a man for a few years.

He saw in Rurik's seemingly weak figure what true nobility was and what was promising.

He felt that if Olegin needed a crown of gold and a title invented by the Franks to show his dignity, then Rurik was a real nobleman.

"Yes! I'm a messenger...I...I'm a Melalen messenger. I brought the command of the leader."

"Are you stuttering?" Rurik asked with a serious face.

"I'm... just nervous." Benardick's eyes widened, "Are you really Rurik?"

"certainly."

"Ah! Those legends are true. You are indeed a god, and your purity shocks me. Please... please accept my worship."

Which one is this singing? Rurik couldn't help being surprised when he saw the guy kneeling in front of him, and Otto was equally astonished.

"Get up, since it's a messenger, let's get down to business."

"Yes." Benadict hurriedly sat up, but this body was shaking involuntarily.

Rurik sat cross-legged beside his father. At this moment, there were only three people in the huge living room of the mansion, which was burning with oil lamps and firewood. There is no idle person, it's Otto, he needs a quiet meeting scene and that's all.

But in Benadic's view, he felt that he was respected by the Rus. The father and son of the leader actually met him as a low-level person. He also felt that he would be like another messenger, only worthy of submitting wooden documents, and had no right to see the leader himself (to a certain extent, it was also due to the leader of Melalen. distrusted because the man did not rescue the attacked Ostara clan).

Sitting down, Rurik continued to ask, "Your name?"

"I...Merlaren's Benadict."

"Okay, Benadict, let's get down to business now!"

Benadic was calm. He was about to speak when he suddenly realized that Otto Zilurik, the chief of Ross, didn't say a word after he entered the room. The words were said by the handsome Rurik, as if Rurik is the leader.

He estimated that the future power transfer of the Rus people must also be the succession of this Rurik. It's like Olegin, the leader of Mellaren, who would hand over power to his only son, Karl.

Carl is a horny and arrogant guy, not a reliable person.

Rurik, his temperament is nothing short of extraordinary.