Rurik used a first-person plural word. Rumia didn’t think much about it. She was happy for her master.
At this time, as she was following the jumping Rurik, she didn’t realize that the master had already made up his mind and must give her a gift.
Of course, from Rumia's point of view, it was a gift, but from Rurik's point of view, it was actually a necessary reward for her.
So, how much does the hundred Roman silver coins of good quality that Rurik has in his hand now weigh?
The gross profit of fifty pieces of soap is exactly one hundred silver coins, which happens to be a very interesting numerical node.
Because of the silver coins minted in Rome in the late eighth century, according to the orders of the Eastern Roman emperor, one pound of pure silver should be smelted into one hundred silver coins.
What Rurik is holding is a pound of pure silver. Isn’t it heavy?
But silver, a metal, is always accompanied by lead when it is mined and smelted. The Eastern Romans could purify silver ingots to an astonishing degree, but when it was smelted into silver coins, the mint had to add a little lead to it out of greed for ink.
When the empire accepts the mint's finished products, as long as the currency inscriptions are correct and the weight is basically up to standard, it is the so-called best quality currency.
As for the intentional addition of lead, it is not within the scope of consideration.
So this has brought about a very bad situation. The quality of Roman silver coins is gradually declining. On the one hand, the reason is the corruption of the Eastern Roman Mint. And dig out a little silver shavings from each silver coin, collect them and smelt them again, and you can make a silver ingot out of thin air.
In this time and space, and even in the next thousand years, silver can be said to be the universal currency in the world. Whether it is the East or the West, even South Asia, or even the New World in the future, silver has better liquidity than gold.
After all, silver is silver, it is a scarce metal, not as common as iron ore.
So currently silver coins and copper coins are the most widely circulated currencies in the European world. Among them, in the Frankish Kingdom and Britain, silver coins were the most popular currencies. However, the Frankish Kingdom had its own royal mint, and they minted their own silver coins. In order to emphasize their uniqueness, their nature and taste were different from Roman silver coins.
Silver is silver, and any blacksmith can melt it, separate out the worthless lead, and then recast the molten silver water. Skilled blacksmiths imitated the stamps used by the Frankish royal family to stamp the privately minted silver coins with appropriate patterns and inscriptions.
Silver coins must be circulated freely, and they are not as hard as bronze or iron. Pure silver is relatively soft, so it will inevitably face bad wear and tear during use, and its fineness will of course decline rapidly.
If you want to maintain the fineness, that is, maintain the silver content, you must of course melt it and add silver shavings to restore the silver content. Of course, some people also think reversely and add lead to maintain the weight. As a result, the lead content of early-issued silver coins becomes higher and higher, and the quality plummets.look.
A good trader can easily estimate its silver content - bite.
If you can bite out teeth marks, it is a silver coin of good quality. Although the lead content in it varies, you will not suffer too much.
Europeans added lead to silver coins to pass them off as substandard, and Easterners had exactly the same routine. This resulted in store clerks and store owners having to be proficient in mathematical calculations, European balances, and Oriental weighing weights are also necessary tools for merchants.
In the Baltic region, silver coins from Rome and Franks, as well as a variety of copper coins, are the most commonly used currencies.
The amount of currency was sufficient, and there was no money shortage in this region. As the Danes' plundering of the south and Britain intensified, more and more of the hot money they plundered flowed into this region.
The Danes happily attacked the Frankish Empire and the British areas that had been fully integrated into the Frankish monetary system. The large amount of Frankish currency they looted was squeezing the status of Roman currency around the Baltic Sea.
Why?
One of the most obvious reasons is that businessmen are not fools. Although they all use silver coins, they prefer to use whoever adds less lead to it.
The Frankish Empire issued its latest silver coin at the beginning of the eighth century, more than ten years before Rurik was born. Its silver content is as high as 99%. Although it is much lighter than Roman silver coins, it is better than Roman silver coins. The silver content is really high.
In just twenty years, powerful people among the Frankish Empire and the British region, as well as the surrounding Iberia and northern Italy, as well as the Swiss mountains and some West Slavic tribes, all understood the new Frankish The extremely high silver content of silver coins.
Although merchants melted and recast old silver coins to eliminate wear and tear, they would inevitably add lead to them. Twenty years is too short a time, and silver coins generally do not have a lifespan long enough to require recasting.
In Danish society, the commonly used currency is gradually being monopolized by Frankish currency. Although the relationship between the Danes and the northern Siiya tribal alliance, later known as the Swedes, was more often conflictual, their daily transactions continued to exist.
Merchants are all over the Baltic Sea. They don’t care which faction their customers belong to. They don’t want to betray the silver coins.
Frankish silver coins have already affected the society of the Siiya tribe. Because the Ross tribe is too far to the north, their tribe mainly hoards Roman silver coins.
The Rus tribe learned about a new silver coin a few years ago, which was lighter than Roman silver coins and of better quality.
Silver is silver, currency is composed of silver, and coins delivered in commercial activities are settled based on the weight of silver. This is the only reason why various silver coins can circulate in the European world.
As long as the Ross tribe wants to do business with their brothers in the south, the proportion of Frank silver coins in the tribe's own money box will quietly increase. If no big accident happens, FrankIt was a matter of time before silver coins replaced Roman silver coins.
In European macro-trade, a large amount of silver coins flowing out of Eastern Rome flowed into the Frankish Empire. Frank's official mint melted Roman silver coins and cast the silver into its own.
Perhaps the Frank Empire did not make it clear that they were trying to establish a Frank Empire hegemony that would cover the entire Europe. Their silver coins had spread rapidly throughout Europe.
With a bag of silver coins, Rurik happily returned to the priest's longhouse. He didn't waste much time coming back and forth, and he couldn't wait to announce the good news as soon as he walked in.
"I brought all the silver coins back! Come and share the money!" Rurik also deliberately showed off his linen bag, and the clanking sound of metal collision attracted the intense attention of the priests.
If all the soap is sold for money, everyone will get a fortune. As long as everyone prepares the oil used for sacrifices in advance, all the excess oil can be made into soap!
The priests know very well that boiling oil is the key to everything. As for making plant ash water, the child Rurik needs to be given some guidance at this time.
They were boiling oil happily, as if the soreness in their arms had been relieved. They were all in a good mood, and their mood was even better when they saw Rurik returning.
"Rurik, you! Did you bring all the money back?" Bona hurried over, her face cracked with very ugly wrinkles because of happiness.
"Of course...of course."
For a moment, Rurik actually felt fear. This group of priestesses all moved slowly when performing sacrificial rituals. When they heard the jingling of money, they all turned into hyenas eager to eat fresh meat, howling and rushing towards them.
"Now it's your turn to fulfill your promise." Poona said urgently.
"Okay. Just step back later."
In order to ensure fairness, Rurik placed all the silver coins in a ten by ten matrix on a leather mat.
Even during the day, oil lamps were still lit in the longhouse of the priests, and the light shone on the silver coins, and the heads of the Roman emperors on them really shone brightly.
The expressions of the priests fully proved their excitement. If reason had not restrained their inner impulses, Rurik firmly believed that these priests would have a hungry tiger attack. For the ownership of the silver coins, more than a dozen people could He was beaten to a bloody head.
Villa stood up to take charge of the situation at the critical moment, and she was shocked to see so many silver coins.
Why is she not shocked?
Because in the society of the Siiya tribe, each tribe regards animal skins as a very important value standard reference object in commodity transactions.
Scandinavia has long supplied high-quality animal skins to people in the south. As the resources of wild beasts dwindled, they had to raise cattle on some small plains, and some brave people went to remote places. Hunting wild reindeer and even more precious furry animals, such as specialPrecious ferret.
They cannot raise cattle very large, so the volume of the cowhide after being cut is not much different from that of an adult reindeer.
In the memory of High Priest Vilia, when she was young, the skin of an adult cowhide or deerskin was worth one Roman silver coin. Today the value is roughly the same, about one-fifth of a Roman ounce of silver. .
The one hundred silver coins displayed by Rurik can buy one hundred cowhide or deerskin.
For example, a piece of cowhide can be made into a high-quality leather coat, as well as leather boots, gloves and hats.
Vilia is here to supervise, and no matter how excited the lower-level priest is, he can only lick his face and watch the wealth distribution of Rurik who is sitting down.
Twenty silver coins were picked out in full view of everyone, and then piled into a pile in front of Villa.
"Grandma, please count."
"Okay, my child."
Silver coins are so valuable, even if Rurik seems to have distributed the number to the priests, he can instantly tell with the naked eye, Willy Ya still has to count them one by one.
According to the "employment contract", the priests should only receive so much remuneration, and how to distribute and use it is their own business.
Rurik believed that they would take care of the silver coins according to the new rules they had just formulated, but those did not have much to do with him.
The remaining eighty silver coins are his initial silver capital.
It can be dangerous for a child to have so much money.
Isn’t it dangerous? Youdao is a common man who is not guilty of the crime. A person who lacks the ability to protect his property is a big fat sheep in the eyes of strong men.
I am only seven years old, and my personal safety actually depends on the protection of the priests and parents. Nowadays, church priests make soap and develop a means of making money for the priests who are actually poor. In fact, they are strategically tying their own safety to the rights and interests of the priests.
But will there be outlaws who rob property? A child wandering around with heavy silver coins in his hand can make good people have evil intentions when they see it. This is human nature.
The people of the Ross tribe are still simple. They will definitely not take the risk of being hunted down by the whole tribe to attack the leader's son or the leader's home.
At least in the past few years, Rurik has never known that there have been robberies within the tribe. At most, they are trivial disputes. The elders can coordinate and the two sides should act on the principle that they have a common ancestor. Relationships bridge conflicts.
So there are no legal provisions in the tribe, only some "rules" passed down orally.
Next, Rurik put the money away. It seemed safest to put them in his own cash box.
With the silver coin pocket hanging on his waist, Rurik continued to stay in the warm priest's longhouse.
He looked into the eyes of Rumia, who was waiting for orders, and ordered: "You go to graze and drive the deer back when it gets dark. You don't want anyone in the priest's longhouse tonight, you follow me Go home, I have to make arrangementsSomething about you. Well, some good things. "
"Okay, I'll go as soon as I'm ready. "Rumia nodded.
Deer, they are their own deer! Driving the deer to escape? That is very stupid. You will die of hunger and cold.
Rumia has found her new home, and being Rurik’s servant is not bad.
Precisely because the deer originally belonged to Rumia, these deer met their old master. There is no hint of tension at all.
The deer herd was once a giant of three hundred individuals, but now it has shrunk to twenty. It is impossible for them to reproduce to their former size within ten years! /p>
While Rumia was driving the deer to peel away the snow and eat grass, Rurik was like a soap production engineer.
Since the priests have gained profits and are eager for more, then. Just keep making it.
As long as the fat they have can withstand consumption, wouldn't it be nice to turn it into soap?
But their situation is obviously a bit bad, and the key is the stirring stick. The work of creating the saponification reaction made their arms sore and it was something they couldn't suppress with willpower.
They boiled enough grease to make enough viscosity to fill thirty-five wooden boxes. Soap.
No one’s work satisfies Rurik. What should I do?
Rumia has returned with the herd of deer. Their big mouths pushed through the thick snow, and each one was a venison lawnmower. They gnawed a belly full of hay and returned to their respective deer pens.
I don’t know how long it took, and Otto even had dinner. Come to the longhouse of the priests to find out.
Otto reported to Vilia the huge cashback brought by the soap, which also brought about a strong demand from the tribe for more silver coins. It’s not a problem, everyone needs ready stock.
“I saw that they are still producing, and their situation is not very good. Otto asked worriedly: "Great priests, can they still prepare thirty-five tomorrow?"
"This..."
Rurik is here, Vilia had come to the conclusion from him that the priests' power was limited and they needed to take a vacation.
She said in a hoarse voice: "My leader, you can ask your son carefully. He understands everything. He hoped to go home and sleep tonight. ”
“Okay. "Otto nodded.
For some time his son has been staying in the chief priest's house, which is not appropriate.
Otto called his son and immediately gave a few instructions.
p>
"Dad, I will go back tonight. The priests would work a little longer, and the soap would be poured into molds, which would be sold as finished products by tomorrow evening. Dad, you can't be anxious. ”
“I try not to be in a hurry. " Touching his son's forehead, Otto felt more and more comfortable. Not only because he had a son at an old age, but also because his son was a strange person.
The son washed his hair with soap, and his blond hair felt so good. Comfortable, like a touchIt looks like a piece of golden ferret fur.
Of course, Otto and his wife Niya both used soap to wash their hair today. Those tribesmen who bought soap finally enjoyed the ultimate cleanliness that they had not seen for a long time, and they said that the money was well spent.
In this way, for those members of Mu Sha who did not buy, Otto came here to see his son and to urge the goods.
Rurik couldn't help but yawn. He untied the pocket from his belt and placed it in the palm of his father's big hand.
"Dad, these are all my money. For safety, they are put in our cash box. I think this is the most appropriate."
"This... This is your money, maybe you need a money box of your own." Weighing his son's money bag with his palm, the old man was surprised by its weight.
"Oh? Really?" Rurik thought for a moment, and he could just have a piggy bank. "Okay, Dad, get me a money box, and I will use it to save money in the future. But my own money box must be kept at our house."
"Of course, my child. "
"Dad, I have to supervise their work for a while. When all the soap is poured, a priest will escort me home. Now..." Rurik glanced at Rumia. "Bring my servant home first. Dad, you have to tell mom that you must treat her well in the future and try to treat her as your daughter."
"Oh, really? Okay, I'll try my best." Tozai nodded deeply, and tried his best to sit obediently with Lumia, who looked like she didn't want to cause trouble. "Servant, come with me now."
Hearing this order, Lumia Ya trembled subconsciously, her eyes showing strong tension.
"Dad! You have to call her Rumia! Are you going to be rude?" Rurik protested.
"Okay, Rumia, come here." Otto tried to be gentle to a servant.
What else can Rumia do? Now she can only listen to the mercy of this evil man who hurt her family. It would be okay if Rurik was with her, but now he has to be at the mercy of this evil person?
Seeing her nervous face, Rurik made a funny look, and then softly comforted: "Don't be afraid. , everyone knows that you are recognized by Odin and are our tribe. You go back first, and I will give you a gift when I return."
A gift? Security is the best gift.
Rumia nodded in understanding. She followed Otto closely and walked out of the warm priest's longhouse. Facing the cold outdoors, she quickly walked towards the warmer chief's longhouse. .
Maybe today I will become a servant who pours wine and firewood for the leader and cleans the house.
I hope Rurik, who can protect himself, will come back soon.