Until now, every metal tool of the Ross tribe is valuable, and the tribe has not squandered enough to use the iron tools at will.
Wealthy warriors would go to the blacksmith and order chain mail made of wrought iron. Although wire drawing is not too troublesome work, it is very tedious work to twist the small iron bars into rings with pliers and then braid them together, and the blacksmith will naturally charge a lot of money.
In the Ross tribe, only a few people actually own their own chainmail.
Most people participate in combat and generally wear leather armor for protection on key parts of the body.
Rosin, a viscous slurry with a special smell, is sometimes burned by priests to add incense to the ritual to add a sense of mystery.
More often, this substance is used either as fuel for torches or as a leather hardener.
The cowhide purchased from the southern tribes is painted with rosin. The rosin penetrates into the cowhide and is completely dried and hardened. The entire cowhide becomes quite hard.
This kind of leather armor can withstand most cuts from iron swords, and is almost completely immune to rare arrows on the battlefield!
It is the only thing that cannot withstand the powerful and heavy chop of a tomahawk. Similarly, the expensive chain armor may not be completely damaged in the face of a critical strike from a tomahawk. Its owner I'm afraid he's been beaten to pieces.
If the owner of the leather armor is worried, then wear a double layer of leather armor, or even put another layer of leather armor on the belly. Such an assembly can effectively resist the sharp edge of an iron sword, and also has a certain resistance to the thrust of the sword's edge.
Wrought iron sword, even after quenching treatment, its strength is still not satisfactory.
The tribal blacksmith's knife sharpening skills are actually quite high. Due to the material defects of the iron sword, for example, when Klavasen polished an ordinary iron sword, he himself felt that the polishing was almost the same. Observing it on a microscopic scale The blade of the sword is not only serrated, but also slightly curled in many places.
Because of the tribe's fighting style, each warrior always has a buckler strapped to his left hand, and their enemies often do the same. In a fight between two people, it is not easy to find a chance to kill with a sharp sword. On the contrary, chopping to cause damage is an easier way to succeed.
The worst thing, and what warriors need to avoid the most, is the collision of two iron swords.
However, using a sword to block in battle is a compulsory course for every warrior. Two less-hard sword blades collide with each other. After a battle, the winner must also face the bad problems of bending, breaking and curling of his own iron sword.
After a fierce battle, if the warrior does not have another weapon, he can only continue fighting with a sword that can be said to break an iron rod before he can achieve perfection.
This is why Rurik ordered a special steel sword to cut through six layers of cowhide at once, which would give the Klavasen father and son a great shock.
Klavasen did it himself. He didn’t use much effort at all, and the six layers of cowhide were cut into a very smooth cross-section, and theThe fire in the stove shone brightly in the reflection.
Kawei brought over an iron sword that reflected gray-white light and looked at its length. Rurik felt that it was at least two-thirds stika.
His estimate was quite accurate.
"Rurik, look at this sword. It's white and bright." Klavasen introduced it in a timely manner, "This is my proud work. Most of the iron swords I make look like this. Many people in the tribe use my sword. Now, your sword has become my latest masterpiece."
"Really? I want to see the chop. It can definitely cut off an ordinary iron sword!" Rurik urged.
"Okay, next..." Clavarson handed the sword to his son and gave special instructions: "This is a short sword. Remember to use your maximum strength to chop. Don't worry. What, I guess the iron sword will be cut off." Finally, he patted his son's strong shoulder again.
Kawei, the son of a blacksmith, he just looks a little thin.
As everyone knows, when this man took off his thick leather jacket and appeared in a linen shirt, the muscle texture of his arms really made Rurik envious.
This is not surprising at all. Any master of paddling or blacksmith in the tribe will always have some disharmony between their arms and body, just because they need the muscles of their arms too much in their lives.
Kawei can swing a large forest ax, and within ten swings, a big tree can be chopped down.
Now he is wielding a dagger. Although it feels rather awkward in the hand, there is no problem in making a powerful and heavy chop.
Two small whetstones lift up the iron sword, leaving a hollow chopping position underneath.
"Ready to start! I wish I could."
Kawei twisted his neck hard. He only held the dagger with his right hand, just like an ordinary warrior. Under the watchful eyes of Rurik and Klavasen, he mobilized all his strength and struck hard.
Everything happened so fast, with just a snap, without any delay, the iron sword was really cut into two sections.
What followed was the sound of metal hitting the iron sword broken into two pieces as it fell to the ground.
"Ah! I succeeded!"
Kawei was still dazed, but Klavason had already roared excitedly, raised his hands again, and lifted Rurik up and turned around. circle it and place it on the ground.
"Blacksmith, you are so excited." Rurik complained, but he was very happy in his heart.
Kawei, holding the dagger in his hand, suddenly felt a strong possessive desire in his heart. The dagger is so amazing. If it were longer, wouldn't it be comparable to the leader's divine sword?
Times have really changed! Once upon a time, in the entire tribe, only the leader's "Destroyer" could truly cut through an iron sword easily, and the blade was not damaged at all.
The dagger in my hand did the same thing. Although it did not have beautiful patterns, its overall bright whiteness andIsn’t the extremely bright whiteness of the sword’s blade also another form of extreme beauty?
Just when Kawei's heart was pounding and he fell into an inextricable narcissism, Klavasen roared with excitement, roaring his soul back.
"Silly boy, don't be in a daze! Check to see if the blade is damaged."
"Oh! I'll take a look right now."
This one The sword belonged to the child Rurik. After Kawei regained his consciousness, he knew that it belonged to someone else. But I didn't lose at all. In ten days, I and my father personally completed the entire transformation from iron ore to divine sword. With the first success, it is no longer difficult to succeed again.
Kawei’s eyesight was better than that of Klavason. He kept his eyes wide open and held his sword to the charcoal fire, hoping that with the help of the firelight, he could see the smallest damage.
Is there really any damage?
Kawei’s eyes couldn’t reach the level of a microscope at all. He couldn’t see any damage, and he boldly touched it lightly with his fingers. The sharp feeling was full of danger, as if he only needed a little force. , his finger must be cut until it bleeds!
"Ah! Dad, it's really not damaged. This sword is really amazing!"
At this point, Rurik has got the sword he wanted.
Clavason tried hard to suppress the joy of his success. He turned around suddenly and put his hands on Rurik's young shoulders. His eyes were filled with a strong sense of urgency, and his beard was trembling strangely.
"Rurik, your sword is finished. Now...now you must tell me all the reasons for this as agreed. I...I even."
"You..." Rurik was a little confused for a moment.
"Thank you, you let me see a miracle. I don't even want you to have a silver coin. I just ask you to tell me the principle of everything. I want to know Odin's wisdom."
"Okay, I...I just want you to take your hand away now."
As soon as Rurik finished speaking, Klavasen decisively let go of his hand.
"Okay, I will tell you the principle. You can even produce iron swords by yourself in the future. I am a man of my word, and I should give you a lot of silver coins. But..."
"How is it?" Klavason asked.
"I have taught you the techniques for making a good sword, and I will also tell you the principles. You got the techniques from me, so do you also have to pay some compensation?"< /p>
"Of course, I will definitely do it." Klavasen answered very simply, but Rurik's next words made the old guy a little embarrassed.
"Maybe you think that you can buy all the technology from me by paying a sum of money. Even if you have successfully completed it once, you can still continue to make good swords even if you don't get paid. Now I I want to make a condition, I will tell you all the principles, and as a price, you will give me a certain reward for every good sword you make in the future."
"Huh?"Clavason felt that he heard an incredible request.
"Didn't you hear clearly? Okay, let me explain it again..."
It may be difficult for an ancient person to understand that knowledge requires payment. Scientific inventions in this era often come from craftsmen, and the purpose of invention is to make production faster. . The work of inventors does promote social progress, but often inventors do not get much benefit from their inventions.
Only those inventors who are favored by the monarch can be rewarded, and the rest of the inventors are rewarded. Their creations are often used and promoted immediately by imitators.
It took a lot of talking before Rurik and his son understood their requirements.
They saw two things. Looking hesitant, Rurik had an idea: "I won't charge you too much money, so you don't have to worry. I paid at least twenty silver coins for this sword, and you also spent ten whole days. In fact, in my opinion, if you build a good sword with two-thirds the length of a stika, you can definitely price it at fifty silver coins.
Believe me, any warrior would long for a sword that is as sharp as clay and very beautiful. As your skills become more and more proficient, it will not take ten days to build a sword.
I charge one-tenth of your money. If a sword is sold for fifty silver coins, I will charge five silver coins.
What do you think? ”
Klavasen and Kawei were really moved by what Rurik said.
They understood the thoughts of the warriors. Before, everyone went to their own shop to buy something. Those who practice swords are full of praise for the leader's sword.
It can be seen that their desire for the divine sword does not need words to describe.
Clavason thought again. After thinking for a while, he stamped his foot vigorously: "Okay, Rurik, I will listen to you. ”
“Very good, we also need to sign a written agreement for this. "
"Huh? Do they still need to be engraved on the wooden board? ”
“Of course. Just like you carve the orders of your tribe on a wooden board to facilitate your memory, I am the same. We have to sign a contract and carve it on the wooden board to remind you that I will always remember it. ”
This child will be the future leader, not only because of an oracle, but also because of his actions.
Clavason didn’t think much about it, and immediately ordered his son to get it again. Come with an oak board
“No! It is two oak boards, and our agreement must be made in two copies, one for you and one for me. This is our contract. "
"Okay! Kawei, take two, two without any engraving. "Klavason further ordered.
The Rune alphabet is used by only a few people. After all, it is a kind of writing. Iron smelting and forging are such technically demanding tasks that the blacksmiths must learn the skills of their own ethnic group. Text. Text is really good. With it, the blacksmith can always know the order of his work plan by chiseling or scratching the customer's request without delaying any step.customer.
With a small carving knife in his hand, Rurik extemporaneously described the content of the agreement while paying attention to Klavasen's chiselled words to make sure that the words were clear.
Since the terms Rurik asked for were not many, it did not take much time, and Kravassin completed it.
This contract is the second written commercial cooperation contract of the Ross tribe, and it is also the most important contract concerning the blacksmith.
For the sake of the contract, Rurik temporarily named the newly completed steel sword "stelsvard", which means "hard sword".
There are only two terms of the contract:
First: for every hard sword made, Rurik himself owns 10% of the profit, and every Sales must be reported to Rurik.
Second: This contract limits all iron products processed by hard sword processing. 10% of the profits must be paid to Rurik. Iron products processed by traditional methods and all bronzes are not covered by the contract. within.
In addition, there are some swearing words such as "The contract is mutually fair, under the dual supervision of Odin and Thor, and those who embezzle wealth will be punished by the gods."
Would it be useful to add such language? Rurik believes it is useful, even if people's hearts will change. Due to the fact that everyone in this time and space is generally superstitious, they believe that there are great beings in this world who supervise various affairs in the human world.
Klavasen carved two wooden boards, and Rurik even took a chisel and hammer to carve his name on the two wooden boards.
"Ah? Do you still want to engrave my name?" Klavasen asked curiously, "I already have the board in my hand."
"We must engrave my name. , this means that we personally admit that it is effective."
"Do you think that I will have problems with my character after I have lived a long time?" Klavason asked gently. .
"No. This is a necessary ceremony and a proof of the spirit of our contract. We need such a meaningful ceremony."
Klavasen thought for a while, What this kid Rurik said makes sense.
If you think about it more carefully, this contract is obviously beneficial to you!
Think about it. In the past, it often only cost three silver coins to make an iron sword. To make a hard sword called "stelsvard", the results were completely different. A hard sword cost fifty silver coins. After excluding the money dedicated to Rurik and the cost of charcoal and whetstones paid by himself, his family could still earn forty silver coins.
Even if you make three swords in one month, it is a huge income of at least 120 silver coins! In the past, my family could not earn so much in a year.
Rurik’s mind was filled with the process of signing a modern agreement, although in this time and space he was limited by the problem of signing materials and had to simplify the content.
The contract is signed, he estimated that Klavason would not be stupid enough to tear up the agreement for no reason for the huge benefits. Often those who break the agreement do so because they find greater opportunities to gain benefits.
Rurik really couldn’t imagine how he, Klavasen and even Kawei, could find a more efficient and safe way to make money, besides learning the technology of making steel from here.
At present, they only know the technology and don’t know the principles.
Rurik put the board away and sighed comfortably.
Klavason did not feel at all that it was time to relax. At this moment, the old guy's eyes were blazing, and he faced Rurik and asked sincerely: "Dear Rurik, now, you can tell me how everything works. Right?"
"Isn't it too late?"
"It's not too late!" Klavason asked his son again: "Go find your mother. , cut some more meat, and bring some bread slices."
Seeing Kawei running away, he faced Rurik again: "I'll prepare it for you. You can eat some food slowly. You must tell me the reason."
"Okay, I was going to tell you when Kawei came back, the three of us will sit here. I will tell you some truths about our human world that you will never believe. I hope that you will feel the great wisdom of Odin and Thor from the bottom of your heart."