My son was so frightened that he backed down with just one look from the other party? Although Olegin was disappointed with his son's behavior, he also had to admire the so-called "Rurik's aura". But if his son was humiliated, wouldn't he also be slapped in the face?
Olegin coughed twice and ordered again: "Russians, kneel down! Salute me! If you refuse, then leave! Your refusal is a betrayal of the alliance! The business you desire has arrived At this end, we Mellaren people will ban you and everyone who has anything to do with you from entering the Great Lakes."
In order to support your own power, use trade sanctions as a means?
Rurik felt that this was just a kind of rhetoric and a bluff. The leader of the alliance would not be so stupid that he would not really do business with the Russians. Rurik looked at his surroundings and couldn't help but feel that Olegin was really interesting. Yeah, there were only five unarmed people in the room and that was it.
If Olegin was really prepared and was stimulated by Arik's out-of-control silent challenge, he would use a signal like throwing a cup and summon dozens of swordsmen to suddenly appear to determine who has the greatest authority. Obviously Olegin was very sincere for today's meeting. In this matter, it was clearly the Russians who did not do well.
"Oops, I offended him twice..."
Thinking that the disaster could not continue to spread, Rurik stepped forward and stood in front of Arik.
"You? Chief Otto's daughter? I hope you can say some beautiful words, and you'd better not be as bad-mouthed as your brother."
Rurik He nodded and immediately took off his velvet hat. He looked at Olegin with a calm gaze, deliberately letting him see his face clearly and make some memories.
As expected, Olegin felt that the voice of "the so-called Rurik" seemed familiar just now. Now that he saw the child's face, he suddenly thought of something.
Olegin's body was trembling as he sat upright, and his eyes were also trembling.
Rurik bowed slightly and said respectfully: "Dear leader, I am a boy, and I am the real Rurik. It is a pity that my reckless brother makes you unhappy."
"No!" Olegin had completely reacted. He stood up suddenly: "You? Aren't you Norwegian travelers? How did you become Russians?!"
Rurik immediately became half-conscious. Kneel down and reply with a sincere look: "Yes. I'm sorry to cause the distinguished leader to misunderstand, and what happened before. We have sinned and should not have contradicted the distinguished leader. Now we have deeper sins. Oh. , maybe because we have been in the north for too long, people have become vulgar. I hope the distinguished leader will forgive us for the sake of future trade."
Rurik said several times, "Master. "In this way, he kept telling Olegin that his status as leader of the alliance has always been recognized by the Russians.
This boy spoke very nicely, and the childlike innocence in his eyes really made Olegin feel relieved a lot., and at the same time realized that he really has weight in the hearts of the Russian people.
For a moment, Olegin fell in love with this half-kneeling boy. He wished that all the Russians, or all the nobles from other tribes, had this boy's eloquence and understanding of himself. Awareness of identity.
In other words, he was very happy to immerse himself in the atmosphere of being worshiped, and this joy made him feel relieved.
Rurik was the first to kneel down on one knee, with his small head hooked under his head, facing the leader with his beautiful and reflective blond hair. Yes, it's completely because Rurik always takes care of himself with his hair. He is extremely hygienic and makes himself too clean. He doesn't have the sloppy image that everyone thinks a boy should have.
There is a slight natural difference in the voices of boys and girls, even if they do not change their voices, and Olegin can tell them apart.
Of course he still had some doubts. Could this little boy be Rurik? A credible envoy clearly claimed that the visitors were Rurik and his two sisters.
Under Olegin’s gaze, Rurik knelt down on one knee and saluted as a warrior, and Carlotta also saluted immediately. Seeing this, Arik, who was very reluctant at first, had a fierce ideological struggle in his heart. Under the premise of putting the overall situation first, he finally knelt down on one knee.
"You still kneel down, you should have saluted long ago!" Olegin nodded with satisfaction.
Although the specific situation has not yet been clarified, there must be a real Rurik among them. Rurik, who was said to succeed the old Otto of Rus, knelt down here, which meant that the next leader of the Rus people also recognized his authority.
The last time I saw Otto, the leader of Rus, was a long time ago. Olegin vaguely remembered that he was a very capable man and a ruthless man who always intended to attack the traitors in Gotland. It was this guy who lost his life. After the child, the whole person became a little depressed.
Recalling these past events, Olegin became more and more convinced that the kneeling boy with a ponytail and a respectful voice was Rurik.
It must have been ten years since we were separated from Otto. Olegin immediately asked: "Beautiful boy, tell me your age."
"I... Nine years old." Rurik told the truth.
"There is no problem, you are the real Rurik. Then you..." Olegin put on his angry eyes again and looked at the tall half-kneeler: " Who are you? Oh, by the way, you must be Arik! Unfortunately, I didn't know your existence when I was dealing with your leader."
"I am Arik, and I am Chief Otto. "My nephew. I am the bravest warrior of the Ross tribe and a hero in battle. I am afraid there is no other person in the entire alliance who has my strength." Arik answered the question with a determined look in his head.
"Bah!" At the same time as Karl launched his attack, there was also the sound of the shattering of a cup carefully carved with walrus tusks. The fragments of the cup were next to Arik. He was so angry that he immediately turned his head and glared at the arrogant young man.
Karl continued to attack: "YouAre we Russians going to hide in the bay at the end of the world? You claim to have killed countless enemies, but I think you are just bragging. You are just a warrior of the Rus, and I! Invincible Carl! I am the bravest warrior in the entire alliance. Soon, I will be the leader of the alliance. When the time comes, I want you to kneel down and kiss my leather boots. ”
Olegin’s son’s rude behavior really annoyed Olegin. He needed to establish his authority in the alliance for a long time, but he didn’t want to always face the tribes he joined in a condescending manner. Sometimes he needed to talk to him. The leaders were brothers. The words of his son were really irritating. His words clearly meant that he would die soon.
Olegin scolded: "Karl, shut up, it's not your turn to chatter here. "
"But, he is humiliating..."
"Shut up! ”
Karl tried to calm down with anger. He just didn’t speak, and his eyes were like two spearheads, glaring at Arik who was equally angry. It seemed that to resolve the hostility between the two sides, it was necessary to A life-and-death duel, which Olegin never wanted to happen.
Rurik was a little annoyed that his cousin's active performance was inappropriate, but he was also disgusted with Mela, who claimed to be named Karl. The "Prince" of Lun. If this person really becomes the leader of the alliance, why don't you admit it?
The situation has fallen into a speechless embarrassment. Someone needs to break this deadlock.
Rurik calmed down. He noticed the unconscious trembling of the muscles on the face of the alliance leader Olegin. Even after the quarrel and threat just now, the man's eyes became ambiguous when he opened his eyes.
In this case, an urgent matter needs to be solved.
Rurik spoke of Carlotta who tried to stay calm, "Dear leader, you. Can you guess the identity of this girl? "
"She? "Olegin did not want any woman to participate in any form of meeting between tribes. He could see that the girl was cute and charming, so he smiled and compensated for the tense atmosphere with a smile: "She , should be your sister. "
"That's probably true, but she is not from Russia. "
"Who is she? "From the first moment Olegin saw Carlotta's appearance, he decided that this girl was either rich or noble. The first impression is very important, especially in this era, the more noble a person is, the more he needs to Her dignity is evident on the outside, but keeping a low profile on important occasions is a kind of foolishness.
“She is from Ostara. "Rurik said calmly.
"What? Ostara? ”
“Yes. She is the last descendant of that tribe. "
Hearing Rurik's explanation, Olegin couldn't help but open his mouth: "Huh? Is this true? But Ostara was destroyed by the Danes last year. "
After Olegin roughly opened the scar, Carlotta's tears were like a fountain or two water swords spurting out. Soon her hot tears were shining brightly under the light of the oil lamp.For this leader whom she met for the first time, Carlotta very much hoped to get help from this person, but the leader did nothing.
Karl, who had been silent for a while, crossed his arms and questioned with disdain: "Is this possible, that there are still people from Ostara alive?"
This statement is embarrassing. The knife stabbed Carlotta in the heart. She stared at Carl with tears in her eyes, her face full of grief and anger.
Karl just shrugged, he didn't care about any look from a child.
Rurik suppressed the atmosphere in his heart and deliberately took a deep breath: "Ostara was never destroyed! Some Ostara people did not die. They fled to Mälaren. They longed for the protection of the leader. But you didn't do it. Some merchants were collecting these fugitives, and in the end we bought them from the merchants and redeemed them." At this point, Rurik deliberately bowed. , assuming a humble posture: "Great leader, there are many Ostara people or maybe you should recognize their identities. Also, recognize this girl as the leader of Ostara."
The development of the matter was completely unexpected. Olegin pinched his beard and hesitated.
At this moment, Karl said flatly: "Father, this girl is too suspicious. You can't agree to this rashly."
Olegin immediately turned his head: "Maybe, she is indeed He is the descendant of the Ostara chief family."
To prove her identity, Carlotta wiped away her tears suddenly and took out her treasured treasure - her own quilt with a cry. Amber polished into balls.
A girl owns such a rare treasure? Olegin pinched his chin and tried hard to recall some of the past.
Carlotta continued to cry as she helped the alliance leader recall; "A long time ago, my grandfather bought three large pieces of amber at the Mälaren Market with a lot of money. They were polished and were given to me by my grandfather. A gift to me, I own one of them."
"Ah! That's it!" Olegin finally remembered something and looked at the rare piece in the girl's hand. The big amber believed the girl's words.
"So, leader, can you... recognize me?" Carlotta said weakly.
Looking at her pitiful appearance, Olegin couldn't help but feel sympathy.
Olegin naturally has a violent side in some matters, and he will pay enough attention to noble people.
However, his arrogant son Karl spoke on his behalf: "Let a girl serve as the leader of a tribe? Do we want to recognize her? It's still too ridiculous. Doesn't the authenticity of her identity depend on her holding a piece of amber? Is it true? Maybe only God can tell at a glance that this is a Russian performance."
Olegin calmed down again. Although his son's frequent interruptions annoyed him, his son's words were necessary. Think about it.
After all, it is unprecedented for a girl to be recognized as the leader.
For Carlotta, she gave the alliance leader’s JewishYu, as an implicit way of refusing to admit that he is the leader.
She could no longer control her emotions, and screamed with the sharp voice of a girl: "Our Ostara was attacked, we failed, our people fled, you refused to save them! You should ask Denmark People, take revenge on the Gotlanders. Are you sure that you are not the next target of their attack? Those Danes, whether they are children or women, will be killed by them. They are a group of beasts that are more terrifying than wolves. If you don't be wary of them, not only won't they help us, but now... they refuse to recognize my identity."
For a moment, Olegin actually felt a shiver down his spine. The person who roared at him was no longer just a girl, it was as if she represented the hundreds of undead souls in Ostara, sending soul complaints to him.
Olegin forced out a smile, intending to calm down Carlotta as if coaxing a child.
"I can admit that Ostara has not perished, and I admit that your people are still living. But your identity...can't Ostara elect a man to be its leader?"< /p>
"This..." Carlotta turned her face and looked at the ground, not wanting to say anything else.
Rurik took her words and asked back: "Any ordinary boy herding cattle can take over the position of leader, just because he is a boy? Isn't that a mess? Oh. She is the only descendant of the leader family of Stara, and she has a noble status. At least...at least Otto, the leader of our Rus people, recognizes her as the leader of Ostara."
That's all. Now that he's in trouble, Rurik thought what else could Olegin say?
"Your father? Otto? I haven't seen him for many years, but you haven't been born yet..." Olegin raised his head and thought for a while, and he almost admitted it in public. Lotta is the leader, but his unlucky son is getting in the way.
"I object!" Karl stepped forward, "It's still too ridiculous! Who would agree with a woman as a leader at any time, let alone a child."
It's Karl again. ! They're talking about the so-called tradition again. This damn tradition...
In itself, the so-called talking about tradition should be a kind of rhetoric in Olegin's opinion, so-called making opponents submit from a high moral level. But this is supposed to be a way of doing things. Does the tribe need to maintain the so-called tradition completely rigidly? Are there any benefits to this complacency?
As the leader of the alliance, Olegin just weighed the pros and cons of recognizing Carlotta's identity.
Obviously, I need to declare to all allies that the Ostara tribe has not perished and even has a leader, although it is a female leader. After all, they have not all disappeared, and the stigma attached to the Melalen people for not saving their lives should soon disappear.
Karl’s untimely disruption really made him both nervous and worried.
The only son seems to have been pampered for a long time. He is reallyHe has a very high self-esteem, and he obviously has his own overconfident way of dealing with others, but what he lacks the most is the experience of dealing with powerful allies, and even the political means to maintain the entire alliance in name only as a leader in the future. .
How can a person who is easily impulsive make a deal with a cunning person?
In short, his son is thirty-one years old. He should be very mature, but his performance today really broke his heart.
Looking at Rurik, a nine-year-old child, his profundity, decisive words, and etiquette made Olegin have to pay attention to him. He could only envy Otto in his heart. After losing two sons accidentally, the third son really had a noble soul.
Of course, if Olegin believed in the legendary identity of the "Odin's Blessing" added to Rurik, he would not believe it no matter what. He could not accept someone in the alliance claiming to be better than himself. Be noble.