Chapter 370 There are big fish in the Kemi River

The huge wooden house was the mansion where Rurik set up shop for himself. It was a highly imitated house in Rossburg, which made Otto feel very familiar.

The flames of coals in the stone fireplace are very pleasant. The smoke is sprayed into the sky through the chimney, and the whole house is warmed and given a little light.

As for lighting, we have to rely on a matrix of oil lamps hanging from the beams and chrome iron lamp holders protruding from the wooden wall.

The fleet, which struggled to arrive against the sea wind from the Arctic, docked on the river that was about to freeze. It was already getting late when people landed.

Now, night has fallen. A large number of residents have returned to the wooden walls, and Elon Olawa Fort is protecting all residents and guests from afar with thick walls.

Outside the wall, the cold wind in early winter is even sharper. Inside the wall, the peaceful days suddenly became lively due to the arrival of a fleet of hundreds of people.

Otto sat casually on the leather cushion, holding a glass filled with spirits high, and he was paying tribute to the "Lord of the City" Mechasta.

"You did a good job. Those wooden houses are neatly arranged, and each house can accommodate at least ten people. You deliberately left them empty, you are very clever."

Mei Chasta was a little flattered: "Big Chief, this is Rurik's arrangement, I just follow his decision."

Jevro served as an interpreter as usual, and here he added an additional sentence: "I "I am your slave", which makes this explanation even more slavish on the part of the speaker.

Otto laughed happily and drank half a glass of strong wine: "You are very good at talking and you know your identity very well. You claim that you have prepared all the tributes you need to pay? Are you sure?"

"Yes! I don't dare to lie."

Otto slowly put down his wine glass, showing a fierce look without warning. "You know what I do to traitors and dishonest people."

"I dare not disobey."

Mechasta is on pins and needles. He can say that he has gained some from the Russians. The benefits were also given by Rurik.

Rurik is a beautiful boy who is full of wisdom. At least he likes to talk about contracts, and his personality is kind. Yes, not killing is mercy.

He hopes that his daughter can give full play to her abilities, and it is best to work hard to be favored so that the tribe can gain greater benefits. Rurik and his daughter Saipolava are here, just spectators? They should be looking forward to a meal more.

Otto had no intention of continuing to threaten, "You said before that you had a magical experience and you wanted to tell me something wonderful. What was that?"

"Yes!" Mecha Star's hanging heart relaxed slightly: "It's a gift, which is the big meal I'm about to serve."

"Big dinner? I'm really hungry." Otto thought for a while, "I learned that you hunted some bears, and I saw all those bear skins. They are displayed on the wall of this house." Otto clicked his tongue, especially in the dim light, the bear's head with its bloody mouth open. Extremely terrifying.

“You...can’t use bearsMeat for me? You roasted a bear? ”

“Actually, it’s a fish. "Mechasta's words were very calm, but they made Otto almost spit out the wine he drank in his mouth.

"A fish is nothing. Did you catch the monster in the sea? ”

“It’s not enough to call it a monster, it’s really huge, and it’s just the right time to leave it as a gift to the great leader. ”

This matter aroused Otto’s interest, so the adventures of the Iron Squirrel Tribe in September became clear.

Mechasta bluntly described that they had met early After receiving the reward from the gods, he encountered the salmon tide again.

However, the size of the "salmon tide" sounded quite absurd to Otto.

"Fish?" Lots of fish? I heard the waters here are barren. "

"That's true, but a salmon tide happened:" Mechasta told the truth, "In September, some Ross fishermen were fishing in the river and unexpectedly found a school of fish moving upstream. After hearing the news, we cast nets along the river, cast nets in canoes, and even went upstream to catch them in shallow water. We even saw bears catching fish, so we hunted some more bears.

The more he talked, the more excited he became: "Big Chief, the fish we caught in September alone are enough for us to survive the entire winter." Compared to our hometown in Oulu River, no one here is trying to rob us. "

"Huh? Is this true? "Otto asked in surprise.

"Yes. We made lots of smoked fish, dug cold cellars, and we even stocked up on some big fish. Big boss, I have never seen such a huge salmon, it..."

"How big is he? "Otto stretched out his head and questioned, and Rurik also became very interested at this time.

Mechasta opened his arms, "It's that long. "

"Ah! Fish, where is it? "

"The fish is almost ready, I hope this salmon master can satisfy the big boss's appetite. "

This is really a pun. Otto didn't feel anything, but Rurik felt a little uncomfortable. If it was a huge salmon, it would be okay to call it "Lord of Salmon" Yes. This name is the name of another tribe. Rurik noticed the hatred in this person's heart.

Mechasta would not lie about eating. Look at his happy face. Only people who don't have to worry about starvation will show this joy.

Soon a scent of fragrance rushed into the wooden house, the wooden door was pushed open, and the air-conditioning from the outdoors rushed in, making Rurik shiver. .

Four tribal women carried a huge wooden plate with grilled, slightly blackened fish on it.

The low table that was usually erected was placed. Falling down, the wooden plate was put down, and the wooden stick that impaled the big fish was suddenly pulled out.

"Wow! What a big fish. "Otto stood up in shock. He had never seen such a huge salmon in his life.

Pre-dinner etiquette? That's superfluous.

He stabbed the dagger in his hand towards He grilled the fish and immediately cut himself a huge, sizzling piece of oily fish. He didn't care about anything., just opened his mouth to eat the fish, and then realized that the fish meat had been pickled.

Rurik and Saipolava had already approached the wooden table and shared a huge salmon, which of course caught Rurik’s eyeballs.

The color of the fish is really beautiful, even if it is already sizzling with oil.

The dark orange fish flesh has a lot of white stripes. It is an extremely huge salmon.

Salmon is the most common salmon species in Northern Europe. In Rurik's mind, Baltic salmon should be treasured, but now that he thinks about it, it's all because humans have such big mouths that they eat the fish so much that they have to be raised in captivity.

Rurik speculated that the Airon River (the Kemi River) has only now been touched by humans. For thousands of years, a huge salmon group has set its spawning ground in Luo, the upper reaches of the river. Lake Vaniemi. They would never have imagined that the Rus and Covins, who were good at fishing, would establish settlements!

He knew that salmon are all cold-water fish, and they live extremely long and grow throughout their lives. We also know that this kind of fish has a low fishy smell and tastes delicious no matter how you cook it. Just based on the current situation, European dill, thyme, and Rurik are all capable of obtaining a batch, but it requires a lot of manpower and material resources, and it is really not worth the gain. Lack of seasonings is not a big problem, high-quality salt is the most important thing.

This fish must have been pickled with salt provided by Balmok travelers. Rurik remembered that he left some of the good salt, so Mechasta must have processed this big fish.

Looking at this fish, Rurik felt that it must be one and a half stikas long from head to tail. It must be longer than him. It is simply impossible for several people to share such a big fish.

About this fish, Mechasta explained, “For a big fish of this length, catching it is like a battle. We worked with Ross fishermen to catch five, and the biggest fish were already there. It was eaten, except for this one. I pickled it with the most precious good salt and put it in the cold cellar just to present it to the leader."

"You did a good job," Otto. He twisted his neck to indicate that his son was also stunned.

A piece of fish steak was placed in front of Rurik. It was very huge and he couldn't finish it by himself. He skillfully picked up two wooden sticks and used them to pull out the fish meat, then stuffed the small pieces of meat into his mouth. The same was true for Saipolava. Her dexterity in using a wooden stick to eat meat instead of a knife or her hands really shocked Mechasta.

They were not very used to talking endlessly while eating. When Otto first arrived here, he made great efforts in the construction of Castle Ellen. He has a very high opinion of this place, and in some places, it is even better built than New Roseburg.

The construction designer of the settlement was actually Rurik, so Otto could ask his son directly. After all, Mechasta is the city lord, and he has a lot of questions that need answers from this person.

The huge fish fillet entered Otto's stomach three times. He drank again and was already a little awkward when he was drunk. "Now, let's talk about those things."ironware. Mechasta, you have recently learned how to blacksmith. I want to see your mines, your shops, and your blacksmiths, and I will also ask for a thousand axes and five hundred spearheads. Have you...really finished making it? "

Mechasta felt that he still did not have enough trust, so he became angry and said, "Big boss, they are all in the warehouse. They are very hard axes, not comparable to those made by the Roseburg blacksmith. Up and down, even...even steel swords can be destroyed. You can see it now if you want. "

Otto is getting more and more excited. He originally doubted Mechasta's production efficiency, but now he laughs like crazy. In fact, it is a kind of alienated drunken madness.

At this moment, Rurik should be the most concerned. Although "seeing is believing" is important, he has no doubts.

The reason for Otto's laughter was quickly exposed by him. , he muttered with a smile, “A thousand magic axes? It's good to equip my people. The ax is very powerful, so it is worth one pound. Haha, sell it to the people of Malaren...ahha, wealth! Endless wealth..."

As he spoke, Otto actually lay down and smiled silly a few more times, followed by heavy snoring.

Jevro I won’t do any translation, and Rurik doesn’t want to say anything. Even an ordinary chromium iron ax can cause great damage to ordinary wrought iron tools, and it is extremely difficult to corrode.

If you type "No." For sales under the banner of "Embroidered God Ax", the price of one pound of silver coins is still less. This is a matter of no capital and profit. The total selling price of a thousand axes must be close to 100,000 silver coins, that is, the purchasing power of the buyer must be considered.

Rurik believes that the Melalen people cannot digest them instantly. In the end, these instruments will have to be armed by the Ross people themselves. This benefit will naturally greatly increase the combat power of the Ross tribe.

"Is he... okay? Lord Rurik. "Mechasta stretched out his head and asked.

"Of course he is fine, it's just that we are all tired from the long journey, and he drank again..." Rurik suddenly asked seriously, "Tell me now. , your experience in blacksmithing. ”

Rurik soon understood how the defeated Kovins of Elon-Olava Castle were able to complete powerful iron smelting with only more than three hundred people.

Of course there are excellent furnaces, the amazing efficiency of hydraulic free forging and the enthusiasm of the new blacksmiths. For example, there is a group of women in the mine who are actually making chromium. The ore was excavated with sledgehammers and pickaxes. Those reindeer carts were simply driven by children to transport the ore on the forcibly cut roads. Even the people who operated the water wheel forging.He also got help from the tribal children.

Rurik, who knows a lot about the production of industrial products, is very aware of the efficiency of hundreds of people, both men and women, participating in blacksmithing as an almost "industrial population". They spontaneously form a kind of labor Division of labor, Rurik believes that this is the wisdom forced by the pressure of tribute.

In fact, they began to show strong development potential as early as July. If they were lazy, a city standing in a bitter cold land would not rise from the ground.

Even so, it was a miracle that 300 men, women, and children spent four months processing the ore into nearly 2,000 iron tools of various types. Rurik knew something about the inside story, that is, almost all the axes and spearheads they made were for war. Therefore, the axes were small, which was extremely convenient for combat. The spearheads were slender, and they could be used as excellent javelins when equipped with wooden poles. Therefore, the use of iron materials is very economical.

The space within the wooden walls of Ironburg is very large. Even if a large number of wooden houses are built, Rurik can deliberately build five hundred of them compactly. If you don't care too much about the quality of life, it is completely feasible to cram 3,000 people into this settlement.

The core factor that limits the population size of a settlement is food supply. Cities can be very cold, but as long as there is an adequate supply of food and water, creatures like humans can take root.

Rurik is very confident in this settlement in the far north. Even its population, currently maintained at more than a thousand people, should be reasonable.

There are actually a large number of salmon that regard the Iron River (Kemi River) as the only waterway for reproduction. Not only did he think about it, he also understood why there were a large number of polar bears and brown bears wandering here. They just took a fancy to the salmon resources here.

Mechasta was still drunk, so he was able to report many things to Rurik, and allowed his daughter to act like a spoiled child in his arms.

"Master, is it appropriate to let the big leader sleep here? He...should go to the wooden bed." Mechasta pointed to the wooden house with a glance.

Rurik glanced at the old guy snoring on the ground and shook his head regretfully; "Let him lie here to sleep, the fireplace will keep him warm."

"But ...He is the big leader."

"But I am your master," Rurik gritted his teeth and emphasized.

"Okay...Okay." Mechasta calmed down. He felt that he understood something, but also seemed to know nothing.

For example, Jevlo, of course he felt that Rurik's decision was inappropriate, so he suggested: "Sir, I can take a few brothers and place the leader on the wooden bed."

"No need, I've made up my mind."

Rurik's decisive look made Yevlo feel unfamiliar as never before. For a moment, he realized the obvious: the son was actively replacing his father. Everyone has a dark side in their heart. For example, Jevlo’s dark side is to seek revenge on the people who captured him as a slave. However, after so many years, who is the enemy?

He estimated that LiuliKe was afraid that Otto would die in peace so that he could take over power earlier. If that were the case, Jevlo would be willing to be a pawn.

In fact, the problem is not that complicated. Rurik simply can't stand Otto's hangover. Of course, the Russians should be associated with spirits to respond to the situation. Of course, spirits are already an important medicine in the tribe. Otto has really found a treasure. Since the technology of distilling low-alcohol ale into spirits was realized, who has been the biggest beneficiary? Of course, the big boss should be the first to enjoy the good things. No, as long as he gets strong liquor, this guy wants to drink it to his heart's content.

Soon, Elon Olawa Fort fell into true silence. Mechasta accumulated a lot of mature experience when he fought against the Salmon Lord tribe for a long time in the former mountain fortress. For example, how to quickly build wooden walls and how to arrange night watchmen.

The cold wind of the Arctic blew away all the clouds, and the bright moonlight illuminated the entire earth. The flames inside the city wall were fierce, crackling sounds came and went, and the people rubbing their hands beside the bonfire were all night watchmen taking turns. The night watchmen who stood on the towers, wrapped like bears, could hear the penetrating tinkling of the waterwheels and the faint waves lapping on the marshy shore. Not far away from the dock, the boats docked were also swaying weakly with the slowly freezing river.

The guests from Roseburg were already lying in the wooden huts reserved by the unknown. They had eaten and drank enough and were sleeping soundly. The shouts could not be covered up by the north wind.

The night watchmen were worried that the days ahead would get colder and colder. They all had a premonition that the first snow was already approaching. So, is Leader Ross’s fleet leaving first? Or will the wind and snow come first?