In the core area of the Gulf of Bothnia, the dissolution of the huge ice packs formed by the ever-expanding sea ice is quietly happening on the seafloor.
The ice covering the entire sea surface is slowly disintegrating, and the thickness of the sea ice is getting thinner every day.
It’s just that this series of changes are still not obvious until now.
The sea water is frozen, but the ice on the big lake is still hard. Thanks to the ice, the leader of Mälaren, Olegin, finally chose early March to hold important news about the tribal alliance, and continued to inform the scattered allied tribes through messengers.
Olegin has already begun to act.
The ice layer of the Great Lakes is nearly half a meter deep. No one can even think about sailing on the ice, nor should they expect to be able to move quickly with just one pair of feet.
The Melalen tribe also raised some reindeer, but they did not develop it as an industry. Their reindeer are domesticated by a small number of small families, and they are almost always used for pulling carts when traveling.
Lake Mälaren, which must be passed through, is huge and its waterways are extremely complex. Boats are naturally the first choice for people traveling long distances on weekdays.
Reindeer can pull carts and are naturally good at pulling sleds.
Who would stay outdoors for a long time if there is nothing important?
This time, in the name of the leader, Origen summoned all the people in the tribe who owned reindeer. He directly spent money to rent the deer, and also gave the owner of the deer some tasks - to bring the reindeer with him. Messengers from the chiefs rushed to each tribe.
The reindeer sleighs were dispatched one after another, and Olegin’s envoy rushed to the Hjelmalen tribe, the Gran tribe, and the Onkras tribe with a rune document and oral instructions engraved on a wooden board. , Uppsala tribe, and even some small tribes in the north.
Olegin is clear about where most of the tribes in the alliance live. Only the increasingly powerful Ross tribe seems to exist on the edge of the alliance system. Not only do they have nothing to do with the core Mela Lun lacked direct communication with each other, and what's more, the location of the Rus' territory turned out to be further north of Norland (Northland).
It was only last year that Olegin had an unprecedented clear understanding of Roseburg’s geographical location.
Just by boat, it takes three days with a favorable wind to get from Mälarenberg to Roseburg. So sending a messenger sitting on a reindeer will definitely be an arduous and extraordinary journey.
The messengers who delivered the news returned 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 envoys to Malarenborg to meet the leader Olegin in person. The time was basically All in April.
The simple matter was completed as a matter of course, and the envoy was sent straight to Rus. This adventure could not be delayed any longer.
A messenger named Benedick was ordered to do something in danger.
At first this guy refused. He was not stupid enough to ride a reindeer sleigh and run wildly across the frozen sea for three to four days.
Olegin asked him to think carefully about this fateWhether the order is executed or not, and even the consequences of refusal.
Can a tribal leader just order a tribesman to die at will?
Olegin did not directly express the threat, but only revealed the meaning, which made people very worried. After nearly ten days of thinking, Benedick thought of his wife and children and had no choice but to risk his life. He was ready to freeze to death on the ice field and just wanted his family to be safe.
The agreed last time has come.
Benedick put on his thick clothes and unexpectedly cut off half of his beard. With a rather energetic look, he walked into the tall wooden wall and half-knelt down. in front of the leader.
In the huge room, standing on both sides were a group of armed private soldiers. They thought the man wearing a thick bearskin coat was Olegin.
"You're here! Have you thought about everything?"
Olegin's words were not aggressive. When Benadick raised his head cautiously, he saw an astonishing expression on the leader's forehead. A golden "garland" appeared.
Yes! That is the wreath, inlaid with some red gems and translucent amber, it is really beautiful.
But is it just beautiful?
Olegin melted down some precious gold and silver coins, supplemented them with precious stones, and made himself a crown.
Ordinary people have no idea about the concept of the "golden crown" or even the symbol of power it can imply.
On the contrary, the businessmen provided a lot of news about 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. It is a unique and beautiful treasure that symbolizes his power.
Olegin, who intended to do great things in his lifetime, intended to use his last breath to gain a Viking-style glory.
Whether glory can be obtained depends on the results of the alliance.
Before that, his inner ambition had already prompted him to create a symbol of power for himself in advance - a golden crown and the so-called noble title of "Koenig (King)".
How can an ordinary person like Bernardik understand these matters of honor?
He complimented: "Chief, I have already thought about it and I am willing to go."
"Chief? Are you still calling me leader?" Olegin pretended to be unhappy. , in fact, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "Now call me Koenig. This is my new title, a noble title. From now on, I will be your Koenig."
This word is actually what the merchants got from the Franks It is a term I heard used to describe a great ruler. In fact, it is a word describing a "unique person" in the ancient Germanic language. It is very suitable to describe the status of a monarch.
Olegin just wants to be the king of the alliance. He just wants to determine the new name this year and use it from generation to generation! However, in the alliance, it is said thatKing, is that still an alliance?
If Bernardik was ten smart people, he should be able to guess some of Olegin's intentions.
"Dear King, I have thought about it. As long as you can ensure the safety of my family, as long as you can ensure that if I die in the ice and snow, I can continue to support my family."
Olegin was afraid that this guy wouldn't go. In fact, he didn't just recruit people to assign arduous tasks. There are many sayings about Benedick in the tribe. For example, this person can walk alone in the snow for a long time without freezing to death. He is the so-called "Snow Warrior". Actually? That incident was clearly about this guy taking an adventure to hunt in the winter, and got lost in the snowstorm. He not only managed to survive with the strong determination to go home to his wife and children, but he also managed to find his way home, and he survived the catastrophe. Such a name.
Now, he wants to take risks for the Melalen tribe for the title of "Ice Warrior".
Olegin was afraid that the person would still refuse, so he smiled and said: "Okay, you go and deliver the letter. As long as you deliver the letter, you have completed the task. If you really die, don't worry, I will take care of your wife and children."
Why does this sound so awkward?
Benedick hesitated for a moment, then quickly thanked the Lord for his kindness.
Olegin no longer wanted to wait any longer, and he urged Benedick and the charioteer to take action immediately. So on the day after the meeting, a sleigh pulled by two deer carried two people who were as swollen as polar bears, carrying a batch of wheat cakes and guarding the most important wooden board with carved words. Heading to Roseburg in the far north.
Olegin was not stupid enough to really let the "Ice Warrior" freeze to death. Together with his charioteer, he lent them the best to keep warm, which were the two sheets Rurik gave him. Polar bear skin.
Since polar bears are not afraid of severe cold and keep their skin close to their bodies, is it possible for them to freeze to death?
The sun is shining brightly on the vast land, and the ice fields illuminated by the sun are almost blinding Benedick's eyes. They headed north along the frozen sea, and their wild run lasted for two days. Benedick never dreamed that he would encounter a crazy ice hunter.
He intended to negotiate with the predator, and he also tightened his grip on the iron sword hidden on the leather side.
After all, in this sea area, you can’t trust strangers too much.
Benardick was not attacked, and because of the white bearskin coats they wore, they were respected by the sealers, who had to weigh a "polar bear hunter" strength. The two sides were so absurdly afraid of each other that they didn't let down their guard until they completed the preliminary negotiations.
These are actually hunters from the Ross tribe? They actually persist in hunting during the winter!
The messenger was shocked by the miraculous thing. After learning the identity of the messenger, he realized that the seal hunter who was expected to get a large bounty should continue to waste time on the ice? Anyway, the ice has become significantly thinner, and the way of hunting seals has to change.
Originally, neither Benedick nor the charioteer knew the route to Fort Ross.According to the information he received, as long as he walked along the coastline, he would be able to enter the fjord of Fort Ross. Now with Ross Hunter as their navigator, they finally arrived at their destination near dusk on the fourth day.
At this moment, the Avrora standing on the frozen coast had just set up its mast. Rurik dismissed the strong men and allowed the shipbuilder to proceed step by step with the prefabricated wooden deck and mortise and tenon joints. The form looks like Lego blocks on a boat.
On the other hand, a group of women have also accepted Rurik's mission. They are proficient tailors. They are working together to weave old cloth, new hemp rope, wool thread, and even old sails. An extremely large triangular sail, with a surface area more than twice that of an average longship sail.
The core construction of the big ship has been completed, and she is now being built more and more to perfection.
The most exciting thing in the entire Ross tribe these days is building big ships. Ordinary people have seen their tribe’s unprecedented achievements. While they are proud, they also admire Rurik’s ability.
The leader Otto finally realized the reliability of the big ship, and he is supporting Rurik's cause in his own way. Otto made an astonishing move, which was to remove the dragon head sculpture from the leader's flagship that had been mothballed for the winter, and it would be installed on the Aurora. There is also the only large sail of the flagship, which is the core of the new sail, because it is printed with huge interlaced blue stripes that represent the oars, which is a symbol of the Russian people.
Otto, with the power of the leader, designated the Aurora as the flagship of the leader of the Ross tribe.
To contribute to the flagship of the Ross tribe and leader, all those involved felt a sense of self-movement in their hearts. Their stomachs were also warm. After all, Rurik would provide some oats to anyone involved in building the ship, even if they were women.
The entire tribe invested huge manpower and material resources, almost mobilizing the entire tribe to speed up shipbuilding. Otto and Rurik naturally ignored some important things.
It was not until the Melalen envoy arrived after a long journey that Rurik suddenly remembered that the edict regarding the alliance seemed to have arrived.
"Stop looking! Keep driving the reindeer, and I will take you to the leader's mansion." The seal catcher urged.
Benadick came to Fort Ross for the first time in his life. He could not believe that there was such a large-scale settlement in the far north. Even though the world was still covered with ice and snow, he saw docks, ship masts, and even a new ship that could be called a behemoth.
How could he not look at the ship?
"Hey! Hunter, that thing over there, is it a ship?!"
"Yes! It's our Aurora, the glory of our Russians. She is very We’re about to go into the water. How about it, can you Melalen people do it?”
“This…can’t be done,” Benedick didn’t want to argue. , he truly admires the abilities of the Russians.
Actually? Isn’t the ability to build big ships still owned by the people of Malaren? It was the shipbuilders of Mellaren who had the ability to build the Avlora, but her chief designer was Rurik himself. In a sense, the Avlora can be said to have been built jointly by the Rus and the Mellarens.
"We're here." The sealer's sled stopped: "I can't get any closer to the area of the leader's residence ahead. You will be questioned by the leader's mercenaries. Messengers from far away, Show your paperwork and they won't make things difficult for you."
In this way, like a polar bear, Benedick had been swaggering around Roseburg for a while, attracting the attention of a large number of people. When he saw the leader, the cautious mercenaries quickly removed their weapons and even covered themselves with bearskin.
At this moment, the sky is beginning to darken. The brilliance of the setting sun shines on the frozen fjord, and the whole world is filled with a sense of tragic beauty in the coldness.
The wanderers went home one after another, and Rurik, who was chatting and laughing with Klavasen and Kawei in the blacksmith shop, had to temporarily put down the half-carved "design drawings" in his hands. He hurried back to his home to receive the messenger from afar.
When Rurik came back, Otto was already talking seriously to Duo.
Rurik came in a hurry. He trotted across the steps and pushed open the closed wooden door. In an instant, warm air hit his body.
"You're back! Rurik!" Otto said casually, looking up.
Hearing this, Bernardik was shocked and had goosebumps all over his body, and he quickly turned his head.
"Ah, I'm back. The messenger of Melalen...is...you?!"
Rurik suddenly looked into Benedik's eyes, and then his expression changed. He calmly took off his velvet hat, flicked his neck, and his golden ponytail also swung.
Benedick was surprised again at this scene. Could it be that the child in front of him was a girl? No! He is a boy, a very delicate and beautiful boy, an innocent boy.
Is this Rurik? Benedik had never seen Rurik when he was in Mälaren, even though Rurik and his men once showed off in the local area. He had heard too many legends, and some of the recent legends described Rurik's appearance as a handsome boy.
"Hey, let me ask you something. Are you a messenger?!"
Benedik accidentally saw Rurik's gapped teeth and thought about this beautiful man. The boy has reached the age of losing his teeth, so he only has a few years to grow into a man.
He saw from Rurik's seemingly frail figure what true nobility and a promising future were.
He felt that if Olegin needed to use a gold crown and a title invented by the Franks to show his dignity, then Rurik was the real nobleman.
"Yes! I am the messenger...I...I am the Maillaren messenger. I brought the leader's order."
"Are you stuttering?" Rurik He asked with a serious face.
"I...justIt's nervousness. Benedik's eyes widened, "Are you really Rurik?" ”
“Of course. "
"Ah! Those legends are true. You are indeed a man of God, and your purity astounds me. Please...please accept my worship. "
Which song is this? Rurik couldn't help being surprised when he saw the guy kneeling in front of him. Otto was also surprised.
"Get up. Well, since he is a messenger, let's get down to business quickly. "
"Yes. "Benedik sat down quickly, but his body was shaking unconsciously.
Rurik sat cross-legged next to his father. At this moment, the huge living room of the mansion, lit with oil lamps and firewood, was There are only three people. There is no idle person, it's Otto, he needs a quiet meeting, that's all.
But from Benedick's point of view, he feels that he has the respect of the Russians. . The leader and his son would actually meet a low-level person like him. He also felt that he would be like other messengers, only worthy of submitting wooden documents and not having the right to see the leader himself (to a certain extent, this was also out of respect for the leader of Melalen). distrust, because that person did not rescue the Ostara tribe that was attacked)
The seated Rurik continued to ask: "What's your name?" "
"I...Benedikt of Mälaren. "
"Okay, Benedick, let's talk about business now! ”
Benadick composed himself. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly realized that Otto, the leader of the Rus, had not said a word since Rurik entered the house. His words were all lost to the handsome Rurik. Having said that, it seems that Rurik is the leader.
He estimates that the future transfer of power among the Russians will be like the leader of Mälaren, Olegin. The power is given to the only son Karl.
Karl is a lustful and arrogant guy, and he is not a reliable person.
Rurik has an extraordinary temperament.