The bravest men have not returned from hunting, and rumors are spreading in Roseburg.
Some people took out ancient legends to express their most pessimistic speculations.
"Maybe Otto and those people fell under the World Tree..."
This is not a simple pessimistic conjecture, because if the leader Otto leaves this world, who can be his successor? For this reason, the tribe had to hold another competition for the leader.
Even if the residents of Roseburg all come from the same ancestors, the core personnel have multiplied into a giant of four thousand people.
According to the standards of this time and space, such a relatively united organization can burst out very powerful power.
Because even a Frankish Duke would find it extremely difficult to assemble a fighting force of up to 2,000 people.
Otto has been the leader for too long, and his actions are indeed qualified, but he is old after all.
Young Rurik was called "Odin's Blessing" and he also showed many amazing actions. After all, he was just a child.
Many people simply believe that Rurik will naturally become the leader when he grows up, because that is what Odin longs to see.
However, the knowledgeable people of the tribe do not think that if the leader Otto dies outside, what contribution a seven-year-old child can make to the management of a tribe.
There is a window period here. If you want to ensure the stability of the tribe, the tribe must elect a new leader.
It was almost Hanukkah, and those people had not yet returned, and the agitation within Roseburg certainly made this winter unusual.
The young Rurik was also very worried. He longed to show off his talents. If he lost his father's protection when he was young, all his dreams would be empty talk.
Since ancient times, in many countries, strong ministers have no intention of handing over power to their young masters once they have obtained regency.
What's more, the Ross tribe still adheres to the more ancient clan commune style. There is no real hereditary blood relationship, and the leader should be the "strongest".
In the warm room of the chief priest, Rurik's heart became increasingly impetuous.
Although he has memorized the contents of those wooden boards, he is very happy to look at them more in order to deepen his memory and relieve his boredom.
But now, he was increasingly worried about Otto.
"Grandma, I heard some rumors. They said that my father will die outside?"
Wei Liya's heart was equally complicated: "I have also heard those rumors. My child, do you believe it easily?"
"No! I don't believe it. They are the strongest ones who went out. Maybe they got too many prey this time and can't come back quickly."
"It's best if you think so. Alas... I'm really worried these days. If some good people are allowed to run wild, the entire Roseburg will become panicked. Those allied businessmen who live with us will only I’m afraid they will have to evacuate on a large scale next spring.”
"What should I do?! I'm actually very worried..." Rurik thought for a while, "Someone should be eyeing the leader's position."
Welia was shocked. She didn't expect that this child could think of this.
She could only pretend to be calm and touch the child's forehead: "Don't think things are bad, I have a good idea."
"any solution?"
"It seems that I need to personally go out and organize some people. Maybe your father and others are already on their way back. We can't continue to wait stupidly. We should send someone to respond."
Villa not only had this idea, but also felt that he had an obligation to calm the commotion in Roseburg, especially the businessmen who were stable residents.
It was already December 17th in the Julian calendar, and Otto and his party had gone too long.
Because there were no clocks, people used the sunrise and sunset to determine the beginning and end of the day.
Only people with astronomical knowledge can judge the time quite accurately through the position of certain stars in the sky and the position of the moon.
The sun has set, giving the impression that the day is just passing by in a hurry.
The oil lamps in the chief priest's house were brightly lit, and it was Vilia herself who hurried fifty warriors into the house.
The visitors are all young and powerful members of the tribe, and have also participated in many tribute voyages.
These people are brave and must be Otto's die-hard supporters.
Rurik, who had been studying in the chief priest's house for a long time, easily saw a familiar figure, that was his cousin Arik.
As a child, he was sitting blankly on the animal skin at the moment, obediently listening to Vilia's orders to them.
right! Just giving orders!
Vilia was indeed the most charismatic woman in the Ross tribe. She spoke to this group of brave and capable people in an old voice. They all stood quietly without any whispering.
"I heard some rumors that the leader and others had frozen to death. This is a fool's lie! Don't believe it!"
At this point, Rurik saw the tremors in many people's eyes. Obviously, many people not only knew those words, but also had strong doubts in their hearts.
"I summoned you here today to announce Odin's order to you. Just last night, in my sleep, my soul was brought to Asgard by the Valkyrie. I stood at the thick stone gate of Valhalla. In addition, Odin told me that the brave men of the Rus were on their way, and their return was delayed because they brought too much treasure. So Odin issued an order asking us to organize some warriors to explore to the north to find those people. , help them bring back a lot of treasure."
Rurik, who was sitting obediently, knew that these were Vilia's own words. She relied on her tribe's belief in Odin and spoke her own opinions.
This operation can be called a smart move, and the people who were summoned are eager to try it.
In the chief priest's house, many people had immediately announced that after a short period of preparation, they would set off northward at dawn tomorrow.
Vilia got a very satisfactory result, but she was not happy at all.
She was risking her reputation, but it was a gamble well worth it. Because if Otto really dies in the plane, the alliance between the two will be gone.
For an old man in his seventies, his life will soon come to an end. Maybe Otto really died outside, which also heralded his own end.
There was no Odin dream at all, it was all Vilia's speculation. She guessed that there were only two situations at most. First, Otto and his party got lost, and second, they did gain a lot.
As for hundreds of people being frozen to death by ice and snow, although this is a possibility, if you think about it carefully, if the wind and snow were really terrible, Roseburg would have been destroyed long ago.
Passive waiting makes people more anxious the longer they wait, but taking the initiative to look for it can dispel this anxiety.
The summoned people left the longhouse of the priests. In a very short period of time, the news that priest Vilia had received divine guidance in his dream spread throughout Roseburg.
The remarks deliberately released by the conspirators suddenly lost their market, and all the young warriors who had begun to imagine that they had a chance to compete for the position of leader also gave up their thoughts.
The majority of residents all began to fantasize about how many treasures the leader would bring back, and whether their husbands who followed the leader would also gain huge rewards.
There are also those who have not gone, they are also imagining how much reward the leader will give them according to the tribe's tradition, even if they do not go.
Maybe a lot of deer were caught? Just getting your share of a deer leg can make Hanukkah really fun this year.
