Niya’s visit was still going on. Since he needed to prepare a batch of mashed oats for making porridge in the evening, Rurik took his mother to visit his oat processing workshop.
When the hammer hits the stone mortar, the dry oat grains are gradually being smashed into powder. In fact, it is not essentially different from the tools used to pound rice in the East. It’s just that a powerful hammer can smash wheat grains into pieces, forming coarse flour that would have taken a lot of effort to obtain in this era.
"This...this is..."
Niya was stunned. She didn't understand the relationship between the wooden shaft driven by the waterwheel and the hammer that kept beating.
"It's a miracle! It's a miracle!"
Niya's body began to tremble, and then she looked at her innocent son with solemn eyes, and couldn't help but said tremblingly: "Son, did Odin give you divine power? I saw that your hammer has been beating."
"Supernatural power?" Rurik was a little confused.
"It's divine power! I can't see the person pounding the kernels. It's just a hammer. It's moving on its own!"
Hearing this, Rurik really wanted to laugh out loud. He pointed to the rotating wooden shaft: "Mom, the source of power is this piece of wood, but the fundamental source is the river outside. I told you, Austrian Ding put most of his wisdom in the world we see. He just gave me inspiration to look for. Now I can say that I have found some more. Now, I am already using the river water to do some useful things for us. It’s over.”
Niya's surprised face was still wrinkled, and she was still muttering: "A miracle! What a miracle."
"Alas..." Rurik slapped his forehead with his little hand. He was afraid that he could not convince his mother. Fortunately, the young subordinates who followed him, regardless of gender, generally realized the so-called miracle of the waterwheel. The Rus harnessed the power of the river.
Of course, according to the meaning of the Kovin people, the understanding ability is even more wonderful. The so-called powerful Varyag people began to squeeze power from the river god.
So is there any good in this ridiculous rhetoric? Of course there are benefits to Rurik, that is, he has become a greater being in the eyes of his subordinates. After all, since we used waterwheels to pound oats, the oats in our wooden bowls are not only easy to cook, but also become quite sticky and delicious. I really fell in love with it after experiencing it once.
As noble people, Rurik and his mother naturally wanted to eat better food.
The pounded oatmeal crumbs are sifted through a gauze made of fine twine, and what is obtained is coarse oat flour. If you sift it again with a gauze mesh with a higher mesh number, it will be refined flour.
It was still the same way of making wheat cakes in the past, but using finely processed flour. Rurik could be considered to have eaten the "stone pot pancakes" in his concept. Naturally, eating this kind of pancake does not require much effort to chew. Niya feels an unprecedented sense of freshness. She certainly knows how to make fine flour pancakes. She never thought that she could actually eat these fine foods every day in what is supposed to be a remote place in the countryside.
Niya finally got her wish, and she could happily hold her son in her arms, just like those years before.
His son is growing up rapidly, and the settlement he was ordered to build and work on is proceeding at an alarming speed. Niya knows that strong financial resources must be behind this to mobilize everyone's enthusiasm, but his son is sitting on huge wealth.
In the days that followed, Niya lived a pampered life.
As she carefully observed the operation of the waterwheel, and even watched the construction process of the No. 3 waterwheel workshop, it was only then that she realized that this was not a "miracle". To be precise, it was "a mortal gaining the wisdom of God." Undoubtedly, It was Rurik who spread wisdom.
Niya is the most distinguished guest of Fort Ailon-Olawa. She eats soft thin wheat cakes every day, and she eats fresh fish, or hunted bear meat or venison. A sauna and barrel bath room built for her were quickly built. She became a frequent visitor to the bathroom and completely fell in love with the life here.
How good is Roseburg? In terms of enjoyment alone, I'm afraid it's not as good as here.
Looking at the tall and solid wooden walls and the huge "village" enclosed within the walls, a strong sense of security made an old woman like her feel at ease. And seeing her son who was committed to construction and chatting and laughing with his future wives every day, a feeling called happiness made her even more difficult to extricate herself, and even her husband Otto was no longer important.
Ten Novgorod maids, as well as sisters Carlotta and Kovin girl Saipolava...
An honorable man can marry as many wives as he wishes according to tradition. Look at the current situation. First of all, Niya has full confidence in his son. He prayed to the goddess Freya to live longer so that when his son grows up, he can have as many as twenty grandchildren. She feels This is the most wonderful miracle I can see in the last stage of my life. I have no regrets in this life.
Niya is enjoying a life experience she has never had before. In fact, to Rurik, this is nothing.
Eat high-quality food every day, live in a warm and clean house, sleep in a large and comfortable double bunk, and keep your bathroom clean every day.
This should be the most normal thing, and we should try our best to be satisfied under any circumstances.
It was the cost issue here that Rurik really made a calculation for himself. If he wanted to meet the most basic living guarantee for these people thousands of years later, and to achieve it in the current era, it really requires a family to have enough financial resources. It can only be accomplished by wealthy businessmen.
Life is good now, but Roseburg is truly home.
Niya understands that she is a guest, and her son Rurik is even more so.
There were only a handful of real settlers, the Covins who surrendered. When winter comes, the Covin people will continue to stick to the settlement protected by the wooden wall. Perhaps some Rus people will also live here by then, naturally for the purpose of hunting and obtaining furs. Most Rus would not risk leaving their homeland unless the fur economy from hunting animals was strong enough to drive many people to take the risk.
The new year's winter hunting operation can be carried out as early as four months later.
Niya is not a woman who only indulges in pleasure. She is a master in tailoring leather. She really understands what it means when a large amount of fur enters Fort Ross.
In the past winter hunting, hunters lacked a strong foundation, so they all gathered together and headed north, usually returning home after a short hunt. Without a greater purpose, we would not stay in the cold wilderness for a long time. Now that we have the stronghold of Iron Castle, the situation during the northern hunting in the future winter will definitely be more favorable to the tribesmen.
Niya and Rurik made an agreement. Because of the relationship between the summer solstice priests and if the conditions are permissible, Rurik, as a child loved by the gods, needs to kneel at the altar and tell the gods about his loyalty. and admiration.
Attending a summer festival? Of course!
Rurik had his own ideas.
The summer solstice sacrifice is held on June 28 in the Julian calendar, which is the so-called "nightless night". There was still some time before that time, and he felt that he still had a lot to do before returning.
Even though the Ironburg settlement has added waterwheel forging machinery, due to the trained men of the Iron Squirrel tribe, their fine blacksmithing skills are very poor. It is not that they cannot make practical chrome tools. The efficiency is too slow.
Yes, Rurik thinks that producing a hundred axes per day is still too slow!
His great plan is the Ross tribe. Men of all ages will first have their own axes. After they are satisfied, they will try their best to satisfy Ross. Each Ross woman will also have her own axe.
In the final analysis, blacksmithing still requires truly skilled workers. Therefore, the biggest task of blacksmith Kawei is to spread his blacksmithing skills to the people of Kewen while he is still in Ironburg.
Kawei will definitely return to Roseburg. Because of the success of the "Big Furnace", Rurik feels that he should try to implement his greater "Blast Furnace Plan" in his hometown.
His hometown of Roseburg has the most professional blacksmiths. Rurik also thought of using cargo sailing ships to directly transport ore. He could directly build a large ironworks under his control in a place like Roseburg where manpower and material resources are abundant.
However, some unexpected things always happen suddenly when people are unprepared.
Some fishing boats transporting fresh catches to Iron Orava Fort decided to try Rurik's suggestion. They also ran to the upper reaches of the river and cast nets to test the freshwater catch situation.
Not to mention, they caught some Nordic bass and pike, and the numbers were gratifying.
After this situation was learned by the Covin people of the Iron Squirrel tribe, leader Mechasta immediately explained his experience to Rurik: river fish will not gather at the mouth of the sea. If there is a lake upstream, it will be a good fishing ground.
So is there a big lake upstream?
Rurik did not dare to draw conclusions, and he now had no energy to send a new expedition team to investigate. Even Mechasta, who was very committed to investigating the outside world and finding a new development point for his tribe, all his excellent expedition team members died in the mine. Due to the absolute lack of mature men, he temporarily lost his desire for adventure. .
At least one expedition was sent out, and there was no news from them for a month!
They are Russians, and they also have a group of mercenaries equipped with excellent weapons! They will never become food in the bear's mouth, they will only become ruthless people who desperately hunt bears.
Just as Rurik was focusing on other important matters, the fishermen expedition team finally returned after being away for more than a month.
Their return is extraordinary! When I went there, there were only five small fishing boats, setting up scale sails and sailing upstream in the south wind.
Now that they are back, they are drifting calmly, and there are no longer five ships, but seven!
Why are there two more small fishing boats? !
The Ross fishermen who began to catch freshwater fish on the river were the first to meet with these expedition colleagues, and then they understood the origins of the two extra boats and the ten people on them.
Those ten men wearing leather coats, their bodies are strong and powerful, and their growing beards give people a strong sense of majesty.
They only wore warm leather hats, but they also carried bucklers and helmets hung with iron plates.
With this equipment alone, they should be warriors from any angle.
They are not Ross warriors, but they are better than Ross warriors.
Is there another unknown and powerful tribe in the northern land?
When they spoke and reported their identities to newly encountered fishermen, their Balmok identities were self-reported.
A name that no one knows!
But the language they speak is definitely understandable to Russians, and everyone actually speaks the same language. The common language immediately gave everyone a strong sense of intimacy, as if these so-called "Balmoks" were part of the Svia Tribe Alliance, just like the Rus, they would be regarded as one by the Melalen Tribe. Think of it as a "lost ally".
It's just that the Ross people have always had frequent business contacts with their brothers in the south, and the tribe's ruler has hardly been to the territory of Melalen for more than ten years.
What is the situation with the Balmok tribe? Have they forgotten the Mellaren people? Fortunately, they have some hearsay knowledge about the Russians.
Ten Balmok explorers were escorted down the river by fishermen. The leader called himself Modgen. He learned that the leader of the Rus was in the Ailon Olava Fort at the mouth of the river. The ten of them were here. The purpose of the trip suddenly changed completely!
The strange visitors sat in their simple boat, accepted the guidance of the people on the shore, and docked at the pier.
The hemp rope was tied to the raised wooden stake at the bow of the ship (actually part of the keel), firmly fixing it to the trestle.
Modgen led his nine followers and stood on the solid boardwalk. What came into view was a town with towering wooden walls and wooden towers!
They were stunned on the spot for a moment, completely forgetting that they still had a lot of goods for exchange that they had not yet brought ashore.
At this moment, Rurik had just learned of the existence of these magical visitors. He did not understand who the Balmok tribe was. Out of instinctive self-preservation, Rurik intended to meet them, but he also found his residence within the city walls. Set up the score.
Youdao is that the first impression is extremely important. In this matter, Rurik immediately made some preparations.
Several mercenaries were waiting at the dock for a long time. When they saw the visitors standing still, one of the mercenaries deliberately asked in a rude tone: "What's the matter with you? My master has received your news and is interested in meeting you. What if my master In anger, you will be expelled.”
The mercenary glanced at their cloth bag still in the boat and said, "Hurry up, otherwise there will be no business."
"Oh! It's my fault." Explorer Modgen hurriedly called his men to pick up his very important merchandise - two fine linen pockets of white sea salt.
The mercenaries' attitude was indeed rude. Firstly, this was due to the mercenaries' arrogance, and secondly, it was Rurik who asked them to do this.
Dark forest law? Although Rurik does not think this is the only truth, it does have very important practical significance.
People's self-preservation is a fundamental principle. When contacting foreigners who have never dealt with each other, it is best to have a happy solution and everyone can do business peacefully. But the logic of survival in the Nordic world was officially understood by Rurik after he personally experienced the war.
What is survival logic? When two ethnic groups meet, they will start a war if they can fight, and then complete the robbery and make a fortune. If you can't beat them, then just go about your business and keep things peaceful on the surface, while secretly doing some dirty tricks to benefit yourself.
Rurik needs to express a very critical attitude to outsiders who also speak Norse, that is, we Russians are very powerful and should not make any unfavorable ideas.
Of course Rurik planned to show off his wealth and ability, but now it is more important to show force!
Because now that the development tone of the Rus' people competing with the Melalen people has been set, Rurik, as the future leader, definitely does not want a potential enemy to suddenly appear behind him.
