A long boat with no special characteristics left Gould Island and headed towards the beach of the Malaren Market.
Behind them are the towering wooden walls of Gould Island, the flat and busy piers on the shore, and a large number of ships passing by.
Gould was indeed following the agreement with Rurik, sending his ships to the Market of Mälaren, and even organized a small fleet to rush directly to the territory of the Hälmalen people in the south of the lake to buy local agricultural products. And they brought them all back to Gould Island and piled them into warehouses tightly wrapped within the walls.
In fact, what Rurik didn't know was that shortly after the ship that took him to the market left, a small boat carrying a distinguished guest also landed on Gould Island.
This person is none other than the businessman Fo Degen who is good at cutting all kinds of tanned leather into clothes.
A businessman like Gould is essentially a second-tier dealer who is good at speculation. As for Fordegen, he is now an industrial capitalist. He hires a group of women who know how to tailor to make leather jackets in large quantities and sell them for profit.
Because of this, due to the cold weather this year, Vodgen learned about the strong appeal of ordinary people in Mälaren for new clothes. He saw his superiors, but he suffered from the lack of a very stable leather supplier.
A whole year's time! Fordegen first listened to Gould's invitation and advice, and then lived in Roseburg himself throughout the winter. Now he has completely figured it out - follow Gould and move the entire family business and all the servants to Roseburg. , it should be a good way to make big money stably.
Fordegen came empty-handed, and he just wanted to tell Gould that he had plans to move.
To his shock, Gould showed off several large and majestic polar bear skins, also telling his old friend good news.
"My friend, if you come early in the morning, you can meet Lord Rurik."
"Ah! Rurik, he came to Mälaren? Where is he?"
"He went to the market." Gould pointed in the direction of the north and looked into Fordegen's eyes. "I hope he can buy some good things at the market."
Rurik and Carlotta, in order to avoid publicity, put on simple linen clothes, and both wore a drab linen burqa. However, what was hidden under the robe was a short sword for self-defense.
Rurik is so, like his cousin, dressed very low-key.
Although they were of noble status and possessed great wealth, the important people sitting on the boat followed Gould's advice and all dressed up as ordinary travelers. Only swords and money bags were hidden under their robes.
Rurik sat near the bow of the ship. He sat sideways and let the cool autumn wind blow on his face.
Behind him were more than a dozen oarsmen, and Arik also acted as an oarsman.
It takes a long distance to sail from Gould Island to the market. With nothing to do, Arik looked at his younger brother who was only focusing on the lakes and mountains, and couldn't help but ask: "Hey! Rurik, have you thought of buying anything?"
"What?" Rurik turned his face sideways.
"I'm asking you, what do you want to buy? I'm hanging two pounds of silver coins for you now. Do you plan to spend them all?"
"Maybe." Rurik shrugged helplessly. If he hadn't been strong enough, he would have kept the heavy money by himself.
"What on earth do you want to buy?!"
"Who knows? Oh, go and have a look. If I find something I like, I will buy it."
Arik felt a little embarrassed, so he deliberately teased: "I heard that the Melalen people drink a lot of wine. That guy Gould told me that there is a place called Colongo in the market, where you can drink Melalen people." Brewed wine.”
Cologne? A place name?
Rurik thought for a while and realized that it referred to a tavern.
A tavern? If it does exist, Rurik would not be surprised at all. The so-called supply comes when there is demand, or the two complement each other. Since the Lake Malaren region produces wheat, it is only natural that it is used to make wine. Besides, the ale that merchants from all over the world have shipped to Roseburg over the years is almost always from the Lake Mälaren region.
Seeing that his brother was very interested, Arik simply encouraged him and said, "My dear, if a man can't drink, he is a coward." Gould said that Cologne is a lively place. I want to visit and taste Mälaren. Human wine. What about you? What do you think?"
"this……"
"Are you still hesitating? I have made up my mind. I must go and have a look."
What else could Rurik do about this? While reluctantly agreeing, he also made an agreement with his cousin.
"You can go to Colongo. You are responsible for drinking, and I will be responsible for watching. I want to see what tricks the Malaren people are up to."
What should a pub be like? The interior decoration is elegant and dignified, the bartender is neatly dressed and polite, and he is skilled in the bartending business. The drinkers are also well-known and elegant people, sitting at the bar, sipping cocktails and chatting and laughing?
forget it.
Rurik could still remember some of the experiences of going to more elegant taverns, but those were already dreams that existed in another world.
Elegant bars are also aimed at elegant drinkers, or bar owners must decorate their pubs gorgeously to create a high-end feel in order to attract people with high spending power to spend money.
But a ninth-century bar?
Rurik had another scene in his mind.
There were a number of cracked wooden tables placed in the dark wooden house. The drinkers in the room were all shabby-dressed guys who walked unsteadily and spoke in extremely vulgar ways. They are not here to drink, I am afraid there is more to alcoholism. It was a place full of violence. The mere glances between slightly drunk people would arouse their anger in an instant. Because there was no mechanism to stop violent fights, the tavern was often a den of evil.
Did the Vikings also have taverns? For example, the residents of Roseburg generally drank alcohol, and there were no businessmen who specialized in selling alcohol for profit. Even Gould, the wealthiest man, had never imagined building a tavern for so many years. The core purpose of Rurik's liquor was to make money. Due to practical reasons, he did not plan to open a tavern under his control to make greater profits, because this matter did not exist in Roseburg.
The ships are getting closer to their destination, and there are more and more fishing boats. The huge shanty town not far away is undoubtedly the core of the Malaren people, Fort Malaren.
The Melalen tribe did not design a special dock, and the ships that came and went sailed long boats directly to the beach. After all, the boats owned by ordinary boat owners are all light boats. They can easily wash up on the beach and be easily pulled to the shore by the boat owner's reins. Even pushing it back into the lake is effortless.
The Mellaren people certainly have the ability to build large cargo ships, and professional craftsmen have never been reluctant to build large ships. However, orders for large ships can only come from a few wealthy merchants, including the richest leader Olegin. Building big boats makes a lot of money, but the craftsmen's daily job is still to build light and cheap fishing boats, and even do ship repairs.
The gentle lakeshore was just ahead. In order to welcome the destined beaching and avoid being shaken off the boat by the strong vibration, Rurik simply stood up. Like Carlotta, he grabbed a cable and looked at the bottom of the bow. The oak keel was cut hard into the mud of the lakeside.
After a violent vibration, the ship washed ashore safely. Rurik breathed a long sigh of relief. He held his robe with his left hand and supported the side of the boat with his right hand. He jumped off the camp and set foot on the territory of the Malaren people for the first time. .
Rurik landed at the same time as twelve other strong men carrying elite weapons.
Arik and Yevlo naturally dressed in a low-key manner, as did the ten mercenaries behind them. If there is anything funny, it is these mercenaries who landed. When they set foot on the Melalen Market, they are completely returning to their hometown.
Yes, almost all the mercenaries recruited by Gould were natives of Melalen.
To be fair, no one knows Mälaren better than them. For example, when the owner proposed to go to the place in Cologne to find out, someone boldly pointed out: "That place is where the leader sells wine. He is selling it himself." Some sell alcohol and gain some profits from it to expand their strength."
Regarding these matters, Rurik, who was still on the ship, listened to the mercenaries' popular science and already knew a little about the tavern.
"Okay. We've landed. Where to go next. Colongo?" Rurik patted his body and asked his cousin.
"Just go to that place. Yevlo!" Arik shouted casually.
"Sir, what are your orders?"
"You know the place very well, and you act as a guide. Now take me to the place where I can drink."
"Okay. There are only a few things that I hope you can understand."
Arik looked impatient: "What else is there? Drinking is a problem? We brought money."
"Sir, we must keep a low profile. Colongo is a chaotic place, maybe..." Jevlo looked at Rurik and Carlotta, "Maybe children shouldn't go, not because they can't drink, that place is too rough. More. My lord, you are the bravest warrior I have ever seen. I am afraid that if you are angered by some drunk people, you will draw your sword and kill them. That is the place where the leader of Melalen sells wine. I am afraid that we Something happened when I went there."
Although Jevro was a Finn, after all, he was a comrade who had fought side by side for two months. Arik was very satisfied with the flattery of these comrades. However, he obviously ignored the warnings of his comrades.
"What are the people of Malaren? They don't dare to attack the Danes and Gotlanders. On the contrary, we have been winning."
"Hey! Sir!" Jevro growled seriously, and his eyes immediately glanced at the various outsiders at the landing site.
Arik's eyes quickly noticed some malicious looks. It seemed that the people holding long wooden poles and carrying fishing nets were the locals of Mälaren.
Arik felt that he was a little arrogant. When he closed his mouth, Rurik also let out a long sigh of relief.
This is the case for my cousin. Because he has made a series of military exploits on the battlefield at a young age, it is not surprising that his whole mentality is drifting.
Rurik took Jevro's suggestion very seriously. After all, he was not in a world of romantic fantasy stories. He was just a flesh and blood body with no magic power in his hands to confuse the gods with strange powers. What happened today was that I entered the territory of the Melalen people as an ordinary traveling merchant, assuming my identity as the "successor of the leader of Ross". Which drunk person would believe it? No! A drunkard will only think that a child who talks shamelessly deserves a beating.
"Then come with us! Adults. We are the most familiar with the Malaren Market. I will ensure your safety. I also hope that you will not take the initiative to cause any trouble."
Rurik felt that Jevro’s advice was so right! He followed closely behind his mercenary captain. At this moment, his cousin Arik was not only unreliable, but he might also become a factor of instability.
Let’s take a good look at the Melalen Market. In other words, the place where everyone is now is only the tribe’s “fishing village area” near the lake. It is not the core of the market.
There are a large number of adobe houses here, the roofs of which are piled with withered yellow reeds, and some wooden sheds are also mixed in.
The numerous sights gave Rurik the illusion of Fort Ross in the past, and the large number of buildings gave him a strong sense of déjà vu. It’s just that in Roseburg now, due to the large number of Novgorod women marrying into the city, the collision and integration of the two cultures are being positively reflected in the architectural style. The traditional Viking-style residences in Rosberg began to turn to the more comfortable wooden roofs of Novgorod, and a large number of steam saunas began to be built, which are exactly the style of the residents of the "Eastern Land" such as the Finns and the Kovins. .
Melalenburg was still the same as before, and when he saw a large number of passers-by wearing plain clothes, these people were both familiar and strange to Rurik.
Some boys with dirty faces and running around in groups laughing and joking made Rurik look at him. Their innocent looks meant that their lives were actually very prosperous.
However, there is always some sense of dissonance.
Rurik's eyes couldn't help but glance at Carlotta, who was walking quietly next to her. She slightly tilted her head. Because of the cover of her burqa, no one knew that she was actually a girl.
Rurik looked at the adobe houses on both sides of the winding dirt road and the people coming and going. He weakly asked Yevlo: "I saw many people carrying fish, and some people holding lambs." . Look, another child ran past. Are the people of Mälaren really very wealthy? "
Javro didn't even want to answer: "Of course they are rich. I have never heard of any people from Melalen being hungry. Even your mercenaries, they simply do not have the right to inherit the family business, and they do not want to be pioneers in their lifetime. The farmers in the fields have no choice but to be your soldiers.”
The mercenaries all became happy when they heard the ridicule from their comrades, because what Jevro said was the truth.
"They're not hungry? It's impossible, right? I heard that Carlotta fled here last year and almost starved to death here."
At first, Rurik didn't realize that he had said the wrong thing, until Carlotta suddenly grabbed his arm. In this way, the girl vented her inner pain.
Rurik was shocked and stopped talking.
Jevro, who was walking in front, turned his back and shook his head helplessly: "Sir, wealth is only for the Melalen people. Who will help the foreigners who have fled? Unless they are slaves to the Melalen people. "
"Ah! Could it be that Olegin...he is obviously the leader of the alliance. Aren't those foreigners also the people of his allies?"
"Forget it." Jevro suddenly stopped and turned around: "My dear, no one is more kind than you, but this kindness may not be a good thing for you. Maybe you can only thank God for the favor he has given you, You can make a lot of silver to use your kindness lavishly, I think you know what I mean."
Rurik was stunned for a moment and nodded silently.
He finally understood what Jevro meant, and couldn't help but admire his mercenary captain. After all, after hanging out with Gould for so many years, even a foolish man should know a lot about business with a shrewd man.
Rurik believed that Olegin was undoubtedly the one who rescued those allies in distress. It would be good if he didn't add insult to injury. There were no welfare institutions in this era. After hearing Gould's explanation, Rurik had to face the reality that the so-called Siiya Tribal Alliance was indeed just a tribal alliance. The leaders of each tribe gathered together and elected the strongest as the leader. For ordinary people from allied tribes, the alliance leader probably only needs to restrain the tribesmen in an alliance from attacking each other for their own selfish interests.
For the castaways, fleeing to Mälaren was likely to find a chance of survival. But for the people of Melalen, these guys are competitors who come to snatch the living space. They never want to cultivate land and grow wheat on the territory of the Malaren people, never want to cut down wood and burn charcoal to sell for money, let alone compete with the Malaren fishermen for the lake's fishing resources.
The best option for these castaways is to become servants to the Mellarens.
