Jevro continued to lead the team, and Rurik also noticed that the mercenaries under his command were relatively relaxed. Their slightly tilted heads began to look to the right, and their eyes became more sharp, and their Both right hands were inserted into the burqa, clearly holding the hilts of their respective steel swords!
This time it was unusual, and Arik also subconsciously approached his brother, and he covered the hilt of his sword under his burqa.
"Brother, it seems your people are aware of the danger."
"Danger?" Rurik looked around. The people coming and going were no different from the Melalen people he had just seen.
Jevro hurriedly answered the question: "Sir, we have entered the interior of Melalenburg, where bandits often appear. Don't worry, my brothers and I will protect your safety."
To say this place is dirty is really bad. Even though all Viking tribes have very high requirements for hygiene, the so-called "high" here is relative to other ethnic groups.
For example, of course each household builds its own toilet, but it’s normal for a large number of dry toilets to be located close to their mud houses, making the whole street stink. And this so-called road is a dirt road. Mälarenberg is close to a lake. The moist land (there is no real irrigation system) is very important for wheat. However, these fertile black mud really sticks to your boots, not to mention the long rainfall some time ago. It's just over.
Jevro's reminder made Rurik be more vigilant. It is said that there will be patrols sent by the leader of Melalen to fight against the bandits, but the settlement is really too big. The patrol team is more concerned about the stability of the market area, and the lack of attention to ordinary residential areas is reasonable.
However, in order to enter the commercial area, the merchants who landed always had to pass through a civilian area. Rurik had just made it clear that the leader of Melalen would not guarantee the personal and cargo safety of foreign merchants everywhere, and almost always required the merchants themselves. Hire people to defend yourself.
Thinking of this, Rurik paid attention to the middle-aged men on both sides of the road who seemed to be doing nothing, as well as some half-grown men with dull eyes. The looks they cast seemed to become ambiguous.
They seemed to be potential attackers, and they were the kind who could disappear into the intricate alleys of residential areas and escape in the shortest possible time after robbing things.
In this way, a group of people, led by Yevluo, walked cautiously for a while.
"Sir, that Cologne should be arriving soon." Jevro said calmly.
Rurik breathed a sigh of relief: "Damn, I thought we were going to have a fight with those men. Maybe we should land at a different location."
Jevro shrugged helplessly: "That's impossible. The business district is close to the leader's mansion, and ordinary tribesmen live near the lake shore. No matter where we land, we have to pass through dangerous residential areas."
"Well, forget it, I didn't say it." Rurik shrugged, thinking that Olegin, the so-called leader of the alliance, was really a thief in this regard. But when he thought about it carefully, since that guy had been controlling the business of the market and collecting huge tributes from it, for the convenience of management, not only did he have to create an area where only business was allowed, the area also had to be within his reach. at.
Rurik felt much relieved after leaving the area where the crisis seemed. After a moment, some disharmonious scenes suddenly appeared in front of him.
There are still a large number of adobe houses here, which still seem to be some residential houses. There is a lively and low roar not far away. There is no doubt that there is the so-called business district, which is also the "Mälaren Market" in a narrow sense.
But there were some children sitting by the walls of some adobe houses. They were in ragged clothes. They were fundamentally different from the laughing children of Melalen. They were very dull, and what was worse was that they were all in ragged clothes.
Carlotta was obviously aware of the identity of these children: "Rurik, I'm afraid they are all beggars."
"Are they beggars?" Rurik asked Jevlo immediately.
Jevlo was also surprised because this was the area where he discovered and saved Carlotta last year. "They...should be beggars."
Upon hearing this, Rurik froze on the spot: "Ah, I have to save these children. Gould didn't do the job well. He didn't rescue all the beggars."
Having said that, Rurik did not want to rashly strike up a conversation with the children sitting in the corner. Their golden hair was covered with dirt, and their dejected looks could not tell whether they were male or female.
Jevro also felt strange, because his old master Gould had obviously recruited no less than fifty new beggars. In addition, last year's large-scale recruitment of beggars, it stands to reason that unless the Melalen people abandon him How could some poor new beggars suddenly appear?
war? That’s not right! What Jevro knew was that, except for Arik and his brothers who secretly attacked the Gotland ships on the sea, there was no news about the other alliance tribes using troops externally, and there was no news about some tribes being harmed by wars and causing their tribesmen to be displaced. tragedy.
"Sir, of course you can save him. We will do it soon. You don't need to deal with it yourself. These children will be brought back tomorrow at the latest."
"Well, I hope they can survive until tomorrow."
"Then it depends on their fate, sir." Yevluo laid out a theory, "You gave them a chance to live and also gave them a test. If they are still alive tomorrow, I will take my brothers to pick them up. If they go back, it means they have been forgiven by God.”
This reason is really a bit absurd, but everyone in this era believes this, so Rurik doesn't say anything.
He looked at the children in the corner, and suddenly he saw a woman wearing coarse cloth walking out of the house. She was obviously the mistress of the adobe house, holding a wooden stick and swearing on her lips to drive away the children sitting in the corner of her house.
Those children, they rolled away in fear...
"You see." Jevro shrugged, "They are all scared. Maybe when we try to take them in, they will think we are going to abuse them and run away!"
"But as a servant, you can at least eat." Rurik sighed.
"How could they not know? They are too young. I am afraid that only you, my noble master, are the only one who has the financial resources to take in these poor children. Oh, it is really strange. There is obviously no war, and it is obvious that Lord Gould has taken in these poor children. There are so many children, why are there new foreign children flowing to Mälaren?”
"Maybe there is something hidden." Rurik didn't think too much for the time being, "Let's go to that Colongo. Maybe the people drinking there can reveal some information. Or the businessmen setting up stalls can also tell something, oh, I’d also like to hear any other new news.”
Jevro nodded and asked them to continue following him.
The group tried their best to keep a low profile. At the same time, all the mercenaries had their right hands inserted into their robes, holding the hilts of their swords and ready to fight.
Because most of the mercenaries are from the Melalen tribe, they know very well what lies ahead on foot.
Just ahead of the winding road, the structure of the residential buildings there has undergone some changes.
Gone are the houses with adobe walls and haystack roofs, replaced by a large number of wooden houses. Compared to the area we passed before, the area ahead is obviously more lively.
There have also been some changes in the pedestrians coming and going. Most of them are no longer empty-handed, or they are leading some cattle and sheep, or they are carrying baskets filled with charcoal blocks, or they are simply carrying bundles of firewood.
The place ahead is none other than the Melalen Market in a narrow sense. It is also the busiest, most chaotic place in the entire settlement, and the place most likely to breed crime.
"Ahead is where merchants from all walks of life do business. Sir, please follow me closely and don't get separated." Yevluo deliberately stopped and gave a cautious instruction.
Rurik was stunned for a moment: "Ah! There won't be anyone robbing children in this place, right?"
"That's not the case, but please be cautious."
Rurik swallowed hard, looked up at the chaotic scene in front of him, and couldn't help but sweat.
Where there is demand, there is a corresponding supply. Doing business is simply human instinct. Since the leader of Mellaren intentionally brings together as many merchants as possible to form a market under his control, it is not surprising that typical problems and chaos will occur in a typical market.
Originally, the Melalen tribe did not have the concept of planning streets. The so-called roads in the settlement were just some agreed-upon roads, and the same was true for the roads in the market.
The Mälaren Market in the narrow sense is built around a winding and narrow dirt road.
There are a large number of wooden houses on both sides of the road, and there are many people occupying the road and setting up stalls in front of the houses. There will be no penalties for occupying the road. Fortunately, these traders are not bold enough to close the road.
There are some regular merchants in the market, and most of the wooden buildings are the shops of these merchants. The people who run the shops are either local professional merchants in Melalen, or people from other tribes who can live here for a long time and do business.
There are a large number of such merchants, and they are trying to do some transactions almost all year round. Even in the coldest gatherings, they are willing to sell some winter-caught fish. It is they who form the middle of Mellaren's traditional business.
In addition to them, there are also a large number of traveling merchants carrying their own baskets or unloading backpacks full of goods. They sit directly on the ground at the roadside and sell their goods with baskets and baskets as the center. Most of these people are ordinary Malaren people. They sell some agricultural and sideline products they get after working in the market. They sell them at the market to earn some copper coins, and then go to other people's stalls to buy some daily necessities to support their families.
How long has the market been around? No one can tell.
It's just that the Melalen tribe is the most powerful in the entire region. Their market has naturally existed since ancient times, and in the long-term evolution, it has spontaneously formed a relatively stable trading scene and thus formed a fixed market. .
Each tribe has its own market. What makes the Mellarens unique is that they have a true comprehensive market that Rurik is convinced.
Today, even though the Ross tribe has become very powerful, the tribe still has not built a market. It is a custom among the Russians that around every morning and evening, a dew-like market quickly forms near the beach, which rises and dissipates just as quickly.
Gradually, Rurik's inner vigilance was diluted by the dazzling things he saw.
Some were selling charcoal, some were selling fish, some were peddling fresh fish, some were peddling live sheep, and many people piled bundles of flax on the ground, shouting about a price they claimed was very favorable.
Occasionally, a group of sword-wielding warriors wearing leather armor would appear among the pedestrians. They walked in a relatively neat column. Obviously, these people were the so-called private soldiers who maintained market order and only obeyed the command of the leader Olegin.
Seeing Rurik looking around, Yevlo asked: "Master, have you seen anything you like? We will buy it when we see it."
"Well, I just felt attracted to those selling linen in the whole market."
"Them? Then buy all their flax and take it back to weave it into good cloth. And by saving the merchants shipping costs, we can save a lot of money."
"It doesn't matter." Rurik shrugged, "It seems that there are many people selling flax in this market, so we don't need to be too anxious."
Jevro nodded and revealed: "The lakeside area of this lake is not only suitable for growing wheat, but also suitable for growing flax. The flax is harvested before the wheat is mature. Sir, if you are willing, we can purchase a large amount of it this year. The flax stalks we just cut need to be processed by ourselves.”
A mercenary captain actually knew a lot of information about business. Rurik was surprised and had to think carefully about Yevro's suggestion.
The fact is as simple as this. The geographical conditions of Lake Malaren are not suitable for the growth of oats. It is at a high latitude and the light level is not high throughout the year, so it is destined to be difficult to produce high wheat yields. However, due to the infiltration of the Great Lake, the light level is limited, and the frost-free period is enough for flax to complete a life cycle, so many areas around the lake were transformed into flax fields by the Malaren people.
There was no cotton and a severe lack of excellent cold-resistant leather. Ordinary people in Melalen had to rely on spinning relatively cheap flax into hemp thread, and mixing it with limited wool thread to weave into thick and cold-proof cloth. Flax itself is the most important raw material for making various cables. Without it, no ship would be able to sail.
The flax harvest usually coincides with the autumn harvest of grain, and similarly, the huge vegetable trade also coincides with the autumn harvest of grain. For a long time, the flax trade was hidden in the bustling grain trade. Now that oats are still earing on a large scale, the flax trade has become very conspicuous.
Merchants selling flax almost gathered together to sell, turning a small area of the market into a "linen market."
Just next to the "Flax Market", there are a large number of stalls selling large and small brown pottery. Most of them are pottery urns and pots, and some are obviously cups for drinking water, and even the holders of oil lamps.
There are also many people selling woodware, and you can tell they are craftsmen just by looking at their finished products. They were selling hooped wooden barrels, large wooden cups, and even wood-carved handicrafts.
The entire market is clearly a large comprehensive farmer's market. Up to now, Rurik feels that what he has entered is like a temple fair, and also like entering a huge vegetable market with many merchants selling a variety of products, all of which are ordinary people. Daily necessities related to food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Does it have any characteristics? What about the pub? In which area of the market is the slave market controlled by Norwegian merchants, which is rarely heard of but rarely seen?
There were indeed a lot of people wandering around the market, and Rurik felt that he couldn't describe it as crowded, but there was a real risk of getting lost.
There are a lot of people here wearing burqas or gray velvet hats, and most of them are men in their prime. There are so many businessmen and customers walking around. If you don't follow up with your mercenaries, you will really be lost. Otherwise, he might even get lost in the huge shantytown of the Melalen people.
If there were no locals as guides, Rurik was sure that he would be blind, and maybe someone would come up with his own ideas.
Rurik was convinced that there must be many shops in this place that deal in skin and meat business. This thing, like banditry, can be called a "profession" of mankind since ancient times. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Gevro's more subtle warning of "not getting lost" was actually implying this.
It's not that Rurik is narcissistic, he actually feels that he is a "very beautiful boy" who is naturally charming. People, no matter men or women, are instinctively attracted to any pretty things, right?
