The huge wooden house was the mansion where Rurik set up shop for himself. It was a high imitation of the house in Rossburg, which made Otto feel very familiar.
The flames of coals in the stone fireplace were very pleasant, and the smoke sprayed into the sky through the chimney, which warmed the whole house and gave it a little light.
As for lighting, it relies on a matrix of oil lamps hanging from the beams and chrome iron lamp holders protruding from the wooden walls.
The fleet, which struggled to arrive against the sea wind from the Arctic, docked on the river that was about to freeze. It was already getting late when people landed.
Now, night has fallen. A large number of residents have returned to the wooden walls, and Elon Olawa Fort is protecting all residents and guests from afar with thick walls.
Outside the wall, the cold wind of early winter is even sharper. Inside the wall, the peaceful days suddenly became lively due to the arrival of a fleet of hundreds of people.
Otto sat casually on the leather cushion, holding a glass filled with spirits high, and he was paying tribute to the "Lord of the City" Mechasta.
"You did a good job. Those wooden houses are neatly arranged, and each house can accommodate at least ten people. You deliberately left them vacant. You are very clever."
Mechasta was a little flattered: "Big Chief, this is Rurik's arrangement, I just follow his decision."
As usual, Jevro served as an interpreter. Here he added an additional sentence, "I am your slave," which made this explanation even more slavish on the part of the speaker.
Otto laughed happily and drank half a glass of strong wine: "You are very good at talking, and you know your identity very well. You claim that you have prepared all the tributes you need to pay? Are you sure?"
"Yes! I dare not lie."
Otto slowly put down his wine glass, showing a fierce look without any comment. "You know what I do to traitors and renegades."
"I dare not violate it."
Mechasta was on pins and needles. He could say that he had received some benefits from the Russians, which was also given by Rurik.
Rurik is a beautiful boy full of wisdom, at least he likes to talk about contracts, and his character is kind. Yes, not killing is mercy.
He hopes that his daughter can give full play to her abilities and work hard to be favored so that the tribe can gain greater benefits. Rurik and his daughter Saipolava are here, just spectators? They should be looking forward to a meal more.
Otto had no intention of continuing to threaten, "You said before that you had a magical experience and had something wonderful to tell me. What was it?"
"Yes!" Mechasta's hanging heart relaxed slightly: "It is a gift, which is the feast I am about to serve."
"Big dinner? I'm really hungry." Otto thought for a while, "I learned that you hunted some bears, and I saw the bear skins. They are displayed on the wall of this house." Otto clicked his tongue. , especially in the dim light, the bear's head with its bloody mouth open is extremely terrifying.
"You...wouldn't serve me bear meat? Did you roast a bear?"
"Actually, it's a fish." Mechasta's words were very calm, but it made Otto almost spit out the wine he drank.
"A fish is nothing. Did you catch a monster in the sea?"
"It's not enough to call it a monster. It's really huge. It was just a gift to the great leader."
This matter aroused Otto's interest, and the adventures of the Iron Squirrel Tribe in September became clear.
Mechasta bluntly described that they had already encountered a reward from the gods, and then encountered a salmon tide.
However, the size of "Salmon Tide" sounds quite absurd to Otto.
"Fish? Lots of fish? I heard the waters here are poor."
"That's true, but a salmon tide happened," Mechasta said truthfully. "In September, some Ross fishermen were fishing in the river and accidentally discovered a school of fish moving upstream. After hearing the news, we cast nets and canoes on the river bank. We cast nets in the river and even went upstream to catch fish in shallow water. We even saw bears catching fish, so we hunted some more bears.”
The more he talked, the more excited he became: "Big Chief, the fish we caught in September alone are enough for us to survive the entire winter. Compared to our hometown on the Oulu River, no one here is trying to compete with us."
"Huh? Is this true?" Otto asked in surprise.
"Yes. We made a lot of smoked fish, dug cold cellars, and we even stocked up on some big fish. Big boss, I have never seen such a huge salmon, it..."
"How old is he?" Otto asked, sticking his head out. At this time, Rurik also became very interested.
Mechasta opened his arms and said, "It's that long."
"Ah! Fish, where is it?"
"The fish is almost ready. I hope this salmon master will satisfy the big boss's appetite."
This was a double entendre. Otto didn't think anything of it, but Rurik felt a little uncomfortable. If it were a giant salmon, it would be okay to call it the "Salmon Lord." This name may be the name of another tribe, and Rurik sensed the hatred in this person's heart.
Mechasta wouldn't lie about eating. Look at his happy face. Only people who don't have to worry about starving can show this joy.
Soon a scent of fragrance first entered the wooden house, the wooden door was pushed open, and the air-conditioning from the outdoors rushed in, making Rurik shiver.
Four tribal women carried a huge wooden tray, on which was placed a large, slightly blackened fish that had been grilled.
The low table that usually stood up was knocked down, the wooden tray was put down, and the wooden stick used to impale the big fish was suddenly pulled out.
"Wow! What a big fish." Otto stood up in shock. He had never seen such a huge salmon in his life.
Pre-meal etiquette? That's superfluous.
He stabbed the grilled fish with the dagger in his hand, and immediately cut off a huge piece of sizzling oily fish for himself. He ignored everything and opened his mouth to eat the fish. Only then did he realize that the fish had been pickled.
Rurik and Saipolava had already approached the wooden table and shared a huge salmon, which of course caught Rurik's eyeballs.
And the color of the fish meat is really beautiful, even if it is already sizzling with oil.
The dark orange flesh has a lot of white stripes. It is an extremely huge salmon.
Salmon is the most common salmon species in Northern Europe. In Rurik's mind, Baltic salmon should be treasured, but now that he thinks about it, it's all because humans have such big mouths that they eat the fish so much that they have to be raised in captivity.
Rurik speculated that the Airon River (the Kemi River) has only now been touched by humans. For thousands of years, a huge salmon group has set its spawning ground in Lake Rovaniemi upstream of the river. They would never have imagined that the Rus and Covins, who were good at fishing, would establish settlements!
He knew that salmon were all cold-water fish and that they lived extremely long and continued to grow throughout their lives. We also know that this kind of fish has a low fishy smell and tastes delicious no matter how you cook it. Just based on the current situation, European dill, thyme, and Rurik are all capable of obtaining a batch, but it requires a lot of manpower and material resources, and it is really not worth the gain. Lack of seasonings is not a big problem, high-quality salt is the most important thing.
This fish must have been pickled with salt provided by Balmok travelers. Rurik remembered that he left some of the good salt, so Mechasta must have processed this big fish.
Looking at this fish, Rurik felt that it must be one and a half stikas long from head to tail. It must be longer than him. It is simply impossible for several people to share such a big fish.
Regarding this fish, Mechasta explained, "For a big fish of this length, catching it is like a battle. We worked together with the Ross fishermen to catch five, and the biggest fish had long been eaten. There is this piece, I pickled it with the most precious good salt and put it in the cold cellar, just to present it to the chief."
"You did a good job." Otto twisted his neck, indicating that his son was also stunned.
A piece of fish steak was placed in front of Rurik. It was so huge that he couldn't finish it by himself. He skillfully picked up two wooden sticks and used them to pull out the fish meat, then stuffed the small pieces of meat into his mouth. The same was true for Saipolava. Her dexterity in using a wooden stick to eat meat instead of a knife or her hands really shocked Mechasta.
They were not very used to talking endlessly while eating. Otto had first arrived here and had made great efforts in the construction of Castle Ellen. He has a very high opinion of this place, and in some places, it is even better built than New Roseburg.
The architect of the settlement was actually Rurik, so Otto could ask his son directly. After all, Mechasta is the city lord, and he has a lot of questions that need answers from this person.
The huge fish fillet went into Otto's stomach three times. He drank more wine and was a little awkward when he was drunk. "Now, let's talk about those iron tools. Mechasta, you have recently learned how to blacksmith." , I want to see your mines, your shops, and your blacksmiths, and I also want to ask for the payment of a thousand axes and five hundred spearheads. Have you...really finished making them?"
Mechasta felt that he still didn't have enough trust, so he got angry and said, "Big boss, they are all in the warehouse. They are very hard axes, as good as those made by the Roseburg blacksmith, even... even steel Swords can destroy it. You can see it now if you wish."
Otto was getting more and more excited. He originally doubted Mechasta's production efficiency, but now he laughed like crazy. In fact, it was a kind of alienated drunken madness.
At this moment, Rurik should be the most concerned. Although "seeing is believing" is important, he has no doubts.
The reason for Otto's laughter was soon exposed by him. He smiled and muttered, "A thousand magical axes? It's very good to equip my tribe. The axes are very brilliant, so I have to buy them one by one. Haha, sell them again." To the people of Mälaren...aha, wealth! Endless wealth..."
As he was talking, Otto actually lay down and smiled silly a few more times, followed by heavy snoring.
Jevro stopped doing any translation, and Rurik didn’t want to say anything. Even an ordinary chromium-iron ax can cause great damage to ordinary wrought iron utensils, and it is extremely difficult to corrode.
If it were sold under the banner of "not embroidering the magic axe", the price of a pound of silver coins would be even less. This is a matter of no capital and profit. The total selling price of a thousand axes must be close to 100,000 silver coins, that is, the purchasing power of the buyer must be taken into consideration.
Rurik believed that the Melalen people would not be able to digest them instantly. In the end, these instruments would have to be armed by the Rus' themselves. The benefit of this is naturally a significant increase in the combat power of the Ross tribe.
A thousand axes must be real, and that's just four months of production capacity. The warm weather in Northern Europe only lasts for five months at most. The time for efficient iron smelting and forging production can be carried out. Rurik optimistically estimates that it is eight months. He sat at the dinner table, thinking again in his little head. I am afraid that the annual production capacity of this group of Kewen people can exceed 2,333 ferrochrome axes.
"Is he... okay? Lord Rurik." Mechasta stretched his head and asked.
"Of course he's fine, it's just that we are all tired from the long journey, and he drank again..." Rurik suddenly asked seriously, "Now tell me what happened when you were blacksmithing."
Rurik soon understood how the defeated Kovins of Elon-Olava Castle were able to complete powerful iron smelting with only more than 300 people.
There are certainly excellent furnaces here, the amazing efficiency of hydraulic free forging and the enthusiasm of newly minted blacksmiths. It also lies in Mechasta's management of the tribe. For example, there is a group of women in the mine, and they are actually using sledgehammers and picks and axes made of ferrochrome to dig out ore. Those reindeer carts were simply driven by children to transport ore on the roads cut out forcibly. Even the man who controls the water wheel forging is helped by the tribal children.
Rurik, who knows a lot about the production of industrial products, is very aware of the efficiency of hundreds of people, both men and women, participating in blacksmithing as an almost "industrial population". They spontaneously form a division of labor. Rurik believes that This is the wisdom forced out by the pressure of tribute.
In fact, they began to show strong development potential as early as July. If they were lazy, a city standing in a bitter cold land would not rise from the ground.
Even so, it was a miracle that three hundred men, women, and children spent four months processing the ore into nearly two thousand iron tools of various types. Rurik did know something inside, that is, the axes and spearheads they made were almost all for war. Therefore, the axes were small, which was extremely convenient for combat. The spearheads were slender, and they could be used as excellent javelins when installed with wooden poles. Therefore, the use of iron materials is very economical.
The space within the wooden walls of Ironburg is very large. Even if a large number of wooden houses are built, Rurik can deliberately build five hundred of them compactly. If you don't care too much about the quality of life, it is completely feasible to house 3,000 people in this settlement.
The core factor that limits the population size of a settlement is food supply. Cities can be very cold, but as long as there is an adequate supply of food and water, creatures like humans can take root.
Rurik is very confident in this settlement in the far north. It is reasonable that its population currently remains at more than a thousand people.
There are actually a large number of salmon that regard the Iron River (Kemi River) as the only waterway for reproduction. Not only did he think about it, he also understood why there were a large number of polar bears and brown bears wandering here. They took a fancy to the salmon resources here.
Mechasta was still drunk, so he was able to report many things to Rurik, and allowed his daughter to act like a spoiled child in his arms.
"Master, is it appropriate to let the big leader sleep here? He...should go to the wooden bed." Mechasta pointed to the wooden house with a glance.
Rurik glanced at the old man snoring on the ground and shook his head regretfully; "Let him lie here and sleep, the fireplace will keep him warm."
"But...he is the big leader."
"But I am your master." Rurik gritted his teeth and emphasized.
"Okay... okay." Mechasta composed himself. He felt that he understood something, but also seemed to know nothing.
For example, Jevlo, of course he felt that Rurik's decision was inappropriate, so he suggested: "Sir, I can take a few brothers and place the leader on the wooden bed."
"No need, I've made up my mind."
Rurik's decisive look made Jevro feel unfamiliar as never before. For a moment, he realized the obvious: the son was actively replacing his father. Everyone has a dark side in their heart. For example, Jevlo's dark side is to seek revenge on the people who captured him as a slave. However, after so many years, who is the enemy?
He estimated that Rurik wanted Otto to die in peace so that he could take over power earlier. If that were the case, Jevlo would be willing to be a pawn.
In fact, the problem is not that complicated. Rurik simply can't stand Otto's hangover. Of course, the Russians should be associated with spirits to respond to the situation. Of course, spirits are already an important medicine in the tribe. Otto has really found a treasure. Since the technology of distilling low-alcohol ale into spirits was realized, who has been the biggest beneficiary? Of course, the big boss should be the first to enjoy good things. No, as long as he gets strong liquor, this guy wants to drink it to his heart's content.
Soon, Elon Olawa Fort fell into true silence. Mechasta accumulated a lot of mature experience when he fought against the Salmon Lord tribe for a long time in the former mountain fortress. For example, how to quickly build wooden walls and how to arrange night watchmen.
The cold wind of the Arctic blew away all the clouds, and the bright moonlight illuminated the entire earth. The flames inside the city wall were fierce, and crackling sounds were heard one after another. Those who were rubbing their hands by the bonfire were all night watchmen taking turns. The night watchmen who stood on the towers, wrapped like bears, could hear the penetrating tinkling of the waterwheels and the faint waves lapping on the marshy shore. Not far away from the dock, the boats docked were also swaying weakly with the slowly freezing river.
The guests from Fort Ross were already lying in the wooden huts reserved by the unknown. They had eaten and drank enough and were sleeping soundly. Their shouts could not be covered up by the north wind.
The night watchmen were worried that the days ahead would get colder and colder, and they all had a premonition that the first snow was already approaching. So, is Leader Ross’s fleet leaving first? Or will the wind and snow come first?
