A majestic ship raised its magnificent triangular sail, and the ship sailed into the Melalen people's dock. Avora's heroic appearance completely stood out from the crowd, eclipsing the other ships moored at the dock.
The leaders of all the tribes in the alliance have arrived, and the leaders of all sizes and their entourage have already settled in the Melalen Market.
They all knew that the leader of the alliance had opened a tavern, where ale and even some rare spirits were sold. In order to earn more money, Origen came up with some tricks after being ordered to blend batches of strong ale, which really pleased the visitors.
The leaders deliberately went to the ale tavern to inquire about the news. No, they really learned some news about the Russians.
The big ship has been docked at Gould Island. For the sake of their own face, the leaders, especially Ungreave, the leader of the Unkras tribe, were really full and went to visit the "defected" Gould family, not to mention that they did not want to visit the "defected" Gould family in the wrong place. Great location to admire the majesty of the ship.
Rumors have already spread all over the market. Everyone says that the big ship is actually a kind of warship. As long as she rams towards a certain target, it will be easily broken. She will participate in the battle in this way.
Finally, on the agreed date of May 1st of the Julian calendar, they no longer had to be bothered by rumors, and could watch the Aurora arrive at the Mälaren Pier without losing face.
The Avora is docked next to the trestle dedicated to cargo ships. Her relatively flat bottom occupies a large area. Since it is currently empty, her maximum draft is only about one meter.
A group of warriors were ordered to garrison the ship. Before the end of the alliance, their food and drink would be settled in the ship. The job of these people is to be on guard and prevent those who want to do harm to the ship while watching.
A collection of ropes was hauled to the dirt bank and tied to wooden stakes driven deep into the soil.
A wooden board nailed to the steps was put down, and Otto, after more than ten years, finally set foot on the territory of the Malaren people again.
"Well, not bad."
He was in a good mood and didn't care at all about the large group of Melalen people who were watching, and he had no intention of paying attention to the envoys from the allied tribes who were mixed in.
He was dressed in chain mail, and hanging from his waist was a jewel-encrusted sword. On his head is a dark yellow bronze helmet, decorated with a circle of white ermine velvet. He also wore a polar bear skin shawl on his shoulders, and some strips of cloth printed and dyed blue were wrapped around him to tie up the various parts.
Otto's outfit has a very strong blue and white color scheme, including Rurik and Carlotta who attended the meeting, who were also dressed in the same style. Even the accompanying warriors wore at least a gray-white linen cloak, which also had obvious staggered blue and white tones.
This group of people amazes others as soon as they appear.
People were talking to each other, whispering about the very uniform attire of the Russians. Because the day before, alliance leader Olegin and his "black army" took their "black weapons" and paraded armed through the streets of Mälaren.
The Russians are here, and the blue and white colors obviously make everyone feel more friendly.
All of this was Rurik's decision, even though Otto felt it was a bit unnecessary at first. Since Gould Island had enough linen material, it made sense to quickly create a collection of markers representing Ross.
"Dad, let's go. Ignore their attention," Rurik urged.
"Well, we do have something special."
Otto held the hilt of his sword in his hand, and his steps were strong and bold. The sixteen escorts headed by Jevro lined up in an oval. They walked through the muddy streets of Mälaren and headed straight towards Origen's mansion. They unceremoniously pushed anyone who stood in their way, or scolded them to leave. Their arrogance and arrogance were no worse than Origen's.
"What are you so proud of? This is the territory of the Melalen people..."
"Let's go quickly, I don't want to offend these Russians."
"Look, their clothes are more gorgeous than the leader's private soldiers. They also have big ships! The Russians really shouldn't be underestimated these years."
"Oh, I wish they were brave on the battlefield..."
Rurik heard the strange whispers of the Melalen people. He noticed that his father's expression was a little irritable. Could it be that he was bothered by these unkind rumors?
This is discrimination. Even though everyone belongs to an alliance, the alliance is not maintained by so-called "friendship". Melalen treats other tribes with a arrogant attitude. They do have arrogant capital, but can this kind of capital be maintained for a long time?
Perhaps the actions of the Russians today deeply stimulated their outlook.
On the other hand, Origen had quickly transformed his mansion into a venue for the alliance.
The alliance will be divided into two parts. In the first part, all the leaders will gather together to discuss substantive matters. In the second part, the alliance will be made sacred and legal at the altar.
Most of the leaders had already arrived, but the Russians were the last to arrive.
This is not because the Ross people are rude, it is simply because it takes a while to put on these gorgeous outfits, and the Ross people have to set off from Gould Island, and they don't want other leaders to spend the night in Mälaren at least.
A large number of black guards, carrying round shields and holding short spears, stood like sculptures under the wooden wall of Olegin's mansion. Not to mention, the actions of the Mellaren people really made Rurik's eyes light up.
"Do you know about ceremonial matters, Origen? I thought you were the one who ordered you when you were fighting, charging like a herd of wild boars howling." Rurik thought this way.
After a brief negotiation, the guards welcomed a group of Russians into the wooden wall in surprise.
After a while, the large-scale Russian guards were all arranged to lead troops in a rest room. Only Otto, Rurik and Carlotta were able to enter the formal alliance site.
So the alliance site will be a gorgeous and grand place? In fact, this is not the case at all.
Rurik looked at the long house, which was quite large in scale but lacked imagination in architectural style, and had a long doorway, and he curled his lips incessantly.
Otto, on the other hand, did not remember that Origen had such a strange mansion in his mind.
A large number of wooden pillars supported this huge longhouse. At this moment, there were a large number of oil lamps standing indoors. They relied entirely on the illumination of these lights. Even though the sunshine outside was good, Rurik always felt that he had entered a cave.
It's not his first time here. The place where the agreement was signed last year was here. Who would have thought that Origen would lack imagination and place the meeting place here?
"Why does it feel like a black meeting? It's just a conspiracy. Can't he find a place where he can be honest?"
Rurik's complaint was suppressed in his heart. He was actually self-aware, because legally, as the successor to the leader of the Ross tribe, he had no right to participate in this meeting unless Origen named him.
A bonfire was lit on the sandy ground indoors, and the leaders of each tribe sat in a circle around the bonfire. Among them was Origen, who held the most noble position.
The Russians finally arrived, their special attire still eye-catching in the dim indoors.
Origen pretended to be displeased and raised his head wearing a golden crown: "Otto, maybe I should send an envoy to Gould Island to pick you up in person. You are late."
"I'm late, will it affect the alliance?" Otto said bluntly, which sounded to others like there was a conflict between the two leaders.
Origen clicked his tongue and looked at Otto sitting on the vacant leather cushion with a familiar attitude. In the same way, Carlotta and Rurik also sat on the prepared cushions.
The visit of the two children instantly caused an uproar.
Olegin, like a talker, stretched out his hands to calm everyone's doubts: "Don't be confused, they are Rurik and Carlotta, I just told you. Rurik is the next leader of Rus, and Carlotta is the female leader of Ostara.”
Oak, the leader of the Glen tribe, pursed his lips and shook his head vigorously: "This is ridiculous. The Ostara people have been wiped out by the Danes. If we, the Glen tribe, had not withdrawn early, we would all have died."
"It's you! Gran!" Carlotta's wound was opened, she stretched out her fingers and cursed: "You Gran people are cowards! We Ostara people at least resisted, we can't defeat them alone. An army of thousands of people, and you! You are not even willing to lend a helping hand, and you even slaughter the refugees we evacuated."
This matter is indeed the fault of the Gran people, and the insignificant leaders of the few small tribes who also live in the south are also part of the people who are afraid of the enemy and are fleeing, so they keep silent.
Oak, the leader of Gran, shrugged: "So what? We are alive and you are finished."
"No! There are still many people alive in Ostara, our strength is recovering, and I am not dead!"
Rurik was speechless. If he hadn't pulled the angry little girl, she would have pounced on him desperately.
Carlotta looked like an angry little wolf, with a hint of cuteness and ferocity, but the leader of the Hjelmalen people, Wenderson, noticed it.
"I didn't expect that a girl could be the leader. The Ostara people were originally a powerful tribe, but they were reduced to this. This shows that our enemies are very strong. To defeat them, we must end all differences. Really unite." Winderson said something fair to Carlotta on behalf of the Hjelmalen people.
This old man claimed to be the leader of Hjelmalen, and Carlotta's head buzzed. "My people! There are still some clansmen who have gone to Hjelmalen. Can you return them to me?"
"You?" Wenderson narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. They are my people."
"No, child, everything has changed." Wenderson shook his head: "My priests performed some rituals, and some of the women who fled in Ostara have become women of my tribe. They generally have children after they remarry. Sorry, I can't return them to you. However, I can promise to treat them well."
A sudden hope was dashed, and Carlotta let out a long sigh, thinking that the situation wasn't that bad after all.
Otto looked at this old guy, but he had no impression of this person in his mind.
This person's words revealed the fact that they already knew that the alliance was going to launch a war.
Not only was it a war, but in fact Olegin had already informed the leaders of the fact that he was proclaimed king in the absence of the Russians.
So if Olegin becomes king, will it cause any uproar? Of course not!
Because the leaders could not tell the difference between "King" and "Leader", and how the two words reflected the nobility.
Just like supporting him as the leader of the alliance, what's wrong with continuing to support him as king? After all, life goes on as usual.
Olegin revealed the war, saying that he raised a banner of revenge "for Ostara", and now he emphasized this again.
He coughed hard several times and raised his proud and old head: "We will launch a war to avenge the deaths of the Ostara people! I will also take back control of the southern river area and take back the pastures where we graze cattle! Completely wipe out the forces of Gotland and Denmark. However, our main purpose is to pay the people of Ostara!"
Listening to the king's impassioned speech, Carlotta was so excited that she cried. However, after being "beaten" before, she was smart and knew that she must rely on the Russians, especially her own man.
Karlotta is actually two years older than Rurik. She will be twelve years old in more than a year. According to the usual customs of various tribes, men and women have grown up at this age. She did not have to wait too long. Rurik would reach adulthood in only two years. What awaited her then would be a wedding, a great opportunity to become a mother, and finally the birth of a baby boy would lay the real foundation for Ostara's revival.
Olegin doesn't want to talk nonsense now. We can talk about various matters later. At the moment, he must verbally announce a major event in addition to "verbally claiming the king".
Origen stood up directly and suddenly pulled out his beautiful dagger. Then all the other leaders stood up and looked at Origen's excited face.
He raised his sword high, with the blade reaching the roof beams, and he spoke impassionedly: "Brothers! The era of the alliance has ended, and the era of our kingdom has begun. We are no longer the Swaya Tribe Alliance, but the Swaya Tribe Alliance. kingdom!"
Here, Olegin mentioned a new word invented by him, namely "Svjariga", which is a compound word, and its original meaning is "Kingdom of Svea", or "Kingdom of Sweden".
The leaders of each tribe have no idea about this word. Compared with the name of the previous alliance, this word is obviously simpler in pronunciation, but is there any difference between the two? Don’t they, the Mellarens, still hold the greatest power?
However, Rurik understood the meaning of this word.
"Sweden? Now we have entered the era of the Kingdom of Sweden? Is the tribal alliance really over?" What is irrefutable is that Rurik knew that standing in this dim longhouse was clearly witnessing a brand new The beginning of an era.
Even this beginning is far from gorgeous and glorious, and it is not even seen that Olegin's decision to proclaim himself king and establish a country could arouse cheers from the leaders.
Obviously, these things are not as important as fighting.
Rurik's eyes widened, and his mind instantly thought of the Northern Crusade, the Thirty Years' War, the Great Northern War, and so on. All greatness and glory have a small beginning. Now, the various residents of the Svealand Plain and Lake Mälaren, can they imagine that they have the ability to become rich and powerful and eventually become an existence that overwhelms Denmark?
Oh, it was Sweden's first appearance as a kingdom, which would inevitably lead to Ross's departure.
Rurik was still staring, and he saw that the other leaders were happily congratulating "Svjariga" on being a good name, with obvious hypocrisy and condescension.
Rurik wanted to fight a lot, and if anyone was the first to undermine the alliance, it was the Malaren people themselves.
It was Origen, and he represented the people of Maclaren who no longer needed an alliance. Olegin must be longing for kingship, and his successors will further compete for kingship. Is it this power, do the Russians want to fight for it?
Forget it! The Rus are not servants of the Mellarens, let alone vassals of the so-called Kingdom of Sweden.
Rurik also saw that an alliance leader could declare himself king and establish a kingdom at will, so why couldn't he do it himself?
"One day, I can tell everyone that I am the king of Rus. I can let my own people, Novgorod people, Kovin people, or other ethnic groups recognize my power. Oh, maybe it is more appropriate to call myself a prince or even the grand duke of all Rus. .When one day I become stronger, why don’t I call myself Caesar or Augustus? Or some higher-level title.”
