In just one afternoon, all the cargo carried by the Avora was sold out by the Balmoks.
The supplies in the cabin were replaced with a batch of good quality salt, which the Russians longed for most.
But among the Balmok people, their desire to buy has not diminished at all because the supplies have been sold out. Those ordinary people probably don't have too many expectations for buying some goods. Only a few lucky people bought the last remaining supplies, and the main supplies were snapped up by dozens of powerful families.
It was these big families. The representatives they sent kept shouting under the big ship, and went directly to the home of the leader Magnute, trying to talk directly with Rurik, the leader of the Rus.
Everyone's attitude is surprisingly consistent, that is, they hope that the Russians will bring more goods when they come next time.
Unfortunately, Rurik was not there.
A group of men gathered in front of Magnut's house and started talking.
"Ostan, you actually invited the Russians to your home. What are you plotting?"
"He did this because he was afraid that the next time the Russians came over, all the good things would be bought by the guys from Washobi."
"That's not possible. We are not poor people, so why should they take advantage of us?"
"Yes! By doing this, Austen is destroying the unity of the brothers."
…
Maybe people are always willing to share adversity, but cannot enjoy happiness together because of selfish desires.
Leader Magnut and Biyongni tried their best to appeal to everyone to calm down and stop using bad words to hurt the harmony.
"Everyone, please listen to what I have to say." Magnut waved his big hands and said, "We will hold a meeting soon. The Russians intend to explain many important things to us. I have learned some things, but the Russians obviously have more ideas. .”
"Do you know something?" a strong man suddenly shouted.
"I know best." Biyongni raised his head and said: "Barda, my friend, I know something about the situation."
"You! Biyongni, you have been living with the Ross people for a while, and the brothers happened to ask you something. Just tell us what you know now."
Barda is also outstanding among many Balmok men. This man is young, powerful and courageous. His father has recently died, so he naturally takes charge of the entire family. These people and the family power behind them are really the factors that allowed Balmok to condense into the backbone of a behemoth.
Those who insist on hiding in the fjord are tantamount to cowardice. People present are willing to go out, but unfortunately they lack leaders and opportunities.
The Biyongni brothers and the brave men of the tribe, their wonderful adventures in the past year are really the stories of every family, and any ambitious person intends to imitate them.
On behalf of his father, he publicly announced something to his brothers: "You have all seen the Russian ships! I saw a large number of ships in the Russian ports, and their shipbuilding workshops are still building new ships! The Russian ships The leader strongly wishes to form an alliance with us and is willing to sell us a large ship.”
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere became lively again.
But new and major problems emerged one after another. There are two main issues. First, who owns the ownership of the large ship? Second, what is the price of the large ship?
Because of the Nordic tradition of the Balmok tribe, the ownership of some important things is essentially owned by everyone, such as a ship as huge as an iceberg. She is of course the wealth of the tribe, and the money to purchase the ship should also be paid by the entire family. Tribe pays.
The most critical issue is the price of the big ship.
When Biyongni pointed out that the price of good salt was as high as two thousand pounds, everyone was shocked.
It's as if Biyongni has become a despicable liar, tricking everyone into raising a very high price, and finally enriching himself during the transaction.
yes! Two thousand pounds of salt for a boat? Is this bullying an honest person?
When even doubtful words were directed at Biyongni, his cheeks were as red as a toad with anger. He held back a sentence for a long time: "If you have any complaints, don't target me. These are the opinions of Rurik, a Russian. When the meeting starts, you can negotiate with him."
As night fell, the boiling Balmok finally calmed down.
Rurik and his party had to live in Washobi, living with a group of ordinary local fishermen.
People learned that this young man from Rus was going to show everyone the right path so that they could build a new home in a warm land. Hundreds of Vashobi came, they lit more bonfires, looked around Rurik himself, and then praised him profusely for such a beautiful boy, he must be a good man from Asgard.
This night, Rurik had no choice but to stay in the simple house with Nolen. Even so, from the perspective of locals, the place where the two live is considered high-end.
Ordinary fishermen in Washebe, their houses are mainly built with stone and mud walls, soil is piled outside the walls, rough wooden boards made of tree trunks on the roof, and a large number of branches and soil are laid on them. They were more like rabbits living in caves, and their simplicity really left Rurik speechless.
At night, even though it was a brief contact, Nolen already regarded Rurik as a relative that he could not let go of. What is love at first sight? She fell in love with Rurik at first sight. Even though he was living in this simple place, Rurik didn't complain and he had nothing to say.
"The wind outside is a little different." Rurik murmured in the darkness.
Nolen twisted his body. She seemed a little cold, so she clenched the arm of the person next to her and whined a few times.
"I thought Vashobi was a wealthy existence, but I didn't expect that they spent all their wealth on buying iron tools. Anyway, the quality of my iron tools has to be far beyond their imagination. Leading a group of fishermen like them to attack Britain? How can they? You must be prepared to die in battle. Nolen...are you awake?"
The girl twisted her body again and hummed twice.
"Okay. Go to sleep."
It’s a new day, and the entire fjord is filled with fog.
After waking up, Rurik twisted his body and felt wet all over. This was indeed the case. When he realized what had happened, he could only sigh with emotion. Living on land along the Atlantic coast must be accompanied by moisture.
A new storm is brewing in the far north, and today's heavy fog is just a prelude.
It was not until noon that the strong sunlight blew away the weapons, and Rurik took a boat back to Balmok's home port with some local products sent by the Vashobi (a little cheese made from goat's milk and a packet of salt).
Balmok is a large settlement united with a large home port and several villages with hundreds of people. In fact, according to current European standards, the Balmok people can completely claim to have established a kingdom. After all, from all aspects, they have all the conditions to establish a kingdom.
By displaying the Vashobi, Rurik was able to penetrate deeply into the ordinary lives of the locals. From his own memory, it is not difficult to see that the living conditions of this group of people are strikingly similar to the Russians in the past - they are all very poor. .
In the next two days, he visited the main area of the fjord settlement accompanied by Nolen and Floki.
Especially the rugged road leading to the snow-capped mountains where the three of them were standing.
Floki proudly raised his right hand and pointed at the mountains: "Just keep walking along the road, and when we climb the hills we will find a lake. Some people live in mountain lakes. Last year Biyongni and I went on a boat on the lake. Following the river flowing eastward, I finally found you."
There are no roads in the world. Pedestrians trample their feet to find the way. When there are no roads, rivers are the best way. But compared to rivers, the sea is obviously a better way.
The so-called hopeless race to the top of the mountain. When Rurik learned that last year Floki and others had walked for three days before reaching the mountain lake, he decided not to join in the fun now. He did decide on a land route back to Russia, but in terms of time efficiency, taking the sea route was a long way round and the speed was really fast.
The weather seems to have changed. Why is the south wind that should be warm suddenly mixed with a hint of coolness?
Rurik did not pay further attention to such changes, because the powerful families could no longer endure it, and a meeting was officially held in the public forum of Balmok.
What is going to be discussed at this meeting? Rurik already knew a thing or two beforehand.
The men in Balmok spoke very simply. As soon as Rurik took his seat in an important position, a sharp question came to him.
The strong man Barda, who was elected as a spokesman by a kind of doubter, raised questions about the purchase of large ships: "Rurik of Rus, the brothers have already discussed it, and we Balmoks are essentially willing to Buy one of your big ships. But how can we get the price you offered for two thousand pounds of good salt? Since you intend to ally with us, you should show greater sincerity. Otherwise, brothers will only turn you into I regard you as a good businessman from afar, but I don’t really regard you as a brother.”
Rurik thought about this problem, and he had already discussed it with Osten in Washebi. Besides, if two thousand pounds of salt are used to buy a big ship, who loses?
He winked at Austen.
Sure enough, Osten stood up, faced the more than 20 brothers present and said: "The price offered by the Russians is already very cheap. This young Rurik, he and Biyoni swore to Odin that they would be different in this life. Half-brothers from father to mother. It was this friendship that caused the price of four thousand pounds of salt to be reduced by half."
There is actually such an inside story? People started talking.
However, as the spokesperson of the doubters, Barda asked: "So, we still made a profit? Haven't you thought about how much effort we put into making only two thousand pounds of salt?" As he said, he stared at Rurik again: "Beautiful boy, may your heart be as pure as snowflakes. You are a businessman, and you should not overly exploit our wealth."
"You?" Rurik put on an angry face: "Maybe your leader has more say. I didn't force you to buy it, and I did give you a preferential price. After twenty days of sailing, I can I’m not here to spread the wealth for you. Do you know how much materials it costs to build a big ship? What kind of battles we have to go through when we pass through the Danish-controlled areas?"
When asked, Barda was speechless.
Suddenly someone shouted again: "Magnut's fairy is already Rurik's wife. This is the biggest benefit the Russians can earn."
Magnute coughed twice and refuted: "My daughter and her marriage are another matter. Whoever Nolen marries is my right!"
As soon as he finished speaking, some discordant boos came from the crowd.
Not to mention that Nordic’s parliament should be a harmonious existence? How could it possibly become a scene of quarrel?
Rurik hurriedly said loudly: "We in Rus have a lot of goods, but you only have salt and a small amount of sheep in exchange for me. You are short of gold and silver, and you are short of other goods. I found that your settlements are also very bad. People live like groundhogs. Maybe you have adapted to this kind of life? Don't you like to explore outside? Or are there only a few brave people who plan to go out, and more people like to fight in their nests? "
After being scolded, someone pulled his beard and shouted: "We have always wanted to explore the outside world and expand into new territories. However, our expansion must compete with the Bergen people. As for the place east of the mountains, that is yours." territory.”
"You're all open to exploring the outside world. Why not do it?"
Leader Magnut already understood everything Rurik wanted to say. Biyoni directly told his father that the Russians had a desire to explore the western sea, or that this desire to explore mainly lies in Rurik. Because Magnute himself never knew anything about the western sea, some of the most basic things were deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Of course, he remains steadfast in the legendary sea and abyss at the end of the world. However, due to the results of his son Biyongni's exploration last year, Magnute believed that the terrible abyss was still very far away, and it would take several months of continuous sailing for mortals to peer into the dark space beyond the world.
Magnute pretended to be helpless and said: "We long for wheat-growing land, warm pastures, and better herring fisheries. Our young people are eager to go out and have a career, so many of them went to the south to work as mercenaries. We Desire to be rich, we are fed up with this barren fjord. Who can give us a chance to get out?"
Look at this question, how wonderful it is? !
Rurik laughed loudly: "Okay, I will give you a chance to expand. You go and plunder resources, especially gold and silver. You will trade with us after you become rich."
Magnute pretended to be shocked again and asked weakly: "We join forces to attack Bergen? No! There are one hundred thousand of them!"
"It's that huge island in Britain, where your family's Briton slaves came from."
"I bought those slaves from the market in Bergen. This is how the slaves of our tribe come. Others are purchased from Hedebe."
Rurik continued to question: "Then why don't you attack the source of slaves? The land in Britain is fertile, the land there is suitable for growing wheat and grazing, and the surrounding seas have a lot of herring. Why don't you organize an army to conquer? The Danes are already trying, and the Bergen people are busy catching slaves and selling them to you at a high price. If you don't take action, all the good places will be occupied by them. By then, they will become richer and richer and you will still stand still. Do you think this is a good thing? When they are strong enough, they will attack you without hesitation."
The venue suddenly fell silent.
At this moment, no one thought that because Rurik was just a young man, what he said was worthy of question.
Rurik's words point to two very critical issues for the Balmoks.
First, rush to Britain, plundering can make you rich immediately, and settling down can make you rich for a long time.
Second, a new era has arrived. If the Balmoks do not act boldly, everyone will eventually be annexed by the powerful Bergens.
For them, the second situation is more fatal, because this is the most acute problem that the people here are facing.
Barda, who was elected as the "harlequin", raised his fists: "Rurik of Rus is right! Those Bergen people have asked you to join them many times. Why? If you join them, we must obey Those people's orders must also be paid to their leader."
"Yes!" Osten also stood up with his fists raised high: "I support Rurik's proposition. I only represent all the people of Vashobi. Rurik knows the correct route to Britain. I want to lead my friends to rush To Britain, I want to occupy a warm meadow to build a new home, breed a large population and become strong."
Ostein's words were too straightforward, and now everyone understood that before this meeting, Rurik went to Ostein's place as a guest, which already explained too many things.
Osten is clearly a die-hard supporter of the Russians. People can't help but think carefully about how to get those people to support the Russians. This Rurik of Russia must have promised a lot of good things.
Based on the second fatal question, smart people immediately think of a new situation.
Since the Rus are very powerful, wouldn't it be enough for Balmok to form an alliance with them? What a coincidence! This matter was something Biyoni, the son of the leader Magnut, tried his best to promote, especially the description of the ten warriors who had been to Rus. They knelt down facing the first ray of sunshine after the long night and praised Odin's greatness. On this occasion, I also witnessed the oath of three men with my own eyes.
The blood alliance made the Balmok people feel strange, but if they think about it carefully, this ceremony is a great symbol, symbolizing that people of different bloodlines have a common bloodline through bloodshed.
In line with the current atmosphere, Chief Magnut, who has the most say, persuaded everyone: "I have decided to form an alliance with the Rus. You listen to what I say, because the relationship between Bergen and the Danes is getting closer. We and Bergen People are essentially enemies. Although we have not really started a war, the Russians and the Danes are already in a long state of war. They have the ambition to conquer the known world. We and the Russians should unite to protect ourselves. Necessary We can also organize coalition forces to resist their invasion."
"Then unite!" Ostan continued to raise his fist: "Brothers, look at it! Rurik will lead us to attack Britain. We will plunder and open up the wasteland ourselves. When we make a fortune, we can buy More big Ross ships. When we get stronger, the guys in Bergen won’t look down on us anymore.”
"Yes! Unite! Then, attack Britain! I, Barda, fully support this idea of making a fortune." It was Barda who spoke. Rurik was a little strange. Maybe this strong man was a villain from the beginning?
In fact, Barda was really convinced. In other words, the desire to get rich is occupying the whole mind. All the problems lie in Balmok's poverty. If he gets rich by attacking Britain, wouldn't all the problems in the past be solved? Besides, it’s not just as simple as making a fortune? A group of young men in the tribe cannot get women because of poverty. If they organize an army to fight in Britain and plunder the women there, the brothers' problem of getting wives will also be solved.
In the past, explorers who rushed to the sea never came back because they lacked experience.
But this Rurik was completely different. The Russians came prepared.
Barda had gained Rurik's new fan, and upon seeing this, the doubters were instantly concerned. Two words were shouted rhythmically throughout the chamber.
"Unite! Britain!"
"Unite! Britain!"
…
In the extremely heated atmosphere, Magnute smiled and slapped his legs, signaling everyone to be quiet for the time being.
"Now, we should choose an excellent day to confirm the alliance between our two tribes through a ceremony. I decided to sacrifice on the summer solstice! On that day, we swore to Odin. That day was also the day when my Norn and Ross stayed. The day of Rick's marriage. Also, since everyone thinks that following the Russians to attack Britain is bound to win, let's take advantage of the warm period of this year to act! You all go and prepare, select the bravest warriors, and we organize an army launch an attack."
People were excited again, and Rurik was immersed in the atmosphere. He knew that at this moment, the core strength of the entire Balmok tribe would essentially obey his own orders.
As for attacking Britain, Rurik counted the time, and he was sure that he had plenty of time and opportunity. Besides, due to climate factors, I decided to return home between September and October. Although the climate is already very cold, the Avora can rush through the Danish-controlled area at the fastest speed along with the strong Arctic cold.
