The huge sled team ran wildly on the ice, and Rurik was also amazed by the hugeness of this hill lake.
Even though it is April, the breath of spring seems to be nowhere to be found here. The ice on Lake Torna is still very thick, the lakeside is also covered with thick white snow, and there are white rime everywhere.
Of course everyone hopes to find a way out of the mountains on the day they arrive at the lake, but the lake is too long.
It took them almost a day to find another frozen stream, but just under the ice, the stream was trickling.
People were forced to camp in the pine forest to rest, and the excitement during the day had been consumed by the ice and snow. They had no regrets, because the direct path to Balmok was right in front of them.
At night, the clear air seemed to be dazzled by the brilliance of stars, and green lasers of elusive shapes flashed frequently and changed rapidly.
The Balmok people have long been tired of seeing such a magnificent scenery. They naturally describe it as a parade of Valkyries, which is probably nothing more than that.
On the other hand, the Rus people, because of the "ascension" of the old priest Vilia to the Valkyrie, people are increasingly looking forward to seeing the magnificent aurora, because it is a memory of the noble deceased, and even the entire old time.
On a new day, the sun shines on this white world, and the golden light forces everyone to put on their sunglasses again.
Rurik stood on his house sled, raised his right arm and roared: "The last journey is now, let's keep going!"
His roar was almost covered by the wind. Seeing their leader being so excited, everyone immediately cheered up.
Compared with climbing up the hill, going down the mountain is fast and convenient, especially during this period of thick snow.
The reindeer herd was driven by whips, and the sleigh team moved forward quickly. On the downhill slope, numerous sled tracks converged to form a compacted ice road.
At first, the Balmok loggers who noticed the abnormal noise paused their work vigilantly. When the bearded guy and his young son carrying a rattan basket noticed the oncoming team, it was already too late.
They ran away instinctively, and suddenly they heard a thick male voice calling: "Don't be afraid, we are also Balmoks!"
The one who roared was Rurik's Balmok mercenary, and his roar stopped the misunderstanding.
The father and son who were logging were surprised. They saw a flag hanging on a large sleigh carrying a shack. It was clearly the flag of the Russians.
The father and son were still in shock, and Rurik walked out holding Nolen's hand.
Nolen, she gently took off her warm white velvet hat with a smile on her face.
The Balmok tribe has a large population. Apart from recognizing the faces of some family leaders, Nolen is naturally face-blind to ordinary people.
However, his biological father, who had been promoted to king, had already made himself a countess, and the father and son in front of him were his subjects.
Nolen took a deep breath, raised his delicate chin and said proudly: "Ordinary people! I! Nolen Magnodot, am your new leader! Now, I have returned to Balmok."
It's Nolen! Magnute’s beautiful little daughter!
This was the first time that the logging father and his son had seen the old leader Magnute's baby daughter so close up. Many people originally thought that naming their daughter after a goddess was transgressive, but now they see the strange person's true appearance, and she is exactly like the goddess in everyone's minds. image.
Nolen's clothes are white, like the color of pure snow. Her golden hair and fair face exude peace. The glass and amber pendants on her clothes show what nobility is.
The scene was a bit weird after all. Nolen took another deep breath, followed her father's example and stretched out her hand to command: "Ordinary people, give me a warrior salute!"
No, Rurik watched helplessly as the logging father and son put their axes on the ground and knelt down on one knee in a warrior salute.
"That's it." Rurik clapped his hands vigorously: "I am Rurik! Rurik, Duke of Ross, I came as promised last year, although it is a little late."
With such words, the somewhat confused woodcutter and his son all came to their senses.
The old guy with a big beard had a happy face. Rather than regard Nolen as the leader, everyone who decided to stay preferred to be ruled by Rurik of Rus.
"It turns out to be Lord Rurik. Wow! What a powerful team."
The man's bold culture piqued Rurik's interest, and he asked, "I guess it's not far to where you live?"
"After this forest, you will see everything," said the woodcutter.
"Okay." Rurik threw a silver coin casually, waved his hand, and ordered the following teams to continue moving forward.
This pine forest is not large in scale. After everyone left the forest, the whole world suddenly became clear.
Rurik saw the vast Atlantic Ocean, and it was wonderful to appreciate the ocean from this higher altitude. Under the hills is the huge Narvik Bay. Looking at the fjords, there are all kinds of houses in it. Ask yourself, compared to the fjord of Roseburg, the Balmok people's hometown does have more room for development. For example, many coastal flatlands are actually good places for grazing.
Unfortunately, the sea was obviously rough, but the coast was still covered with ice and snow.
The North Atlantic Warmth is well-deserved, but it is still in the Little Ice Age. It cannot thaw the entire Narvik Bay in April.
It is for this reason that Rurik has no worries about returning to Ironburg at the earliest in mid-May. After all, even if the sea thaws, there will be ice floes everywhere on the sea, and the land, especially the vast land in the north, will not be able to wait until the ice and snow Complete dissolution will have to wait until the summer solstice.
Because the new settlements of the Russians, such as Ironburg and Fiskburg, are in the Arctic Circle in a complete sense.
This was theoretically the case, but Rurik did not dare to waste any more time in Balmok.
The arrival of the Ross sled team was unexpected by the Balmok people, but when they arrived successfully, the people who stayed behind were mobilized on the spot. The good news spread quickly, and a large number of people rowed boats and rushed to the gathering place of the sled team.
It was almost evening, and because the Ross sled team was too obvious, many people in Balmok had already noticed this situation and were already gathering spontaneously.
Nolen got off the sled lightly and stepped on the thick snow-covered land of his hometown again.
The assembly point was deliberately chosen by Rurik near the old leader's mansion. From now on, the ownership rights of Magnute's old mansion were officially transferred to Nolen.
Thousands of Balmoks gathered with smiles and chattered around Rurik. They seemed to have ten thousand words that they couldn't finish.
Then when a group of short black-haired Tavastian women got off the sleigh one after another, the people's surprise instantly turned into murmurs.
Everyone soon realized that this was the so-called trophy, and it was the woman who was to be returned to the Balmok people.
Rurik's mercenaries banged their shields for a while, and the noisy crowd gradually quieted down.
He stood on a high place, shouted at the top of his lungs, and announced his important decision very straightforwardly and simply.
"I am Rurik of Rus! I am the husband of Countess Nolen of Balmok! I am the supporter you can rely on! Now I declare that the Principality of Rus has the right to manage the entire Narvik Fjord, and all those who are unwilling to leave The Balmoks must respect the rule of me and Nolen!"
Rurik almost shouted out some very critical information. In fact, the Balmok people were not only mentally prepared for these matters, but also discussed them in the past six months.
Originally, Rurik was worried that someone would jump out to object, but he found that people were just whispering to each other, trying to figure out the situation as if there was no objection at all.
At that moment, a middle-aged man came out.
"It's you, Chief Bryngod!" Nolen asked with a hint of excitement and surprise, "Looking at your face, are you planning to stay here?"
"You guessed it right. Nolen, I knew about you last year." The middle-aged man named Bryn Goethe glanced at Nolen and said a few words, then pointed his face at Rurik: "My Lord Duke of Ross, I solemnly declare on behalf of my family that I will not leave. I support your rule, but I insist on the girl Nolen as our leader, unless you and her can give birth to a boy. This boy will get everyone's support. admit."
What this person said was completely within Rurik's expectation.
Talking about this Bryn Goed, Rurik used his brain and indeed remembered that this family sent troops to participate in the expedition to Britain last year.
"I remember a warrior named Bjorn Bringoldson. I believe that is your son." Rurik pointed casually and asked.
"That's my second son, but he can't inherit the family business. I don't think this fjord is a bad place. My second son wants to go on an expedition. He and the people who are determined to immigrate are already in Britain, and I will lead him Let the remaining members of the family recognize your rule."
Things went much smoother than I thought! Rurik is very happy that what he preached to them last year was really the most correct measure.
It was already evening, and the sunset should have made people lazy, but what Rurik saw was everyone's enthusiasm.
Rurik continued: "If you are loyal to me, then you should know that the result of loyalty is that you will become a member of the Rus. You will also forever be separated from the Kingdom of York established by the Balmoks in Britain."
The old Bryn Goethe looked indifferent and said bluntly: "There are many people like me."
After a while, a few more bearded old soldiers stood up. They reported that their families were actually some large local families with a prosperous population.
After all, everyone has his own ambitions, and the Narvik Fjord is not really useless because of its rich fishery resources. These people who stayed behind were not really afraid of the unexpected world in the fjord and refused to leave. They were more dissatisfied with Britain, or they simply had an inconvenient and direct objection to old Magnute holding the position of leader. Opinion.
Rurik, the Duke of Rus, was young and brave, brave enough to fight and always victorious. Such a promising hero was most sought after by everyone.
No one was really obsessed with the concept of "Balmok". The old guys who stood up represented their own families and knelt down on one knee in public to salute Rurik as a warrior.
The radical also announced: "A winter of thinking is over. Now that my family has figured it out, please treat us as Rus people from now on. We only recognize Rick as our leader."
Because the Balmoks are not a nation at all. Going back to their roots, the ancestors of the Rus and the Balmoks all immigrated to Scandinavia from the Jutland Peninsula at the same time. The time when the two sides separated was not the same. Not so long that the language is the same.
Rurik got off the sled excitedly and personally helped the group of old guys who expressed their surrender.
As a new arrival, he never expected that he had just arrived at the core settlement of the Balmok people and that he had basically received support as soon as he got off the sled.
Such a favorable situation is at hand. No matter what their purpose is in announcing to join Ross, they are indeed asking to join. As the Duke of Ross, naturally they cannot break the hearts of these admirers.
Although things were developing too fast, Rurik did not care about his own rest. In the leader's chamber, as the supreme leader of Balmok, he received all the dignitaries who stayed behind and reiterated Ross's attitude. , and even subsequent arrangements and so on.
This was no longer a public announcement at dusk, but aimed at the left-behind elites, Rurik held a meeting related to the future of the entire fjord's left-behind people.
At the beginning, the meeting was lively and lively, with all the participants declaring their determination to join Rus and their loyalty to Lord Rurik.
After some polite words, Rurik also listed the goods he had brought in front of everyone. He was so surprised that he raised his head as he smelled the goods, looking greedy as he wanted to take advantage of them.
"They all belong to you. Now I would like to know. It seems that Magnute's fleet has not arrived yet. Who among you can know when they will arrive?"
That Bryn Goethe said bluntly: "Perhaps only God knows when they will arrive. My lord, the women you sent are destined to be transported to Britain. We cannot get them, but the young people we are determined to stay behind also want to get their wives. You said last year Yes, I will have a chance to get a wife as a mercenary for you, so you...will keep your promise."
Rurik was stunned for a moment, thinking that the words of these guys were direct and there was no subtlety in asking for women.
He ignored Nolen's presence and pretended to be an old man with a silly smile: "Of course! It is my responsibility to arrange wives for my brothers who are loyal to me."
"That's great. Some of the boys from my family have spared no effort and become your mercenaries. You will be their great benefactor."
"Really? Let's get serious. Tell me, Bryn Goed, how many men can your family provide? How many men can you provide regardless of whether they are married or not, including young men who can take up arms?"
"This..." Bryn Goed instinctively felt wary, but he still pinched his fingers and said, "There are at least twenty people. There are also some other people who are willing to stand up in the name of my family."
Rurik's silly smile has turned into seriousness, and the speed of his face change is unpredictable. "Are there fifty people?"
"Probably."
"So, what do you think if I let most of them go to Ross?"
"If they are all mercenaries for you, I have no idea. I am an old father, and old fathers cannot restrain their ambitious sons. For example... I heard that the old Duke of Ross has bravely taken over the power I give it to you. You are indeed a hero."
Rurik shook his head, then stood up and paced in front of everyone: "I don't want to listen to flattery anymore, and I won't say anything else. To tell you the truth, I will attack the enemies in the far east in the summer, which may be dangerous. Enemies, if you defeat them, you will receive great honors and rich trophies. I am not just here to declare to be your ruler with Norun! As a ruler, I will naturally bring you to make a fortune together. You are all noble People, please tell me, how many men can you come up with?"
They looked at each other and couldn't help but discuss in a low voice, simply because the question was so sudden and even unexpected.
Rurik deliberately waited for a while and clapped his hands again: "It's not difficult to organize five hundred warriors, right? It would be great if you could organize a thousand warriors!"
"Please let us think about it." Bryn Goed said cautiously.
Rurik waved his hand: "I will give you time. I know that some of you are going to Britain, and you will have to evacuate soon. These Tavastian women were given to you, and they should belong to you. As for me, my men and I camped where we were and rested. Hopefully I'll see a team assembled tomorrow."
