Returning to the home where I have lived for ten years, I saw everything in front of me that was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.
Nolen stroked the uninspiring furnishings, thankful that there was no dust on his hands.
"They...have all left, even the servants have left." Her blond hair covered half of her face, and she murmured to herself as she looked at her hands with dull eyes.
"Are you...regretful?" Rurik asked.
She raised her head: "A little, but this is life."
"This is your home. Oh, it's also your home and mine." Rurik said casually.
"That's true, but this room should be demolished."
"Tear it down? Why bother?"
Nolen turned his face slightly: "This longhouse is really simple compared to the buildings in Roseburg. My parents and brothers have gone to Britain, and I have no nostalgia for this room."
A feeling of sadness came over me.
"You are the countess, you decide."
"At least, demolishing it is something that will happen in the future. This longhouse is very big, so brothers should not camp out and try to stay in the house as much as possible," she said.
Rurik nodded, "That's fine. After feeding the deer, the brothers will all go into the house."
It was originally the residence of the old Balmok chief, but is now filled with Rurik's men.
This is not strange at all, because Rurik has been respected as a new ruler by the people who stayed behind.
Speaking of this longhouse, although the people who stayed behind would arrange for people to come in and clean the house briefly, that was all they could do. For example, this long and narrow house, its gabled roof is still covered with a lot of snow, and would have collapsed if it were not strong enough.
The long, narrow and cold old longhouse was suddenly filled with people. Nolen's boudoir, which had been even more deserted, finally regained its popularity.
Lying in her room again, sleeping on the floor made of leather blankets, she felt strangely uncomfortable sleeping like this.
She relaxed her body and mind and subconsciously leaned into her man's arms. His parents and brothers are all far away, and Rurik is indeed his only relative at the moment.
She murmured: "You and I were supposed to have a wedding this year, but the wedding has been completed two years in advance. It's a pity that I'm really immature."
"You..." Rurik stroked her blond hair like a kitten, "You behaved like a noble today, but there are some shortcomings."
"Why not enough?"
"Lacks the aura of a noble."
"Then you teach me?" she sneered.
"Perhaps it will never be taught. Ah! It's a pity that you are a woman. I saw today that those men would rather recognize me, a Russian, as the new leader, but reject you, a pure Balmok."
"It doesn't matter, I'm very satisfied to be your woman." Nolen pretended not to care, but in fact he was filled with panic. She asked again: "How long will we stay? Rurik, I was looking forward to coming back to see it, but this place has become strange, and I want to go back now."
"Ah? This is your hometown."
"Yes and no. I still want to leave."
"Okay. I'll give those people three days. We really don't have time to delay. If the glacier melts, our return journey will be difficult. I'll see how many people they can come tomorrow. If there are enough, we will withdraw immediately. .”
Nolen hummed slightly and could only breathe quietly.
The sled has no shock absorption, and even if the ice and snow are a little soft, everyone will be easily tired due to the bumps along the way.
Things have changed, and the Balmok mercenaries of Rurik are now living in the old leader's mansion. They were a little excited at first, but now they are just snoring.
Everyone was tired, and these noises could not disturb Rurik's rest.
The snow outside absorbed too much noise, and the entire Balmok fjord was extremely quiet.
No! Beneath this quiet surface, there are more than ten small bays in this fjord, each of which is bustling with activity.
After receiving accurate information from the Duke of Ross from the largest settlement, the envoys from the stranded families hurriedly rowed back to their respective settlements.
After learning that Duke Ross was recruiting new warriors, a group of fishermen who were physically fit and good at fishing took action.
Just like old Bryn Goed, this guy returned to his home, regardless of the cold night, he summoned his sleeping relatives and neighbors and announced the Duke of Ross's request.
Recognize Rurik as everyone’s new leader? This matter was discussed and approved last year, and all the families who decided to stay agreed. A large number of retail investors who live close to the big family are also coerced and deeply agree with it.
Fight for the Duke of Ross and defeat an enemy in the east. After victory, participants will get loot!
Going to farm in Britain? The guys from Washoby Farm who have all run away may be good at this, but we brothers are not.
What the brothers are best at is killing fish and enemies. The so-called courage to kill huge whales also means the courage to fight against powerful enemies.
At the old Bryn Goethe's house, he relayed Rurik's order that night, which was a literal response.
A group of fishermen families, who are not related to Bryn Goethe, just created a small fishing village to live near and stay warm.
If the fishing village had a name, it would be called "Bryn Goethe". Bryn Goethe was just the talker of the village.
In addition to his own relatives and children, more than ninety people from the fishermen stood up. The number really surprised Bryn Goethe.
After he finished recounting, he looked at the aggressive eyes of a group of young men in leather jackets, and couldn't help but think that if these people fought with Rurik, wouldn't his small settlement be immediately depressed?
Old Bryn Goethe pulled out the eldest son who inherited the family business, hoping that the boy would say a few words. Unfortunately, this young man hesitated.
"Idiot, are you talking?"
Looking at the eldest son, he looked like he had been constipated for many days. He twisted his face and asked his father softly: "Dad, do you really want me to lead these brothers to fight? I am not a fighter."
Upon hearing this, old Bryn Goethe became angry and his blood pressure soared. But if you think about it carefully, your eldest son is such a person, and he doesn't want to cheer up even if he is called a coward.
"Forget it. I'll let your third brother come."
A young man who was about to turn eighteen, named Hellafed Bryn Goldson.
Even if the third child cannot inherit the family business according to tradition, old Bryn Goethe has no hope that the previous battle will put his two sons at risk.
The second eldest brother, Bjorn Bryn Goldson, made a great contribution and kidnapped women in Britain, and started to build his own business from scratch. At that time, the third child was still too young, so I thought it was time to let go.
Just as old Bryn Goethe hoped, the third brother Hellafed did not hesitate to seize this opportunity.
This young man didn't care about the cold. In front of his family and friends, he lifted up his fur and showed off his chest to show off his chest muscles.
Even though he still looks immature, his strong arms prove that he is nothing less than a fighter. It's just that he needs military exploits.
Since the third brother was willing to do this hard work, the eldest son breathed a sigh of relief...
A team of 100 people has been assembled like this? Old Bryn Goed knew the result of this team's departure, because once they felt that the east of the mountains was very good, they took their families and completely defected to Ross.
Coupled with the previous immigrants to Britain, everything became deserted compared to the fjord of Balmok.
Strangely enough, when old Magnute called for foreign war, these fishermen never rose up like they did today. Is it really Rurik of Ross who has strong appeal?
Old Bryn Goethe didn't know what other left-behind families and the vast number of retail investors thought. The small village where his family was located was like this. Maybe the Russians really easily gathered a large army?
This night, a huge conscription operation was being carried out smoothly. Rurik did not force them to work hard at all. A large number of men personally brought weapons and wanted to join the army.
Of course, there is respect for heroes here, but also because being Rurik's permanent mercenary, the stable reward is a hundred times better than fishing.
That night, another big thing happened.
Because there were still a group of men who had participated in the conquest of Tavastia, and they did not participate in the new expedition to Britain.
Now, a group of Tavastian female prisoners were sent over, and the men immediately went to check, peeling off their clothes to check their tattoos. Once he discovered that it was his own tattoo, he immediately took the woman away.
Rurik was by no means sending Buddha to the West. The Tavastia woman had already arrived. He had no right, much less the obligation, to care what the local Balmoks wanted.
What kind of life will these women live in Balmok? Will they get enough food? Rurik had already appealed to prominent local figures to help him, and did not ask Balmok allies for the food, clothing, and clothing expenses of this group of women in the past six months. He felt that he was already very kind.
The women who were taken away immediately began to have relationships with their new men, and combined with the previous events, the whole night was full of chaos.
Rurik didn't know or care. He just hoped that as many warriors as possible would come out of the Balmoks, and he would use some means to transform them into pure Russians.
Until noon the next day, more and more people rowed long boats and sailed through the ice-free ocean to reach the core settlement of the fjord.
Now, Rurik is willing to name this core point Narvik.
A large number of ships washed up on the beach, and what came down were a group of strong men with weapons. Some people jumped directly into the icy water that was submerged to their knees. No matter the cold, they gathered on the shore with strong momentum.
Many people wear iron helmets or bronze helmets, their clothes are mostly gray-toned leather, and their shields come in various colors.
They were not just a mob, they had a fierce aura standing on the ground.
They gathered spontaneously and soon formed a huge army.
Rurik was indeed too tired. When he went to rest, he slept until nearly noon.
Jevro boldly shook his sponsor.
"Nolen... Nolen, I'm still very sleepy..."
"My lord, it's me, Jevlo."
"You?" Rurik suddenly woke up and fumbled around with his right hand, "Where's Nolen?"
"She has gone out early."
"Oh...no! You shouldn't be so reckless."
"My lord, please allow me to apologize. However, a large number of soldiers have gathered outside, and what you wished for has been accomplished today. Nolen is already talking to them, and they are waiting for you to show up."
"It's actually like this!" Rurik never dreamed of such a surprise. He hurriedly changed his clothes and hurried out.
The sun shone on the metal helmets, and there were a lot of warriors with blond braids. They brought their own weapons, round shields in groups, and their short spears standing up became a grove.
Seeing this formidable armed warrior for the first time, Rurik estimated that their number could reach a thousand.
Not only that, because it was announced yesterday that the so-called Ross Sled Team was also taking care of trade work during this trip. The quantity of a batch of goods was not large, and they still had to be sold on the spot. The conditions Rurik gave to the locals were still the same, which was to use the prepared salt as currency for trade. As a special general equivalent, the value of the salt in this transaction was still declared by Rurik as "ten silver coins per pound of good salt”.
Therefore, there are also a large group of women wearing headscarves and strange braids, as well as some children running around.
"It's Lord Rurik! He's finally here." Suddenly someone shouted at the top of his lungs.
Someone else shouted excitedly: "Don't be in a daze! Salute our Lord!"
Everything happened very quickly. Rurik saw Nolen chatting and laughing with some old guys in gorgeous clothes. He was more concerned about these groups of warriors.
The soldiers all knelt down to perform warrior salutes, with their shields in front of them and their right hands still holding their spears. They raised their heads, and there were eyes full of hope on both sides of the huge iron nose.
Their words were mixed at first, but soon they were condensed into a neat sentence: "We don't recognize anyone except Riurika of Russia!"
Look! Listen! The sound was so loud and neat that the snow on the roof was shaken off.
As a monarch, the happiest thing is to be in such a scene, and be the ruler supported by the soldiers.
Rurik recalled that he remembered that old guy Magnut, and he had never been so respected by his tribe.
In such a magnificent scene, Rurik simply drew his sword: "Brothers, I am indeed your qualified leader. I will lead you from victory to new victory. Now I declare that you are all the purest Russians!" I recognize you as Russians! However, you must prove your strength to other Russians through a victory!"
These words are the most critical declaration of Rurik's trip. He is striking while the iron is hot to incorporate the Balmok stayers.
For these warriors who gathered together, Rurik allowed them to continue living as Rus. They fully understood what this meant.
The scene of everyone saluting was such a shock that Old Bryngod almost dropped his jaw. In his memory, no leader could get such a large number of soldiers to kneel down and salute.
Nolen was also trembling in shock. This was a concrete manifestation of his brave man's charm.
Old Bryn Goethe seized the opportunity and immediately launched his third child after Rurik made everyone stand up.
A young man with his biceps exposed in the cold wind came out holding a shield.
Hellafed's face is childish but heroic, and his deep eyes are the most traditional Norwegian face. As for the bald half of his head with blue streaks and the short braid tied up on the top of his skull, it seems to be the normal hair style for Balmok men.
As for my brothers Biyongni and Floki, their pure bald heads are too personal.
At first glance, Rurik felt that Hellafed Bringodson would be a disgrace to his status if he did not become a warrior. After some questioning, I learned that there were a hundred armed men behind this person. I was surprised and a little strange at the same time.
"It seems that I am really charming." Rurik was very happy.
But now is by no means a time to be conceited. I didn’t expect that even if the Balmoks immigrated to Britain in large numbers, those who stayed behind would still have such strength.
Wait! If they all followed him, wouldn't this huge Narvik Fjord become sparsely populated?
That's not okay. The concept of Balmok can become history, and the changes in Narvik must be replaced and carried forward. The decrease in the number of people here is detrimental to the Russians' strategy of pursuing an ice-free port.
Besides, the more expedition teams, the better.
Seeing them, Rurik's mind turned violently, and he announced again: "I am very happy with your respect. However, this time you will directly accept my command. I will select five hundred people to leave. For the others, please continue your work." Work."
This announcement made the soldiers whine again, because they were destined not to go to war this year, and many people were actually complaining.
Rurik was not surprised by this situation. For practical reasons, it was indeed impossible for him to take away a thousand warriors.
So how to choose those who leave?
Rurik thought for a while, and if he had enough time, he could identify the best through competition, such as comparing strength and running speed.
Now that time is tight, he came up with a simple standard.
Since Modgen, the explorer, is still staying in Balmok's hometown, let's just use this man as the standard. Those who are shorter than him will not be accepted, and those whose arms are not as thick as him will not be accepted. Not even people with beards that are too long, or teenagers who are obviously too immature.
