The big house of the tribal leader was very dark. Although the hall usually used for the chief's banquet meetings was very spacious, at this time there were only a few braziers hanging on thick wooden pillars emitting a faint light.
Arvid smelled the strong smell of wine and meat, and he couldn't help but touch his belly. There was no one around the long wooden table in the hall, and there was no tribal leader on the throne covered with bearskin at the front.
"Come in." A rough and deep bass voice came from the wooden door that was half-opened on one side.
Arvid took a deep breath, walked forward slowly, and pushed open the heavy mottled wooden door. There was a faint candlelight burning in the room, and through the faint candlelight, Arvid saw the leader sitting in front of the table beside the bed, sipping the fragrant wine alone.
After hearing the door knock, the tribal leader's sharp eyes like an eagle focused through the darkness on Arvid, who had just entered the door.
"Sit down, Arvid. What made you rush to see me?" The tribe leader picked up a piece of salted fish from the plate, put it in his mouth and chewed it.
Arvid swallowed, sat on the low chair next to him, organized the words in his mind, and then spoke: "Master Chief, this time I am purchasing goods at the Port of Aberdoorn in East Frisia. At that time, I overheard some rumors.”
"What kind of rumors make you, a guy who has always been calm, so nervous now?" The tribe leader was a little strange. He put down the fish sticks in his hand and raised his head to look at Arvid carefully.
"Master Chief, do you remember the village of Verde on the banks of the Rhine River?" The faint light of the candlelight illuminated Arvid's rosy face.
"Of course, apart from the fact that the harvest there was quite rich when I went there for the first time the year before last, they were already extremely poor when I went there last year. To be honest, there really is no interest in me to visit again." The tribal leader took a sip of the wine in the glass and waved to the curly-haired old man standing next to him, "Old Eric, pour him a glass of mead!"
"But chief, some subtle changes seem to have taken place in that poor place this year. I heard from many traveling merchants and tavern clerks that the village of Verde seems to have been blessed by their gods, and the barley and oats are being harvested. The ratio is estimated to be one to twenty...Ah, thank you!" After Arvid said, the curly-haired old man handed him a glass of good mead.
"Are you kidding me? You know the consequences of lying to me." The tribal leader looked in disbelief and stared into Arvid's eyes, as if he wanted to read something from his eyes.
"There is no lie, my leader, I can swear on my armband!" Arvid vowed with a determined look on his face.
The tribal leader did not speak, and for a moment, the room fell into a deathly silence.
"Okay, Arvid, although this sounds a lot like some guy making up a fabricated story by the fire pit. Now tell it carefully." The tribal leader rubbed his temples, thinking about something in his mind.
…
As the days passed, as the abundant wheat ears in the fields of Verde Village became more and more golden, the construction of the wooden castle in Verde Village was also nearing completion.
"Master, it is estimated that the construction will be completed this week." Mason Ryan looked at the drawings in his hand, then looked at the wooden castle in front of him, and nodded with satisfaction.
The arrow tower and wooden gate have been constructed. At this time, the construction of corridors on the city wall connecting the two was in full swing.
"Yes, the day of Viking's summer raid is getting closer and closer. I really hope it can be completed soon." The fat man nodded, with a hint of worry in his brows.
"Fat man, there's no point in being anxious. I'm going to go to the village now, and you can supervise them!" Simon patted the fat man on the shoulder and walked towards the edge of the hill.
"Ready, go!" Before he had taken a few steps, Hunter Bill's voice came from not far away.
"It's okay. I've learned the basics. All that's left is constant practice." Looking at the arrows on the hay target opposite, Bill had a faint smile on his lips.
In order to train more archers to meet the Viking attack, Simon selected eight smart-looking guys from the free farmers who were willing to join the militia and the slaves who had newly joined the militia, and incorporated them into the bow and arrow team of Verde Village. team and set up a temporary archery range in the open space next to the newly built wooden castle.
"Ah, sir, you're here!" Bill noticed Simon walking towards him, took off his fur hat, and came towards him.
"How are these guys training?" Simon looked at the new archers beside him who were constantly setting up their bows and shooting arrows. Their movements were quite impressive.
"Master, they have mastered the most basic tricks, and the rest is just practice day after day," Bill stroked his beloved bow and said slowly, "It may take a person a lifetime to fully master archery. Skill."
"Indeed," Simon nodded in agreement and looked at a young man next to him who had just drawn an arrow from the quiver. "Here, shoot the head of the scarecrow target and let me see."
"Okay, okay, sir." The young man stuttered a little, raised his hand tremblingly, and pulled up the bow.
"Whoosh!"
An arrow shot quickly towards the scarecrow target twenty meters away, but one end was inserted into the soil next to the target.
"Oh, my Lord, please forgive me, I'm a little nervous." The young man blushed, lowered his head and touched the back of his head.
"In addition to practicing your archery skills, you also need to practice your mentality. If you are so nervous just because your lord is standing next to you and watching you shoot arrows, what will you do when you actually go to the battlefield and shoot the Vikings? "Simon wasn't angry. He knows that newcomers need to go through hardships and grow.
"The master is right," Bill, who was watching with his hands folded, also spoke. "In a few days, I will take you to the mountains and forests to hunt wild beasts. Although it is a little different from actual combat, it can sharpen your mentality."
………
In the golden wheat field under the setting sun, in addition to the serfs who were working, there was also a middle-aged man wearing a clean loose robe who was singing loudly, praising this prosperous scene.
"O Lord, my Lord, your holy miracles make us no longer hungry; Lord, my Lord, your people love you and bathe in your grace..."
The serfs who usually loved singing when working in the fields listened quietly to this beautiful rhythm, as if their souls had been cleansed.
"You learned chants in the monastery, right?" Simon didn't know when he appeared behind Ludwig.
"Of course, when I was in the monastery, I sang hymns every day for a period of time. This tune was engraved in my bones." Ludwig nodded, breathing in the breeze that smelled slightly of farmyard fat. The smell of fresh air.
"The Vikings are coming to plunder, and this place will become very dangerous. Are you sure you don't want to travel to the next place?" Simon wondered why Ludwig didn't meet the passing caravan after he recovered from his injury a few weeks ago. Let’s leave Verde Village together.
"This is indeed the place where God appears." Ludwig turned around and touched the thick and fat ears of wheat. "I have been to many places, and this is the first time I have seen such plump barley. So I I also believe that with the blessing of God, the Vikings will definitely not be able to do anything to the wooden castle in Feld Village."
"Aha, you want to stay and witness the war, right?" Simon remembered that he had heard this guy say that he liked to witness cruel and bloody wars.
"That's right. Think about it, how exciting it is for pagans to attack a village that has been blessed by God," Ludwig said with excitement. "Writing this battle into a widely praised epic, think about it. It makes my blood boil!”
"Okay, friend, if you insist," Simon smiled and shook his head, "then just protect yourself on the city wall."
"It is no exaggeration to say that even if I die in this war, I will never look back." Ludwig didn't care. It seems that although he did not like life in the monastery, it is undeniable that studying in the monastery made his faith extremely firm.
"May God be with you, my friend," Simon patted him on the shoulder, "I am going to prepare a big gift for the Vikings now."
"What kind of gift? Are you planning to sue for peace!?" Ludwig's face was filled with astonishment, and his big sapphire blue eyes were full of doubts.
"No, it's a gift that the Vikings will pay for with their blood and lives." Simon looked back and smiled.
