Chapter 329 Rurik's First Trip to the Territory of the Melarons
A long boat with no special characteristics left Gould Island and headed towards the beach of the Malaren Market.
Behind them are the towering wooden walls of Gould Island, the flat and busy piers on the shore, and a large number of ships passing by.
Gould was indeed following the agreement with Rurik, sending his ships to the Melalen Market, and even organized a small fleet to rush directly to the territory of the Hjelmalen people in the south of the lake to buy local agricultural products.
And they brought them all back to Gould's Island and piled them into tightly packed warehouses within the wall.
In fact, what Rurik didn't know was that shortly after the ship that took him to the market left, a small boat carrying a distinguished guest also landed on Gould Island.
This person is none other than Fordgen, a businessman who is good at cutting all kinds of tanned leather into clothes.
A businessman like Gould is essentially a second-tier dealer who is good at speculation. As for Fordegen, he is now an industrial capitalist. He hires a group of women who know how to tailor to make leather jackets in large quantities and sell them for profit.
Because of this, due to the cold weather this year, Vodgen learned about the strong demands of ordinary people in Mälaren for new clothes. He saw his superiors, but he suffered from the lack of a very stable leather supplier.
It took a whole year! Fordegen first listened to Gould's invitation and advice, and then stayed in Roseburg himself for the whole winter. Now he has completely figured it out - follow Gould and take over the entire family property and all the servants.
Moving all the people to Roseburg is a good way to make a lot of money steadily.
Fordegen came empty-handed. He just wanted to tell Gould that he had plans to move.
To his shock, Gould showed several large and powerful polar bear skins, also telling his old friend good news.
"My friend, if you come early in the morning, you can meet Lord Rurik."
"Ah! Rurik, he came to Mälaren? Where is he?"
"He went to the market." Gould pointed in the direction of the north and looked into Fordegen's eyes. "I hope he can buy some good things at the market."
Rurik and Carlotta, in order to avoid publicity, put on simple linen clothes, and both wore a drab linen burqa. However, what was covered under the robe was a short self-defense robe.
sword.
Rurik, like his cousin, dressed very low-key.
Although they were of noble status and possessed huge wealth, the important people sitting on the boat followed Gould's advice and all dressed up as ordinary travelers. Only swords and money bags were hidden under their robes.
Rurik sat near the bow of the ship. He sat sideways and let the cool autumn wind blow on his face.
Behind him were more than a dozen oarsmen, including Arik, who also acted as an oarsman.
It takes a long distance to sail from Gould Island to the market. With nothing to do, Arik looked at his younger brother who was only focusing on the lakes and mountains, and couldn't help asking: "Hey! Rurik, have you thought of buying anything?"
"What?" Rurik turned his face sideways.
"I'm asking you, what do you want to buy? I'm hanging two pounds of silver coins for you now. Do you plan to spend them all?"
"Maybe." Rurik shrugged helplessly. If he hadn't been strong enough, he would have kept the heavy money all by himself.
"What on earth do you want to buy?!"
"Who knows? Oh, let's go and have a look. If I find something I like, I will buy it."
Arik felt a little embarrassed, so he deliberately teased: "I heard that the Melalen people drink a lot of wine. That guy Gould told me that there is a place called Colongo in the market, where you can drink Melalen people."
Brewed wine.”
Cologne? A place name?
Rurik thought for a moment and realized that it referred to a tavern.
A tavern? If it does exist, Rurik would not be surprised at all. As the saying goes, supply when there is demand, or the two complement each other. Since the Lake Malaren region produces wheat, it is normal for it to be used for brewing. Besides, over the years,
The ale shipped to Rossburg by merchants from various places is almost always produced in the Lake Mälaren region.
Seeing that his brother was very interested, Arik simply encouraged him and said: "My dear, if a man can't drink, he is a coward." Gould said that Cologne is a lively place, and I want to visit and taste Mälaren.
Human wine. What about you? What do you think?"
"this……"
"Are you still hesitating? I have made up my mind. I must go and have a look."
What else could Rurik do about this? While reluctantly agreeing, he also made an agreement with his cousin.
"You can go to Cologne. You are responsible for drinking, and I will be responsible for watching. I want to see what tricks the Malaren people are up to."
What should a pub look like? The interior decoration is elegant and dignified, the bartender is neat and polite, and he is skilled in the bartending business. The drinkers are also distinguished and elegant people, sitting at the bar, sipping cocktails and chatting and laughing?
forget it.
Rurik could still remember some of the experiences of going to more elegant taverns, but those were already dreams that existed in another world.
Elegant bars are also aimed at elegant drinkers, or bar owners must decorate their pubs gorgeously to create a high-end feel in order to attract people with high spending power to spend money like water.
But a ninth-century bar?
Rurik had another scene in his mind.
There are a number of cracked wooden tables placed in the dark wooden house. The drinkers in the room are all rags, swaying, and extremely vulgar talkers. They are not here to drink. I'm afraid they are more alcoholic. Then
It is a place full of violence. Just looking at each other between slightly drunk people can instantly arouse their anger. Because there is no mechanism to stop violent fights, the pub is often a den of evil.
Did the Vikings also have taverns? For example, the residents of Roseburg generally drank alcohol, and there were no businessmen who specialized in selling wine for profit. Even Gould, the richest man, had never thought of building a tavern for so many years. Rurik came up with
The core purpose of drinking spirits is to make money. Due to practical reasons, he has no plans to open a tavern under his control for greater profit, because this matter has no ground for existence in Roseburg.
The ships are getting closer to their destination, and there are more fishing boats. The huge shantytown not far away is undoubtedly the core of the Malaren people, Malarenburg.
The Melalen tribe did not design a special pier, and the ships that came and went used long boats to directly go to the beach. After all, the boats owned by ordinary people who own ships are all light boats, which can easily go to the beach.
The boat owner was pulling the reins to the shore, and even pushing it back into the lake was effortless.
The people of Mellaren certainly have the ability to build large cargo ships. Professional craftsmen have never been against building large ships. However, orders for large ships can only come from a few wealthy businessmen, including the richest leader Olegin. Building large ships makes a lot of money, but what?
On weekdays, the craftsmen's job is still to make lightweight and cheap fishing boats, and they even have to undertake ship repair work.
The gentle lake shore was just ahead. In order to welcome the destined beaching and to avoid being shaken off the boat by the strong vibration, Rurik simply stood up. Like Carlotta, he grabbed a cable and looked at the bottom of the bow.
The oak keel was cut hard into the mud on the lakeside.
After a violent vibration, the boat washed up safely on the beach. Rurik breathed a long sigh of relief. He held his robe with his left hand and supported the side of the boat with his right hand. He jumped off the camp and set foot on the territory of the Malaren people for the first time.
.
Rurik landed at the same time as twelve other strong men carrying elite weapons.
Arik and Jevro naturally dressed in a low-key manner, as did the ten mercenaries behind them. If anything funny, it was these landing mercenaries who stepped onto the Mälaren Market.
Just go back to your hometown.
Yes, almost all the mercenaries recruited by Gould are natives of Melalen.
To be fair, no one knows Mälaren better than them. For example, when the owner proposed to go to the place in Cologne to find out, someone boldly pointed out: "That place is where the leader sells wine. He is selling it himself."
Some sell wine and gain some profits from it to expand their strength."
Regarding these matters, Rurik, who was still on the ship, listened to the mercenaries' popular knowledge and already knew a thing or two about the tavern.
"Okay. We have landed. Where to go next? Colongo?" Rurik patted himself and asked his cousin.
"Just go to that place, Yevlo!" Arik shouted casually.
"Sir, what are your orders?"
"You know the place very well, and you serve as a guide. Now take me to the place where I can drink."
"Okay. There are only a few things that I hope you can understand."
Arik looked impatient: "What else is there? Drinking is a problem? We brought money."
"Sir, we must keep a low profile. Colongo is a chaotic place, maybe..." Jevlo looked at Rurik and Carlotta, "Maybe children shouldn't go, not because they can't drink, that place is too rough.
Duo. Sir, you are the bravest warrior I have ever seen. I am afraid that if you are angered by some drunk people, you will draw your sword and kill them. That is the place where the leader of Melalen sells alcohol. I am afraid that we
Something happened when I went there."
Although Jevro was a Finn, after all, he was a comrade who had fought side by side for two months. Arik was very satisfied with the flattering rhetoric of these comrades. However, he obviously did not take his comrades' warnings seriously.
"Who are the people of Malaren? They dare not attack the Danes and Gotlanders, but we have been winning."
"Hey! Sir!" Jevro growled seriously, and his eyes immediately glanced at the various outsiders at the landing site.
Arik's eyes quickly noticed some malicious looks. It seemed that the people holding long wooden poles and carrying fishing nets were the locals of Mälaren.
Arik felt that he was a little arrogant. When he closed his mouth, Rurik also let out a long sigh of relief.
This is the case with my cousin. Because he has made a series of military exploits on the battlefield at a young age, it is not surprising that his whole mentality is wandering.
Rurik took Jevro's suggestion very seriously. After all, he was not in a world of romantic fantasy stories. He was just a flesh and blood body with no magic power in his hands. What happened today
, that is, he entered the territory of the Malaren people as an ordinary traveling merchant, that is, he pretended to be the "successor of the leader of Ross". Which drunk person would believe it? No! A drunk person would only feel that a brazen child owes him
beat.
"Then come with us! Adults, we are the most familiar with the Malaren Market. I will ensure your safety. I also hope that you will not take the initiative to cause any trouble."
Rurik felt that Jevro's advice was so right! He followed closely behind his mercenary captain. At this moment, his cousin Arik was not only unreliable, but he might also become a factor of instability.
Let's take a good look at this Merlaren Market. In other words, the place where everyone is now is only the tribe's "fishing village area" near the lake. It is not the core of the market.
There are a large number of adobe houses here, the roofs of which are piled with withered yellow reeds, and some wooden sheds are also mixed in.
The numerous sights gave Rurik an illusion of Rossburg in the past. The large number of buildings gave a strong sense of déjà vu. However, the current Rossburg is due to the collision of two cultures due to the marriage of a large number of Novgorod women.
The integration with and is being actively reflected in the architectural style. The traditional Viking-style houses in Rosberg began to turn to the more comfortable wood-carved houses in Novgorod, and a large number of steam saunas began to be built, which is a proper "Oriental"
The style of "earth" residents such as Finns and Covens.
Mälarenberg was still the same as before, and when he saw a large number of passers-by wearing plain clothes, these people really made Rurik feel both familiar and strange at the same time.
Some boys with dirty faces and running around in groups laughing and joking made Rurik look at him. Their innocent looks meant that their lives were actually very rich.
However, there is always some sense of inconsistency.
Rurik's eyes couldn't help but glance at Carlotta, who was walking quietly beside him. She tilted her head slightly, and because of the cover of her burqa, no one knew she was actually a girl.
Rurik looked at the adobe houses on both sides of the winding dirt road and the people coming and going. He weakly asked Yevlo: "I saw many people carrying fish and some holding lambs."
.Look, another child ran past. Are the people of Mälaren really very prosperous?"
Jevro didn't even want to answer: "Of course they are rich. I have never heard of any people from Melalen being hungry. It's your mercenaries. They simply don't have the right to inherit the family business, and they don't want to be a pioneer in their lifetime.
The farmers in the fields have no choice but to be your soldiers."
The mercenaries all became happy when they heard the ridicule from their comrades, because what Jevro said was the truth.
"They're not hungry? It's impossible, right? I heard that Carlotta fled here last year and almost starved to death here."
At first Rurik didn't realize that he had said the wrong thing, until Carlotta suddenly grabbed his arm, and the girl vented her inner pain in this way.
Rurik was shocked and stopped talking.
Jevro, who was walking in front, turned his back and shook his head helplessly: "Sir, wealth is only for the Melalen people. Who will help the foreigners who have fled? Unless they are slaves to the Melalen people.
"
"Ah! Could it be that Olegin... he is obviously the leader of the alliance. Aren't those foreigners also the people of his allies?"
"Forget it." Jevro suddenly stopped and turned around: "My dear, no one is more kind than you, but this kindness may not be a good thing for you. Maybe you can only thank God for the favor given to you.
You can make a lot of silver coins to use your kindness lavishly, I think you know what I mean."
Rurik was stunned for a moment and nodded silently.
He finally understood what Jevlo meant, and he couldn't help but admire his mercenary captain. After all, he had been hanging around Gould for so many years. He was a fool, but he should know how to follow a shrewd man.
Mass business knowledge.
Rurik believed that Olegin was undoubtedly the one who rescued those allies who were in trouble. It would be good if he didn't add insult to injury. There were no welfare institutions in this era. After hearing Gould's explanation, Rurik had to face the problem.
In such a reality, the so-called Siiya Tribal Alliance is indeed just a tribal alliance. The leaders of each tribe gather together and elect the strongest as the leader. For ordinary tribesmen from allied tribes, the leader may only need to restrain the members of an alliance.
Residents of various tribes should not attack each other for their own selfish interests.
For the castaways, they may find a chance to survive by escaping to Mälaren. But for the Mälaren people, these guys are competitors who come to snatch the living space. They can't even think about cultivating wasteland and growing wheat on the Mälaren people's territory.
Don't even think about cutting down wood and burning charcoal to sell it, let alone compete with the fishermen of Mälaren for the lake's fishing resources.
The best option for these castaways is to become servants to the Melalen people.