The temperature in Roseburg is no longer aggressive, and even by noon, people can bask in the obvious warmth of the sun.
March is here, and the ice sea has no tendency to thaw yet, but everyone believes that changes are taking place invisible to the naked eye.
Until now, the supply of materials in Roseburg has been very stable. Especially the wheat in stock, they are released regularly, which basically ensures that wealthy residents will not take up too much, and the wheat benefits most people.
What other major events happened in Roseburg during the more than three months of Rurik's absence?
In fact, there are no major events. Days go by day by day. Just like winter in previous years, most of the residents trapped in the fjord stay at home. However, there are a group of hard-working people who are not afraid of the cold and are doing production.
.
They went to build a camp on the ice far away from the fjord, and painstakingly dug through the ice with iron pestles to lure the seals that were in desperate need of breathing holes to surface, waiting for the opportunity to kill them with harpoons. They even used the holes drilled out to pierce the ice.
You can often catch some cod by placing your hook in the ice hole. After all, cod in winter are also very hungry.
Just like in previous years, the seal leather was sold to merchants, the oil was sold to priests, and the seal meat and edible offal were shared by the tribe. In the past four months, more than 3,000 seals have been hunted
With the hunting, the scope of activities of Ross's ice hunters has been further expanded.
That is to say, when Rurik built the soap industry, the great economic benefits brought unprecedented demand for oil. How could the masters of seal hunting let go of this opportunity to make money? Besides, the residents of Rus could not live without soap, and they could no longer bear it.
The whole body is greasy, smelly, and dirty. The price of soap is still the same internally. Now due to the influx of huge amounts of silver coins, most Russians no longer think soap is a rare thing. Just catch a seal and sell the leather to
As a merchant, you can exchange silver coins for two pieces of sulfur soap (economical soap has been stable at one silver coin for a long time).
Most of the boys and girls in Rus have been given leave. As long as there is no request from Rurik, they will not have any training in the winter, and naturally they will not receive any food rewards. There is no need to worry about the children going hungry.
They have already practiced fighting, logging and even archery skills in the warm season. Although they are young, most of them already have the ability to hunt small animals to feed themselves. What's more, their parents usually store enough smoked fish for a winter, and even
A wall of frozen herrings was piled at the base of the wooden house. Oh, and among the army of seal hunters, there were also a group of boys carrying steel-tipped harpoons.
Only those orphans who have completely served Rurik and were collected by various means are eligible to be raised by Rurik's food. These boys and girls are not free eaters, such as Carlotta, Fisk, and Kanu.
The husband and others have become the veritable "King of Children". When Rurik himself is not around, the orphans must obey the requests of these people, either cutting wood, helping in the blacksmith shop, or simply participating in cooking grease.
Soap's hard work.
They have strong perseverance and a grateful heart, and they are eager to grow up and become warriors as soon as possible so that they can better serve their masters. Realistically speaking, after becoming warriors, they have the right to collect trophies for themselves on the battlefield.
Already.
It's just that they don't know that the benefits they will bring from the labor they put in during the winter far exceed the wheat they eat.
Rurik returned with a large amount of shipbuilding timber.
Roseburg in the ice and snow was filled with boredom. The hunting team returned with a large amount of supplies, causing a sensation in Roseburg.
The chief father and his son came to the sacred longhouse of the priests as usual.
Many buildings were demolished and replaced with wooden ridges with wooden floors and fireplace chimneys. The longhouse is an old house, and it is still strong after so many years. It seems unnecessary to demolish and rebuild it.
High Priest Vilia, her withered mouth almost lost all her teeth.
Coincidentally, Rurik was eating a grilled fish in Ironburg, and one of his front teeth finally reached the critical point of falling out. Another baby tooth fell out, and Rurik's body completely entered the stage of complete tooth replacement.
stage. No, his figure has also grown a lot.
It seems that Vilia can leave in her sleep any night, and she has been prepared for it for a long time, but she has persisted until now.
"You...are finally back."
"Yes." Otto, who was sitting cross-legged casually, had a smile on his face, "Great priest, you are still healthy."
"I...I am too old, but I have actually persisted until now."
While Vilia was speaking, Rumia, who was dressed in plain clothes, with her long hair loose and a rope ring on her head, was sitting upright.
Next to the high priest sat two girls, Rumia and Rumi. Their names had exactly the same meaning, and they even had the same ethnicity.
She admired these two girls very much, especially their characters. The dead Bona was killed because she was greedy for money and power and forgot her duty, but these two girls are different. Vilia has seen a lot,
She could not sense the ambition of the two children. They were just quietly doing their work as priests and surrendered to their leader.
"Big leader." Vilia said softly, then hoarsely: "With the blessing of God, I think I have completely completed the mission for the rest of my life. Rumia has learned everything about me, and she...is already qualified to be independent.
To hold a sacrifice...she is the true successor to the high priest that I can recognize."
"High Priest?! You!" Otto couldn't laugh anymore. He heard the danger in these words. Because Vilia's official resignation will probably shock the entire Roseburg! Because countless people have, since their birth,
Vilia is the only high priest. It is hard for everyone to imagine what the era would be like without her. At least Otto now has a little fear.
Rurik, why can’t he understand?
The old woman in front of me should be seventy-five years old. In the current Nordic world, this can be called a miracle of mankind.
"Should she be aware that her end is approaching? Yes! That must be the case. A dying person can predict his own end." Rurik was really sad and lamented the life of this woman.
Vilia, the high priest, was one of the first immigrants from the Rus tribe to the current geographical location, and her life represents the past of the Rus people.
The Russians have a new beginning. Rurik dares to conclude that history will eventually judge the Russians. Everything has been different since 828 AD.
Otto continued to comfort her, like a son comforting his old mother.
Oh, in many senses Otto regarded Vilia as his mother.
"High Priest, don't have strange thoughts. You will live a long life. God will always take care of you, and you will always protect Ross."
A smile emerged from Vilia's dry mouth, which was completely different from the two girls sitting next to her who had tense and nervous expressions.
"Don't be stupid...my child. I have predicted my end. My dear, don't be sad for me when I leave. I will go to Valhalla and be promoted to the Valkyrie. Otto, sooner or later one day
, maybe I will lead your soul to Valhalla. I hope you still remember my appearance when I was young."
"Hey, how could I forget." Otto laughed out loud, with a smile that was both bitter and gratifying.
Villa was also a beautiful woman when she was young. When Otto remembered, Villa was already thirty years old. She still maintained her beauty, but she could not let go of the pain of losing her son, so she devoted all her efforts to serving God.
In fact, they have the mentality of "become a nun".
Villa coughed twice and tapped the wooden stick again: "Okay, you'd better tell me what you and your son encountered in the north. Tell me something new about this old man."
Aging has seriously limited Vilia's mobility, and her legs and feet have become even more unstable. Recently, she can only rely on a sedan made by lower-level priests to carry her around. She almost never leaves the priest's longhouse all day long, taking naps to get through the day. When she wakes up, she sees the pillow
The exquisite glassware placed beside her, and even the porridge that was cooked to a pulp in the glass bowl while eating. Seeing things and thinking about emotions, the first thing she thought of was Rurik!
The dramatic changes in Roseburg were due to Otto's contribution and even more to Rurik's contribution.
She stayed in the longhouse and relied on the people around her, especially Rumia, to inform her about the outside world.
For example, Rurik is hiring the best shipbuilders to build the largest ship ever built.
Otto wanted to share the good news that he had hunted a huge amount of leather with his troops in the brand new Eastern Forest.
Vilia didn't seem to pay much attention to it. She just wanted to know what Rurik had done.
No, Rurik told the dying high priest bluntly about the ship materials and masts.
The boring life brings motivation. Vilia originally thought that after teaching Rumia everything about being a high priest, she could quietly wait for death. Now she has new hope.
"That Avora, you call the ship a woman? You are really a clever little guy. Rurik, when will your ship be finished?"
"Just this year! Just when the sea thaws." Rurik knew that her time was really running out, so she spoke loudly.
"That's a really good thing."
On the surface, Vilia's expression didn't fluctuate much, but in fact, she was very excited inside. She consciously couldn't be angry or ecstatic, and she couldn't tolerate any violent mood swings or violent activities, otherwise her body would be like a broken ship.
All can be overturned.
"April! It's April! When the sea thaws, it's time to launch my big ship. Now the mast materials are ready, it must have been four months, and the hull is basically completed. By the time of the new trading season, my ship will be ready.
Just go to Mälaren, go to New Rossburg in the east, and promote the power of our Ross people."
Rurik's words meant that he would not leave a way out for himself. He felt more and more that Vilya was holding his breath, eager to witness a great existence before leaving peacefully.
So, where is the construction of the Aurora?
The returning people have made the already prosperous leather trading market even more prosperous. The leather merchants are urgently processing the various leathers they bought, and there are also leather factories like Fordegen, and his men are seizing the time to make ready-made clothes. The so-called
Slaves, as long as they have food to eat, it is a great mercy. This is what Fordegen did. He forced his men to work hard, and the efficiency of the labor squeezed out was really immeasurable. He has been selling the clothes he made.
, are also desperately hoarding goods, hoping to make a fortune in Mälaren.
After returning, Rurik quickly went back to his home to rest. He soaked his whole body in the barrel and took a good bath.
Otto pursued a more comfortable enjoyment. After wiping off the soap suds all over his body with warm water, he got into the Finnish steam room and gave himself a sauna that eliminated all the fatigue of traveling. He washed himself
Keep it clean so that Niya can let her wife get close to her.
Dirtyness does not belong in Rossburg, because as long as conditions permit, everyone hopes to keep themselves clean and fresh. Soap is the key to bringing a comfortable and refreshing feeling, which naturally and objectively contributes to the overall health of the Ross people.
It is very obvious that the deaths in Roseburg this winter were all elderly, and the miraculously premature death rate of newborns was zero.
Everyone has never imagined that this is the power of soap. If there is a truth, everyone subconsciously believes that this is a new round of favor from Odin to the Russian people.
The day after Rurik returned, Rurik took a few mercenaries and headed straight to the huge shipbuilding workshop in Hotra with a free attitude.
Before them, the sleds carrying large amounts of wood had blocked the door of the workshop, making it difficult for people to enter and exit.
The trouble is just going in and out. The shipbuilders in the workshop really want the ship materials to come by themselves. It is best to block the door so that they don't have to carry a big ax and go far away to select the ship.
Talented.
When Rurik came this time, he was not only anxious, but also had a clear purpose.
He wanted to discuss something with Hotla, and the other party had no right to refuse the matter. He did not come empty-handed, either. The hacksaw made in Elenburg was carried in his hand, which would bring new innovations to the shipbuilding industry.
.
"There is a clanging sound inside, they started working early in the morning." The casual Yevro said casually.
"Maybe they worked all night. Let's go in and take a look."
It was still cold in the morning, and Rurik didn't want to stay in the snow outside anymore, so he wanted to break into the shipbuilding workshop directly.
However, Yevluo and others raised their heads one after another. Not to mention this huge wooden house, not only was it astonishing in length, but the space inside must also be huge.
It is actually a large factory. The big difference from the steel factories that can be quickly built thousands of years later is that this factory is purely wooden. However, it also uses a pine frame structure. After stacking a large number of logs, the factory becomes
So done.
Rurik's visit was not unexpected at all. Hotla and other busy craftsmen had already made preparations.
There were a large number of oil lamps burning inside the factory. The seal oil lamps provided key lighting and kept the entire factory warm. Rurik hurriedly ordered his men to close the small wooden door, and then subconsciously looked at the closed door.
wooden door.
He turned his head, and the sight in front of him instantly made all words redundant.
It was a very large ship, significantly larger than long ships and cargo ships.
The keel of the big ship is obviously lying on a large number of pine sleepers. A large number of ribs are built around the keel. The planks attached to the ribs are layered one on top of another. It seems that the entire hull is basically completed! This is really beyond Rurik's expectation.
Unexpected.
At this moment, Hotla stood on the bow of the ship, holding a hammer in his hand. He enthusiastically shouted to the people below: "It's the distinguished Lord Rurik, you are finally back."
Rurik raised his head and looked at it from the current angle. He felt that the bow of the ship was four meters high. In fact, it was indeed more than four stikas away from the keel.
Standing here, Rurik looked at the towering bow of the ship and sighed, "Ah! I am such an insignificant existence. But I am the one who can control this ship."