After entering the polar night, the seals disappeared, and accordingly, the polar bears also disappeared.
Some populations of polar bears hibernate, and in a sense Rurik is now in a state of intermittent hibernation.
It is extremely cold outdoors and prey hides in caves. Why do bears and humans, who are hunters, have to wander in the extreme night?
The Rus' and Balmok people's activity radius in the polar night is also within about one thousand meters. No one dares to go far for fear of getting lost and being frozen into ice.
With the help of various limited light sources, the camp is still under construction slowly, and they are reinforcing the windproof walls to ensure safety.
I don't know how long it took, but the sea suddenly became violent, and the rough waves began to crash on the coast. Anyone approaching the coast felt that this was Odin's wrath.
People all hid in their houses to avoid the biting wind outside. Only the dark wooden house was the only warm and safe place. As for the outdoor world, it soon turned into chaos in the cold wind.
The Arctic cold wave is coming! Murmansk is the first to be affected. Dense snow sweeps across the entire world. The outdoor temperature also reaches an extreme low of -20°C at certain times. The walls of the Russian and Balmok camps blocked most of the snow.
, it gradually turns into a snow slope just outside the wall.
Two masters, one living in the deer's property were further covered by snow.
It seems that if you push open the leather-reinforced wooden door rashly, you will freeze to death as long as you stand outside for a short time.
People could only go to the toilet indoors in embarrassment, and even gnawed raw meat and chewed dry wheat. Fortunately, it was absolutely dark indoors, and a corner of the wooden house became a toilet. Everyone could only suppress their embarrassment and endure the stench until the storm and snowstorm ended.
As a result, nearly ten days passed by waiting!
Rurik had no idea how much time had passed. Once he woke up, he tried to fall asleep again, and everyone else did the same. Only falling asleep can defeat boredom, and only falling asleep can save food. Everyone was forced to hibernate, and in this weird hibernation
, time quietly came to January of 832 in the Julian calendar.
Rurik did not keep his promise, and he even disappeared into the vast world. The Russian people's winter sacrifice was supposed to be a grand event, but it was affected by a strong snowstorm, and the stone ship altar in Rossburg was completely covered with snow!
A strong Korean wave swept to the Alps from Ellenburg, Roseburg, and even to New Roseburg in the east, Tombstone Island, Lake Malaren region, Novgorod region, and the hinterland of the European continent.
The whole of Northern Europe is experiencing a snowstorm. In such a severe situation, no one has time to take care of themselves? There is no chance to care about the safety of others.
People can only stay in the warmth and safety of their own homes? Or any safe shelter, or stay quiet and wait for the disaster to end? Or pray to the statues of Odin, Freyr or other gods to stop their anger.
I don’t know how long it took, but the violent snowstorm finally ended?
"It seems quiet outside. Sir? We are all safe, but we don't know about those Balmoks..." Yevluo made it clear. He was afraid that his master's new brother would freeze to death.
Forced to stay indoors covered with snow? Enduring the crowding and complex smell, everyone wants to go out for some fresh air, but no one has the courage until it is safe.
Rurik could not come into contact with the Biyoni group, let alone feed the reindeer in the pen with new fodder and wheat.
"Will you just open the door? Take a look at the situation outside. If it's safe? Let's all go out for some fresh air." Rurik urged.
However, Yevlo found that he was unable to push the door open, not because he was weak, but because the door seemed to be frozen. The warm leather curtain was removed, and finally multiple people worked together to tear down the entire wooden door.
The reason why I couldn't open the door was found, and I saw that the outdoors was covered with thick snow.
Has the outside world seen light again? The sun still does not exist, and Rurik suddenly dives into the snowdrift? At this moment, the stars are shining brightly, and a crescent moon is in the sky? The emerald green aurora runs through the sky like a ribbon.
"It's finally sunny. Brothers? Come out and clear the snow? Let's see how the Balmoks are doing."
After hearing the order, people came out one after another. They used the digging shovels brought from their hometowns or temporary tools made of simple wooden boards to clear the snow-free space at the door of the wooden house, and then immediately took out the dry clothes from the room.
Wood blocks, a small amount of tinder, and a bow drill were used to quickly drill out a bonfire. The remaining work was to remove the prefabricated pine firewood from the snow and burn it.
A passage was opened in the snow, and Rurik felt that the snow had exceeded one meter, and it would be a great fate to die without being submerged in the snow.
Those Balmoks were like mice hiding in a cave. The wooden door was forced open by external forces, which shocked Biyongni and others and instinctively drew their swords.
"Brother, the damn snowstorm is over, come out and get some air."
It was Rurik's voice. Hearing it, Biyongni's heart was beating wildly before he sheathed his sword.
"My brother, I thought the person coming was a bear!"
"Oh, then I am a little bear announcing the good news. Come out, let's have barbecue."
The wooden fence of the camp was basically completed. After this snowstorm, too much snow accumulated on the wall facing the north, turning it into a huge steep slope. The part facing the south had very little snow, so the wall in this direction was knocked down. People
Can really enter the outside world.
The fire continued to burn, and the snow inside the wall was either swept away or directly evaporated by the flames.
Rurik finally ate cooked wheat and roasted meat. Now the bear meat, which had not been bled and had a fishy smell, had a smell of its own. Rurik ate it in his mouth. Now it was really a happy delicacy.
How long will the long polar night last? Rurik has forgotten the exact date now, and Biyoni pointed out that in the Balmok tribe, people regard the end of the polar night as the beginning of the new year.
This reminded Rurik.
The Russians also regard the only day of polar night in Rossburg as the dividing line between the old and the new year. Narvik and Murmansk are relatively close in latitude, so the duration of the polar night in the two places is roughly the same.
The wind and snow have ended, the air has become deadly low, and people are in the coldest period of the year. The bonfires never go out after they are lit, and the Rus and Balmoks continue to cut down the hard pine trees near the camp and burn them
Make yourself comfortable by warming yourself up.
They didn't have much meat left, so everyone had to restrict movement except cutting wood for fire. The reindeer pulling the sled were also fed a small amount of wheat to maintain their lives.
Rurik also fell into a state of semi-hungry. He was enduring it, but he noticed that his woman Saipolava was getting more and more anxious.
During the long polar night, Rurik preferred to lie down and Saipolava cuddled up, but the two of them couldn't sleep at all.
"Did you say the night is forever? If it stays like this, we will starve to death here." The girl wanted to leave this "end of the world", but she did not dare to say it openly.
"It will be over soon. My little squirrel, have you forgotten what I told you about the nature of the world? It will be a while before the sun appears again."
"Really? I'm...scared."
"Don't be afraid, everything is normal. If you come here in summer, you will still feel that the sun will never set."
"That's better than the endless darkness now."
Saipolava continued to hold Rurik's arm and kept rubbing her body.
"Be honest and keep quiet! This saves food."
Saipolava slowly calmed down after hearing this: "I just have a sore back and leg pain. The sun should rise quickly..."
The conversation between the two was listened to by others in the room, and now everyone was forced to keep quiet. At first, people thought that there was enough food, but now all kinds of meat have been eaten, and people have to eat the inedible fat of bears and seals.
, and sucking bone marrow.
On the other hand, when sucking bone marrow, people lick the salt mixed with the roasted bone marrow, and they enjoy an extremely delicious taste.
What is supposed to come will eventually come. The world began to change, and one direction of the dark world suddenly turned light blue at a certain point in time, and then quickly disappeared.
This is a positive sign! The Balmoks who noticed this were shouting.
Biyongni shouted excitedly to everyone who saw it, "I saw the blue over there! This is a sign of the sun's resurrection! You can see the dawn tomorrow!"
Dawn? Is the polar night finally coming to an end?
A strong sense of excitement sat in his body, and grass grew in Rurik's heart. He waited for the dawn to come in the midst of suffering.
Everything is just as Biyoni said, the authentic Balmok people know that the long night is over.
Some people chew their tongue out of boredom, really because this is the end of the human world. There is an ice-free sea in front of the surface, and there is an unexplainable abyss continuing to the north. They feel that the darkness will never end, and reality has completely changed their imagination.
.
At an otherwise boring time, the sky full of stars changed color.
The sun appeared, and even if the golden light could not dispel the cold, the world at least became transparent, and people could see the whole world clearly again in a very short period of light.
People knelt down facing the sun to thank Odin for the reward, and even made some strange moves, such as taking off their shirts, bathing in the sun with their hairy chests and backs, and shouting thanks to Odin for the reward.
Is this human confusing behavior?
Rurik thought this was normal, so he also knelt on one knee in the snow, opened his arms and sang praises to the sun.
He deliberately performed a ceremony to move the people present. He actually thanked the sun from the bottom of his heart, because the daylight hours will become longer every day, and the lonely beach under night will soon become lively again, which is the life of the Russian people.
All kinds of prey will appear.
Rurik was still singing praises to the sun with his arms raised high, and then he lay down heavily on the snow after trembling with a deliberate frenzy.
Jevluo was shocked. He rushed over and picked up his master: "Sir, what's wrong with you?"
"I...I'm fine." Rurik deliberately looked haggard, and stood up with the help of Yevluo, facing the shocked faces of people.
In the long darkness, what people need most is a sense of security and hope. The sunshine sweeps away any worries, and then Rurik knows very well what people long for most.
He roared with the joy of a winner: "My brothers! Just now, Odin summoned my soul! Odin said, we Rus and Balmoks have accepted the test of extreme cold, we are all ice and snow
Warriors. So Odin promised that the disappeared bears and seals would reappear in the next few days! God said, since you are all warriors, kill these prey, eat meat and drink blood, and let the leather and walrus tusks make you rich.
!”
No one doubts that Rurik's words on behalf of God directly touched people's inner desires.
Everyone is happy that they are warriors recognized by Odin. In a few days, they will go to capture the prey rewarded by Odin! They are already gearing up.
Rurik needed to cheer up his once flagging morale, and his goal was achieved with this move. As for announcing that a large number of prey would appear, he was not talking nonsense.
Bears and seals have gone to avoid the polar night, and fish in the sea have also gone into deep sea hibernation. When a snowstorm comes, these creatures are exactly like humans, hiding to avoid disasters.
The most difficult period is over. For seals and polar bears, they must appear for food and prepare for the upcoming spring breeding season.
Rurik's judgment seemed to others to be a great prophecy.
One early morning, someone going to the outdoor toilet heard a noise outside the wooden wall.
This was a Balmok hunter. When he noticed something strange, he ran towards the coast through the snow. He saw a large number of seals basking in the black sand and gravel on the coast that had been beaten by the waves.
He returned to the camp in excitement, violently kicked the door open without any understanding, and shouted excitedly, "Lord Rurik is right! Odin's reward has appeared. Seals! A thousand seals are waiting for us to hunt!"
The hunter's dormancy ended in an instant. The excited Rus and Balmoks, with their various weapons, vowed to bring a bloody storm to the seals on the coast! Rurik longed for fresh meat, longing for big pieces.
Fresh meat! He was so hungry that he thought he could eat a whole roasted seal!
They thought there were only seals on the beach, but before they even reached the shore, people noticed the appearance of birds.
It was probably a Nordic species of seagull that could live in extreme environments. Rurik felt that it was too difficult to hunt this kind of bird.
Where is it from a seagull? It is simply a magpie!
Rurik saw a large group of leopard seals lying lazily, a group of elephant seals gathering together, and seals emerging from the sea from time to time.
What everyone is facing is no longer a barren beach, this is clearly a "Seal Beach".
The polar bear wandered in with its mouth open, and some dexterous white phantoms moved quickly. Those were Arctic foxes.
There is wriggling fat meat everywhere, leather everywhere, precious teeth everywhere, and ferocious and majestic animal heads everywhere.
Gentle?
No! Must be barbaric!
Rurik roared: "Brothers! Hunt to your heart's content! Mainly attack Daya, kill it for me!"
Then the hunters from the two tribes began to really pursue and fight the approximately twenty elephant seals with big tusks. They fought against the giant beasts and won a one-sided victory.
The frightened leopard seal jumped into the sea again, and the polar bear also avoided it. The carcasses of twenty elephant seals appeared on the beach. Standing next to the bloody carcasses were the excited smiling faces of the army of hunters who had suffered no losses.
"Let's start dealing with the fat and teeth. Pull the arrow out of the head first." Biyongni said loudly.
The biggest reason why the fight was one-sided was that the hunter used a crossbow to snipe the beast's head. It was a carbon steel armor-piercing arrow that could penetrate thin steel plates. The giant beast was almost killed instantly.
People began to cut the meat frantically, leaving Rick standing aside in this messy scene. He was waiting to get a good piece of meat, wash it with sea water to clean the blood, and roast it to eat.
He also saw some foxes sneaking around, and some seabirds standing on the treetops. From time to time, they would pounce, holding a small piece of minced meat, and the pieces of internal organs would fly away immediately...
Rurik finally ate delicious barbecue without the smell of blood. He finally understood why killer whales like to eat seals.
In today's hunting, people got forty intact large walrus tusks and a batch of small tusks. They are all extremely valuable. In order to show the alliance's intention, today's harvest was completely divided equally.
So what time is it now? The polar night in Murmansk ends on January 13th in the old Julian calendar, and the elephant seal hunt is on January 16th. This is just the beginning of the hunting feast!
Rurik decided to hunt wildly here. Everyone fought here for ten days, and the length of daylight hours had become very comfortable. But when people felt it was time to leave, they realized that they had achieved too many results!
Fifty polar bear skins, equivalent animal heads, a large number of bear paws, more than 500 walrus tusks, as many as 300 extremely fine skins of leopard seals, and more than 50 Arctic fox skins.
Likewise, the beaches were littered with carcasses of game animals, humans getting what they needed, and foxes and birds feasting on them.
With no other choice, people can only make simple sleds, and the journey back will surely become an extremely difficult trek.
Rurik guessed that everyone would have to go back the way they came. After all, we couldn't expect those reindeer to carry back both people and goods.
Everyone can only march on foot, which is an extreme test of everyone's physical fitness. Rurik believes that his men have this ability.
He doesn't have to, he will sit on a sleigh full of goods, hug his Saiborava, and wander back to Ironburg for maybe a month.
By then, Rurik will be the great hero who has seen the "Sea at the End of the World" and experienced the "Trial of Odin".