Esquier was leaning on the wooden cross he had just made. He was also wearing a black robe and a black round hat covering his bald head.
Two seemingly dull followers followed closely behind.
The three of them followed the mercenary soldier who reported the news and cautiously approached the Duke's residence.
"Right here! Stop."
Guarded soldiers stopped the three of them.
"What? We have a problem?" Eskil asked.
"Come here, check if they have any weapons."
Upon hearing this, Eskil became angry and quickly explained, "We are people who pursue the sacred, and we will not bring any weapons."
This was heard by Jevro who was watching from the sidelines.
"Without weapons?" He walked up with his head held high, "I heard a lot of things in Britain. Those kingdoms have the same belief, which is what you call sacred belief. Without sharp weapons? Your fights are no more merciful than ours."
"This...is that they are not religious enough."
"Stop doing this." Yevluo continued to order, "Brothers, check carefully."
In Frankia, the holy body of a priest cannot be defiled! When the people saw the priest, they either bowed or knelt down, hoping for salvation.
Eskil felt a little humiliated, but the two followers didn't care anymore.
It was impossible for them to bring any sharp weapons against the Duke, but the wooden cross cane was still temporarily confiscated.
At this moment, Rurik was waiting on the third floor of the palace, waiting to see if his guards had fulfilled their duties.
Otto also stood by the bed and saw all this.
"You allow the high priest of another faith to come to our domain, which may be disrespectful to God. Is this really appropriate?"
"Dad, this man is the Roman man in black that Vilia mentioned." Rurik said calmly.
"Huh? A new one?"
"Maybe this is fate. The man in black once left a parchment book, which contains wisdom, but I can't understand the Roman language.
This man understands the language of the Romans, and I want to use this winter to learn it, preferably by letting my wives and concubines learn it too. I don't care about their beliefs, but for the sake of our future, I must at least have some understanding."
"Okay..." Otto patted Rurik on the shoulder, "Ross is yours, take care of our Ross." After that, Otto turned and left.
"Dad, where are you going?"
"Nothing, I have no idea about this man in black. I want to drink with my old friends. Let's go!"
Otto really didn't want to talk to the man in black in Rome. He was about to die, so he had better enjoy himself while he was still alive. Especially since he felt that his time was running out, his hair all over his body had turned gray, and his strong self finally turned into an old man.
The son is already the perfect leader, and he walks away as a hands-off boss.
Originally, Yevlo was just a supervisor, but now he is actually leading the way.
Eskil followed closely behind. When he walked past the outer wall of the palace and entered the courtyard through the main entrance, a strange and strange feeling came to him.
"What's going on? You... actually used a huge stone to pave the courtyard? No! How did you do it?"
Jevro didn't mean to talk nonsense, he remained alert and urged to leave quickly.
Esquier walked on the completely flat boulders, and saw how smooth some places were. He even saw the reflection of sunlight.
What he saw was the concrete floor.
Since the craftsmen of Ross knew the formula of cement, it has been used as a building adhesive and for laying floors. However, due to its limited production, only the Duke's residence has the only cement courtyard in Ross.
.
Eskil couldn't explain all this. How could the absolutely flat hard "stone" ground be a fantasy?
He finally entered Rurik's palace. Two of his attendants were detained temporarily, and only he himself was allowed to go upstairs.
Just going upstairs is another wonderful feeling.
Because of the decline of Rome, the people under the old empire had forgotten too many technologies, and the new barbarians knew nothing about it. Even with the Carolingian Renaissance, the impact of prosperity on the northern border of Frankia was really limited.
The people still lived in huts with stone walls, and the residences of the lords rarely had high-rise buildings.
Upon hearing that the Duke had decided to hold the secret meeting on the third floor, Eskil was reshaping his understanding.
He couldn't help but mutter, "If I invite craftsmen from Ross and influence them, I can build a great cathedral in Reims, and I will be promoted to archbishop in advance."
Finally, Eskil reached the top.
The third floor of the palace is nearly ten meters above the ground, which is the highest in Roseburg.
The third floor is a spacious place. The open windows let in the sunlight, making the entire floor very bright.
He suddenly saw a young man sitting cross-legged. The golden ponytail hanging on his chest was none other than Rurik himself.
"You're finally here." Rurik said seriously.
Eskil nodded first and then said: "I'm here. There are many things I want to tell you."
"Really? It just so happens that I also have something to do. Come on, sit in front of me. This is a secluded place, no one can disturb you and me."
"Yes." Eskil put his hands in front of him and walked straight away with his head raised.
This old missionary has seen too many lords, some are young and arrogant, some are old and decrepit.
He didn't know how to evaluate Rurik of Rus. This kid was already the de facto Duke of Rus, and he was full of mysteries.
He noticed that there was an exquisite treasure box next to the young man. What could be contained in it?
Eskil sat down cautiously. He looked up again and saw the row of ferocious bear heads on the wooden wall, and he couldn't help but feel fear.
How to get to the point? Rurik has his own plan.
The heavy treasure chest was opened, and as Eskil's shock became increasingly severe, Rurik began to take out the treasures inside.
Parchments, diamond-encrusted gold crosses, gilded crusaders, more parchments, and more.
Look at these treasures, looking at them, Eskil's beating heart drove him to stand up.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his trembling mouth asked urgently: "You...where did you get these holy objects?"
After basically taking out all the things, Rurik placed them in front of him and said angrily, "These... I robbed them all."
"Loot?"
"Of course. I attacked Lindisfarne, and I brought over all the treasures of the abbey."
"Ah! You..." These words were like a bolt from the blue. Eskil was so startled that he trembled all over. He realized that the boy in front of him was no longer handsome. What was hidden behind his clean face was the fangs of the devil.
"What? Are you afraid? Do you think I'm a villain?"
Esquier immediately woke up, crossed himself several times on his chest, and then sat down tremblingly.
"Don't dare, this is... your achievement."
Rurik shrugged, "I know it's against your will to say that. To be honest, I attacked Britain, I plundered Lindisfarne, and all those priests were killed. So, will your god punish me?"
"this……"
"Tell the truth and I will forgive you."
Why did this boy ask this? Why did this boy do such evil deeds, yet he wanted to keep the sacred objects intact?
Eskil knew about the plunder of Flanders by the Danish lords. They had occupied the port of Durist, killed the local priests, destroyed the monasteries and looted treasures, and destroyed sacred objects.
Esquier said cautiously, "According to our beliefs, you will go to hell. But..."
"But what?"
"If you accept our faith, be baptized, and repent to me, you will be forgiven."
"That's it?" Rurik couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Ah, my lord, aren't you very interested in our faith?"
"I'm interested. But I never imagined that your purpose of coming here is really to convert me. I'm not angry. I know clearly that that's impossible."
"I'm sorry, I came here for something else."
Rurik waved his hand, "Listen to me first."
Forget it, he opened the oldest book of "Exodus" and pointed to the text, "Seventy years ago, Roman missionaries arrived in Russia, hoping that we would accept your faith. Our high priest did not agree and preached
The scholar left this book behind. Please read it."
With that said, Rurik pushed the book over.
Esquier flipped through it, and the more he read, the more horrified he became. The text was in Latin and was correct, but the writing style was different from that of the Frankish kingdom.
"Is this...really Rome?"
"Yes." Rurik nodded, "I know there are two Romes. This is a book about Eastern Rome. You are not a Roman, you are from Frank. As far as I know, you are still a Saxon."
"indeed so."
"Then please read this one."
Another, thicker, handwritten book was pushed in front of Eskil.
"Is this the Gospel of Lindisfarne? You really..." Surprised, sweat broke out on Eskil's forehead.
"I can't understand Latin. I want to know the details in the book. You should know Latin. I want you to teach me."
"Ah! Is this the real purpose of your invitation to me?"
"Exactly. As you can see, our principality is already using the Roman alphabet, and I have abandoned the old script. If you can easily spell the name of my ship, you should understand my thirst for knowledge."
In a daze, Eskil felt that he was standing at a key node in the historical process.
"Are you hesitating?" Rurik asked again.
"No. I am willing. I am willing to be your teacher. To be honest, I have never seen a lord who desires wisdom as much as you do."
"Are you praising me?"
“It’s a compliment that comes from the bottom of my heart.”
"Okay." Rurik still remained calm and said, "I should also give you a certain amount of compensation. Maybe I should grant you some requests. Just say it doesn't matter, you can take it as my tuition fee."
"Then convert." Eskil blurted out without thinking.
"Like this again?" Rurik put on an embarrassed face.
Eskil is chasing after you again, "Sir, God loves you. God will forgive all your sins. If you convert, and your subjects have also converted, your principality can become great, and you will
Become a saint in the north. I know that you are not only interested in our faith, I know that you have built a small prayer room, that is, a monastery! You have actually given permission for the sacred faith to take root here. What are you waiting for?
?Rome will canonize..."
"Shut up!" Rurik closed his eyes and frowned, "That's impossible. I don't object to you. Just because I'm interested doesn't mean I have to accept it."
"Sir, this is worthy of your acceptance." Eskil changed the topic and tried to find a new breakthrough. "I have traveled around and know that Denmark has always been at odds with Sweden. If you Ross accepts it, you can ally with Frank and you can
If Denmark is attacked from the north and the south, your threat will be gone."
These words really surprised Rurik. Who would have thought that this old boy is also a strategist? Quite a few lords do not have this kind of wisdom.
"I didn't expect you to still pay attention to wars between countries? Aren't you against war?"
"Sir, I am doing this for your own good."
"That's enough." Rurik snapped, "Your idea is unrealistic. Tell me one that I can accept."
Eskil predicts that if Mr. Rurik hesitates again, hesitation will be equal to wavering. As long as he wavers, he can be influenced in the future. If it doesn't work now, it should be possible in the future.
Esquier thought for a while, "My only hope is to officially build a monastery in Rus. Some of your slaves accept our faith. They need a place to worship and a resident priest to take care of these poor people."
Lamb. As long as they pray, they will feel at ease, and with their peace of mind, they can do better things for you."
"Really? I can accept this."
"You are so kind." Eskil flattered him immediately.
"So, do you have a candidate for the pastor?"
"If there is one, I will arrange for my entourage to stay here."
Rurik nodded. He didn't want the old guy Eskil to stay here for a long time.
Mentioning this guy's followers, Rurik suddenly thought that those two followers were both young boys, and they seemed to be not much older than himself.
"Now your entourage is outside. You have chosen the person, and I will recruit him. Tell me, does the entourage understand our language?"
"I understand. That child was originally a Danish slave, a Dane."
"I understand, I want to take a closer look at this person."
After a while, his entourage John was led to the third floor. He sat beside Eskil alertly. The dull and taciturn young man made Rurik have to think a lot.
"Hey! What's your name?" Rurik shouted casually.
"John..." the young man replied cautiously, then lowered his head.
"John? Where's your original name?"
"Invar."
"Okay, Yingvar, you are going to stay in my territory, are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
Rurik nodded, "You stand up first and take a good look at you. What is your age..."
For a moment, Rurik realized that this boy was not very old, he was only twelve years old. This boy was clearly a Nordic. Thinking about his old friend Fisk, he had already killed twenty people on the battlefield at the age of twelve.
The enemy, on the other hand, looked at the Dane, who was as thin, dull and timid as a rabbit.
Wait! This kid also looks pretty and handsome. He is being led by Eskil, so I’m afraid he’s not really a “rabbit”.
Dull? Lack of ambition? Won’t be as fanatical as Eskilde?
If so, that would be great.
Wait, why did Eskil allow a dull man to stay here? This old boy couldn't see that he was not interested in Ross. I'm afraid that Yingvar, whose Christian name was John, was just hiding his enthusiasm.
Rurik asked again, "Invar, do you understand Latin? Do you understand all the words in the book?"
"Sir, I...I understand everything."
"Oh? That's great. I want you. Looking at how skinny you are, I will train you to be a muscular man. Stay with me and you can teach me."
"Yes Yes!"
Eskil didn't know what to say. This little John was really his love. From what Rurik said, this boy likes men?
No! The Russians are laughing about the fact that their leader Rurik has as many as seventeen wives.
Rurik coughed twice and said: "It's over. Eskil, when the snow melts next year, I will take you back to Birka. You can continue to come to Rus in the future, but you must first find my people in Birka
, if you come without my permission, you will be expelled. I will build you a better monastery. It is not big and will be very hidden. You should understand that just because I am interested in you does not mean that my people can tolerate it.
you."
"Yes. John will help me do my job well."
Rurik nodded, "In that case, I changed my mind. Eskil, go back by yourself, your John is now mine. Now, John will teach me Latin. As for you, I don't need it now."
"
"Ah, this! It's different from what was promised."
"Exactly, I am the Duke of Ross, and I have given you too many favors. Don't annoy me anymore, otherwise I will expel you now. If you stay in Ross, you can write a travel diary of yours. I will give you wheat and meat,
And the warmth of winter, I will summon you when I have something to do, but remember not to try to influence a new lamb without permission. I am afraid that Odin’s warriors under my command will cut you into pieces."
"I...I understand."
"You go." Rurik waved his hand and watched Eskil leave tremblingly.
After he left, the young priest John Ingvar asked weakly, "Sir, I...I will..."
Rurik scratched his head. Although this question was rather strange, he still wanted to ask, "Are you the one who loves and pities that old guy?"
John didn't feel any psychological discomfort. He realized it and immediately turned around and lifted up his robe...
"Sir, I hope you will be satisfied with my service..."
"That's it? Sure enough." Rurik stood up and kicked John's butt hard with his boot.
John fell heavily and turned his head with tears in his eyes, "Sir, it was my poor service..."
"Stand up for me. You are a man and you should be a man. You behave like a woman. Is this appropriate? I don't care what your beliefs are. I will reshape you into a man. Yingvar, I don't believe it. You
I’m really struggling with my faith and not being close to women.”
"Yes." John Ingvar immediately got up and stood up, obeying your wishes...