The young priests have great trust in their teacher Esquier. It has been more than half a month since the dispute began, and as expected, the monastery has always stayed away from the war.
They must still maintain absolute vigilance. No one can leave the monastery courtyard wall, and someone must keep vigil every night.
Everything happened very suddenly and seemed inevitable.
Blue Fox and Vardy hid until the moon was high. Taking advantage of the moonlight and starlight, they were like mice in a dark ditch, dodging the roving bandit soldiers, and successfully reached the territory of the monastery in disgrace.
"Is this here?" Wadi asked cautiously, enduring the pain of hunger and wounds.
"I'll never forget it once I've been here."
Looking up at a torch lit up on the wooden wall of the monastery, Blue Fox boasted that he saw hope.
The two people hurriedly approached the closed wooden door, and then began to knock urgently. The blue fox shouted: "Eskil, I am the Russian Blue Fox, and I want your protection."
He said so many similar words that the little priest behind the door was so shocked that he was cautious and did not dare to speak for a while.
Finally, a little priest on guard opened a small gap for them, but unexpectedly, the man behind the door used brute force and got in.
The little priest was very speechless. He looked at the panting intruder and was stunned for a while. He held back his words for a while: "You... are poor lambs?"
"Bah! What a lamb! I am a Rus! Call your master Eskil out."
The little priest was a devout man and was most afraid of using violence. A fat man behaved rudely in front of him, so he was so frightened that he could only nod in agreement.
In fact, all the little priests were ordered by Eskil to show respect to the Russians, because this was related to the success or failure of the great cause.
"The two adults are... guests of the teacher. The teacher has given instructions to enter the monastery quickly."
Blue Fox and Vardy entered the monastery easily and surprisingly smoothly.
The blue fox once looked down upon this shabby monastery, but now it seems it is an excellent refuge.
Eskil, who was already sleeping soundly, was awakened by the sudden news, which gave him a headache.
A fat Russian? Who this man was was completely clear since he learned the adjective "fat" from the little priest.
Esquier was completely sleepless, and his witty head was spinning wildly, realizing that this must be an opportunity to spread the sacred faith, or even a breakthrough for a greater cause.
He put on a black robe and ordered the priest to light more oil lamps.
As a local bishop, he received Blue Fox in the sacred prayer church. When he saw the fat man again, he was shocked by the miserable state of this wealthy guy.
Blue Fox's clothes were full of tears, and Wadi's clothes were still stained with blood.
Esquier's words were trembling: "Welcome, poor lamb, I am your trustworthy pastor."
"We are not lambs." Blue Fox still emphasized impatiently.
"Okay. Sit down first." After that, he told the little priest: "Bring some water and some bread."
The two people who had been wandering around finally settled down. As soon as they sat down, they felt relieved. Blue Fox was in good spirits, and Wadi almost fainted.
Esquier also sat down on the bench casually. He learned some things and still wanted to ask: "I know about the war. Those people are attacking you. It seems that you...have not won?"
This guy chose his words very carefully, and the embarrassed Blue Fox laughed at himself casually: "I don't mind if you say I failed. I failed, but not completely. You see, I escaped."
"So, your warriors..."
"They all died in the battle. I fled along the tunnel. You know, I am a businessman and I have a noble status. I must tell Prince Rurik what happened here!"
When Blue Fox spoke, his whole face was twitching, his white and gray face turned red with heat, he was gnashing his teeth as if he was going to break them, and his whole person became extremely distorted.
His violent rage made Eskil quite afraid, but fortunately he had seen the world and was quite right.
"You fled to me and you just wanted me to help you return to Ross?"
Eskil asked exactly what he was talking about, and Blue Fox continued: "You said you were going to Ross! You must send me back!"
"This..." Eskil's face sank.
"What? Are you going back on your word? Aren't you eager to go to Ross? Can you go without me as your guide?"
Esquier glanced at the gold-encrusted sword hanging from this poor man's waist, and couldn't help but take a breath, fearing that he would anger the fat man and cause his own disaster.
Eskil stood up slowly and looked worried. He kept pacing and said frankly: "Okay, I want to confess to you. I do plan to go to Ross, and I need you too.
Point the way. I thought you had died in the war and had suspended this plan before. Obviously the Lord is blessing you and allows you to enter this monastery alive. There is still a chance for my plan to be implemented."
Blue Fox was so excited that he couldn't hear the old guy's clear words for the time being, and was still asking how to row a boat to escape.
"Rowing? No chance! The storm destroyed almost all the boats, and the others were occupied by those people. I can't buy a boat..."
"What can we do?! I must return to Rus! The Rus army will take revenge."
Eskil shook his head: "You are too tired, you should take a rest first."
"No. You have to give me a way!" Blue Fox was also anxious.
After the rain and the storm subsided, Eskil came up with a new idea. Why bother setting sail from Hedebe? It was now unsafe, so just walk to Hamburg and leave by boat from there.
Just then, the little priest came with a pottery basin and a dinner plate, and placed clean water and pieces of black bread in front of the tired two people.
The blue fox originally disdained black bread, which was a low-quality bread with a strong sour taste. His taste had been developed to become more sophisticated, but now he was like a pig, arching his head and trying to swallow up the black bread.
The little priest hurriedly took away the food and water, but Eskil also stood up to block it.
"What? It's not for me?"
"Yes! There is a condition."
"What conditions?" Blue Fox asked anxiously, suppressing his anger.
"Because this meal is not given to you by me, it is a gift from the Lord. You two are lost lambs. Only by converting to our faith and undergoing baptism can you have the right to eat this holy meal and drink this holy water."
"It's the same thing again..." Lan Hu seemed to be resisting, and his heart was already wavering in order to fill his stomach.
Eskil pursued the victory: "You experienced a defeat, why? Because you did not believe in the Lord, you were attacked by barbarians. If you had converted earlier, how could they dare to attack?"
"Really? It's ridiculous."
"This is the fact. Have those people ever attacked the servants of the Lord? They dare not, because the power of faith is infinite..." This was followed by another boring lecture.
Esquier relied on opening his mouth to develop believers, and the power of preaching and persuasion was still too limited. He actually knew that, for example, Charlemagne's forceful methods made the Saxons accept the faith on a large scale, which was ten thousand times more efficient than preaching!
When talking about faith with businessmen, other priests would not be willing to get involved. The ninth century priests were very ascetic, and businessmen generally represented the pursuit of luxury, so priests generally disdained talking to businessmen.
Eskil also has a plan in this regard, but Blue Fox is the breakthrough point. Since he is a businessman, he should know his interests and benefits.
"My monastery will survive the war. Behind me is the support of Frank. The monastery itself is also funded by Prince Ludwig of Frank. I have also investigated the guy who attacked you. He is a mercenary of Prince Ludwig."
people."
"Is it still Frank who is attacking our Ross? There is one more enemy!" Blue Fox said simply, his mind even more confused.
"No! You misunderstood! Let me tell you, Prince Ludwig's letter proves that he is interested in Ross. How could the prince attack your shop? It must be the unauthorized behavior of those mercenaries. The prince still plans to do it with you.
Business."
"Business?" Blue Fox calmed down a little, "I just want to eat now."
"Baptism is necessary." Eskil emphasized with an old face.
"necessary?"
"This is the principle! You are standing in the sacred hall. If you do not accept faith, you will be expelled. You... you are not believed in any god. After this disaster, you must believe in one. Your God of Commerce cannot guarantee your life, but
The Lord can grant a devout person a bright future. Not to mention that after conversion, you have the right to do business in Hamburg and Bremen."
When Esquier said this, the blue fox finally became decisive.
"If I can get greater business opportunities, I'll do it!"
Esquier's stern old face beamed with joy. As the baptizer, he personally performed the crucial baptism for the two fleeing lambs.
The blue fox took off his dirty clothes and completely soaked the large wooden barrel full of clean water. Although the conditions were relatively simple, Esquier presided over here, holding a manuscript gospel in one hand and reading, and the other hand rhythmically read the blue fox's
Pressing his head down, he turned the pages of the book as usual, and the first character name that appeared was the Christian name of Blue Fox.
The same procedure was used for the injured Wadi, but the injured man was in a daze and accepted the baptism in a daze. At least his body did not refuse the ceremony and remained voluntary.
Wadi's wound was also seen by Eskil. After the baptism, the wound was smeared with sacred and fragrant rose essential oil, and then bandaged. Whether the young man could be immune to the fever after the injury depended on the will of the Lord.
In fact, rose essential oil has a certain effect in protecting wounds and accelerating healing, and the wounds will become clean after being cleaned.
Blue Fox and Wadi finally had something to eat, and they also put on a simple coarse white cloth robe, which was the ordinary uniform of the young priest.
After Eskil waited for them to eat and drink well, he gave them wooden cross pendants and wore them with his own hands.
After all, this was my first successful sermon in the Russians in so many years. It was my first time to baptize a big shot of the Russians. It was a wonderful start.
When the blue fox had a full stomach, he didn't feel that he was so special now.
He continued to ask Eskil: "How on earth do you send me back to Rus. I am talking about Rus in the East."
"Now...I can tell you without reservation, my child..."
Eskil talked a lot, and the blue fox finally understood Eskil's new plan, which was to walk to Hamburg and then find a boat to leave.
Although Hamburg is a city in the former Principality of Saxony conquered by Charlemagne, it is really a natural trading port because it is built on the inland waters.
What's the difference between believing in the Lord and believing in Odin or Frey or Frigg? Blue Fox doesn't think the so-called Lord is very wise now, but the opportunity to make a fortune has made him put aside the war he has experienced.
It was one thing to report the disaster to Prince Rurik, but it was another thing to go to the Frankish hinterland to look for opportunities to make a fortune.
He and Wadi stayed in the monastery to sleep all night, and the next day, they had to eat a simple and shabby "holy breakfast" during boring morning prayers like little priests.
Do you have to pray just to eat? If praying can ensure the Lord’s protection of your life, it’s okay to spend some time.
Blue Fox and Vardy recited the prayers, neither admiration nor conflict. However, their obedient performance really made Eskil happy.
After the meal, Eskilde, who was in high spirits, met Blue Fox alone in the writing room.
He looked the young fat man up and down: "You seem to be used to it? Obviously the Lord has already given you a calling, and you finally fell into the arms of the Lord."
"I wonder now when we are going to Hamburg."
"We have to wait for this matter, don't worry it won't be too far away."
"Okay. I want to tell you specifically that the sea area where Ross is located in the east will freeze in November." Blue Fox warned.
"It doesn't matter. Now that you are a believer, you can go to Frank for trade. Of course, I think the Count of Hamburg is very willing to meet you, even Prince Ludwig. I have a high status in Frank, and I can introduce you to
The great nobles must also be willing to talk to you, a Russian."
"If it's a business matter, I'd be happy to talk about it."
"Very good. But you must learn to be a priest here." Eskil's request was his purpose, because Blue Fox felt that he had to temporarily play a role as a priest or monk.
"I'm not a priest."
"Of course you are not! But there must be only priests in this monastery. You... must cut off your beard, cut off a lot of hair, and have a hairstyle like other priests (St. Peter's hairstyle)."
"Shave off my beard? Is it necessary? In the north, the bigger the beard, the more charming and credible a warrior is. And there is that funny hairstyle. My hair has never been so short."
"But being here will make you an alien. I'm worried about those people's search. If they break into the monastery rashly and take you away, I won't be able to rescue you."
"Absurd." Blue Fox shook his head, "You said this place is safe enough."
"I'm afraid those gangsters and villains insist on doing it. You know, they don't believe in the Lord. They are a group of savages, like wild boars and bears running rampant. We must prepare for the best and the worst."
Blue Fox believed the words of Eskil, who had lived in Ross for more than half a year, and was also convinced of his ambition to preach to Ross. The latter was not what he cared about. He was most concerned about his own life now, and the second was to seize far more wealth than his father.
Benefit.
Blue Fox is still a fat man, but his beard and a lot of hair have disappeared. He puts on the black robe of a priest and hangs a cross on his chest. He is clearly a priest! As long as he stands quietly, who can doubt it? Maybe he still has to doubt it.
Well, fat priests with big heads, big ears, and bloated bellies may only be found in Rome, but certainly not in the North.
His sword was removed and preserved. This bright white steel sword that the Franks did not have is a treasure. If you want to negotiate with the Frankish nobles, it can be used as a stepping stone.
After another two days, Blue Fox thought carefully and decided not to put returning to Ross first. Since he went to Frank to explore new interests for himself, his family and Ross, he decided to do something big.
Wadi's mental condition has been getting better despite being injured in the past few days. Obviously this is a gift from the Lord!
Wadi has accepted the sacred faith, but he is just a small character. He needs to rely on his master now and in the future. He happens to have an audience with the Frankish nobles, and the Blue Fox needs a capable follower.
Blue Fox thought through the problem, and just when Esquier was about to leave, he came to explain his point of view.
The Blue Fox, who has now been given the Christian name Joseph, directly asked Eskil for the opportunity to meet Prince Ludwig. How can this request not be shocking?
"The prince thinks very highly of himself, maybe..." Esquier hesitated for a moment.
"Just take my sword as a gift, and the Russian people's desire for trade. I don't believe that the master of a big country will refuse." The blue fox is ambitious, but Eskil can easily meet the Earl of Hamburg and the prince.
The Count of Hamburg still needs to be convinced.
Eskil did not guarantee it and honestly claimed that he would try. Then he sighed: "Joseph, you are a crazy businessman. You actually regard disasters as new opportunities."
This is really a compliment to a businessman, and of course Blue Fox wouldn't let it go: "A real businessman should be like this. My father was almost killed here in Denmark back then. Twenty years later, I also escaped death. I hope the great Lord will grant me wealth."
.”
After hearing this, Esquier really had no intention of refuting, so he could only laugh and say nothing, and finally pointed out: "You must already know what the priests are talking about. I will celebrate the Mass of St. Mary on the 14th of August. After
We are leaving this holiday season and will arrive in Hamburg before September. So you will have to stay here for a while."
Living in the monastery was like a caged bird, and the blue fox did not dare to leave here, so he had to find something to kill his boredom. Esquier seized the opportunity to provide a manuscript copy of the Gospel. Although it was very dreamy, he knew that the fat man could read Latin.
Not to mention, Lan Hu was fascinated by the so-called scriptures. The stories in them were vivid and interesting. However, instead of confirming his faith, he was more concerned about the various place names. He felt that the world was extremely huge, as well as the gold, gems, etc. described in the books.
wait.
Many disasters have occurred and many plans have been broken. Now Eskil and Blue Fox have become very eager to meet the Count of Hamburg, a great nobleman in the northern Franks.
But before leaving, new trouble arose. A large number of ships appeared on the sea, and the king of the Danes finally sailed by the north wind and came to his loyal Hedeby.