Chapter 758 Blue Fox Gouldsson Returns Like Lightning
A flag suddenly rose from the lonely mast of the boat. Spute took a closer look and saw that the special pattern was...
"Are they from Russia? Are they from us?!"
In desperation, Spuyut urgently ordered the crossbow to be cocked and unloaded, and the attack order was suspended.
Look at the small boat again. There are some guys in black robes on it. The small boat is constantly rising and falling on the sea. The people on the boat are not afraid of the ocean or the big ships.
As the two boats approached, I saw a person on the boat starting to wave the flag crazily and yelling: "I am the Blue Fox! The Blue Fox of the Gould family! Are you a Ross ship? Get us on board quickly.
!”
Spyut stood on the side of the ship. He couldn't hear clearly. At least he was sure that the other party was definitely a Frankish priest. As for the Ross flag in his hand, an idea came to his mind.
Because Spyut knew a lot about Eskil and also knew that the prince had given permission to build a small monastery in the principality. Those priests had no intention of fighting and were weird people who could chant quietly until they died. They were not a threat.
Perhaps if they are delivered safely to the prince, the brothers can get a little extra reward.
The rope ladder was thrown down, and all seven people in the boat, including the oarsmen, got on board.
As soon as they got on the boat, a lean man with no beard, no hair on his head, and wearing a black robe couldn't wait to approach Spuyut and muttered: "Ah! In almost a whole year, I finally saw this person like you.
Old Russian."
At this time, Spout was surprised again, because when his son spoke, he spoke the standard Roseburg dialect of Norse. When the blue fox was young, he traveled back and forth between the Anglas tribe and the Rose tribe where his ancestral home was, and spent most of his time thereafter.
After being thrown away by his father in Roseburg, he learned a standard Roseburg dialect.
The Norse language is mastered by all the Viking tribes, and Rossburg is the northernmost stronghold. The long-term isolation has made the dialect here unique, and it is very obviously different from the common dialect in the Lake Mälaren area in some specific vocabulary.
Even the stress positions in the pronunciation of words and sentences are different. Although there are no barriers to communication between different tribes, the old Russians can tell whether the other party is one of their own through words.
"You...who are you?! We Russians?" Spuyut was very surprised and asked subconsciously.
"Oh? You don't recognize me? It's no wonder, my Gould family has only had a thin man like me for a hundred years. There is no way, these are God's will. Now I stand in front of my father, he will definitely not recognize me.
Me, and Lord Rurik, he must not believe that I am the Blue Fox Gouldson."
"Ah? Did I hear that right? You are Blue Fox? You... aren't you dead?!"
Si Puyut looked astonished, as shocked as a blue fox, and then said angrily: "Which fool said that I am dead? I am a person who serves the prince, and good luck is with me. And now the god of the Franks is also blessing me, I
How could you die in confusion? By the way, great explorer, why are you here? Oh, this is all Odin's will."
After a series of witty words, although it was very absurd, Spyut was willing to believe that the man in front of him was the blue fox, at least his soul was. "Yes, all this is Odin's will..."
At least Eskil's identity can be confirmed. As soon as Spuyut mentioned this man's embarrassing incident in Ross, he immediately encountered Eskil's refutation. Needless to say, this old guy is undoubtedly Eskil.
They were going to Ross to meet Lord Rurik, and among them the thin man who called himself Blue Fox revealed that he wanted to report the information about Frank.
Now that there is no intention of lingering, let the prince judge for himself whether the thin man is really a blue fox.
The big ship hurriedly turned around, hoisted its sails, and rushed toward New Rossburg in the east.
The brothers stayed on the ship for more than a month, and they did not even land during this period. Their bodies emitted an indescribable strange smell, and the men in black who had different beliefs who boarded the ship came to ask about the matter.
Blue Fox, who had become so thin that his cheekbones were very obvious, had long been fed up with the poor life of the Frankish priests. When it was time to eat, he instantly returned to the heavy food of the past on this boat.
It is true that the days on the ship are not leisurely. Robbery is accompanied by fighting, which consumes a lot of energy. Landing on the enemy ship to carry the loot afterwards consumes even more energy. The deck needs to be cleaned regularly, important ship-borne weapons need frequent maintenance, and raising and lowering the sails is very serious.
Physical work.
There are still some hard wheat cakes in reserve, but their taste has begun to become sour. Even though they must be baked to be completely dehydrated for preservation, they are now absorbing the salt spray from the sea, replenishing moisture and starting to mold.
The only thing that remains unchanged is the salted fish, which was the most common food for the Russian people in the past.
The sour wheat cakes are still much less interesting than the sour black bread. The blue fox ate the wheat cakes and salted fish. When the big net was retrieved, the live herrings caught in the net were also caught in his hands.
Cut open the fish with a knife and swallow the meat whole.
Although there is a cross hanging on his chest, Blue Fox has returned to his old ways.
This ship has represented Ross, who has completely left Frankland and no longer has to abide by the ascetic rules of the priests to restrain himself.
Regarding whether this man was a blue fox, Spyout not only fully trusted in his eloquent description, but also admired this boy's Frank Adventures, and the most important one that happened in Hedeby.
fighting.
The boring life at sea needs fresh stories to spice things up. The blue fox who boarded the ship completely became the king of stories, making other boarders seem dispensable.
However, as Wadi revealed his identity as a Slav, the Slavic pirate in the suit immediately came over to have a relationship. The two sides have different dialects, most of the vocabulary is the same, and they can communicate with each other. In a sense, this
It was also the first contact between the West Slavic Oberlitids and the East Slavic Ilmen.
As for Eskil, who is qualified in the north, this old boy has been in fear since he got on the boat. He saw the big net hanging on the stern of the boat, and when he looked closely, it was full of human heads!
"Oh! God, have I boarded Satan's ship?!"
No one cares about the beliefs he upholds, and he himself is simply provided with food and water by Spyut like an outsider.
Spuyut did not want to get involved with this kind of person. By the way, he asked Blue Fox why he accepted the faith of the Franks, and got a very utilitarian answer: "I am a businessman, and I believe in Frey in the north. Go to
If you meet Frank, just believe in their gods. If you believe in a few gods, there will always be one who can protect you."
Not absolute faith means absolutely no faith. Asking himself, Spyut is not the kind of person who believes in a certain god. He still can't figure out how the prince, who is the "son of Odin", would let someone like Eskil go to Rus.
Perhaps the prince had his own intentions, which ordinary people could not guess.
When Blue Fox asked his father if his brother was still in Fort Ross and where the Salmon Chief would be anchored.
Spute's description made him ecstatic.
Because Gould stayed on Tombstone Island in the Åland Islands at the crossroads of the ocean, the family established a material warehouse on the island to quickly supply goods to Ross's shop in the Birka Market on Lake Mälaren, or directly with people who came by boat.
Merchants trade directly. Tombstone Island is a self-contained commercial port and a distribution center for the transportation of supplies to the Principality of Ross. Especially since navigation was resumed in 836, the number of Ross merchant ships traveling to and from Tombstone Island has more than doubled compared to previous years.
The Ross fleet cruises near Tombstone Island, one of which is to defend the lines of communication with arms, and the other is to fish.
In contrast, the return of the big ship Salmon Chief did not show many waves.
The western sea area disappeared, and a huge water channel led to the interior. The bow of the ship was filled with pure fresh water. The large ship sailed in the sea near the huge entrance of Lake Malaren. So someone directly hung the wooden barrel to collect the water and brought it up.
Later, the brothers drank like crazy. After all, their fresh water usage has been very tight these days.
Just to the north, there is a string of small islands floating on the sea, one of which is Tombstone Island.
The Salmon Chief entered the port. At first, people and businessmen thought it was an ordinary Russian warship. In the past, the Avora was an eye-catching "Big Mac", but now such ships cruise every day, and everyone is surprised.
No wonder.
Until they were shocked to notice a group of guys in slovenly clothes and with a vomiting smell all over their bodies, laughing like fools and walking off the board to land. The onlookers found the source of the stench, which turned out to be a rotting head?
All the truth is revealed. This is the ship of the Royal Pirate Spruit. When they left the port, they threatened to go on a killing spree in the Danish waters. It seems that they were really lying?
How many trophies did they grab? A batch of seized axes, spearheads, and harpoons were sold on the spot. They were all rusty tools, all made of wrought iron. In terms of quality, they were not as good as Russian ironware, and the prices were inevitably high.
Gao Sipuyut didn't expect to make money from these things, so a piece of news spread like wildfire and spread immediately.
"They got a lot of wool! Haha!"
Someone made such a claim, and the onlookers immediately started talking about it, which directly attracted a group of Melalen leather merchants.
Let’s talk about why the rush to buy wool is not limited to the Gould family. After all, since the Ostara tribe and the Glan tribe, who are good at raising cattle and sheep, fled to death, Sweden has lost an important wool supplier. This kind of
The supply of fiber with strong cold resistance was seriously insufficient, and it became highly sought-after, so merchants knew that if they successfully mixed it into the wool trade, they would be able to make huge profits.
A dramatic thing happened.
Gould was indeed aging very quickly. After hearing the bad news about his second son's death, he became seriously ill. After a whole winter of recuperation, he could still walk. Life must go on no matter what. Don't think about expanding his business in Denmark.
The focus can only be on trade with Sweden.
He had just heard the news reported by his servants, so he picked up the silver-inlaid wooden staff and headed straight to the dock, saying: "A group of pirates, let me see what good treasures you have snatched. Avenge my son, and I will reward you."
you."
The second son had the courage of his youth, but unfortunately he lacked luck. Gould also reflected when he was seriously ill. Among the many family members, that boy was the one who said that he did not believe in gods but only money. If he had chosen to believe in a god at that time, he would probably
You may also be lucky enough to survive.
Gould was a big businessman. Even if he became an old man, he still had to walk out of the mansion on Tombstone Island in a grand manner. More than twenty followers were all wearing leather coats with beautiful glass beads, trying their best to show off. They also
He pushed those who blocked the road arrogantly and shouted: "The big businessman Gould is coming, but the poor small businessmen are avoiding him!"
Gould was so arrogant, even though the people complained, they all got out of the way. There was no way, this old boy was favored by the prince and had a long history of serving the dragon, so it was unwise to offend this man who could not live for more than a few years.
Looking at the big ship, the big businessman's grand appearance directly attracted the attention of the blue fox.
The black robe was thrown away, as was the hat. The blue fox had lost its past graceful appearance as a fat-headed fish, and had actually changed its skin, except for the hidden birthmarks and moles.
Dad actually showed up in person! He didn't care too much and pushed away the crowd and rushed forward, only to be blocked by his father's guards.
"Who are you? Are you blind? How dare you block the way of a big businessman?" The arrogant guard spoke rudely, holding a wooden stick in his hand as if he wanted to hit someone.
Blue Fox is now a warrior who has fought against humans. It stands to reason that he expressed his attitude to Odin and later converted to the Lord. With two great gods in the north and south serving him, a small minion in front of him is nothing.
He noticed that his father had become older, although he still had a fat head and big ears. There were more brown spots on his face, his beard and hair had become pale, and his blue eyes had lost their former charm. Dad did not
Pay attention to yourself, this is really unreasonable.
Blue Fox pushed hard and pushed the guard away. Just when others were about to take him down, he shouted in front of everyone: "I am Blue Fox! The person in charge of Ross Shop in Denmark appointed by the prince. Father, I am your second child."
Blue Fox!" He even said his nickname directly, which hit Gould's heart directly.
Gould was trembling all over, his eyes fixed on the blue fox's face: "You? You are my son? How is it possible..."
"Why is it impossible? Or is it because I'm too thin that you can't recognize me? Don't you think I'm dead?"
"..." Gould's lips trembled, and it was too difficult for him to believe that the man in front of him was his second son.
Blue Fox had no choice. He probably expected this embarrassing situation, so he simply took off his shirt to reveal his hairy chest, pointing to the birthmark and mole: "You will never forget this? No matter whether I am fat or thin, birthmarks often
Stay with me."
Gould was finally deeply touched. He already believed that this was his blue fox. As the man showed his back, there was a tattoo with runes on it, which in Latin letters is gulden.
There is no doubt anymore. Although the second son has a very strange appearance and figure, he is a member of the Gould family!
It’s not surprising that it took such a long time for father and son to get to know each other. Not only was the experience along the way too dreamy, but also because all the men, women, and children in the family were fat. It took only a hundred years for Lan Hu to be a lean and handsome boy. Not to mention, Lan Hu is so skinny.
He is now much more handsome. Even though he has gone from fat to thin, he has experienced the ascetic life for more than half a year. He has thought of the benefits of losing weight. Just to experience the ascetic life again, Lan Hu doesn't want to stay there for a day.
Spuyut was going to replenish supplies on Tombstone Island, so the crew members all went to the sauna to take a bath, and then enjoyed the long-awaited cleansing of applying sulfur soap all over their bodies. They directly bought new clothes and changed into them, along with the Saaremaa pirates who were on board.
I also completely changed my outfit.
The blue fox finally returned home, and Gould was so excited that he couldn't sleep peacefully. In the end, Gould had to lament that his cub should not die. He asked the blue fox to explain the adventure carefully. In this way, father and son
The two of them could only talk non-stop all night long.
It was during this night's conversation that Gould was so excited that he looked at his decaying body and fell into endless melancholy.
"I once heard that there is a sacred mountain in the south, which has always been covered with snow and never melted. You actually arrived there. You have seen too much in the Frankish hinterland, and I can no longer see it with my own eyes..."
The blue fox responded to the situation and took out some yellow-white dried flowers from his cloth pocket. They looked very strange. "This is a flower that grows on the holy mountain. The Franks call it edelweiss. Only the brave can get it. So many Franks call it edelweiss."
These flowers are used as tokens of good luck and proof of courage. Luck is very important to us businessmen, so I wear them."
The blue fox in Gould's eyes changed too much. He began to believe in gods and made some strange amulets. This was a beneficial change.
There are opportunities to do business with the Franks, this is what Blue Fox said. From the perspective of a pure businessman, it is possible for the Gould family to open a Frankish Hamburg market in Bremen.
It's just that today's Blue Fox has not only lost weight, but also has a mentality similar to that of a warrior.
He said fiercely: "The arrogance of the Frankish nobles is a great disgrace to us. If we cannot defeat them, we can do business peacefully. I think our Rus can directly invade those cities and steal all the treasures. I will tell the prince about these things,
The prince will definitely kill him. Even if the prince is hesitant, as far as I know, Sipuyut, the big pirate, already wants to do it."
Times have changed. Merchants no longer trade peacefully, but have completely transformed into doing business with swords. His son grew up to be a ruthless man directly from this disaster, which is really a blessing in disguise for the family.
Gould knew that his son would continue to go to the East. Blue Fox was an important trade person appointed by the prince. There was a big mess in the Danish market and he had to report his duties to the prince.
Gould finally asked: "When you have finished reporting on your duties, what plans do you have for the future?"
Blue Fox really didn't think about it and just said: "I can only obey the prince's decision for the future. But I heard that the prince intends to take revenge on Denmark. If there is a large-scale war, I will lead the way for the army. I will die.
Revenge, brothers! We will take care of those arrogant Franks as well."
These words should not be uttered by a businessman.
His son had changed and became unrecognizable. Gould had an awkward feeling. The so-called fat blue fox had died in Haideby. The person in front of him was a blue fox and not a blue fox. He had inherited the former's
The memory has a new belief. Maybe this is a big change of mind forced by reality!
This is also a good thing, because according to tradition, the second son does not divide the family property, and wealth and power must be obtained by one's own ability. Compared with the Blue Fox's travels and the fact that he killed the enemy with his own hands, Gould felt that this
The younger son is more suitable to inherit the family business than the eldest son Bai Hu.
But is the second son blue fox really rare?
Gould asked himself, based on his understanding of Prince Rurik, the boy would definitely continue to reuse him when he found out about such a talented person as Blue Fox.