Chapter 331： Iron and wine

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A group of jet-black people gathered in front of them. Their gray hats could not hide their drooping blond hair, and their simple and plain clothes looked like a plate of Mellaren woodcutter.

"It's very lively there. Jeflo, what are these people doing around the strange stall?"

Now that the owner was interested, Jeflo squeezed into the crowd without saying a word. He stood on tiptoe and glanced at it and hurriedly returned to report: "My lord, someone is selling an axe."

"Axe?" Rurik immediately became vigilant, and he began to think about something in his head.

"It's the axe. In my opinion, those onlookers are woodcutters who plan to buy an axe."

The so-called woodcutter is a woodcutter, and Rurik is a little pleased that his judgment is good. I saw a large group of woodcutters trying to buy an axe, and Rurik couldn't help being jealous, because these axe sellers were already in competition with him.

"Yevlo!"

"in!"

"Go! Buy me an axe. No matter what price the merchant proposes, buy one for me. I want to see the craftsmanship of the Mellaren people."

Yevlo nodded vigorously, brought the five brothers forward, and rudely pulled the hesitant woodcutter aside, and then took out a shiny silver coin of good quality to buy.

After a while, Evlo bought an axe at the "low bargain" price of two silver coins and dedicated it to his master.

"My lord, there are only two silver coins. It's really cheap. Maybe it's not a good thing."

Rurik took the axe, and the first glance at it confirmed its inferiority.

Jeflo continued: "My lord, I just learned that those people are selling more than twenty axes. They are one style. Those merchants claim that they are Granites, oh, they are not from Mellaren."

"Granian?" Rurik felt that the name was familiar and very strange.

Carlotta, she trembles on the spot when she hears this term, or she is trembling with anger.

"It's them! Those guys who take advantage of the danger."

"Oh!" Yevlo patted his head vigorously, and he remembered what happened last year.

"You know Gran people well?" Rurik asked Carlotta in a puzzled way.

"It's more than understanding, we are neighbors. I really don't want to talk more about last year. Rurik!" Carlotta looked at the big eyes under Rurik's robe, and said seriously: "Some of my separated tribesmen They were taken away by the Granites, and they now live with the Yilmalun."

"So that's it... Maybe we can find them again."

Carlotta shook her head, sadness and helplessness in her eyes.

"Did you give them up?" Rurik asked.

"What else can I do? They choose to leave, where they are now, how do I know?"

It seems that Rurik understands it, but he doesn't know the exact location of the Gran and the Yilmalun. Unexpectedly, Evlo and Carlota pointed to the south one after another, mentioning that the very south of the Great Lake is the territory of those people's activities. Even with the right direction, looking at Carlotta's eyes, she didn't want to think about it anymore.

Gran and Yilmalun, they are all "brothers" in the same alliance. Oh, in theory they and the Ruths are allies to each other, but in practice? Rurik felt that there was a major crisis, and everyone was still flying in a catastrophe. I am afraid that only when a huge disaster comes to the people of Mellaren, can their leader be qualified to call on the entire alliance to overcome the disaster, or to help the people of Mellaren to survive the disaster first.

In fact, it cannot be simply called inferior. Rurik is keenly aware that the axe is made of pure wrought iron. Its body is black and the surface is smooth. Numerous evidences prove that it has not been quenched. Even if it has been quenched, after this strong surface treatment, the performance of an axe can be greatly improved, but it is really ordinary to boring.

Even so, it still has a price of two silver coins.

For Rurik, two silver coins are insignificant, but for ordinary Mellaren, two silver coins are a huge sum of money.

Only in the area around Lake Mälaren, the traditional Viking-style life that once emphasized both agriculture and looting has been on the verge of disintegration, and a large number of sea warriors have been completely transformed into self-sufficient farmers, or serfs. Most of them can feed themselves in the warm years and leave some agricultural surplus, that is, the surplus agricultural products are exchanged for coins, and the amount of it is really small. However, Mellaren has the largest bazaar in the entire alliance, and ordinary people need to exchange some daily necessities in the bazaar.

The entire tribe has a very exaggerated polarization between the rich and the poor. The chiefs and wealthy households with large amounts of land wealth and even ships have most of the wealth of the tribe.

Warm years are precious. After the climate suddenly turns cold, a sudden cold snap or heavy rain can deal a heavy blow to farmers during the harvest season.

The most populous ordinary people. They have a considerable population who have experienced many natural disasters. In fact, they have lost their land and are forced to "work" for the chief. The wheat they grow must meet the rations of the family and they have to be handed over to the chief. The expensive renters have to pay a tribute if they do business to subsidize their families.

As a result, they actually don't have a lot of surplus products that can be sold in exchange for silver coins. In fact, the extremely low-value copper coins from Rome are more commonly used in ordinary people's lives.

Taking out two silver coins to buy a new axe turned out to be a bit extravagant.

I'm afraid this is due to fate!

The Melaren tribe and the tribes settled in the nearby Yihu Lake are already atypical Viking tribes. They have chosen a lifestyle of settled and farmed, and they are bound to face brand-new problems after agriculturalization. They did not plunder the wealth of others on a large scale, and ordinary people did not sit on large amounts of silver coins because of the war dividends.

Contrary to the Mälaren tribe, the Ross tribe, even ordinary people, as long as the men of the family have participated in previous battles, they have earned hundreds of silver coins.

The permanent resident population of Roseburg is much smaller than that of Mellaren, but the amount of silver coins he keeps is huge.

In fact, as long as Rurik intends, he can bring a large number of silver coins, copper coins and even gold coins to Melaren. Through large-scale explosions, he can find the wealth of the people of Melaren, and he can give the most. The mighty Melaren tribe with a strong inflation.

It is true that Rurik did not subjectively expect to send a huge amount of silver to deal a heavy blow to the long-term price situation of the Mellaren people. To make the economy of the leader tribe a mess and give the Ross tribe a new opportunity to rise, Lurik has not been so stupid that under the military pressure of the Danes and Gotland people, the leader tribe who likes to see a meat shield vomits blood. .

He did not want to use a knife subjectively, but the five hundred pounds of fine-quality Roman silver coins from Roseburg’s large cash box have been placed in a warehouse on Gould Island, where they have been carefully guarded by elite and credible mercenaries. . This is more than a huge sum of money that must be sent to the Mellaren tribe. As for what will happen, it is not Rurik's obligation to take care of it.

The iron axe made by the Granite was inadvertently like **** in Rurik's eyes. A small axe with a long wooden handle, it shows poverty all over, and it is too frugal in the use of iron.

Even the most ordinary Russians, everyone has seen and used new style ironware on a large scale, and they all have an attitude of looking at garbage for goods made with old craftsmanship. Just this, it can actually price two silver coins.

It was the first time that Rurik saw an "ironware store" outside of Roseburg. With today's knowledge, he assumed that the merchants in the Mälaren bazaar were selling such ironware.

If the Ross people's excellent ironware is proud to be sold on a large scale, there will be no monopoly on the entire market.

It's just that Rurik has to consider a variable.

monopoly! Any leader with a normal IQ would not sit back and watch the merchants of another tribe monopolize his own bazaar, even the good people of allies. The leader's methods were either heavily taxed or directly expelled by force.

Soon after leaving the bustling iron shop, the light aroma of wine in the air immediately attracted the attention of all alcoholics.

"Kolongo, are you coming soon?" Arik was itchy, he asked Jeflo next to him, talking about sipping a glass of ale.

Jeflo just smiled. He pointed to some men sitting idle on the ground shaking their heads, "Look at these people."

"They? What's the matter?"

"Haha, drunk."

"Hey, how many glasses of ale is needed to get drunk like this." Arik silently covered his mouth.

Rurik was a little surprised. He saw several people blushing like cooked prawns, looking up at himself and his entourage with dull eyes. Finally, he stretched out his right hand inexplicably with a smirk, and then another carp struck out. He lay on the ground, and soon there was a snoring sound.

This is the quality that a drunk can show. The only thing that makes Rurik thankful is that these confused guys don't look sloppy and their wines are also very good. They only care about being drunk and not causing trouble to passers-by.

Cologne, it's really a noisy place.

It is a very large wooden house, with the iconic herringbone wooden roof with sharp angles, which makes it stand out among many buildings. In fact, the whole house is not big, but its sharp roof makes it look very tall.

The closer you get to it, the richer you want it to be.

Smelling the scent of wine, Rurik saw that the mercenaries around him were eager to try. When everyone approached the door, Arik sang and rushed in.

There is no doorman in the pub, and the interior is dim. There are some scratched and strangely shaped tables, and a large group of red-faced men with hairy bodies exuding heavy sweat, body odor, and even strong alcohol, enthusiastically holding oak wine glasses and pouring wine, wooden cups colliding. The dull noises came and went one after another, and at the same time these guys mumbled their inflexible tongues to discuss some things.

Looking at these guys, Rurik's idea of ​​inquiring about some news suddenly disappeared. He really couldn't expect the drunk guy to say something about the Mellaren.

However, a group of people in burqa walked like a tavern and quickly attracted the attention of many alcoholics.

"Ah! Why do I feel like a western cowboy enters a tavern and meets desert bandits?"

Rurik looked at the drunkard's eyes. He felt threatened instinctively. Fortunately, the strong cousin always inserted into the robe and clenched the hilt of the sword with his right hand to give him a sense of security.

More than a dozen people who came here were all dressed up. Even if there were hundreds of travelers who came here, there has never been such a neatly dressed and strong figure.

The bartender, or the man who runs the tavern, a man with a thin face and a ponytail, he subconsciously felt that the visitor was not entirely here to beg for a drink.

This skinny guy showed off a professional smile, nodded and bowed, and bowed his back to the strongest Arik: "Honorable traveler, no matter where you are from, you will be able to enjoy the most beautiful wine in my shop."

At first, Arik was also a bit cautious. The corner of his eyes looked at all kinds of people, but the sword he held in his hand could be instantly pulled out into a fighting state, as did the rest.

Upon seeing this, Arik's guard was much less.

"Are you a wine seller? Come on, get your best wine!"

"The best wine? Craft ale?"

"Ale? What's that?! Is there better?"

The bartender was stunned: "My lord, are you sure?! It looks like you are also a young warrior. I believe in your strength, but I can't believe in your financial resources."

Feeling offended, Arik gently lifted his burqa and deliberately patted the swollen money bag around his waist.

The bartender was taken aback: "Ah! I can't think of you as a wealthy businessman! No! Guests from afar, you must be from the west of the mountain. You are really rich."

Arik's mentality was a little fluttered by a flutter of flattery, and Rurik, who didn't say a word, guessed that his party was regarded as Norwegian by the drinkers.

If this is the case, it is really good. Walking around the market as a "Norwegian" may save you a lot of trouble.

Rurik simply stood up from behind his cousin and said "boldly": "Give us the best wine without worrying about our wealth." Rurik thought for a while and lied: "Our brothers and his party are going to be Come here to taste your best wine. Get it quickly!"

"You! A child?!"

"Hurry up, we only need wine!"

"Well, since you insist..."

The bartender turned and left. At this moment, Arik suddenly understood his brother's behavior and couldn't help but admire him.

Bar? It does not exist. There is only a place where a large number of oak barrels are piled in a dimly lit room. Each barrel has a hole at the bottom, which is usually closed by a cork in place.

There is also an inner hall in the pub, and the bartender claims to have unique wine, so he ordered the servant to go to the back hall to get it.

After a while, a half-sized boy cautiously held a small box and walked out.

The bartender opened the box carefully and saw that there was a transparent bottle inside.

Seeing it, whether it is Lurik or Arik, or even the mercenaries, and the veterans selected by Arik's thrilling selection, everyone thought it was a good wine, but it was unexpected that this so-called good wine was actually their own product.

Look at the glass bottle with the words "RUSVODKA" in embossed text.

In an instant, the intense interest that Arik raised up almost dissipated, and finally Rurik, he did not feel that the small body he currently possessed could resist the erosion of a lot of alcohol, and the only reason he did not drink now was that he did not want to be alcohol poisoned early. Offline.

The bartender looked proud: "This is the best wine, made by our Mellaren. Look at this crystal bottle and the wine in it. You must think it is water, in fact it is the most beautiful wine. , It can even ignite a flame."

This rhetoric was not only boring, but Arik was even very angry. It was clearly made by the Ross people, and the maker was his younger brother standing next to him.

From the corner of Arik's eyes, seeing that the old man didn't look angry at all, he immediately asked; "How much is this bottle of wine?!"

"One pound of silver coins!" After saying that, the bartender estimated that the other party could not afford it, and hurriedly put the wine bottle back into the wooden box and covered it hard. Then he shouted presumptuously: "Hey, those guys who are only worthy of ale, don't watch, you can't afford it. If the wine bottle is broken, you and your family will be slaves for life to compensate for the loss of Lord Olegin. ."

Olekin! This person again!

Rurik straightened up cleverly, and he suddenly asked a question that had nothing to do with wine: "We heard that the leader of the Mälaren people is called Olegin. Could it be that these wines, the entire Cologne, belong to him? wealth?"

"Of course!" The bartender raised his head arrogantly and patted his chest: "That is my master, and also the most noble and richest lord of our Mind Asia League."

This person used a series of gorgeous words to describe Olegin, which was numb, but Rurik was a little envious of the loyal dog of Olegin who had never met.

The bartender's words really stimulated Arik.

Arik didn’t believe in evil. He untied the money bag and shook the silver coin vigorously to make a crisp sound: "You look down on us? This is a pound of silver coin with good condition. Can't you buy your wine?"

The bartender, who was about to order the young man to bring the wine back to the inner chamber, immediately became a pug.

"Oh! Wealthy guests, of course you can buy it."

"Pay with one hand and deliver with one hand!"

"Okay! What a happy hero, let's make a deal!"

For a moment, the entire tavern became a sensation, and many drunk guys were banging the table vigorously, or flapping the oak cup madly to vent their excitement. The drunken roars of a group of drunks resemble soldiers about to fight on the battlefield.

Arik happily completed this blood loss transaction in order to earn a face. He got the wine, unscrewed the cork in front of the bartender very skillfully, then turned around, faced all the red-faced guys, and took a sip of the wine bottle. Spicy distilled spirits entered his belly, and Arik yelled at me, and threw the bottle to Jeflo.

Yevloben didn't have any taboos, so he took a sip and gave it to the mercenaries.

In the end, when the bottle was passed to the last person, only the last few drops of jade liquid were left. But the last person was the dignified Ross Warrior, who killed the enemy Gotland in the sea a few months ago. It was entirely because of not drinking any strong alcohol, coupled with the bartender's misjudgment of everyone's identities and prejudice to financial resources, the angry warrior raised the bottle and smashed it down. The bottle fell on the hard ground and broke on the spot.

This situation was completely beyond the bartender's expectations, and it also made the drunks onlookers even more frantically booing.

The bartender paled: "Ah! You smashed such a precious crystal?"

Arik didn't care: "Why is a small piece of crystal hanging? Oh, your wine is very good, the price is a bit more expensive, maybe we will bring more...bring a few hundred pounds of silver coins next time we come."

"How many... hundreds of pounds?!" The bartender was so startled that he was speechless.

Since this group of people not only buys spirits readily, but also smashes the bottles to pieces, which shows that this group of Norwegians is really rich. A few hundred pounds of silver coins, so many slaves have to be traded to get so much money.

For a moment, the bartender thought about some rumors he had heard that while the Norwegians were looting the Britons on that western island, they were also looting the gold and silver of the locals.

He looked at this group of people in burqas, even if they were two small children, they were obviously calm people.

I am afraid they are the sons of a large Norwegian tribe chief?

Just when the bartender wanted to inquire about something in detail, UU read www.uukanshu. Com Arik felt that he had been too arrogant. Everyone is not Norwegian after all. Is it necessary to explain the essence of being a Rus in the end?

It doesn't have to be this way.

Arik shook his hand and deliberately said, "The best wine? It's indeed a good wine. You must have ordinary ale in your oak barrels. They are only things tasted by inferior people. We noble people disdain it. Taste. Let's go!"

After all, Arik turned around first, followed by Rurik trying to hold back his laughter. He really couldn't think of his silly cousin who could only fight and kill, how could he still have the self-cultivation of an actor? It's really not good to look at it.

A crowd of people walked out of the tavern, and the bartender looked at the broken bottle, and his ears were full of booing from the drinkers. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that things were very strange, and he hurriedly called the little servant to his side: "Quick! Go and tell Master Olegin. , Pay attention to the dozen or so Norwegian travelers wearing burqas, they are very wealthy."

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