Rise of Rurik - Chapter 789

[Chapter 790]

A tall wooden tower stands outside the city of New Roseburg. It is conspicuous enough that people from afar can see its phantom.

The tall thing makes people want to try it, and some children even tried to climb it, but when they noticed that there was sticky grease on it, they left crying.

A batch of fat collected from catching seals and minke whales was refined into oil, which could have been used as lamp oil and refined into soap, and it became an excellent fuel for this festive season.

A variety of animal fats were boiled into liquid and sprinkled on the wooden tower. Due to the low temperature, the fat hardened and pasted into a layer, even pasted on the charcoal at the base.

A large stack of hay was piled up, and on the night of the sacrifice, Rurik would personally light the haystack, and then ignite the entire wooden tower.

Just in this way can quickly create a fire tower?

Rurik secretly prepared some special operations.

Two large sacks contained a stinking white powder. Mortals didn’t know what that meant, except that they were obtained from deliberately fermented dung.

It is earth nitrate, which could have been used as fertilizer was sprinkled in the haystack, but now only a tiny spark could cause the haystack to detonate.

Rurik wants to give the onlookers a splendid viewing experience, and secondly, to systematically test whether these nitrates made from dung work well.

The preparations for the festive season are coming to an end, and people who have gone hunting in remote areas have also brought their prey back to celebrate the New Year.

For a while the ice-cutters and fishermen disappeared, and the forest catchers gathered in the city.

They returned with supplies, and the city’s market was further noisy, with cries of hawking one after another.

look!

There are hunters selling squirrel hides everywhere, and even tough squirrel meat at a lower price.

In some areas outside the city, especially on the sandbars by the sea, open-air BBQ stalls were set up one after another, and some families simply dragged their families and set up tents, just to participate in the grand ceremony at close range, and even to see the burning of the towering wooden tower.

A news was circulating that the so-called princes would perform a miracle, and the fire tower would have a pillar of flames spraying directly into the sky, as if Yemengard was breathing fire.

The giant python Jormungandr is said to be a terrifying sea monster, and some people even saw it come out of the sea and breathe fire.

I don’t know where this saying came from. In short, the Vikings from all walks of life have the same memory. They believe that the fire-breathing Jormungandr really exists.

(That is, the Icelandic volcanic eruption was seen by a group of fishermen fishing in the distance)

Of course, it is impossible for Yemengarde to appear in New Rose Fort, and Odin will not condone the appearance of such a terrible monster.

So when the prince mentions this giant monster, it must be that this year’s fire tower must be gorgeous.

This is the reason why a large number of temporary tents have been assembled on the sandbar by the sea. The cold wind from the north can sweep across this open land, and the north wind is like a knife, but no one wants to leave.

Today is the shortest day of the whole year. In the hometown of Roseburg, it has fallen into a “day without day”, while the farther north, Eronburg and Narvik Port have simply fallen into complete polar night.

Although New Roseburg has a lower dimension, today’s daylight is pitifully short.

The good news is that the sky has been clear for the past few days, and it is precisely the incessant cold wind that has blown the sky cloudless.

Now it can be said that the moon and stars are sparse, the sky is clear and the air is clear, the high moon is too bright, and even the green aurora is dimmed.

Before the time of the sacrifice, some smart people found the positions of the Pleiades star cluster and the Big Dipper, and observed their current positions to determine the current time.

It is no problem to use this method in the polar night. In a sense, the astrolabe of the sky constitutes a virtual large watch, and the Pleiades star cluster and the Big Dipper can be used as the hands of the clock.

Of course, with the Vikings, such iconic stars were crowned with symbols of the Valkyries.

Rumia is making final preparations at the Great Temple in the castle.

Even with a big belly now, the majesty and nobility of the High Priest cannot be lost!

What’s more, this year’s situation is really special!

For a girl, this year’s Hanukkah offering was the beginning of her fortune.

Among the many lower-level priestesses, a small figure was extremely eye-catching.

She is only four-year-old Verika, and her destiny in this life was established before she was born-the hereditary high priest of the Principality.

Even if a four-year-old girl lives a pampered life, she is still weak, and even walks clumsily and talks milkyly.

But now that she has learned to run, she must fulfill her destiny.

Verika hasn’t seen her biological mother for a while, she obeys her mother’s words, how curious is her mother’s reindeer-like dress now?

Rumia also arranged her big braids with the assistance of the lower priests. As the so-called psychic braids should not be lost, all the priestesses had the same big braids.

Her long black hair reaches her waist, and the whip tied like a cable can be coiled on her head.

The fact is that the uniform hairstyle of the temple priests has attracted some women who go to the temple to worship the gods to follow suit.

Their blond hair can’t fall straight down, and there are many hairpins that are fixed on the head with wooden branches to form a wreath.

The four-year-old Velia had her braids in the same way. Seeing that her mother had no time to take care of herself, her curiosity drove her small body to embrace the ancestral antler helmet of the Ross people with both hands.

The antler helmet was placed on the table, but she took it off.

As a result, the heavy helmet fell, dragging the poor child down.

The voice caught Rumia’s attention, and she saw her daughter sitting on the ground with her helmet in her arms, her big eyes seemed to be about to cry.

The mother hurried over, stooped lightly and picked up the helmet, but it was this action that made Verika burst into tears.

“What’s going on? I heard the child crying as soon as I came in.”

Rurik’s arrival was too coincidental. When he first came in, he saw his precious daughter covering her face and crying, and Rumia, who was already holding a huge antler helmet, was embarrassed.

“What’s the matter?! Why is the good-looking child crying?”

Hearing that her father was coming, Vilia immediately cried out in a milky voice: “Give it back to me”

“Give it back to you? Okay, I’ll give it to you.” Rumia hurriedly looked at her helmet, and directly pressed it on her daughter’s little head with a trace of anger.

For a moment, Vilia stopped crying!

This move really surprised Rurik, Rumia, and even the other lower priests present.

Or maybe it’s more joy for Rurik.

At least Vilia giggled with both hands on the giant helmet buckled on her head, as if it belonged to her.

“Rumia, it seems that she can’t wait to become the high priest. She… fully accepts her fate.”

Rumia was overjoyed by Rurik’s words, but she took the antler helmet back and warned her daughter: “It will be yours from now on, at least not now. You have to attend the ceremony in person tonight. Promise me that you will not be afraid.” Don’t cry.”

“Ok!”

“You mustn’t scream when you see your father killing a deer. You mustn’t scream when you see a wooden tower on fire.”

“Ok!”

…

The young mother personally taught the ignorant daughter verbally, and Rurik saw it strangely, not to mention how happy he was.

He was very happy to see this funny and warm scene, but the memorial ceremony that would happen afterwards was destined to be too exciting.

The wives and concubines brought by Rurik must all join the priesthood as lower-level priests, and his daughter Verika is the youngest priest.

She is really too young, this year’s ceremony is just showing her face, as she grows older, she will gradually become the natural deputy of the high priest.

The stars are changing, and the constellation is drifting to its proper position, and the sacrifice will begin as soon as the station is completed.

The winter solstice ceremony in 837 AD was the most grand ceremony since the founding of Fort New Rose, and it was also the first ceremony after the completion of the “Valhalla on Earth of the Great Crystal Temple”.

The main place of worship is of course the open-air stone boat altar near the sandbar at the mouth of the Neva River, and the towering wooden tower is it.

The sacrificial activity starts from the Great Temple, and the priests walk to the altar outside the city in the form of a parade of torches.

Everyone is looking forward to the grand platoon leader, and Rurik will give everyone a splendid show.

look!

All the towers at the walls of New Rose Fort lit turpentine torches, and the Harvest Plaza was overcrowded. A large number of people held up the torches, and the world already illuminated by the moon and lasers became even brighter.

Let’s look at those cavalry units. The Pechenegs, including Kagan, also participated in the Hanukkah of the Principality of Ross as riders.

From the standpoint of Kagan, today is the Karakin Festival of the grassland people.

One hundred and thirty riders held their torches aloft. They were dressed as standard Ross warriors, and even their war horses were wrapped in a white cloth with blue patterns stitched on them.

Of course, the cavalry is particular about their appearance. They escorted the walking priest team to the altar. The so-called escort is sacred, and it shows their nobility. Ideally, they should show the Principality’s new cavalry regiment to the parading Valkyries.

All the soldiers of the Ross Principality in the city put on their own uniforms, and they spontaneously assembled for a very appropriate armed parade.

[To tell the truth, I have been using the source-changing app recently to read and update books, switch between sources, and read aloud with many timbres. www.huanyuanapp.com is available for both Android and Apple.

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The sacrifice started from Harvest Square. Thousands of torches gathered into brilliant light and shadows. One of the fire dragons made of torches began to walk on Nevsky Avenue and went straight to the west gate of the city.

Rurik rode a tall Turkic horse, and Rumia, wearing an antler helmet, sat sideways on the front of the saddle.

She was treated so well as a high priest. The wives and concubines including Svetlana, Noren, and Carlota who were walking on foot were really envious.

Envy is nothing but envy, now that I’m playing a guest role as a low-level priest in plain clothes, thanks to the woolen and leather clothes wrapped inside, I won’t be shivering.

A cheerful girl was trying to catch up with the team, and Verika was trotting happily on the snowy road regardless of fatigue.

Many accompanying people noticed this cute little guy, and it was no secret that they underestimated Verika’s identity.

At least the grown-up Vilia served as the high priest, and any criticism of the selection of the high priest must be dissipated.

After all, Rumia herself was born as a slave. She was handpicked by the late high priest and was the first domestic slave of the prince, so she has her current status. Her status is inherently incapable of completely convincing the public, but Velia is completely different. up.

This innocent girl is the princess of the principality, and she is absolutely perfect to be the high priest in the future.

Ten deer were led as sacrifices, and finally the deer were placed in the stone boat altar outside the city.

Regarding the smooth flow of Hanukkah sacrifices, the Principality has kept written instructions since the tribal era, and now it is simply copied on paper. In theory, as long as Rurik is willing, mass production can be printed immediately.

This is the official document of the so-called “Code of the Ritual of Hanukkah”, which is to be preserved for generations, and its wood-carved version directly becomes one of the holy relics of the Principality.

According to tradition, Rumia led the middle and lower priests to perform ethereal “Nordic singing”, during which the sound of drums and horns added to enhance the sense of sacredness.

The onlookers maintained an absolute tacit understanding. They shut up spontaneously, and even scolded the naughty children to keep quiet.

Neither Kagan nor Ragnar had ever seen such a sacrificial scene.

The sacrificial offerings in the grassland are more priests dancing the god dance, and then there is a relationship between heaven and man with Tengger, and the gods announce from the mouth of the gods that the weather will be favorable for the next year, and the cattle and sheep will prosper.

After that, the people ate and drank, sang and danced at the Karakin Festival.

The Hanukkah that Ragnar experienced in his lost homeland has a routine similar to that of the Ross people, but the excitement and variety of the ceremony are still invincible to the Ross people.

The Pechenegs and the Danes watched with wide-eyed eyes to see what would happen next.

Thousands of eyes were fixed on the dagger Rurik held.

look!

Ten stags were brought down one by one.

This move is really a repertoire of the ceremony, and the sacrifices are slaughtered by the prince himself, so that he can communicate with Odin most conveniently.

The deer livers were dug out one after another. Rumia held one of the deer livers with her own hands and let the deer blood drip on her face, announcing the omen of “good luck”.

As soon as she finished speaking, Rurik put away his dagger and raised a torch.

In this situation, the scene that everyone is looking forward to is now, the prince is about to light the fire!

Rurik knew very well that everyone was paying attention to him, but his daughter Velia, whom he ordered to keep quiet, suddenly ran over and grabbed his pants.

Her daughter’s reckless behavior was very inappropriate, but Rurik couldn’t bear to be angry in public now.

But looking at her daughter’s serious face again, it seems that she knows exactly what she is doing.

For a moment, Rurik shuddered.

Verika muttered childishly with a calm smile on her face: “Fire Tower. Give me the torch.”

“For you? Why?” Rurik asked softly.

“You said it, and my mother said it, I am the future high priest. This is my first time, and I want to light a fire.”

The daughter’s attitude is stubborn, but Rurik really knows that he added a lot of heavy materials to that pile of haystacks, and the whole giant tower is piled with charcoal and poured oil. It is already a dangerous “powder keg”.

,

If Vilia throws the torch unreliably, she must not hurt herself, which is contrary to the omen of great auspiciousness.

“How about we go together?”

“it is good.”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the situation developed into the prince holding the torch holding the hand of the princess of the principality.

Standing in front of the haystack, Rurik knew that when he threw the torch, the deflagration would start immediately.

Verika was simply picked up by him, and the father and daughter held the same torch together.

“Are you ready?”

“Ok.”

“Now, let’s throw!”

Rurik slammed the torch hard, and Vilia’s little hand loosened the torch lightly. It was Rurik who threw the torch vigorously, only to see it touch the stuffed haystack, and the expected deflagration occurred decisively.

The soil was on fire, and the fluffy dry reeds that had been deliberately piled up instantly burst into flames. What everyone saw was a fireball appearing from nothing in an instant, and the entire haystack was on fire.

Rurik could feel the heat wave from the deflagration, he subconsciously covered his daughter’s face in his arms, while he squinted his eyes to watch the fireball being born.

People roar and cheer!

Just like the deflagration of a haystack, the quiet people instantly released their pent-up emotions. People from all over the city came to participate in the grand event. More than 5,000 people roared at the same time, and the sound waves even shook off a lot of snow.

The haystack turned into a fireball, and the flames encountered dry charcoal and grease, and the combustion was rapidly expanding.

The pine resin-rich branches began to burn, and immediately caused a cloud of smoke and dust.

The onlookers were not choked to tears, only because the hollow structure of the wooden tower that Rurik deliberately made became a chimney, or a blast furnace.

Indeed, the temperature of the core area of the lower layer is enough to burn bronze.

The gray smoke is getting thicker and thicker, but…

what is that?

!

It’s flames!

It’s Jormungandr’s flame breath!

Not really.

That is the fire tower that everyone has been waiting for for a long time.

People watched the burning of the wooden tower with great interest. The initial smoke and dust had been dispersed by the flames. A huge torch stood outside the city of New Roseburg. The wide area was illuminated by the burning thing comparable to the sun, and the light actually returned.

The cheering people started to retreat. Even so, the brave warriors wiped their faces with snow, and rushed to the fire tower with the deer carcass as a sacrificial offering. They threw the deer over at the risk of being scalded to death, and then hurried to the distance to jump Cool down in the snow.

The snow in a large area is melting, and people are evacuating to a safe area in joy, including but not limited to the full evacuation of priests from the stone boat altar.

It is like the sun, with deadly heat and a sense of security.

It touched the depths of everyone’s heart. Everyone was inexplicably excited when they saw the fire, and now this giant torch directly aroused everyone’s excitement.

Ragnar and Kagan were dumbfounded, they didn’t expect that the Ross people would like such a grand occasion.

Looking at the pillar of fire rushing into the sky, the two of them didn’t understand the chimney effect, so they really thought it was the miracle of the prince.

Everyone saw a flame column similar to the fire tower itself, and the entire fire tower was also burning violently.

It was destined to burn for a long time, and that being the case, everyone reveled as long as it burned.

The festive carnival started with the flames of the fire tower begins here.

In this way, the Principality of Ross ushered in the dawn of 838 AD!

[End of this Chapter]