Chapter 197： Gould Island of the Gould family near Mälarenburg

The caravan began to assemble!

Gould's ships docked at the pier in Anglas, and they formed a caravan of twenty ships.

Just like in previous years, Gould will transport the handicrafts made by the tribal farmers, such as some wooden tools and surplus linen, to the Merlaren bazaar for sale.

Most of the other merchants of the tribe are doing similar things, but the destination of those colleagues is not necessarily the Mellaren Bazaar. In any case, trafficking in these items can only make a small amount of money. The two key materials that can really make a lot of money are food and leather.

The bulk of goods that Gould trafficked happened to contain a large amount of leather.

He wondered, the group of merchants who followed him a month ago, they also bought the leather goods from the Ross tribe, presumably they had already sold them in the Mellaren Bazaar.

If I transport the materials now, I will definitely be able to make a time difference. By then I will not have excessive competitive pressure, so I can deliberately raise the price of leather goods.

On the 31st of May in the Julian calendar, which is the last day of May, Gould set a date for the departure of the caravan.

On this day, the family members gathered at the dock. Gould got on his cargo ship, followed by his eldest wife, who was also the highest-ranking wife of the family. As for the two newly conceived maids from Briton, they have already lived in Anklas's hometown, and in the future, Gould will not bring them again.

Without the company of young women, Gould did not regret.

Because he can get new young women at the Mellaren Bazaar and continue to raise them. Is this body bone able to regain its youthful vigor? Gould doesn't have that much confidence anymore. He has self-knowledge. This body can last until sixty years old.

Gould temporarily appointed a mercenary, and temporarily led the other brothers to defend the wealth accumulated in Anklas’s home and the safety of his family.

Although his decision made the accompanying Jeflo feel sorry for him, a lot of time has passed since that night talk, and after thinking about it, he just wanted to go.

Yevlo got on the boat, and he asked straightforwardly: "My lord, maybe, it's just that I personally **** you for the last time?"

"You? No! It's the penultimate time." Gould laughed.

"Then the last time."

"Of course we are going to Roseburg in August. Jeflo, do what you do now, trust me, I have arranged a bright future for you."

Originally, Gould was supposed to talk to the tribal leader Ungriffe again. He didn't want to say any nonsense on this year's commercial voyage, even if Ungriffe had already ran to the dock with the so-called honor guard.

Two old guys, one on the shore and one on the boat, the two looked at each other and nothing more.

Gould hired another group of hungry farmers in his tribe, promising to give them food in exchange for their paddles, in order to replace the small group of outstanding Roth rowers who had already returned.

The fleet began to drift along the river to the wide Mälaren Lake, and Gould, standing on the bow, watched the distant homeland.

At this time, the whole world was lush and green, but a sorrow poured into his heart.

Although my hometown is small and a little shabby, it is also the homeland where my family has run it for generations.

Gould felt that his decision was very correct, and he would get even greater benefits. Another problem now is that the ship has set sail, and there is no turning back for himself and the entire family.

The sun spreads on the vast lake, and the surrounding scenery is also lush. Standing on the bow of the boat, looking out, a large number of small islands are looming not far away.

Lake Mälaren is a vast lake area. There are many islands here, and the lake is generally shallow.

Every winter, especially into October, when the first snow falls, the lake begins to freeze, and traditional business activities are cut off.

The warm summer is a good time for trade, and Mälarenburg, built along the lake, also enters the most prosperous moment of the year.

Gould's fleet this time has only 20 large cargo ships, but each one is loaded with full cargo, so that the oarsmen all the way are worried about wind and rain surprises, and the waves will overturn the ships. .

In the past few days, a rain that swept across Eastern Europe and Northern Europe did have a certain impact on maritime trade in the Baltic Sea, but it also brought benefits to the agriculture in the region.

Farmers simply can't handle the high-tech irrigation of waterwheels, and it is impractical to use wooden buckets to carry water to flood the fields. They are generally looking forward to rainfall and purely rely on the sky for food.

A May rain brought great hope to the farmers of the Mellaren tribe.

The Melaren tribe, with a population of more than 20,000, has now swarmed at least 5,000 people into their bazaar.

The population of the tribe is mostly concentrated in Mälarenburg on the northern bank of Amber, a giant human settlement with many small islands at the mouth of a river.

The population of the settlement surpassed 12,000 at a time. It is not an exaggeration to say that she is a city.

However, Mälarenburg is not a city in the true sense of the word.

A large number of tourists are like migratory birds. Merchants of the alliance rowed boats to carry goods and built their own temporary shops on various islands. Merchants from all over the world conducted traditional commerce here.

When the wheat harvest was completed at the end of August, after completing the last and the largest grain transaction in the year, the prosperous shops instantly turned into depression.

Because everyone faces a harsh winter, all tribes go into hibernation like bears.

The fleet arrived near the prosperous pier, and Gould, standing on the bow, saw more and more ships surrounding him.

Those are mostly fishing boats, catching some edible freshwater fish.

There are also many chubby ships, which are counterparts in trade.

There were some splashes on the water, and when I looked closely, it was a trick of a wicked child diving.

Seeing them, Gould also thought of his childhood.

Just look at my bulging belly and pinch the old face full of fat, forget it.

"My lord, we are about to enter the port." The mercenary captain Yevlo said with his fingers.

Gevlo's words ended Gould's stupefaction, and he cheered up and ordered his flagship with a low and honest baritone; "Brothers, pay attention to the line and turn into our own island!"

After all, Gould is a big family, and his family directly occupied a small island near Mälarenburg. He set up a permanent shop here, and the eldest son Snoreva, who was destined to inherit the main business of the family, was taken care of by the thirty-year-old fat man. This is completely different from the Gould family and those traveling merchants, just like Gould always stays in Roseburg in winter, and his eldest son Snoreva has settled in Merlarenburg simply for the past five years.

The merchants of the Melaren tribe knew the Gould family more or less. As a big merchant, Gould had a certain degree of commercial influence in the leader of the Melaren tribe.

In this era, the Nordic world has not yet invented the concept of tariffs, and commercial ships do not have to pay an entry fee when entering the port, and they do not have to pay anything.

Orekin, the chief leader of the Mälaren tribe, never had the concept of collecting taxes in this regard. In fact, if he is determined to collect tariffs, port taxes, vessel maintenance fees, and other taxes that must be collected by various ports in the millennium, this will be an amazing income.

It is a pity that Olekin never thought about it this way. He felt that the gathering of merchants from allies to him was a complete testament to the strength of the Mellaren tribe. At the same time, relying solely on traditional trade, especially traditional leather and grain trade, the Mellaren tribe is the tribe with the fastest accumulation of wealth in the entire alliance.

Of course, just this old guy couldn't imagine that the Ross people in the north had already begun to try to use high value-added economic products to quietly change the alliance commercial hegemony of the Mellaren tribe for hundreds of years.

Gould's ship rushed towards his own island. It can be said that this small island is Gould's "territory".

In this time and space, the Mind Subtribe Alliance still has a long way to go before forming a feudal country called Sweden. There is still no clear boundary between the Swedes and the Danes. Specific to each tribe, there is no clear boundary between each tribe.

The people of the Melaren tribe are only particularly sensitive to their own farmland. As for other unowned lands, as long as people from allies come over, they can declare the land private.

Therefore, the family of Olegin, the most powerful family, forcibly claimed many wastelands within the sphere of influence of the Mellaren tribe, and owned them as their own.

Only the large number of islands near Mälarenburg, Olegin would not make strong claims.

His family has long held the power of the tribe, and even the title of the leader of the alliance, he has a very special understanding of the alliance.

The so-called alliance is an alliance based on commerce. The solid bond of the alliance is the trade route! If you offend anyone, you must not offend the businessmen of your allies.

In fact, he is very happy to see the merchants of allies inserting their own totem Peugeot on many islands, because after the merchants do this, they often establish permanent commercial bases.

Olekin of Mellaren was most worried about those foreign businessmen who withdrew from the commercial base and ran away. He was very happy when he saw that they were planting flags under his nose.

A small flag floated on Gould’s island, this flag was very simple and rude in the traditional Luen language, marked with the words "ONKRASGULDA".

Therefore, this island is directly referred to as Gould Island.

People on the islands saw a fleet of ships aiming at themselves and rushing towards them. Goodbye to the Peugeot on the sails, everyone realized that their master was coming.

The eldest son Snoreva counted the days, and he knew that it was this period when his father should come.

Because a month ago, he learned that his father's fleet had entered the Great Lakes, and he still wondered why his father didn't stop here. Now, one's own doubts can be explained in person to his father.

"Brothers, our big merchant is here! Everyone enters the dock, get ready!"

"Hey, you guys! Don't dawdle anymore. When the ship arrives ashore, you must hold on to the rope."

"The porter over there, pull the cart over and get ready to load and unload the goods."

"Women, start a fire and cook now!"

...

Although the Snoreva people are fat, they don't pretend to be muddy in their minds.

He tried his best to direct the people on the island to prepare to welcome the ships entering the port.

At this moment, several merchants’ ships were off the air at the port. They saw Gould’s own fleet rushing over, and they drove off their ships with a grin for the first time, vacated the berth, and counted them. With my own capital, I plan to buy a batch of Gould's goods as soon as possible.

The merchants all know that this old guy must have brought a lot of good things from the Ross people. For example, ferret skins that have become very precious nowadays!

The ship loaded with cargo slowly approached the trestle, and the eagerly waiting people on the shore grabbed the rope thrown by the oarsman for the first time. The people on the ship on the shore fixed the ship in the shortest time. They are all well-trained, and the work of loading and unloading the ship has begun when the ship has docked.

Gould got off the boat, and his eldest son walked towards him with arms outstretched cheerfully.

The son hugged his father, and to outsiders, it was two fat men hugging each other.

"Dad, you are finally here. You worry me very much. You should have stopped by me a month ago."

"Oh! My child, that's because of something else. You see, I've already come." Gould patted the eldest son's back passionately. Jeflo was envious of this scene.

At this time, the eldest son’s wife and two daughters came together one after another, especially the two girls, the oldest one was almost twelve years old, and could be engaged for her. The little granddaughter is also six years old.

It's his own flesh and blood in the end, then it's a girl.

Gould gently pushed away the eldest son, tried hard to pick up his two granddaughters one by one, and pressed his old face enthusiastically.

I have to say that the entire Gould family is all fat, including two granddaughters. They live here for a long time. They don't know what hunger is in their short life. Although they are young, they already have chubby faces.

Gould's island is very small, it is only the size of two football fields.

It is a sandbar. There are more than a dozen pine trees on the island. Besides, there are some rocks.

Melaren has the meaning of a stone beach, and it is true. There are a lot of stones on the banks of Lake Melaren. These stones, as well as the local lush trees, are excellent materials for construction.

Unlike his hometown of Anklas, Gould's buildings on his island are basically stone-based.

A long time ago, workers used irregular stones to build a stone wall, then made an interlayer composed of moss and soil, and then built an outer stone wall. Although such a stone room has no foundation, its winter warmth is actually pretty good.

Many houses of the Melaren tribe were built in this way, and only poorer families lived in pure wooden houses.

The architectural styles are tailored to local conditions. Gould's home in Roseburg is mainly made of wood. Although it is wood, both the Ross people and the Mälaren people understand the technique of using moss and soil as a thermal interlayer.

Gould’s fleet has just landed, and he sold 30 ferret skins and 50 fox skins within a short period of time, and officially started this year’s trade.

A large stone room, this is the banquet room of the eldest son, but in the next few months, his father will become the lord of the island again, and the eldest son Snoreva will become a second-class existence.

Gould brought his wife here this time, and the family held a small family banquet. Three generations of grandparents and grandchildren sat together, everyone was very happy.

With a perfect start, the eldest son is full of hope for this year's trade.

He smiled and said, "Dad, you are finally here. I saw that there is some sulfur in the goods you brought back? Although this thing is a good thing, I am worried that I won't be able to sell a lot."

"Stupid boy, how is sulfur? It is a kind of treasure that can wash everything. It is a new thing created by the Ross people. Because of it, I have already made a fortune in our hometown." Gould showed his pride without hesitation.

"Really?"

"Of course! Six thousand silver coins!"

His father was so ostentatious that Snoreva was taken aback: "Dad! That thing is real... It's very valuable... Can it really clean everything?"

"The meat will be roasted for a while." Gould said with a smile, "Wait a moment, we will grab the roast lamb and eat with our bare hands. You don't have to worry about the oiliness of your hands. Finally, we can use the baby named soupa, which is the one that distributes. The sulphur-smelling baby, can wash away the greasy!"

"Oh, that's wonderful."

Gould shrugged: "My boy, is there anything interesting on the market these days?"

"Yes!" Snoreva couldn't wait to tell the servant, and after a while, two transparent quilts were taken over. "Dad, look, this is the newest baby on the market."

"Crystal cup?!" Seeing this, Gould's eyes really shone.

"Yes, it's the crystal cup. Those businessmen said they got good things from the Danes."

"Quick, show me!"

Gould played with these so-called crystal cups cautiously, and couldn't help but sigh for its regulations. "Ah, it's so wonderful. You must spend a lot of money on this thing! The crystal bottle I bought used 30 gold coins. What about you? It should be more expensive, right?!"

Snoreva smiled and snapped his fingers again. The servant brought a transparent jug with wine in it.

Seeing this, Gould was surprised again. He saw at a glance that the two crystal containers should be a set.

"These are all obtained by the Danes? Why didn't I get them before?!"

"It should be the treasure of the Romans. The Danes got it. Then, a merchant took the risk to transport it to us and sell it." Snoreva said: "I bought two sets and spent a thousand silver coins on it. "

"It seems that there is only this matter. Our Olekin will not doubt whether the Danes are mixed in the merchant. You are equivalent to paying a hundred gold coins. In my opinion, if I sell it, I will set a price of 500 gold coins. Not an exaggeration. After all, it is a rare baby!"

Gould felt that his son had picked up a leak, and he was very happy about it, but he didn't know...

After all, when Gould set out, Rurik's glassware was still confined to the concept. It was sold to the triumphant warriors and the merchants who hadn't left in Roseburg. It was also in May. When it comes to doing business, the merchants will run wild on the sea with the treasures in their hands, and they will be shipped to the Mellaren market and quickly sold Gould never thought that his son would actually have eaten it. Unfortunately, now he is happy that his son has some treasures.

"So, are there any crystal utensils in the market?"

"Nothing." Snoreva said regretfully, "I bought those merchants as soon as they were presented. There are also many crystal bottles and cups, all of which were bought by the big boss. Dad, you know. Yes, that guy is very rich, and he paid a high price."

"It doesn't matter." Gould warned his son: "I can only say that it is your luck if you get it, and your destiny if you don't. Child, remember my words."

"Yes, Dad. Next, our trade this year."

"It just so happens that I want to announce a great event that is extremely important to our family!" With that, Gouldon raised his plump chest, and said honestly and solemnly: "I have decided, the main body of our family, from this year into the fall. All began to move to the Ross people. The centuries of our family in Ankras is over. From now on, we will live with the Ross people."

As soon as this statement was made, the eldest son Snoreva was in an uproar.