Chapter 330： What's the farmer's market in the 9th century

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Jeflo continued to lead the team, and Rurik also noticed that he was originally a relaxed mercenary. They lightly hooked their heads and began to look at the foot bones to the right, and their eyes became more keen. Both his right hands were inserted into the burqa, clearly holding their respective steel sword hilts!

At this time, Arik also subconsciously approached his brother, and under the robe he also covered the hilt of the sword.

"Brother, it looks like your people are aware of the danger."

"Danger?" Rurik looked around, and the people passing by were the same as the Mellaren people who had just met.

Jeflo hurriedly explained his confusion: "My lord, we have already entered the interior of Mälarenburg. There are often bandits here. Don't worry, my brothers and I will protect your safety."

It is really bad to say that this place is dirty and messy. Even though various Viking tribes have high requirements for hygiene, the so-called "high" here is also relative to other ethnic groups.

For example, of course they build their own toilets by each household, but a large number of dry toilets are close to their own soil embryo houses, making the whole streets smelly and normal. And this so-called road is a dirt road. Mälarenburg is close to the lake. The moist land (there is no real irrigation system) is very important to the wheat. However, the fertile black mud is really sticking to the boots, not to mention the long rainfall in the previous period. It's just over.

Jeflo’s reminder made Rurik more vigilant. It is said that there will be patrols sent by Chief Mellaren to fight against the bandits, but the settlements are really too big. The patrol team paid more attention to the stability of the market area, and the lack of attention in ordinary residential areas was reasonable.

However, in order to enter the commercial area, merchants who landed always have to pass through a civilian area. Just now, it has been made clear by Lilique that Chief Merlaren will not guarantee the personal and cargo safety of foreign merchants everywhere. Almost all merchants need to do so. Hire people to protect themselves.

Thinking about it this way, Rurik pays attention to the seemingly idle men on both sides of the road, as well as some half-size boys with a little dull gaze, and the look they cast seems to have become ambiguous.

They seem to be potential attackers, and they are the kind of people who can disappear in the intricate alleys of residential areas in the shortest time after robbing them.

In this way, a group of people walked cautiously for a while under the leadership of Evlo.

"My lord, that should be coming soon in Kolonge." Yevlo said calmly.

Rurik let out a long sigh of relief: "Damn, I thought we were going to fight those men. Maybe we should land in another place."

Yevlo shrugged helplessly: "That's impossible. The commercial area is close to the mansion of the leader, and ordinary people live near the lakeshore. No matter where we land from, we have to pass through dangerous residential areas."

"Well, I didn't say it." Rurik shrugged, thinking that Olegin's so-called leader is really a chicken thief in this regard. But he thought about it carefully. Since that guy has been in control of the market’s business and collected huge tributes from it, for the convenience of management, not only must he create an area where only business is allowed, but the area must also be within his reach. Place.

Leaving the area where the crisis seemed to be, Liu Lik felt a lot of peace of mind. After a while, some discordant scenes suddenly appeared in front of him.

There are still a large number of adobe houses here, which still seem to be some residential buildings. There has been a lively low roar not far away, and there is undoubtedly the so-called business district, which is also the "Melaren Bazaar" in a narrow sense.

But there are some children sitting by the walls of some adobe houses. They are in ragged clothes. There is a fundamental difference between the children of Mellaren who can't stop laughing. They are very stupid. What's worse is that they are all ragged.

Carlotta was obviously aware of the identities of these children: "Rurik, they, I am afraid they are all beggars."

"Are they beggars?" Lurik asked Evlo immediately.

Jeflo was also taken aback, because last year he found and saved Carlotta in this area. "They...should be beggars."

Upon hearing this, Rurik froze on the spot: "Ah, I have saved these children. Gould didn't do things well, he didn't rescue all the beggars."

That's the case, Rurik didn't want to rashly talk to the few children sitting in the corner, their blond hair was covered with mud, and the dejected look couldn't tell the men and women.

Jeflo also feels weird, because his old master, Gould, has obviously gathered no less than fifty new beggars, plus last year’s large-scale gathering of beggars, it stands to reason that unless the Mellarians abandon themselves How could some poor new beggars suddenly pop up?

war? It's not right! What Jeflo knew was that, except for Arik and his brothers who attacked the Gotland ships in the sea, the other Alliance tribes had no news of foreign soldiers, and there was no news that some tribes had been killed by war and caused their tribes to be displaced. Tragedy.

"My lord. Of course you can save him. We will do this soon. You don't need to take care of it yourself. At the latest tomorrow, these children can be taken back."

"Oh, I hope they can live on till tomorrow."

"Then it depends on their fate, sir." Yevlo put out a theory, "You gave them a chance to live, and you gave them a test. If they can live tomorrow and be picked up by my brothers and sisters. Going back, it means that they have been forgiven by God."

This reason is really absurd, but people in this era believe this, and Rurik doesn't say anything.

He looked at the children in the corner, and suddenly saw a woman in coarse cloth walking out of the house, her obvious adobe house mistress, holding a wooden stick in her mouth, cursing and driving away the children sitting in the corner of her house.

Those children, they scrambled and ran away in horror...

"Look." Yevlo shrugged. "They are all scared. Maybe when we try to take them in, they will run away thinking we are going to abuse them!"

"But, as a servant, you can at least eat food." Rurik sighed a little.

"Why don't they know? They are too young, I am afraid it is really only you, my noble master, and only you have the financial means to take in these poor children. Oh, it's really strange, there is no war, obviously Gould has gathered. Many children, why are there new foreign children fleeing to Mellaren?"

"Maybe there is something hidden." Rurik didn't think much for a while. "Let's go, go to that Cologne. Maybe the people drinking there can reveal some news. Or the merchants who set up the stall can also tell a thing or two, oh, I also want to hear any other news."

Jeflo nodded, beckoning them to continue to follow him.

The group tried their best to keep a low profile. At the same time, all the mercenaries had their right hands inserted into the burqa, holding the hilt of their swords at all times and ready to fight.

Because most of the mercenaries come from the Mellaren tribe, they know very well what the front of the walk is.

Right in front of the winding road, some changes have taken place in the structure of residential buildings there.

The houses with adobe walls and haystacks are gone, replaced by a large number of wooden houses. Compared to the previously passed area, the front is obviously more lively.

There have also been some changes in the pedestrians passing by. Most of them are no longer empty-handed, or holding some cattle and sheep, or carrying pain baskets full of charcoal, or directly carrying bundles of firewood.

The place ahead is nowhere else. It is the Merlaren Bazaar in a narrow sense. It is also the most lively and chaotic place in the entire settlement, where evil is most likely to breed.

"The front is the place where various businessmen do business, my lord, please follow me closely, and don't leave." Yevlo stopped deliberately and cautioned.

Lurik was stunned: "Ah! There won't be anyone robbing children in this place, right?"

"That's not enough, but please be cautious."

Rurik swallowed hard, he looked up at the noisy scene in front of him, and couldn't help but squeeze a sweat.

Where there is demand, there is a responsive supply, and doing business is fundamentally human instinct. Since the leader of Mellaren deliberately brought the various merchants together as much as possible to form a bazaar under his control, it is not surprising that a typical bazaar will have typical problems and chaos.

Originally, the Melaren tribe did not have the concept of planning streets. The so-called roads in the settlements were just some customary passages, and the roads in the market were also like this.

In a narrow sense, the Mellaren Bazaar is formed around a somewhat tortuous and narrow dirt road.

There are a large number of wooden houses on both sides of the road, and there are many people who occupy the road and set up stalls in front of the houses. Occupying the road will not be punished at all. Fortunately, these businessmen have not been bold enough to close the road.

There are some fixed merchants in the market, and most of the wooden buildings are these merchants' shops. Shop operators, or local professional merchants in Mälaren, or long-term businessmen from other tribes can live here to do business.

There are a large number of such merchants. They have been trying to make some transactions almost all year long. Even in the coldest gathering, they are willing to sell some winter fish. They are the middle of the traditional business of Mellaren.

In addition to them, there are a large number of travellers carrying their own baskets or unloading baskets full of cargo, and sitting directly on the ground by the side of the road, centering on baskets and baskets, peddling their products. Most of these people are ordinary Melaren people. They sell some of the agricultural and sideline products they get outside of farming. They sell them at the market, earn a little copper, and then go to other people's stalls to buy some daily necessities to subsidize their families.

How long has the market been born? No one can tell.

It's just that the Mellaren tribe is the strongest in the entire region. Their bazaars have naturally formed a relatively stable trading scene since ancient times and have spontaneously formed a fixed bazaar in the course of long-term evolution. .

Each tribe has its own bazaar. What the Mälaren people dominate is that they have a truly integrated market that Rurik is convinced.

Today, even if the Ross tribe has become very powerful, the tribe still has not built a market. It is customary by the Rus people to quickly form a dew-like market near the beach every morning and evening. It rises quickly and dissipates as quickly.

Gradually, Rurik's inner vigilance was diluted by the dazzling experience.

Some people sell charcoal, some fish, some fresh fish, some live sheep, and many others pile bundles of flax on the ground, yelling at a price that claims to be a very favorable price.

Occasionally there will be a group of warriors in leather armor holding swords in the pedestrians. They are walking in a relatively neat column. Obviously these people are the so-called private soldiers who maintain market order and are only under the command of the leader Olegin.

Jeflo saw Rurik looking around, and asked: "Master, do you see any favorite products? We will buy them when we see them."

"Oh, I think the people who sell flax in the whole market make me tempted."

"They? Then buy all their flax, take it back and weave it into a good cloth. And without the merchants' freight, we can save a lot of money."

"It doesn't matter." Rurik shrugged. "It seems that there are a lot of people selling linen in this bazaar. We shouldn't be too anxious."

Yevlo nodded and revealed: "The lakeside area of ​​this lake is not only suitable for growing wheat, but also suitable for growing flax. Before the wheat is mature, the flax is harvested one after another. Sir, if you want, we can buy a lot this year. The flax stalks that have just been cut are the follow-up processing that we need ourselves."

The captain of a mercenary actually knew a lot of information about business, and Lurik had to think carefully about Yevlo's suggestion while he was pleasantly surprised.

The fact is that it is so simple and simple. The geographical conditions of Lake Mälaren are not suitable for the growth of oats. It is located at a high latitude, and the low level of sunlight throughout the year makes the wheat here doomed to be difficult to produce. However, because of the infiltration of the big lake, the degree of light is limited, and the frost-free period is long enough for flax to complete a life cycle, making many areas on the lakeside transformed into flax fields by the Mälaren people.

Without cotton, there is a great lack of excellent cold-resistant leather. Ordinary people in Mälaren have to rely on the relatively cheap flax to be spun into twine and mixed with limited wool to make a thick and cold-proof cloth. And flax itself, it is the most important raw material for making various cables. Without it, any ship would never dream of sailing.

The harvest season of flax usually coincides with the autumn harvest of grain. Similarly, the large-scale vegetable trade also coincides with the autumn harvest of grain. For a long time, the flax trade has been concealed in the lively grain trade, and now the oats are still heading on a large scale, the flax trade has become very conspicuous.

Merchants selling flax almost gathered together to sell, making a small area of ​​the bazaar become a "flax market."

Just beside the "Linen Market", there are a large number of stalls selling large and small brown pottery. They are mostly pottery urns and pots, and some are obviously drinking cups and even lamp holders for oil lamps.

There are also many people who sell woodware, and they know that they are craftsmen just from the perspective of their finished products. They are selling well-hooped wooden barrels, large wooden cups, and even wood carving crafts.

The whole bazaar is clearly a large-scale comprehensive farmer’s market. So far, Rurik has consciously entered the scene of a temple fair, and it seems that he has entered a huge vegetable market and a wide range of goods sold by many merchants. They are all ordinary people. Daily necessities related to food, clothing, housing and transportation.

Does it have any special features? Where's the tavern? In which area of ​​the market is the slave market controlled by Norwegian merchants, which is less well-known?

There are indeed many people dangling in the market Rurik consciously cannot describe it as a shoulder-to-shoulder, but he does have the risk of being lost.

There are a lot of people wearing burqas, or wearing gray hats, and most of them are mature men. So many businessmen and customers walk around. If they don’t follow up with their mercenaries, they will be really lost. Otherwise, maybe you will get lost in the huge shanty towns of the Mälaren people.

If there is no local guide, Rurik is sure that he will be blind, or someone else will make up his own mind.

Rurik is convinced that there must be many shops in this place that do skin and meat business. Like bandits, this thing can be called a "professional" of mankind since ancient times. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the "don't get lost" warning that Jeflo said more vaguely was actually implying this.

It's not that Rurik is narcissistic, he really feels that he is a "very beautiful boy" that is naturally full of charm. People, no matter men or women, they are instinctively rushing to anything drifting, isn't it?

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