Chapter 438： Departure

On the 20th of the July in the Julian calendar, bright sunshine shines on the entire fjord.

The Neros people in the fjord have assembled an unprecedentedly large fleet. They have docked in the offshore waters, and the total number of ships of various types is as many as 200!

On the coast, a small stone altar rose from the ground.

Lumia wears a helmet with antlers and holds up a piece of deer liver that has just been cut open. Deer blood dripped on her face, while the liver was facing the sun.

Thousands of people knelt on the beach and worshipped the sun.

Quite a lot of fighters who are waiting for the expedition, in order to show their martial arts to Odin, they also wore armor while worshiping the sun.

The elite Ross fighters on the scene, whether in chain mail or armor, they all wore white cloth gowns, and the blue cross stripes on their chests and backs showed their strength even more.

A magical appearance of white on the beach, mixed with blue tones, this is really an unprecedented scene, just like a snow in the hot summer.

"God, give us victory! Give us an end to this long war! Let us conquer the Gotland!"

As if the sun became brighter, the sea breeze became more harmonious.

Lumia slowly put down the deer liver and squeezed it, and the blood filled a golden cup.

Rurik didn't want to drink blood. If he could, he preferred blood tofu with deer blood with salt.

This is a very necessary sacrifice before the expedition, the purpose is to give a performance to the five thousand eyes.

Rurik personally carried the "Oars Flag" carved with dragon heads and sewn with gold edges. He stood on the altar and pierced the flagpole in the cracks of the stone.

He took the golden cup, endured a strange feeling of vomiting, and drank the hot deer blood.

His mouth was full of blood, and the scene was so shocking, long live the Ross people.

Lumia opened her hands to calm people's excitement. She tore her sharp voice and yelled: "Ruriek, son of the Duke! Our commander! God has already designated him to bring us victory!"

To inspire people's enthusiasm, the slogan must be concise and concise, and she knows this very well.

"Ross will win! Lirik will win!"

"Ross will win! Lirik will win!"

...

People repeated Lumia's slogan, thousands of people spoke in unison, and the warm emotion moved everyone, and even Haibo was boiling over.

The sacrifice came to a enthusiastic end, and the expedition began.

The huge army began to dispatch on the same day, and the soldiers boarded the ship one after another with their own equipment.

For this battle, the Rus people have actually been dispatched. Almost all the men who dared to fight, including the vast majority of boys, were ordered to go out. Only a large number of women and children were left behind.

There are more than one hundred old men who are really old, and they have become the garrison of Roseburg in their twilight years.

Will the emptiness inside Roseburg be taken advantage of by potential enemies?

Of course, some people raised such concerns. As the military commander-in-chief, Rurik vetoed all the concerns.

The Rus have already figured out the geography around the entire Gulf of Bothnia. If there is a potential enemy, the nearest is the Balmerk tribe in the western bay of the distant mountains.

All the small tribes around were conquered by the Rus, and these tribal warriors have become a member of the Rus army.

Rurik seemed to be betting, but in fact he was satisfied.

The remote location of Roseburg is not only not a place of the Four World Wars, it is also an excellent haven, a safe zone on the edge of a complicated world.

The whole war did have a lot of risk, commanding a team of three thousand people, none of the Ross people had such experience.

However, the clothing, flags, and flag team organization that Rurik promoted as a surprise made the Dominion Army become scientific and organized.

About thirty fighters are responsible to their captains, three captains are responsible to their centurions, and five or six centurions are responsible to their flag captains.

All flag captains are responsible to Rurik himself.

A grassroots officer system was set up, and Rurik didn't expect them to have an amazing degree of organization. He specifically asked the soldiers to stare at their commanders one after another.

Ordinary Ross warriors, their helmets are leather helmets covered with iron and copper.

The so-called squad captains are all powerful men in the crowd, and the helmets of these people are decorated with new tricks. The helmet ridges a wooden stick, and binds two white cloths and two blue cloths on it to prove the presence of the captain.

The so-called centurion, their helmet decoration must be more ornate, tying the cloth strip is not enough, the branched wooden stick is also tied with a circle of wild goose feathers and beautiful European wild duck feathers, and glued with loose glue. Stick to further fix. Everyone is not interested in these decorations, simply because they may interfere with personal battles.

As for the flag captain's level, their dress no longer needs any decorations. They are the owners of the flag. The flag-holder gets up from side to side, the flag is in the flag captain, and the entire flag team soldiers advance and retreat with their flags.

The "Warriors Second Flag Team" has completed boarding, and each team has a long ship. This force was the first to leave the home port of Roseburg, and the commander-in-chief Haroldoson had the opportunity to go to the glorious battlefield again after three years. Twenty long manned boats reefed their sails, and the captains and soldiers shook their oars to go against the wind. A small boat was also towed behind each boat with a large amount of ordnance on it.

Waiting for Harrodsson was a three-day voyage. When they arrived at Tombstone Island, they would immediately repair it on the spot, because there was a more arduous voyage ahead.

The sacrifice before the expedition calmed the hearts of the people, and there was indeed no way for the huge army to leave Hong Kong at the same time.

When the battle was in front of Rurik, he truly understood that the preparation time he gave his men was really short, and the preparations for the battle were mostly uneven.

He had to urge the flag teams to leave Hong Kong after preparing their supplies.

Therefore, in the three days after the end of the sacrifice, most of Rurik's cargo ships were completely wasted on material transportation.

After all, the soldiers and horses did not move the food and grass first. The original plan was to prepare the army rations for the first ten days of August. In the end, the more the better. The tribes burst into strong productivity for this battle of honour. They caught a large number of fish, and the dried fish that they made stepped up to produce also had a longer shelf life. They just stocked up the fish and meat to keep the team of 3,000 people operating for 20 days. Lurik didn't think there was too much food, they had to be shipped.

In fact, Rurik also knew that in order to raise food, the people of the tribe were betting their lives!

They spent a lot of time collecting food for the warriors of the tribe, which delayed food reserves for the winter this year. The Ross must win! A lot of materials must be plundered, especially all kinds of food, otherwise the entire tribe will be hungry, including starving to death in the harsh winter.

This was the most terrifying result. However, the morale of the entire tribe was soaring. They only thought about how rich the war dividends each family would get after the victory, and they had selectively ignored the risks.

This battle, Rurik, is determined to win. He completed the final preparations on the 24th of July. The food and reserve weapons have been on board, and the large army is now set sail!

The Aphrora raised the huge sail, and the huge blue cross stripes on the sail were so eye-catching.

It's not just her, the more than 30 cargo ships in the rear are all raising the delta sails, and the sails also have exactly the same stripes.

Large ships headed south in a zigzag route against the southwest wind, and hundreds of long ships formed a circular array to guard it.

The masts of each ship floated with the Ross Oars flag. Only the flagship Aphrola had the largest flag, and there was a blue horizontal stripe below it.

The Ross people are advancing on a familiar route, but this time the whole tribe's vitality is almost out of the nest.

A dark-haired girl with a simple dress from a distance and a gorgeous look from afar, she stood on the bow deck stroking the railings, and looked at the sea nervously.

"Are you feeling better now?" Rurik asked his Lumia softly.

The girl nodded: "Fortunately, the stomach still feels uncomfortable."

"It's better to go into the cabin and rest, you can lie down and sleep."

"Forget it." Lumia shook her head: "This is the first time I have boarded a big ship. I want to blow the sea breeze."

"Then watch the sea with me."

I heard that Lumia's ruddy and slightly haggard face was blown by the sea breeze, slowly squeezing out a smile.

Rurik is ten years old, and his Nordic body really inherited the sturdiness of his biological father. Coupled with the fine diet of the day, his current height at the age of ten has actually exceeded 150 cm.

And Lumia? At the age of thirteen, she seems to have become somewhat difficult to continue growing taller. Seeing her "brother", her own man, Lurik, immediately caught up, she had a strong expectation.

She is actually ready to become a woman, as long as the noble boy feels ready, Lumia is willing to take the initiative to welcome that sacred moment.

Because the office of high priest must be inherited by suitable people, only the children of myself and Rurik are worthy of inheriting this noble and sacred office forever.

This is what she can do! When a child is born, the high priest of the Duchy of Ross will not only have a successor from generation to generation, but also all deer breeders will be completely sheltered.

Maybe that will happen three or four years later, because any woman who raises a deer often becomes a mother at the age of fifteen or six. At least Lumia remembers that her biological mother was like this, and she must be like this if she wants to come.

She seldom had any experience in sailing, even if the Aphrora was very large, the turbulence on the sea still made her seasick. However, after sailing for a whole day, she has already vomited twice, watching the fish that had just been eaten fall into the sea again. The guilt of wasting food made her feel uncomfortable. This indecent behavior is also a blasphemous sacrificial identity. Isn't it?

Fortunately, the sensible Rurik gave meticulous care.

The sun is shining, and Tombstone Island is not far away.

Lumia looked at the strange bulbous nose of the bow pushing aside the sea, and the big ship galloped across the sea.

"Don't look at the bottom of the boat, your eyes are dizzy and you are about to vomit. You raise your head and look at the sea level." Rurik complained.

"Hey, I..." Lumia turned her head: "I always feel like I'm flying."

"Fly? Really? You..."

A romantic thought came to light on the paper, "Then stand on the full-scale mast and open your arms."

"Will this be dangerous?"

"Silly girl, I will hold your feet."

"Oh, let me try."

With the instigation of her beloved boy, Lumia ignored all fear.

The Aphrodite has a front mast, but this wooden pole placed slanting forward is used to tie up the cable that secures the main mast. Theoretically, it can install beams immediately and raise a small sail to take advantage of the wind below.

Lumia stood boldly on this wooden pole, below which was the sea of ​​wanton waves.

She subconsciously grabbed the cable that fixed the mainmast until she finally felt fear, because as long as she couldn't stand firmly, she would fall into the sea and into the endless abyss.

Liu Lik said with a wooden face: "Let go of your hand and keep your balance! Open your arms and look forward!"

"I'm afraid! I..."

"Don't worry, I will catch you! You... don't you want to fly?"

Lumia looked at Liurik's resolute face again, and saw many people staying on the deck, casting all inexplicable expressions. "Yeah, I am the next high priest. If I am afraid now, wouldn't it..." She gritted her teeth, stood up straight, stepped barefoot on the wooden pole, stretched her face and opened her hands.

Suddenly, Rurik also grasped her feet tightly: "Stand up straight, my woman."

"I... still a little scared."

"Don't be afraid, my high priest! We are the conquerors of the sea, you see, the sea you have conquered, you fly over the sea."

Lu Mia wears a white robe and plain clothes, and the gentle sea breeze blows. What she gives witnesses is an extremely elegant posture.

Only she has black hair in an extremely rare place, and she is indeed short in stature. It happens to be such a woman. The silver jewelry on her chest is violently reflecting the sunlight.

"Lumia, in front of you is the woodcarving of this ship. She is the soul of the Aphrodite. Relax yourself, be brave, and feel with your heart."

"Yes! I..." Lumia opened her eyes slightly. The sea was blue before, and she was flying above the sea.

"I feel like I am a wild goose! Haha."

"Yes! Are you happy?"

"Extremely happy."

"Still feeling unwell?"

"I... only happiness!"

Many people, everyone saw Rurik with a golden ponytail interacting happily with his woman.

Lumia is a great priest this time, and she embarks on this expedition with a sacred antler helmet and half of the priestess.

The girl stood boldly on the crossbar of the bow and looked down upon the entire fleet. Is this a sacrificial activity? Oh, maybe it is. How to interpret it? The good people pointed out that perhaps the soul of the Aphrora had already communicated with Lumia, so she could stand calmly. It was also said that she was communicating with Poseidon, and it was a good omen that the sun was shining and the waves were unhappy.

Lumia is like a happy bird. She has an experience of flying. It is obvious that the Ross army is launching an expedition. The war is obviously a terrible thing. She is no longer afraid of standing on the deck again. .

The enemy's honor and disgrace have nothing to do with her, as long as her own Rurik wins. When her feet were just grabbed by Rülik, a strong sense of security made her ignore all dangers, and even the bad stomach discomfort disappeared!

Rurik was just on a long voyage and had nothing to do. He couldn't sleep like his dad, so he had to stay with Rumia on the bow and play some games with him.

I have to say that this girl has become more graceful of a woman, her light posture in plain clothes is more elegant, and her black hair and slightly flat face are indeed in line with Rurik's innermost aesthetic. Is Lu Mia a deer hunter from North Asia?

She is Rose, her own Jack. It doesn't feel much romantic to stand on the bow of each other, but it's a bit embarrassing.

This incident did deepen the friendship between the two, Lu Mia also discovered miraculously, perhaps from "flight at sea", her seasickness seemed to be cured in an instant.

The short night is coming, and the exhausted Lumia has no fear this time. The captain's lounge is now the command room of the Ross army. Lumia chewed on the fish with a relaxed face, Otto looked surprised.

"Huh? Are you afraid of vomiting again? If you want to vomit, you will endure it until the night. I don't want any soldiers to see the indecentness of our high priest."

Lumia was not ashamed, she straightened proudly: "Duke I can't do it anymore. Just on the deck, Rurik cured me."

"You..." Otto suddenly looked at his son who was eating dried herring: "Did you use any miracles?"

"Me? Oh, maybe count it. I make her fearless."

"Really fearless?" Otto frowned, and said coldly: "Lu Mia, you are very decisive when you kill the deer. That's good. But this is a war, and many enemies will be killed. I hope you can remain calm when you see such a scene."

"I..." Lumia chuckled in her heart and gritted her teeth: "I will, I am not afraid of blood. I will pray for the soldiers before the battle, and I will pray for their souls."

Her remarks made her look like the chaplain with the army, which was also Rurik's arrangement. The priests of the tribe need to do this in order to strengthen everyone's morale and to turn the tool of death into the expectation of the soul to enter Valhalla.

"Well, after this dark night we will arrive at Tombstone Island. Take a good rest." Otto said casually, as a battle-tested veteran, he was excited in this battle, but he showed it on the bright side. There is no fluctuation in his mood, as if defeating the enemy is easy.