Chapter 12: City of World Desire
Entering the city through the Peram Gate, Vig wandered around. The main road of the city was paved with marble, with shops on both sides and even a public bathhouse, rare in Northern Europe.
The source of the bath water comes from the Belgrade Forest outside the city and is transported from west to east into the city via an above-ground aqueduct called Valens.
After entering the door, the bathhouse is divided into three zones: cold, warm and high-temperature. After some thought, Vig chose the warm one. The moment he immersed himself in the warm water, the fatigue that had accumulated over the past six months dissipated.
...
That night, the members who had left returned to the warehouse one by one. Bjorn was puzzled by Vig's behavior. "You only went out to shop and bathe, and did nothing else? Too bad."
As a typical Viking, Bjorn showed his skills in the underground arena and defeated five opponents from different regions in a row. After receiving the bonus, he found two prostitutes and indulged in pleasure. In the end, he spent the remaining money on food and drink and felt that this half day was not in vain.
The experiences of the other members were similar, but Vig's approach was especially outstanding, which confused the people.
Soon, Rurik, who was drunk, pushed open the gates of the courtyard: "I have made a deal with a businessman from Armenia. The other party is willing to buy our goods at a high price. Vig is good at arithmetic. Stay tomorrow to help me conduct business negotiations."
After this period of mutual understanding, Rurik discovered that Vig had mastered an arithmetic method that he had never seen before. It was simple and effective. Some problems that had long troubled others were often easily solved by him, which was better than that of the local Greek scholars.
...
The next morning, the Armenian merchant arrived as planned, with two assistants patiently inspecting the goods, and praised some white fox furs in good condition: "
Ladies like to wear white furs best. I will buy this entire lot of goods."
Soon, Vig, pen in hand, calculated the total cost of the lot of goods on the papyrus in just three minutes. In comparison, the Armenian merchants were much slower. After recalculating, they found that the results were exactly the same as those calculated by the Nordic barbarians. They were shocked for a moment and asked Rurik in Greek.
"How much is this slave worth? Name your price."
"Slave?" Rurik spat the tea out of his mouth and coughed repeatedly. "What nonsense are you talking about? He is a bodyguard of a Nordic nobleman and once single-handedly killed ten Pechenegs in the wild. Fortunately, he does not understand Greek, otherwise he might have broken your neck in anger." "
Really? What a pity."
The merchant stared at the portly Nordic youth and could not help but sigh. "If he were Greek, with this rare talent in the world, he would have been able to enter Magnaur College to study. After graduation, he would serve as a civil servant or an employee of a large noble family, and he would not have to struggle to survive in the barren and cold land of Northern Europe."
At this, Rurik shook his head. "Nothing to pity. Constantinople is indeed extremely prosperous, but that does not mean that it takes all the glory in the world. The fates of mortals are different. His fate belongs to the stormy waves of the North Sea, and my fate lies on the endless black earth plains of Eastern Europe. Perhaps one day our names will spread throughout the world. Ha-ha, who knows?
"Perhaps. The future is unpredictable. Perhaps you can really make a career." The merchant agreed, chuckling a little, and paid a batch of gold and silver coins with the head of the late Emperor Theophilus.
The money and goods were settled, and both parties said goodbye.
In the presence of the remaining members, Rurik locked the currency in a copper box. At dinner that evening, he proposed buying spices and silk to sell back.
"Brothers, on our way back we must row upstream, which is not suitable for carrying too many goods. Spices and silk are the most suitable choice."
Ivar spoke first: "I saw a steel sword in the market, and I need to withdraw money from my share. The rest is at your disposal."
The rest of the men had their own requests. Vig also planned to buy chainmail, but Rurik reminded him that armor was a sensitive material, so in the end he had to give in.
...
A few days later, Vig and Rurik went to Feodosiya Square to buy spices, and found the spice merchant receiving an old man who looked like a butler. The merchant was extremely modest and kept repeating one name - Bardas.
Vig remembered the ring found among the Pecheneg tribe, and it seemed that its owner was also called Vardas.
Rurik also remembered the ring, stopped the butler who was about to leave, and told him about his experience on the way here.
Hearing about the location of the ring, the butler's face suddenly changed, led the two of them to the tavern and patiently asked: "Are you sure that the team was killed by nomads?"
Rurik: "Yes, after we broke through the tribal camp, we found only this ring, and the letters that the messenger was carrying, they also burned."
"So that's it," - knowing that Rurik had good relations with the local Rus tribe, the butler looked at this Nordic barbarian several times and took the purse from him before leaving.
"I will come to you in a few days, remember, not to beat around the bush."
...
When the butler left, Rurik discovered that the purse actually contained more than 50 gold coins, which was worth at least two pounds of silver!
"A simple butler is so generous, who is his master?"
After asking the drunks around him, Rurik finally learned the identity of Varda - the uncle of Emperor Michael III.
It is now August 841 CE. Two months ago, the late Emperor Theophilus died, and his son Michael, who was only one and a half years old, ascended the throne. The new emperor was young, and the government was led by the queen mother Theodora, the emperor's uncle Varda, and the powerful minister Dioctistus.
"The ruler is young, and the country is in doubt. The three main powers of the harem, the royal family, and the powerful ministers
are in disarray. It is no wonder that when I walked around these days, I always felt that the atmosphere of the conversations of passersby was very strange." As a former history student, Vig understood that this power structure was extremely dangerous. If common people were involved, they would be robbed from their homes and exterminated if they were not careful.
He thought to himself, "This time we killed Lord Borg and received a shipment of valuable gold and silver. We have surpassed our goals. It is time to flee as quickly as possible."
Unfortunately, when the two returned to the warehouse, they found a well-dressed middle-aged man sitting at a refreshment stand across the street, apparently watching them.
This is trouble.
Although I do not know Bardas's intention in sending a letter to the steppe, such a big man actually gave away a ring he had worn for many years. There must be a conspiracy behind the scenes.
Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Rurik regretted it, but there was nothing he could do about it. With a big shot targeting him, there was no way to escape privately.
After two days of unrest, a group of royal guards in red robes came to the warehouse and said that the emperor was going to call on those Nordic barbarians who came from afar.