Chapter 16. Assembly

Having been called the Chosen One by the locals, Vig put up little resistance. He had come to this world in an inexplicable way, and he was truly worthy of the name "Chosen One." 

After seeing the power of the Chosen One, Leonard accepted the invitation, on the condition that his neighbor Ulf would also participate. "I don't trust this guy. If I go out to sea to plunder alone, this guy might take the opportunity to attack my territory." 

In desperation, Vig agreed to go to Kongser to persuade Ulf. 

Compared to Leonard's territory, Kongser looks very shabby. There are only about 60 houses in the entire settlement. The inhabitants on the street are hunched over and pale, not much different from the slums. 

"No wonder you are so poor that you have to steal other people's loot."

Having tied his horse, Vig pushed open the wooden door of the lord's longhouse. The light in the house was dim. A tall, thin, middle-aged man in a tattered fur coat was curled up by the fire and dozing. He went over to wake him. 

"I am Ragnar Lothbrok's shield bearer. I invite Lord Ulf to Gothenburg. Where is he?" 

The middle-aged man rubbed his eyes and yawned, answering, "I am Ulf. Thank you for Ragnar's kindness. It's a pity I can't leave for a while, because my neighbor Leonard is about to launch an attack. Alas, he made such a fuss just because of a deer. He really doesn't look like a Viking." 

Amid the grumbling complaints from the other side, Vig heard a completely different version. The quarry was shot by Wulf's shield-bearers and escaped to Leonard's territory with wounds, which led to a series of disputes...

With different positions, both sides had their own opinions. Vig was not interested in distinguishing between good and evil and answered flippantly: "I have reached an agreement with Leonard. He is willing to put the conflict aside and participate in the robbery, provided that you go with him." 

"Have you convinced this stingy fellow?" 

Wulf's voice suddenly rose, and he asked his wife to pour his guest a glass of mead: "How did you do it?" 

"I made a kite to direct thunder from the sky into a clay jug..."

The safety of the territory was assured, and Wulf agreed to participate in the robbery. If he had not earned some extra money, he might not even have been able to pay the wages of the eight shield-bearers. 

Two days later, Wulf and Leonard performed a sacrifice ceremony in the open. Under the witness of the gods, they swore not to attack each other for three years. 

...

Back in Gothenburg, he reported the results of this mission to Ragnar, who repeatedly repeated the nickname "Chosen": "I did not expect that you had talent in this area. You have done well. Including Leonard and Ulf, a total of twelve nobles have promised to take part in this robbery." 

With these nobles at the head, Ragnar estimated that this robbery could gather at least 3,000 Vikings. In order to transport this huge army to Britain, he was obliged to provide enough ships and various supplies, which would undoubtedly require enormous expenses. 

Sensing the embarrassed expression on the other side, Vig decided to invest his savings in this robbery operation for two reasons:

First, this consignment of goods was inconvenient to carry with him. If it were stored in Gothenburg during the trip, there would be a high probability of theft.

Secondly, this move would help him gain a certain voice in this robbery and further improve his reputation. 

"Are you serious?" Ragnar was deeply touched to learn that his subordinate was willing to invest all his savings. He rose from his seat and poured him a glass of mead. 

"Thank you for your generosity. After the successful plunder, we will divide the spoils according to the contribution. If the operation is successful, this investment of 20 pounds of silver will at least double!"

...

In March 843 AD, the weather gradually warmed up, and Vikings from all over the country arrived one after another. Hundreds of longships were anchored in the sea west of Gothenburg. More than 3,000 strangers poured into the village, completely disturbing the peace of this coastal city. Various fights often broke out, which greatly worried the shield bearers responsible for maintaining order.

"Stop, don't make me do this."

Seeing that persuasion was useless, Vig was forced to knock down two drunken men and throw them into a nearby pigsty. Before he could catch his breath, he heard women screaming nearby.

"Why haven't you gone out to sea yet? This life is simply unbearable!"

Soon after, Bjorn hurried up with two men and casually replied, "Only King Eric remains. The guy is very showy and always likes to appear last. I guess that old bastard hasn't come out yet." 

Over time, the security situation in Gothenburg deteriorated dramatically. Ragnar Thor's second wife lost several strings of jewelry, Ivar's silk was stolen, and even a bunch of maps Bjorn had collected disappeared. After much hype, there was no result. 

Vig breathed a sigh of relief at this. Fortunately, the consignment of goods had been thrown into this plundering operation, otherwise he would have disappeared too. In this tense situation, he put his chainmail under his pillow every night when he went to bed, holding the Dragon's Breath Sword in his hand, afraid that these two best pieces of equipment would be stolen.

In mid-March, King Eric arrived in Gothenburg with twenty longships. Including Ragnar, this raiding party consisted of thirteen nobles, with a total of over 3,500 raiders, including a quarter of the shield-bearers. 

As for equipment, the number of men in iron armor did not exceed 300, and most of them had only a round shield and an iron axe. 

On the eve of the expedition, Ragnar had specially invited a group of shamans from Uppsala to perform a sacrificial ceremony. Vig was not accustomed to such a bloody scene, so he went alone to a secluded corner and stared at the lead-gray sea to the west.

(Note: Uppsala, near Stockholm, Sweden, is a Scandinavian polytheistic holy site during the Viking Age.)

"The famous Chosen One actually avoided the sacrifice scene. Is there any special reason?" A shaman in a black cloak came out of an alley and found that the other man was too lazy to pay attention to him, so he simply took off his cloak and called himself the Raven Speaker.

"What happened?" Vig was very wary of this bald man in his thirties. He was tall and thin, with a pale complexion and several dark blue runic tattoos on his face, giving people a lasting impression of terror.

The Raven Speaker's eyes were sharp, as if he could see right through Vig's thoughts. "You feel disgusted by the sacrificial ceremony. In fact, I feel the same way. It is a pity that tradition has always been like this. The old ones have the last word, and the newcomers have no opportunity to object. Unconsidered proposals for changes will only bring disaster. In this regard, Uppsala is no different from ordinary territories." 

Vig countered insincerely: "Changes? I have never made such proposals." 

At this time, while the other side was not paying attention, the Speaker of the Crow suddenly extended his cold and pale hands and squeezed Vig's wrist tightly, as if with an iron clamp:

"Vig Haakenson, chosen of the Aesir, you are destined to achieve great things, and I am your best assistant. Perhaps you do not trust me yet, but one day you will accept my help. The road ahead is long, and I hope that you will get what you want on this journey."