Chapter 60 Trade

The autumn winds gradually increased, and it was time to set out for York to pay the tribute. 

In early October, Vig was collecting the tribute when he suddenly encountered Bjørn's fleet. This time, he had brought three ships of volcanic ash, as well as a large quantity of dried cod and sealskins. 

"It's the same old story: food, iron, and cattle." 

Thanks to his reputation as a legendary seafarer, Bjørn's settlement had expanded to 400 people (including over 100 slaves he had purchased). His only concern was that he had not managed to develop a suitable industry. The price of the volcanic ash and sealskins sent this time was nowhere near enough to cover the purchase price, so he had to pay the difference out of his own pocket. After the deal, he had only 20 pounds of silver left.

For advice, Björn went to the mayor's mansion on the west side of the central square, where Vig and his wife were temporarily living during the reconstruction of Tyneburg. 

Over dinner, he couldn't wait to ask his host: "It takes several years for the sheep to reproduce before they start bringing in income. The climate on the island is very cold. Although there are small areas of land suitable for growing rye, the yield is too small to be exported in exchange for silver. Any other ideas?" 

Local delicacies suitable for export? 

Vig stared at the grilled lamb chops on his plate and thought deeply: "Have you found any metal deposits?" 

"I regularly send out exploration expeditions, and I have not found any valuable minerals other than volcanic ash."

Suddenly Bjorn smashed the table with his glass: "When we set out, a stupid whale happened to be on the beach. We should have brought some barrels of whale oil with us. Does Tyneburg accept such things?" 

Whale oil can be used to make whale oil candles, which are similar to beeswax and are a luxury item. Vig nodded happily and promised to stock up on whale oil for a long time. "I remembered that since Iceland is full of volcanoes, it must produce sulfur. I am also willing to buy large quantities of that." 

Modern herbalists use sulfur to treat skin diseases and repel fleas. Textile workers burn sulfur to fumigate wool and flax, making them whiter and softer...

Vig silently calculated the specific sulfur needs and sensed that the business had great potential, so he made a long-term supply agreement with Bjorn. 

"Whale oil and sulfur. These two sources of income are enough to offset the cost of importing grain, iron products, and livestock. Perhaps you can make a small profit." "

It's not that simple," Bjorn filled his glass with wine and immediately thought about the disadvantages of both options. "Iceland has a long coastline. If a whale were to beach itself elsewhere, it might rot and stink before we arrived. As for sulfur, the locals are usually afraid of volcanoes, so their only option is to force slaves to mine it, which will be troublesome."

The time that followed was filled with Bjorn's complaints. As a lord, he found that life was not as pleasant as he had expected. Troubles came one after another, and the people grew tired of dealing with them. "By the way, have the hops you sowed in the first half of the year ripened?" 

"No, we harvested them little by little in the first two years and waited for them to ripen in large quantities in the third year, and then mass-produced the new beer." 

"Do you really have to wait that long?" Vikings like to drink, and Bjorn likes to bring back a few barrels of beer every time he sets out. However, the strong winds and waves of the North Sea in winter mean that trade with the outside world is impossible for several months, and the beer has a short shelf life. He has had to spend a large sum on mead with a longer shelf life to allay the people's discontent.

After two days of rest, Björn drove six cows and eight pigs onto the deck and headed back to Iceland. 

Before leaving, Vig stopped him: "Aren't you going to York to pay tribute?" 

"Why should I go?" Björn looked at him in surprise: "I fought for this Icelandic lord, not for the king who gave me this title. Ragnar is my father, and I will always respect him, but he is not my feudal lord. An Icelandic lord does not owe allegiance to the King of Northumbria." 

That seemed to make sense. 

Vig froze for a moment, and Björn continued: "If my mother were alive, I would definitely go to York for a while. Thora is on the throne now, and I don't want to flatter that woman. Of course, she doesn't want to see me, Ivar, and Halfdan, so she just squeezed us all out and let her son Ubber inherit the throne."

Now that Bjorn has his own foundation, he no longer needs to look at people's faces, he just shouts at the top of his voice, ignoring the faces of passersby.

"See you next year, Vig, my good brother."

After scolding Queen Thora, Bjorn felt very happy and ordered the three longships to weigh anchor and put to sea. As time went on, the wind and waves in the North Sea would become stronger and stronger. He spent only one night on the Shetland Islands and urged the sleepy sailors to set out before dawn.

"Row quickly. I will buy twenty barrels of ale and five barrels of mead at a high price. When we reach Iceland, I will give you drunkards a hearty drink!"

At Björn's insistence, the crew rowed hard, despite their fatigue. Fortunately, from the third day onwards, the sea became choppy, with easterly winds, which significantly accelerated their journey. At sunset on the sixth day, Björn finally cast aside his worries and fell asleep on deck, noticing that the colour of the sea water was gradually becoming lighter.

A few hours later.

"My lord, wake up."

Björn, shaken, woke up in his sleep. When he opened his eyes, countless light-green lights were floating in the night sky, like strange glowing snakes. Then a dark green ripple began to spread behind the clouds, as if Valkyries were riding on horses above everyone's heads, and this ripple was like their fluttering skirts. Looking

at the strange glow, Bjorn was horrified and silently prayed to the Aesir: "Odin, what do you want me to do when you send down the oracle?" 

...

York. 

A year later, Vig felt that the city was becoming more and more prosperous, but also more and more dirty, mainly because of the war that Eric had started that year.

He estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000 Vikings had poured into Britain, with Tyneburg receiving 3,000 and the rest of the refugees making their way by land and sea to York to settle. 

The area around York is flat, with plenty of arable land to settle, more than enough to accommodate this group of refugees. On his way there, Whig found more than a dozen newly built settlements, each with around 40 to 50 houses and almost 200 inhabitants. 

"This massive influx of people is a test of the administrative strength of the kingdom. Are Pascal and Goodwin ready?" 

Upon entering the city, his first stop was the market to inquire about the price of grain. He learned that the price of wheat had risen from 2 pence a bushel to 2.6 pence that year. In addition, the prices of staple foods such as barley, oats, and rye have risen significantly. 

After asking around on the way, Vig learned that the prices of most goods are rising, and the royal family is doing nothing to curb the price of grain. 

"Luckily, I stocked up on food last year, so there won't be any problems until next summer."