Vikings: Journey of the Juggernaut

Chapter 32 Set sail, Raider baptism

Smelling the green grass beside the field road makes people feel relaxed and happy.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was red, like a glowing strawberry, exuding the alluring smell of spring.

At this time, more than four months have passed since the original warrior assessment.

After the spring harvest of rye was completed, Daun's fleet set sail again to plunder the land of Western Europe.

Rayleigh finally chose the Bartholmore fleet, so the plundering trip would have to wait until the Daun fleet returned.Taking advantage of this free time, he and his two partners were also preparing to go to the Fern Strait to complete the Raider Baptism Road.

Raider baptism is a tradition that has been continued since the formation of the Northern Tribe Alliance.Trainee raiders from other tribes need to go to the chief tribe to learn their way around, see the world, and show their face through the baptismal battle.

To put it simply, it means walking a certain distance and killing a few people.

Of course, baptismal battles are never static.Since the discovery of Western Europe, the current process of killing three people was only possible when there was a sufficient source of slaves.

It is said that in the past, there were one-on-one fights, and if the opponent was a strong one, there were also many fights, and even a battle between man and beast.

As the chief tribal territory, the Fern Strait Territory, also known as the War Whale Tribal Territory, is the territory closest to the North Pole in the Northern Tribe Alliance.Further north is the terrifying Bone Frost Tribal Territory, which does not belong to the Northern Alliance.

The most well-known figure of the War Whale Tribe is its leader Kurag, who is recognized as the strongest man in the North and is known as the 'God of War in the North'.

Arriving at the port, a medium-sized warship was already waiting here, led by Commander Bassomo himself.

There were also a dozen tribesmen on the ship heading to the Haast Strait or the Fern Strait, as well as Jerkham and Kayson who were also going to complete the baptism of the raiders.

"gone."

Rayleigh turned back and said something to the two family members, then walked towards the warship carrying the linen package.

"When you go out, you must be willing to spend money. If you see something delicious, buy it and eat it. Don't wrong yourself. If it rains, put on a bamboo hat. If you are tired, take a rest. Also, Don’t worry too much about your family..." Idiya warned earnestly.

"I know." Riley waved his hand behind him.

"Return safely."

When the figure in front of him had completely stepped onto the warship, Itia sighed to the girl next to her, "It's the first time Rayleigh has traveled far away. It's really worrying, sister, don't you think so."

The girl nodded immediately. This was the first time that her brother had been so far away from her.

……

"Set sail, let's go."

Commander Basomo gave an order, and the tribesmen sitting on both sides of the warship opened their oars. The ship quickly left the shore and gradually disappeared from the sight of everyone on the shore.

While paddling, Rayleigh observed the warship in front of him. A row of rowing benches were built on both sides. The rowing benches could be opened for loading and serving as seats.

There is a cabinet at each end of the head and tail for storing food and fresh water. The front section is engraved with a dragon head.

In order to increase speed, warships are built in a long shape and can also be called long ships.The width of the hull is narrow, only suitable for two people side by side.

Such a medium-sized longship can accommodate up to 25 people. Naturally, with the current number of people, there is no need for a large warship.

The large warship can accommodate up to 40 people and is more of a strategic warship. It is also the largest warship that the Vikings could build.

The reason why larger warships cannot be built is the height limit of oak trees. Oak wood is hard and does not easily absorb water. Coupled with its anti-corrosion effect and durability, the keels of warships are polished from a complete oak tree.

Like a small warship, it uses an oak tree about ten meters long as the keel and can accommodate more than ten people.General household boats are made of oak within five meters and can accommodate 2 to 5 people.

Since oak trees can only grow up to about 25 meters, the length of the warship is also limited.If the passenger ship is not built in a long shape, it can naturally accommodate more people.

"Are you still used to it?"

Commander Basomo came over and said hello. At the same time, he took out wheat and fed it to the plump fat-headed bird standing on his shoulder.

"It's not bad." Rayleigh observed the fat-headed bird curiously. It was far fatter than the normal raven (a large type of crow) in the tribe, and it was exactly the same size as the leader in front of him.

Bassomo noticed the gaze of the young man in front of him and said, "If you want to raise a raven, you can ask me for advice when you come back."

"If I have the chance, I will." Reilly recalled the spruce tree in front of his house, and there were no crows at all.

The crows in the tribe must have some wisdom, and they must have communicated with each other. My sister may have become a terrifying existence among the crows that can stop the little crows from crying.

However, my sister has grown up over the years. She does not like tearing open wheat stalks and crows like she did when she was a child. It has become more of a pendant around her waist.

"It's not edible, so why keep this thing?" Jecam has no interest in the fat-headed bird. As a friendly partner and symbol of the Mist Crow tribe, the tribe prohibits eating crows. "You know shit."

Commander Bassomo soothed the fat-headed bird's head, and after chatting for a few more words, returned to the bow of the ship.

Seeing the commander leaving, a fat man sitting at the stern of the boat came to the three of them hesitantly and took out a handful of candies from his arms: "Rayleigh... do you guys eat candies?"

"Okay." Reilly took three candies and handed one to Kayson and Jackham each.

Seeing the three of them peeling off the candies and eating them, Fatty seemed very happy and continued: "Do you want more?"

"No, eating too much is bad for your teeth." Reilly declined politely.

The fat guy in front of them is called Dean, who is the same age as them. He also came to the training ground at first, but because of his poor health, he stopped coming.

"I really envy you for starting the Raider baptism at this young age." Mrs. Maureen at the stern of the boat also cast a kind look at them, and looked at her son Dean, with another hint of gloom in her eyes.

In less than ten years, the three people in front of me will all become important figures in the tribe, and Dean may not even be qualified to go to the leader's longhouse for dinner.

……

After sailing for two or three miles, Rayleigh saw a curl of smoke appearing on the side of the coast, and at the same time, he heard Jackham's introduction:

"This is the territory of the Pheasant Tribe. The Pheasant people are easy to identify, especially their hair."

Following his gaze, the figures on the beach, regardless of whether they were men or women, all had hairstyles that looked like cockscombs, standing high on their heads in a row, with their sides bare.

"Privately, they are what we call the Grass Chicken Tribe. However, you cannot call them this in person. If heard, it will cause a fight." Jackham added, "Although the Grass Chicken people are not very powerful, they are extremely aggressive. .”

Lei Li knew that for the other party, it would obviously be considered an extremely serious insult.I have heard people talk about these training grounds in the port on weekdays. After all, they are one of the three tribes in the same section of the strait.

In Scandinavia, the terrain is like a row of jagged teeth inlaid on the sea, and the land shows a staggered shape.Countless straits are formed between adjacent small pieces of land.

Various tribes are established along the coast of these straits, and each strait has its own name:
For example, this section of the strait, from the outside to the inside, is called the Senji Strait by the Senji Tribe, the Misty Crow Strait by the Fogg Crow Tribe, and the Black Fish Strait by the Black Fish Tribe.

If the other two tribes are annihilated or annexed, and only one tribe will be left in the end, there will naturally be only one name left for the strait. This is also the tradition of this land.

For example, the Fern Strait was named after the War Whale Tribe, and the Haast Strait was named after the Giant Wolf Tribe, the former northern hegemon. Fern and Haast were both the names of the leaders of the two tribes who completed the unification of the straits a hundred years ago.

The population of the Forest Chicken tribe in front of them is only a little over half of that of the Mist Crow tribe, and it can only be regarded as a medium-sized tribe.It is said that they were powerful a hundred years ago and were the most powerful tribe in this section of the strait. They even set up patrol boats at the exit of the strait to collect tolls.

At that time, the Mist Crow Tribe and the Black Fish Tribe could only endure the heavy burden until their strength gradually increased, and they united to completely defeat this powerful enemy. As a result, the Mori Chicken Tribe gradually declined.

Now, this strait has gradually evolved into a struggle between the Mist Crow Tribe and the Black Fish Tribe, and the Chicken Tribe, which was the most powerful in the past, has become a marginal role.

It also has its own rules of survival. Whichever side is more vulnerable will join forces with it to maintain a certain balance among the three tribes in this strait.

The outer parts of the three tribal territories are connected by a strait, and the inland part is connected by a blackwater river. Their respective symbols are exactly the same as the tribal names.

In the inland forest of the Mori pheasant tribe, there lives a very large pheasant with a white tail and black wings.This strange chicken does not like sunlight and is extremely vicious and aggressive. It is commonly known as the chicken.

The Mist Crow Tribe is the favorite habitat of the surrounding crows and is rich in ravens.

The symbol of the Blackfish tribe is a kind of strange fish that lives in the Blackwater River in their territory. It is said that the largest strange fish is as big as a human being, with a very big head, and a mouth densely packed with teeth, and there is not much that can be eaten.

……

Nearly two hours after the warship left this strait, it approached a lively strait with rows of houses and dozens of ships moored in the port.

"Haast Strait has arrived."

As the warship docked, Maureen, Dean, and some tribesmen who did not go to the Fern Strait also left the warship.

Reilly saw a statue of a ferocious giant wolf standing in the center of the harbor square, as if it were made from scratch.

The Giant Wolf Tribe has been the chief tribe in the North for nearly 90 years in the past hundred years.If it were ten years ago, it would have been a well-deserved overlord tribe in the north. At its peak, the population was said to have exceeded 2000 people.

However, due to internal factional struggles, it eventually split into two tribes ten years ago.One is still named after the giant wolf, and the other is renamed the sword wolf tribe.

The split of the Giant Wolf Tribe allowed the War Whale Tribe, which had always been strong, to seize the opportunity to rise to power and become the chief tribe in the North.Today's Haast Strait is no longer as prosperous as the War Whale Tribe's Fern Strait.

The most prosperous business in Fern Strait is the slave trade. Only with enough slaves can we maintain the tradition of going to the chief tribal leader for 'raider baptism'. Only in this arena can we maintain daily and constant fighting, attracting a steady stream of people. audience.This will create a prosperous port and generate revenue for the tribe.

After unloading the people, Bassomo had a conversation with some familiar warriors from the Giant Wolf Tribe, and the warship set off again, heading towards the Fern Strait.

(End of this chapter)