After the cabinet meeting ended, Vig returned to his office to continue handling documents.
In the afternoon, he received word that an envoy from Rurik requested an audience.
"I understand. Let him wait in the side hall."
The Royal Hall
The royal palace's main hall had been completed three months earlier after enormous labor and expense.
The hall followed a typical rectangular single-chamber design:
Length: about 35 metersWidth: 18 meters
Rows of stone pillars supported the vaulted ceiling, creating side aisles along both walls.
Light entered through high-set windows made of colored glass panels. To keep the hall warm, stone fireplaces were built along the walls, with smoke venting through chimneys in the roof.
Escorted by guards, Vig walked toward the throne at the far end.
The throne stood on a platform with five stone steps. A slightly lower seat beside it belonged to the queen. The princes had no chairs—they stood below the throne.
When banquets were held, long tables and benches were arranged along both sides of the hall to seat major nobles, cabinet members, senior officers, and their families.
Vig took his seat.
"Bring him in."
The Envoy's Proposal
Soon, under the guards' call, the envoy entered the hall and bowed calmly.
After a lengthy exchange of meaningless formalities, he delivered his lord's request:
Rurik wished to purchase armor and weapons.
Leaning back on the throne with his chin resting on one hand, Vig considered the matter.
"Rurik has long operated the trade route from Constantinople to the Neva River," he said.
"The Eastern Romans possess advanced metalworking. Why travel so far to Britannia to buy weapons?"
Then he asked directly:
"Who is your king planning to fight? The Pechenegs?"
"You guessed correctly," the envoy replied.
"These nomads frequently harass the tribes west of the Dnieper River. King Rurik cannot tolerate such bullying of the weak. He is assembling an army to restore order along the trade route."
There was profit to be made.
Vig agreed to the deal.
He sold:
600 sets of old armor
Large quantities of arrows and iron spearheads
Alcohol
Processed wrought-iron ingots
Total price: £2,300.
As for what the buyer intended to do with them, Vig didn't care. Rurik's power lay far away in Eastern Europe—hardly a threat.
But he added one condition:
"All transactions must be cash on delivery. I have no interest in sending a fleet to collect unpaid debts."
The memory of the Bergen lord refusing to pay still annoyed him.
"Of course," said the envoy.
He whistled toward the hall entrance.
Four red-haired Slavs carried in a heavy bronze chest. Inside were large amounts of amber, along with three gold bars at the bottom.
Vig signaled for attendants to estimate the value.
Approximately £1,000.
Satisfied with the show of good faith, he agreed to deliver the goods personally by fleet—on the condition of an additional £200 for shipping.
The envoy requested departure the next day. Though Londinium was prosperous and tempting, he had no time for leisure. War was imminent, and he needed to return to Novgorod as quickly as possible.
Delivery to the Neva
The royal fleet treated the deal seriously.
Three of the best warships sailed under favorable winds and arrived at the Neva River estuary in mid-September.
Autumn had already settled there.
Endless drizzle had swollen the marshlands, turning the ground into mud. Birch trees along the banks glowed yellow, and traces of elk and wolves appeared in the forests. Under the cold wind, golden leaves drifted down onto the wetlands like a vivid carpet.
Because the warships had deep drafts, the fleet commander feared running aground in the river channel. He insisted on transferring the cargo at the river mouth, which the envoy accepted.
Two hours later, the ships anchored near a Viking fishing village on the southern shore.
Villagers were busy repairing homes and fishing. Women gathered berries and mushrooms in the forest to prepare for winter.
Payment Arrives
That afternoon, the envoy's signal smoke summoned twenty longships, loaded with furs and amber for payment.
After the exchange was completed, the envoy—named Holmren—invited the fleet commander to visit Novgorod.
The invitation was politely declined.
"The north wind is rising," the commander said.
"We should return to Britannia while the seas remain calm. Farewell."
Holmren stayed in the village overnight.
The next day, the longships rowed up the Neva River, crossed Lake Ladoga, and reached the Volkhov River, which carried them south to Lake Ilmen.
There stood the settlement of Novgorod, Rurik's capital.
The town held around 4,000 residents, mainly Vikings and local Slavs whose customs had gradually blended together.
Rurik Inspects the Weapons
At the eastern docks, Rurik himself jumped aboard one of the longships.
"Where are the weapons? Let me see!"
He picked up an old suit of iron scale armor, examined it carefully, and stabbed it several times with a knife.
The quality seemed acceptable.
"All second-hand goods?" he asked Holmren.
"The armor is used," Holmren replied, "but the **iron swords and yew bows are new—and excellent quality."
He pried open a large oak barrel.
Inside were yew bows and bundles of arrows.
Rurik strung one bow and fired at a distant birch tree.
The arrow struck the trunk cleanly.
Upon closer inspection, he saw the arrows had strong penetration—and most impressively, the bows and arrows were almost identical in size and construction.
"Well done," Rurik said.
"These goods are worth their price."
A Familiar Observer
Rurik then turned to the silent man standing nearby.
Nils.
"You visited Londinium last year while selling spoils," Rurik said.
"You stayed there for a while. I've heard Britannia's standard armor is made from linen and metal plates. Do you remember it?"
Nils answered honestly.
"When I visited the palace, I saw the guards' black armor up close. Its protection seemed comparable to regular iron armor—but the production cost must be much lower. Otherwise Vig could never equip his entire army with armor."
Reflecting on the Britannian civil war, Nils believed Vig had defeated Gunnar for two reasons:
Extraordinary military talentA massive, well-trained infantry force fully equipped with armor
Using the sparsely populated northern territories, Vig had somehow accumulated five thousand sets of standardized black armor without attracting attention.
Even now, Nils still found it astonishing.
When discussing Vig, both Rurik and Nils felt a mixture of emotions—envy, admiration, and jealousy.
After a long pause, Rurik ended the conversation.
"Enough talk."
He ordered the army to assemble.
The newly purchased weapons were to be distributed immediately.
—------------------------------
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