The Rise of Rurik

So, our protagonist Liu Li, now incarnated as an infant, is born in a small bay in the central part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. This place is also the settlement of the Ross tribe, simply known as Rossburg by the Ross people.

But, after all, he is just a baby, completely dependent on his birth mother for survival.

After a few days, Liu Li finally understood his situation. Could he instantly accept this reality? Becoming a part of these people, dressed like ancient human tribes?

However, he is just a baby. Now, Liu Li has plenty of time to understand his circumstances. What he didn’t know was that his biological father, leading hundreds of warriors and carrying wealth obtained from plundering and fighting, was on his way to Rossburg. At this moment, Niya could clearly sense something unusual about her child.

For example, the child always looked at her with his charming and lovely deep blue eyes, as if he had an urgent desire to observe and remember everything he saw and heard.

“Child, do you, like your father, have an endless longing for the outside world? Do you want to explore it so much?”

“Oh! You are still too young, but when you grow up, you will surely become a great warrior, or even our leader…” Niya had many blessings to offer her beloved son, hoping that he would not get into trouble before growing a beard.

But, all boys of the tribe, when they reach a certain age, are educated by veteran warriors to develop fighting skills.

Like all the tribes of Scandinavia, the Ross tribe isn’t naturally strong in combat; they spend considerable time honing their combat skills.

Niya, patting her child’s back, trying to soothe him to sleep, found that the child kept his eyes wide open, moving his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

Niya couldn’t understand these situations, the only explanation seemed to be the prophecy of the female elder – this child was no ordinary person, he was blessed by Odin, and his life would bring glory to the tribe.

Niya was excited about this, and as time passed, she became increasingly concerned about another big event – the return of the warriors who went to collect tributes from the Sveig people, which was due in a few days. Like many women of the tribe, she eagerly awaited the return of her husband and son with abundant wealth.

In these days, the atmosphere in Rossburg grew increasingly lively. People began to talk about how the wonderful goods brought back by the warriors would be distributed among the families and eventually to every tribe member. How much treasure would fall into her own hands?

Niya was well aware that the world had changed. In the past, every member of the tribe, even the smallest child, had a right to a share of the spoils.

Now, only adult men who have undergone a rite of passage are entitled to a share. And for growing boys, this rite of passage is to participate in a battle, proving themselves as real men.

As the wife of the leader, Niya knew well that her small family would benefit greatly from this action.

Wealth was indeed timely, as it would allow her family to comfortably support the little one through his first winter.

Finally, the warriors’ fleet was approaching the port of Rossburg! The tribal fishermen, fishing for herring in the Baltic Sea, were the first to spot the approaching fleet. Initially, the fishermen were on high alert.

After all, in this era, fishermen also doubled as “sea rogues,” not minding plundering a lonely boat from a non-allied tribe. This time, the large fleet raised wide sails, moving towards the port with the autumn northeastern wind.

Those with excellent vision immediately recognized that the newcomers were not enemies, mainly because of a dragon-head warship in the fleet, its sail printed with a unique pattern.

It was the image of two crossed oars, a great achievement for the Ross tribe. Interestingly, the pattern on the sail was not made by the Ross tribe themselves. The “movable oars” symbolize the name of the “Ross” tribe.

Although the tribe mastered hemp textile technology, they lacked cloth dyeing techniques. All symbols of the Ross tribe’s “oar” were made by their southern allies, the Sveig people. The Sveig people were a large alliance of tribes, and the Ross tribe was essentially part of them.

However, due to their northern location, the Ross tribe maintained its autonomy while also hoping to keep peace with their southern “brothers,” at least to avoid conflicts.

All printed oar-patterned fabrics were made by southern allies, so some Ross tribe’s dragon-head warships sewed them on their sails to declare friendly identity to their own people and allies, and to announce their presence to enemies.

Otto, standing on the deck, deliberately lowered the sail to announce his triumphant return to the tribal elders. He also ordered all rowers to keep rowing, not only to speed up but also to constantly adjust the course.

Otto soon met with the tribe’s fishing boats, and after brief negotiations, the fleet moved forward.

The accompanying fishing boats saw a completely different scene from when they departed. Some warships were towing small boats with decorations on their bows that were clearly not of their own tribe or allies. Even the fishermen could guess that Otto’s journey was not just about collecting tributes; they had engaged in battle, and it was fruitful!

Yes, Otto’s hundreds of warriors fought on an unnamed desert island against a group of Gotlanders.

The biggest gain was a large amount of weapons. Although iron-making technology had reached Scandinavia, known as the “land of darkness,” many desolate hills were actually iron ore.

All Viking-related tribes had the ability to produce charcoal for iron-making, but they preferred to obtain metal from enemies and smelt it into tools at home. They could mine and extract pure iron by burning rocks.

Especially in the main territories of the Sveig tribes, where large iron ore veins were hidden. The only thing they lacked was the insight to discover the ores!

Therefore, Otto, following traditional thinking, took away all the enemy’s battle axes and swords. The death of his brother was a painful event, as was the great sorrow of his brother’s son.

As the child’s uncle, Otto knew very well that according to tribal tradition, he was about to succeed his father.

Home, a cold yet warm land, the hometown was right ahead, the small bay, the happy Rossburg. Otto looked ahead and saw a large number of boats welcoming the fleet. Otto, he already heard the cheers of his people!