Ch 5: The Pirate Summit

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, “Fat One” Eric and eight nobles took their seats. Although he called himself king, he wasn’t the feudal lord of these nobles; there was no subordinate relationship between them, so his attitude was rather amiable.

“Gentlemen,” Eric cleared his throat,

“Since we opened the new sea route to the West, countless warriors have sailed to Britain and West Francia, reaping unimaginable wealth. However, all this was just a small-scale operation; the number of people in each raid did not surpass two hundred, and we were unable to capture the enemy’s large settlements. Therefore, I intend to assemble an army to attack the royal capital of a certain kingdom, and at that time, we will all loot to our heart’s content!”

Under his incitement, the crowd roared in unison, the surging sound waves like raging waves, constantly impacting the mental defenses of several nobles. Some showed fanaticism, unable to suppress their desire for battle, while others frowned, worrying that their shield-bearers would be tricked away by Eric.

When the roar gradually subsided, Eric ordered someone to unfold a crude map of Britain. A certain area in the Southeast was blackened. Vig looked closely and found that the target was Essex.

“Londinium（Londinium）, later known as London, I intend to pillage this city.”

In the following period, Eric tirelessly boasted about the wealth of Londinium, praising it as a prosperous city rarely seen in the world, causing Vig to yawn and secretly complain.

“At the beginning of the fifth century, with the withdrawal of the last Roman troops from Britain, the city fell into decay. By the eleventh century AD, the Duke of Normandy in France completely conquered England, and his heir later designated Londinium as the royal capital, and the area prospered again. Haha, it would be interesting if we looted an empty city this time.”

After a long time, seeing that no one opposed his plan to pillage, Eric, his mouth dry, picked up the large golden goblet, drank half a bellyful of honey wine, belched, and walked to Ragnar’s side.

“Ragnar Lothbrok, whether you have met him or not, everyone present has at least heard his name. For the past eighteen years, he has gone to the West to pillage every year, familiar with the coastal situation of Britain and West Francia. This time, he will lead the fleet to sea. What are your thoughts?”

At this time, a noble directly opposite showed disdain, “Ragnar is an excellent mercenary, who can play the role of hunting dogs, but he is not qualified to be on an equal footing with us.”

With their boss insulted, the shield-bearers, including Vig, retorted, with curses flying. Ivar’s reaction was the most intense. He tore off his fur coat, drew his iron sword, pointed it at the man, and said word by word:

“‘Boneless’ Ivar, son of Ragnar and Ragnheid, challenges you to a duel!”

Viking society revered bravery. Seeing someone propose a duel, a cheering sound erupted from the surroundings. Eric, unwilling to go against this public opinion, returned to his seat without saying a word, silently drinking honey wine.

“Your status is insufficient; you are not qualified to fight me.” The noble’s face was livid, and he sent a shield-bearer to participate in the duel. This man was about the same height and build as Ivar, and he looked quite formidable.

“This kind of thing?” Ivar spat, beckoning to the opposite side, “Come on, let’s end this quickly.”

From Vig’s perspective, he could only see Ivar’s back, unable to see his specific movements, only hearing the sounds of weapons colliding. The enemy had already fallen to the ground, his throat slashed open, and bright red blood gushing out.

However, Ivar did not stop there. He picked up his round shield and smashed it violently against the enemy’s body, as if he wanted to crush all the man’s bones.

Now, Vig finally understood the origin of the nickname “Boneless”.

Until his opponent breathed his last breath, Ivar stood up, coldly staring at the noble named Borg, his words colder than the winter wind, “Next.”

In the next few minutes, Borg sent out three more men consecutively, with the same terrible sight resulting. Ivar seemed to want to kill his shield-bearers one by one in this way!

Sensing that the situation was about to get out of hand, Eric stood up and shouted, “Enough, your blood should be spilled on the battlefield in Britain, not in my territory, this ends here!”

Under Eric’s pressure, the council continued, but everyone was clearly absent-minded, still savoring the duel that was destined to become famous throughout Northern Europe.

Winning four victories in an almost humiliating way in front of nine nobles and two thousand Viking commoners, undoubtedly, Ivar’s prestige would explode, becoming the protagonist in the bards’ stories.

The pirate council ended, and Eric invited the eight nobles and their subordinate shield-bearers to a banquet, hoping to use honey wine and food to heal the conflicts between them.

The food and drink of this period were monotonous. The most striking main course was a roast pig, evenly coated with a layer of honey, and sprinkled with a small pinch of extremely expensive pepper. Next were cod and pickled beef and mutton, as well as blood sausage made from cattle and sheep offal.

Next to the blood sausage, the servant girl traditionally placed a dish of fermented shark meat, which smelled incredibly fishy.

There was only one vegetable dish—a stew made by simmering radish, turnip, onion, and broth, with a small amount of beans added. The staple food was hard bread, and the dessert was aged cheese. These two foods and honey wine were in unlimited supply.

After Eric finished his toast, the banquet officially began. As a rookie, Vig had neither outstanding martial skill nor merit worth boasting about, so he didn’t participate in the boasting among the drinkers, and silently ate these unappetizing dishes.

The expedition was imminent, and there would be hard times ahead. He just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to store up more nutrition and increase his survival rate in subsequent wars.

Ironically, before his time travel, he hated eating fatty meat the most, thinking it was too greasy. After half a year of hardship, he realized that the value of pork far surpassed that of chicken breast and fish.

During the meal, Vig heard someone talking about information concerning Lord Borg. It turned out that he and the former Lord of Gothenburg had been close comrades, and two months ago, he had announced his protection of his family.

“With this relationship, no wonder he would cause trouble for Ragnar.”

On the other side, Ivar made a fierce statement in front of everyone: “I swear I will personally cut off the head of the King of Essex, seize his crown, and raze his grand palace to the ground.”

Raze to the ground? Vig secretly complained that Ivar was ignorant.

Londinium was a city left over from the Roman period, and the local buildings were mainly made of bricks and stones, far more sturdy than the Viking longhouses in Northern Europe. If the first raid did not break through the city walls, it would very likely turn into a brutal siege warfare.

“I’ll find a chance to have a private chat with Ragnar later and hope he’ll accept my strategy.”

Vig wasn’t stupid enough to publicly refute Ivar’s words. Drunken Vikings were the most dangerous; he didn’t want to be carelessly chopped down by the other party with an axe.