Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 248 Valley
At sunset, Hosa was taken to a valley with a stream flowing at its bottom. Large fields of wheat were planted along the stream. Judging from the growth of the crops, their agricultural level was very poor. Their only advantage was that they had plenty of sunshine.

Soon, Hosa's appearance caused a stir among the valley's inhabitants, who left the caves on both sides of the mountain and crowded around Hosa as if they were observing a rare animal in a circus.

"Don't touch me, don't pull my hair!"

"Hey, don't steal my shoes!"

From Hosa's perspective, these people were of medium build, with light brown skin, and looked similar to the inhabitants of southern Iberia and North Africa.

In terms of clothing, they wrapped themselves in goatskin, men wore numerous bone ornaments, and women wore cloaks woven from plant fibers.

After a brief struggle, Hosa was shoved toward the domed stone house in the center of the valley. Based on his observation, ordinary people lived in the caves on both sides of the valley, while the domed stone houses on the flat ground belonged to the middle and upper classes.

Upon entering the largest stone house, Hosa saw a middle-aged man sitting in a chair, with five family members standing behind him. On either side of the hall stood six spearmen, their spearheads jet black, seemingly crafted from a single piece of obsidian.

"%￥#"

The chieftain, his face cold and stern, demanded an explanation, uttering some ambiguous threats. Then, a Viking commoner emerged from a corner and translated the words.

"The chief is asking about your identity and purpose."

"Are you a plantation worker who ran away?" Hosa exclaimed.

Viking commoner: "Yes, I couldn't stand planting sugarcane all day, so I took the opportunity to escape into the jungle and was lucky enough to be accepted as a member of the tribe by the chief."

Hosa was increasingly puzzled. "Since you are a Viking, you should know our strength. Why are you inciting these natives to attack the plantation?"

The other party gave a mocking smile, "Our tribe didn't attack the plantation; it was another tribe that did. You should be glad, because if you had been captured by that other tribe, your fate would have been much worse."

Suddenly, the Viking commoner remembered the captive's face and learned that he was a shareholder of the sugar company and the queen's younger brother. He was horrified and instinctively took a step back. He then introduced the captive to the chief and suggested that he be properly cared for.

The chief, whose family had lived on Sunshine Island for generations, was unfamiliar with the outside world. "Adrian, even if this man is the British chief's wife's brother, so what? I'm not afraid of him. Tell me, how many people does the British chief have? Which is bigger, his land or Teneferry Island (Sunshine Island)?"

As an exiled civilian, Adrian had no access to this kind of information and could only pass the question on to Hosa.

Half a minute later, he relayed Hosa's answer to Chief Chuatu: "Britain has 2.3 million people, which is equivalent to 1,000 of your tribes. Assuming they walk, it would take more than a month to travel from south to north."

Adrian, fearing retaliation for Hosa's death, added many exaggerated details, eliciting gasps of amazement from the chief's children. The chief was shaken, thankful he hadn't attacked the outsiders.

Currently, there are more than 10,000 Guanches on Teneferi Island. Chief Chaivatu's tribe is the most powerful, with more than 2,000 members.

In recent years, the second-ranked tribe has developed rapidly, which has made Cavatu uneasy. Therefore, he deliberately spread rumors and incited his rivals to attack the outsiders, intending to make them both suffer heavy losses.

Surprisingly, the Vikings' fighting prowess exceeded his expectations; a single charge wiped out more than four hundred male Guachers.

"It seems I was right. The outsiders' 'cavalry' is too powerful. The Guaqie people must not leave the forests and mountains."

As dusk fell, Cavatu ordered the prisoners to be locked in a cave, intending to interrogate them again the next day. Due to his special status, Hosa received decent food, including wheat porridge and a lamb chop. Having been hungry for most of the day, he didn't hesitate, grabbing the lamb chop and devouring it, then called to Adrian, who was preparing to leave.

"Help me escape, and I'll give you money, women, and the estate."

“Your Excellency, you overestimate me.” Adrian rolled up his sleeves. “As you can see, I am just a weak Viking with poor fighting skills, incapable of leading you out of the encirclement.”

Hosa still didn't give up. "In that case, why don't you chat with me to pass the time? First, tell me about the origins of these Guaqie people."

"As you wish, Your Excellency."

As the conflict between the Vikings and the Guacher intensified, Adrian began to worry about his future. He tried to curry favor with the prominent merchant to secure a way out for himself.

After living there for more than a year, Adrian roughly guessed the origins of the Guache people by observing local tribal legends, their appearance, skin color, and the murals inside the caves.

They are residents who migrated from North Africa or southern Iberia.

Listening to the other party's explanation, Hosa countered, "Since they migrated from the sea, why didn't they build ships?"

Adrian: "I don't know. Maybe it's because the local area lacks iron ore, and without iron nails, iron saws, and iron axes, they can't build suitable ocean-going sailing ships. Moreover, they lack a written language, and much knowledge and technology has been lost over a long period of time."

In the following days, Helgi was unable to find any trace of Hosa. He selected a prisoner to return and report back, proposing a truce with the hostile Guache tribe and an exchange of prisoners.

To show his sincerity, he also promised to provide food, wine, and ironware, as long as it could be exchanged for his own prisoners, everything was negotiable.

However, the tribe that attacked the plantation left no survivors. Although the chief tried to buy time, Herji saw through their scheme.

He summoned his vassals and employees of the sugar company, totaling 1,030 people. “Gentlemen,” he said, “it is estimated that Hosa will not be returning. In order to appease the Queen’s anger, we must take action.”

He left 300 men to guard the plantation and the port, while Helgi led 700 men to attack the enemy tribe. Thanks to his overwhelming equipment and tactical advantages, he ended the battle in just half an hour and occupied the enemy's ancestral camp.

After a thorough search and questioning, Hergi still could not find Hosa, so it was likely that the man was indeed dead.

As news of the battle spread, the entire Guaqie tribe on Sunshine Island was thrown into panic. The chieftains and shamans all went to Mount Teide, the highest peak on the island, to pray for divine blessings.

After the gathering ended, Cavatu returned to the valley in a daze. He heard the details of the battle from the survivors and completely abandoned the idea of ​​driving out the Vikings.

"Bring the prisoners and Adrian over here."

Cavatu's idea was to hand over Hosa, reach a peace agreement with the Viking chieftains, cease all hostilities, and allow them to grow sugarcane on the eastern coast.

After a period of conversation, Cavatu suddenly had a better idea.

(End of this chapter)