Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 251 Asylum
Currently, only two shipyards are capable of producing two-masted sailing ships: Tyneburg Shipyard and Londenium Shipyard, with a total production of twenty-seven ships.

Of these, twenty were used as warships, three were sold to the Sugar Company, three to the West Sea Fur Company, and the most recent one was sold to Björn as an expedition ship.

Even after that, the shipyard’s capacity remained tight. In order to cope with the war with Flanders and expand trade with Iberia, Vig placed an additional order for ten dinghys, and the sugar company also ordered five dinghys, with orders booked until the end of next year.

On the market, orders for rowboats and cogs were allocated to the newly established Edinburgh Shipyard, while some orders were taken by shipyards run by nobles such as Wolf and Leonard.

The following morning, Vigé convened a cabinet meeting, focusing on the situation in Ireland, where a new rebellion had broken out and was reportedly quite large.

After the king finished explaining the situation, most cabinet members reacted indifferently; they were used to the frequent disturbances in this place.

Army Secretary Barvers began, “The rebels’ base is in the western hills. We need a large-scale military operation to mobilize tens of thousands of soldiers to take over western Ireland and eradicate the root of the rebellion.”

Tens of thousands of soldiers?

Vig didn't bother to reply. Duke Imon's mismanagement had led to widespread rebellions in the territory, and it was up to him to handle it.

Sensing the king's attitude, Home Secretary Micham echoed, "If Imon asks for help, the royal family can send troops to assist, provided that all matters are agreed upon, such as who will provide weapons and food. It's not like His Majesty has to personally pay for the army when he sends it out."

After discussion among the cabinet members, the matter was temporarily shelved to observe the movements of Imon and his vassals, and a decision would be made depending on how the situation developed.

As the meeting adjourned, Goodwin reminded the King, "Rumors suggest that Edmund has fled to Denmark. What should be done about this?"

Vig didn't care much. "It doesn't matter. Edmund's barons, knights, and gentry who are close to him have all been wiped out. Even if he wanted to incite a rebellion, no one would be willing to follow him."

The cabinet need not concern itself with Edmund's affairs; instead, it should complete the land survey of East Anglia as soon as possible and make it a key resettlement area for immigrants this year.

Nordic countries, Denmark, Aalborg.

After some time, Edmund finally awaited Uber's return from his campaign. Edmund's eldest son had always had a good relationship with Uber, so Denmark was his first choice for refuge.

Amidst the throngs of people lining both sides of the street, Edmund stood on tiptoe and called out to the crowned young man on horseback, "Your Majesty, I am Edmund."

The young man turned his head, his lips were tightly pressed together, his eyes were sinister, and a hideous scar remained on his face, as if splitting his face in two from left to right. His light golden hair was tied into a traditional Viking braid, and a black cloak hung behind him, underneath which was a set of noble armor from the Eastern Roman Empire.

"Uncle Edmund?"

Recognizing the "old beggar's" identity, Uber nodded slightly, indicating that the guest should follow him back to the lord's longhouse, or rather, the palace.

Ubel tossed his cloak to a guard and headed straight for the main seat. Edmund noticed the thick glove on his left hand and recalled the rumors from before:

After killing Sora, Asura did not spare the fleeing Uber. Uber subsequently recruited a group of royal guards, some of whom were assassins bribed by Asura. Not long after, Uber was assassinated; half of his left hand, including his ring and little fingers, was cut off, and he was also slashed in the face. From then on, his personality changed drastically, and his brutality even surpassed that of his third brother, Hafdan.

"Uncle Edmund, what are you thinking about?"

Edmund stood frozen in place, cautiously looking up at Uber, pleading for his protection.

“Alright, I agree.” Uber looked at the old man with a puzzled expression and said nonchalantly, “You’ve fallen into such a miserable state, you’re definitely not a spy, and this is Viking land, you lack the basis for a rebellion. Sigh, from now on you will serve as an advisor in the cabinet and provide me with advice on various matters.”

After a few peaceful days, Edmund was assigned a task: to travel to Gothenburg and discuss the ownership of a shipwreck with King Hafdan of Sweden.

Last month, a Danish kek carrying wool and pig iron ingots sank in the waters near Gothenburg, and Uberjan Edmond traveled to Gothenburg to negotiate the matter.

Instinctively, Edmund tried to deflect blame: “Your Majesty, according to tradition, coastal lords have the right to possess the cargo of nearby wrecked ships.”

"No, I suspect Hafdan is deliberately causing trouble."

In recent years, some lords have deliberately damaged buoys, extinguished lighthouses, or set up false lights (campfires) to mislead ships toward the reef area. Once the ships run aground and sink, they take possession of these "ownerless" items.

Uber insisted that Edmund recover the losses, since the old man wasn't of much use anyway, and it wouldn't matter if he were killed by Hafdan.

Gothenburg.

Perhaps by divine intervention, Edmund was spared trouble by Hafdan, who, preoccupied with other matters, agreed to hand over a small amount of pig iron ingots and decisively ended the dispute.

After driving away his fourth brother's messenger, Hafdan focused his energy on dealing with the creditors, and after much persuasion, finally drafted a new repayment agreement.

In fact, the reason he was in debt was not because of extravagance or war, but because he imitated Vigé's approach and built a large number of workshops in Gothenburg in an attempt to make huge profits.

Two years later, Hafdan regretfully realized that he was not suited for business.

Leaving the lord's longhouse, he wandered aimlessly through the market. The narrow streets were lined with rows of thatched huts made of planks. Women crowded around the fish stalls, meticulously examining the silvery cod and herring, while children darted between the adults' legs like eels, occasionally being scolded by a gruff man, before scattering and laughing as they ran away.

Due to increasingly frequent trade, Gothenburg developed rapidly, with a permanent population of over 1,600. Hafdan's workshops had no shortage of labor, yet they could never make money.

He went into the brewery and looked through the ledgers from that period. Now, the new script of the Vig and the Crow Whisperers had completely replaced the original writing system, which led to a gradual increase in literacy rates in Northern Europe.

"Trading has been frequent this month, so why have you only made this little money? The market is flooded with Vigor beer and whiskey. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Your Majesty, this...this is not my fault." The person in charge presented a pre-prepared explanation:

The supply of honey is too small, and the production of mead is insufficient.

Brewing beer requires importing hops from Tyne County, which is too expensive.

Finally, there's ale, which has a shelf life of no more than twenty days and is only suitable for local sale.

Hafdan reviewed the ledgers one last time and gave everyone a hard target: "Next month, profits must reach at least eight pounds, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

(End of this chapter)