Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 59 School
After the exam, Vig summoned sixteen shamans, including the Raven Whisperer. He didn't rush to speak, but sat silently behind his desk, waiting for these guys to give him an explanation.

As the temple's high priest and principal, the Raven Whisperer was the first to step forward and explain. He was now dressed in a simple, neat black robe, most of the strange tattoos on his face had disappeared, and his smooth black hair cascaded down his back, exuding an aura of tranquility and kindness.

"My lord, everyone is actually very dedicated; it's just that some of the shamans are new and their understanding of the teachings is still superficial. My colleagues and I swear to the gods that we will diligently follow your instructions for the next two months."

Having expressed his resolve, the Raven Whisperer breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the lord impatiently wave his right hand. Based on his observations over the past two years, this meant the other party wasn't going to pursue the matter further. Conversely, if the lord had turned and left with a livid face, it meant someone was about to suffer a great deal of misfortune.

What are your thoughts on improving teaching quality?

A female shaman suggested, "Increase the number of lessons, from six to eight per day."

“That’s not a good idea. People have limited energy, especially children. Their attention span is only five or six hours at most.” Vig rubbed his eyes and gestured for the others to continue.

“Increase the paper supply,” said a young man named Kemi Wildfire, who had bright red hair and an appearance with a touch of Eastern European features.

“Currently, the school only has fifteen sets of parchment textbooks. Even we can't provide one set for each student, let alone let them study on their own after class. From my observation, about one-fifth of the children have a strong desire to learn, but they suffer from a lack of textbooks. They can only copy the contents on fragile papyrus, which is easily damaged during the copying process.”

“I’m in financial trouble, don’t expect me to spend more money on parchment,” Vig interrupted Kemi.

Parchment is difficult and expensive to produce. After slaughtering an animal, the leatherworker uses a curved knife to scrape off the outer hair and the inner fat, then soaks and tans the leather in lime water. Next, the leather is stretched and polished. The whole process takes about three weeks.

Once completed, each calfskin can be cut into 4-8 double-page spreads. Assuming 1000 words are written on each page, the total number of words will be 4000-8000.

Sheep are relatively small, and each sheepskin is cut into 3-6 folios, containing approximately 3000-6000 words. Some people have tried writing on both sides, but the ink from both sides may smudge, affecting readability.

As for papyrus, this papermaking technique has a history of thousands of years and is relatively inexpensive. Whenever wool merchants from Europe came to trade, they would always bring several boxes of papyrus. Its disadvantage is that it is not easy to preserve, and children can easily damage the paper if they are not careful.

During class, students used charcoal sticks and wooden boards, and erased their writing by hand afterward. Only a few students with relatively good grades were eligible to receive a small amount of papyrus.

At this moment, Kemi Wildfire carefully took out a thin booklet made of bark from his pocket.

“My lord, I spent my childhood in Novgorod. The local shamans couldn’t afford parchment, so they peeled off the inner bark of birch trees, steamed and dried it, drew patterns on it, and then sewed it into booklets. If you coat the surface with a layer of beeswax, you can extend its shelf life.”

beeswax?

Upon hearing the word "beeswax," Vig's bright eyes instantly dimmed.

Because of their bright flame and fragrant aroma, beeswax candles were a luxury item reserved for churches and courts, and their price remained high for a long time. Using beeswax to extend the shelf life of birch paper would likely be far less affordable.

He took the bark booklet, flipped through a few pages casually, and, not wanting to dampen his subordinates' enthusiasm, agreed to invest a small sum of money. "Go to Mitcham and get fifty silver pence. If the cost and effectiveness aren't too bad, then we can consider large-scale promotion. If not, then forget it." Around noon, Vig took the opportunity to have lunch in the canteen.

The school meals weren't very varied: fish soup, bread, and vegetables grown in the garden. Sometimes, if you were lucky, you could get a small cup of goat's milk or cow's milk.

Having eaten until he was about 70% full, he yawned as he went to his office to write textbooks for secondary school students. The secondary school curriculum included Latin, history, and a basic economics course.

The economics course largely referenced Keynesian theory, incorporating some of Vig's personal interpretations. Vig intended to send these students to various locations to take up positions, hoping they would be flexible in their thinking, focusing on generating profits from commerce and industry rather than constantly considering increasing agricultural taxes.

In the afternoon, the lord, who had been busy all day, was about to go home for dinner when the Crow Whisperer persuaded him to stay.

"My lord, besides cultural lessons, we haven't forgotten the glorious traditions of the Vikings, teaching them many combat skills. Would you be interested in watching?"

With permission granted, the Raven Whisperers gathered 150 students, who quickly formed a shield wall and slowly advanced towards the other end of the open space. During the exercise, they simulated being hit by a hail of arrows, shrinking from the shield wall into a circular formation. By the end of the training, Vig's tense expression had finally eased somewhat.

"Loyalty and honor!"

After leading the chant of slogans, the Crow Whisperers announced their disbandment and personally escorted Vig out the door.

For the next two months, Vig focused his energy on training teachers. As the fighting in Norway gradually subsided, the number of looters and refugees roaming around decreased significantly, and the trouble that had plagued him for more than half a year finally came to an end.

According to news brought by the refugees, King Eric conquered more than twenty settlements in southern Norway, granting titles to four counts and hundreds of knights. However, when this "Charlemagne of the North" advanced to the west coast of Norway, he was blocked by a coalition led by the lord of Bergen.

After capturing more than twenty settlements, Eric's army suffered heavy losses and low morale. The stalemate with the allied forces lasted for more than a month, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. As the biting north wind howled, the two sides reached a compromise.

The contents of the peace treaty are as follows:

Fifteen lords from Bergen and other places swore allegiance to Eric, acknowledging him as the supreme ruler of Norway, paying a symbolic tribute annually, and waiving military obligations and the requirement to travel to Oslo to meet the king.

With the war over, Tyneburg's arms exports plummeted. Wieg, reviewing his accounts, found that the business had earned him forty-seven pounds of silver, coincidentally, the cost of resettling refugees was roughly fifty pounds of silver. Between the inflow and outflow, the balance sheet remained largely unchanged.

The only positive aspect is that the number of Vikings within the territory has swelled to four thousand, bringing the total population of the lands to nearly fifteen thousand. Once the two-year tax exemption period ends, coupled with the implementation of the three-field system, tax revenue will experience explosive growth.

“Choosing Tyneburg not only facilitates northward expansion but also allows for the absorption of a continuous stream of Viking immigrants. They will arrive in Britain by ship, and I will select them first, followed by York. Once York is chosen, there will be few people left in Mancourney, Leeds, and Sheffield in the south. In a few years, Tyneburg will completely overwhelm Mancourney in strength.”

(End of this chapter)