Vargarr announced in the great hall, in front of everyone, how Grünn had attacked him and clamored for a bounty. Grünn, who was clutching Hrofr's leg, turned even paler, and his body began to tremble.
Hrofr glanced at the others. He knew he had to resolve this matter, otherwise, his act of slaughtering a guest under his roof would stain his reputation.
"I was completely unaware of this matter. This must have been Grünn acting on his own. I will imprison him and interrogate him thoroughly. If he has indeed broken the law, I will execute him," Hrofr immediately declared loudly. Then, with a wave of his hand, several retainers came forward and dragged Grünn away as if he were a dead dog.
Although Vargarr felt there was an issue with Hrofr's handling, he couldn't speak up at this moment. After all, on the surface, it seemed fair. Hrofr even sincerely apologized to Vargarr for what had happened in his territory and announced a feast for the evening to compensate the Viking warrior for his losses.
"Thank you, Lord, but before that, I still have something to do," Vargarr said, feeling his pride satisfied by Hrofr's earnest appeasement. However, he immediately thought of another matter.
"What is it?" Hrofr asked curiously.
"I made a bet with this slave, and I would like to ask the Lord to be a witness," Vargarr recounted his competition with Ulfric to Hrofr, which even piqued Hrofr's curiosity.
"So what did you get from the seer?" The others were also curious, as seers did not easily give gifts, and when they did, they contained prophecies.
"Of course, I received the most precious gift," Vargarr said with a triumphant look, taking out the golden ornament given by the seer. The ornament was exquisitely crafted and clearly valuable.
"That's very good. Such precious gold should be enough to buy three ships," a hint of imperceptible greed flashed in Hrofr's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, picking up a golden ornament and saying to Vargarr.
Viking ships were extremely precious. Only truly experienced shipbuilders could craft light and fast longships. Building a longship typically took several years. Straight, tall tree trunks would be used for the longship's keel, and curved branches would be used for other parts of the ship, with nothing going to waste. Longships were important means of transport for Vikings' seafaring adventures, trade, and battles.
"So I won," Vargarr's face showed the joy of victory as he stood with hands on his hips and excitedly announced to everyone.
"Please wait, Ulfric hasn't presented his gift yet," but Angr stepped forward and said to Vargarr.
"That's right, since it's a competition, it should be fair," Hrofr also nodded, agreeing with Angr's statement.
"Slave, quickly bring out your precious gift!" Vargarr's lips curved into a playful smile as he leaned on his staff and spoke to Ulfric, even showing a hint of impatience.
Ulfric silently nodded slightly, took out a piece of linen cloth from his embrace, and placed it before everyone. The way he carefully wrapped the contents made it seem somewhat mysterious compared to the glittering gold. Everyone craned their necks to look, suddenly wanting to know what this tightly wrapped gift was that could even compare to gold.
"What?" But when Ulfric carefully unwrapped the linen, everyone was shocked. They could hardly believe their eyes, for the linen merely contained a small handful of seeds.
"Are these seeds?" Someone hesitantly asked the person next to them.
"That's right, they should be barley seeds." Everyone recognized them as ordinary barley seeds, and soon, scattered jeers turned into a burst of laughter.
"He really is a slave." Vargarr scoffed disdainfully.
"Ulfric, it seems you've lost," Hrofr raised his hand and said to Ulfric.
"Bring me a sharp small knife. Don't worry, I'm very fast; you'll barely feel any pain when I slice off one ear," Vargarr said to the female slaves nearby.
"Please wait, let me explain," however, Ulfric was not flustered. He said to Hrofr and the others.
"Oh?" Hrofr was curious to see Vargarr about to pull out a knife to cut off Ulfric's ear, yet Ulfric remained completely calm.
"Please give him a chance to explain," Angr also suggested to Hrofr.
"Hmm." The current situation amused Hrofr. He nodded, sat back down on his chair, and beckoned with his finger for a female slave to bring him some mead.
"Although gold is valuable, in my opinion, it is far less valuable than this handful of seeds. In the difficult years of famine, only food can preserve people's lives. So, you tell me, which is more valuable, gold or food?" Ulfric said to the others.
"This..." Ulfric's words silenced everyone. The Norse climate was cold, and crops were difficult to grow. Hunger often accompanied the people of the tribes, and no one understood the preciousness of food more than them.
"But with gold, one can trade and buy more food," however, Vargarr said disdainfully. The Vikings often went out to sea to trade, precisely to exchange goods like food through commerce, which could be said to be the most economical and convenient method.
"Who is more reasonable?" However, Ulfric's words did indeed gain some approval. Hrofr looked at the restless hall and stood up.
"Quiet, everyone! Since this competition was held between them in front of everyone, I will place the right to judge in your hands. Now, you may vote," Hrofr announced loudly to the crowd gathered in the hall. This act of involving everyone was well received.
Ulfric and Vargarr also had no objections. They looked at the people in the hall, and Hrofr then had those who supported Vargarr stand on one side, and those who supported Ulfric stand on the other. The people in the hall looked at Vargarr and then at Ulfric, and then the crowd began to move and divide, and the results quickly emerged.
"There are 23 people supporting Vargarr."
"There are 9 people supporting Ulfric."
When the results came out, Ulfric was surprised. He hadn't expected only 9 people to support him; he was clearly in the right!
"Hahaha, I won!" Vargarr burst out laughing, taking the sharp small knife handed to him by someone nearby. Several strong Viking warriors immediately stepped forward and pressed Ulfric onto the wooden table, his head tightly against the surface, to make it easier for Vargarr to cut.
"Damn it, how could this happen?" Ulfric's face felt the rough, cold wooden table, but in his heart, ten thousand grass mud horses galloped by. His assumptions were completely correct, so how could it turn out like this? He suddenly realized that the Vikings were a people who relied on maritime trade, meaning that from their perspective, any lacking resources could simply be acquired through trade or plunder. He, however, was still stuck in the mindset of an agrarian civilization. While not wrong, it exceeded the Vikings' way of thinking.
Vargarr picked up the sharp knife in his hand and walked step by step towards Ulfric. He pressed his hand on Ulfric's head and gestured towards his ear.
"Hey, Vargarr, I saved your life!" Ulfric shouted, unwilling to give up, regretting in his heart why he hadn't killed this bastard in the forest.
"Don't worry, I'll be quick." Vargarr, however, didn't seem to intend to repay the favor at this moment. His knife was aimed at Ulfric's ear, and the cold sensation made Ulfric's hair stand on end.
But Vargarr seemed to be determined, raising his elbow and aiming at Ulfric's ear, ready to cut. Ulfric's heart sank as if into an ice cellar, and even Angr was helpless at this moment.
"What's going on?" But just then, the bright sky suddenly darkened. In an instant, the clear, cloudless daytime turned pitch black, as if day and night had instantly inverted. A fierce wind blew, forcing open the heavy door with a loud bang. Lord Hrofr and his Viking retainers were also alarmed, and even Vargarr, holding the small knife, now stood with his mouth agape, his hand suspended in mid-air, afraid to move.
"It's Fenrir! Fenrir has swallowed the sun!" Suddenly, an old man's voice shouted loudly. His words immediately frightened the superstitious norsemen. Many women and children screamed, and the men, in a panic, grabbed their weapons, but trembled all over as they faced the sky. Even the strongest and bravest Viking warriors were as terrified as young children at this moment.
"Good fortune." Ulfric, pressed against the table, rejoiced in his heart, secretly calling out his good luck. He quickly shouted, "I can deal with Fenrir! The gift the seer bestowed upon me can make Fenrir spit out the sun!"
Ulfric's words greatly surprised everyone in the hall. In the dimness, the Viking warriors holding Ulfric quickly let go. They also couldn't imagine how Ulfric would deal with Fenrir, the giant wolf capable of swallowing the sun.
"Let him go." Hrofr quickly waved his hand, telling his men to release Ulfric, and even Vargarr involuntarily stumbled back a step.
Ulfric stood up and breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the norsemen around him, took the barley seeds he had received from the seer, and strode out of the lord's longhouse. No one dared to look directly at the blackened sun in the sky at this moment, but Ulfric knew it was just a solar eclipse.
"Fenrir, you greedy giant wolf, I give you the most delicious seeds in this world! Quickly eat them and return the sun to us! Otherwise, I will cleave your head with an axe, pierce your belly with a sword, pull out your intestines, and bind you firmly in the underworld in place of the chains forged by the gods!" Ulfric grabbed the seeds and threw them towards the sky, cursing loudly as he threw. While everyone else was prostrate in fear, he faced the strange phenomenon in the sky directly.