Scandinavia has a long history of wrought iron, and its swords have always been known in Europe for their sharpness and beauty, with Finnish and Viking swords being the most famous.

A group of three, Lorraine, Henna, and Pierce, dressed in loose clothes, laughed and walked through the cold alleys of the port area specializing in swords.

Northern Europe has many mountains and few people, and most of the streets and alleys are built along the mountains, which is very different from the densely populated areas of Western Europe.

The Black Harbour of Stavanger is no exception.

The wide alleys are paved with scattered bluestone floors, and the pure wooden spired buildings facing the street are built along the ups and downs of the mountain, with white walls and colorful roofs, and bright colors, just like a fairy tale.

There are few people on the streets and alleys, and even if they are seen, most of them are far away, and the greetings are two meters away, not particularly familiar, and they will hardly walk together.

This made the three Lorraine look particularly noisy and blind.

Walking and laughing all the way, they stopped in front of a store called [Maltinny & Esbot], pulled the rattle, and pushed open the door of the inlaid glass.

There was no one in the store.

Messy and delicate swords were everywhere, and the boss was basking in the sun in the front yard of Xiangyang, and even when he saw a guest entering the house, he didn't mean to come and say hello.

In Northern Europe, this is a standard example of hospitality.

The three of Lorraine chose to go on their own.

The shop is full of weapons, such as knives, swords, shields, spears, axes, hammers, and hooks, each of which is a type of weapon that pirates love, and the most eye-catching are still their knives and swords.

Lorraine saw three pure Viking swords on the sword stand on the wall, the body of which was made of Uzi steel, with two blades and a blood groove in the middle.

They are 70 to 90 centimeters long, and the sword body is clearly engraved with the "Ulfberht" inscription, which is the origin of the name "Esbot".

Finnish swords are much more on display than aristocratic Viking swords, long knives, short knives, scimitars, straight knives, some wrapped in oilcloth and inserted diagonally in wooden barrels, and some scattered on the counter in leather cases.

They are unobtrusive, and the only thing that distinguishes them from other knives is their unique, carved birch leather handles, apart from their sleek and unpretentious blades.

Lorraine pulled out a pair of long, wide, straight-edged knives from the barrel in the corner, tied in the same oilcloth.

They look almost identical, with a thick blade as wide as a palm, a hair-thin blade, a straight back, and a pointed tip.

The blade is nearly 120 centimeters long, and the total length is nearly 140 centimeters with a birch leather handle without calyx.

It weighs a little more than four to five kilograms per blade, but Lorraine tried a few swings and found that the perfect center of gravity made it feel like a finger and barely felt the stagnation of the weight.

Lorraine immediately liked this set of knives, and picked up the knife and tasted it carefully.

At the hilt of the knife, he saw an intricate anti-skid pattern inlaid with copper wire, and in the center of the pattern was the inscription "Marttiini" on the body of the flower, which is thought to be the origin of "Martini" in the name of the shop.

Henna walked over with two thin short knives in her hands, and couldn't help but feel a little strange when she saw Lorraine playing with knives.

"Didn't you use a bayonet? How to look at the knife. ”

"After a fight with Leff, I felt like I might need to step up."

"Longer, heavier, more?" Henna looked at Lorraine dissatisfied, "The right weapon is a good weapon, I didn't think you would make such a mistake." ”

"There may be a bit of a misunderstanding here." Lorraine touched her nose embarrassedly, "The Drake family's ancestral deck fighting technique is actually a double sword, I have been practicing since I was six years old under the guidance of my father and brother, if I am not mistaken, I should have practiced it for ten years. ”

Henna's eyes widened: "The stabbing sword is not your usual weapon?" ”

"The bayonet is the standard of the Navy. Drake uses it only because the Navy asks us to use it. ”

Everyone had a clear goal, and the selection of equipment quickly came to fruition.

Lorraine bought the long knife, with two thick fishskin scabbards and a leather cord to hang the knife, sixteen pounds.

Henna chose a set of eight red velvet knives and bought two Finnish short knives for seven pounds.

Pierce bought a broken cable axe for Clen, and he also took a fancy to an imitation Viking dagger about fifty centimeters long, squeaking and pleading.

Lorraine looked at him with a frown: "Pierce, do you want to learn swords?" ”

Little Pierce bit his lip and nodded vigorously.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be a liability!" "I stood behind Mr. Scott when the twin pirates were robbing the ship," he said firmly. But not only did I not be able to help him at all, but I also distracted him so much that he was injured...... I don't want that! ”

"If that's why...... This sword is not for you. ”

"Not suitable?"

"The dagger is a toy for Viking children to learn swords, and it is also a weapon for women to defend themselves, but it has nothing to do with warriors, and it doesn't even deserve its own name." Lorraine rubbed his head, untied the command sword from his waist, and stuffed it into his hand, "If you want to learn the sword, you can use it later." ”

Pierce stared blankly at the sword in his hand: "Sir, it's ......"

"It was the sword my father used to capture the first enemy ship, and he traveled the world and slain pirates. It is the sword of the brave, promise me not to let it dust. ”

"Yes! I swear in the honor of the House of Artis, I will ...... Won't disappoint your expectations! ”

……

Twists and turns in the process, perfect results.

Equipped with new weapons, the group returned to the ship and threw themselves into the final preparations before leaving the port.

Two days later, the ship's side, which had been damaged by the hooks, was renovated and the bilge was filled with fine Nordic glass.

The energetic Artis Beauty sailed away from the pier on the shore waves, escorted by SuperStar Gemini, sailed out of Bokenfjord, where it had been stationed for more than ten days, and began a new journey westward.

This time, the destination is in the remote Iberian Peninsula, in the vast Bay of Biscay, in Spain, on the edge of the fading Grand Port of Bilbao.

There are calm harbors and fiery flamenco.

It will be the starting and ending point of the Lorraine Triangle trade plan.

That's the most important part.

Once he opened up the trade routes to Spain, he was able to import goods from the New World into Britain, Scottish spirits to Scandinavia, and return to the continent with luxurious furs and fine utensils from Northern Europe, thus forming a high-quality circulation system in the offshore business district.

That will bring him wealth, and how quickly it can accumulate...... Look at the wind, look at the sky, and no longer need to look at people's faces.

"Spain that set off the Age of Discovery...... What awaits me? ”

Lorraine stepped on the railing of the bow deck with one foot and crossed her arms when she heard Pierce shouting childishly behind her.

"Wind southeast, southeast, level five, stroke!"

Lorraine grinned, let go of her hand, and pointed straight ahead.

"Quarter sail, bow sail! Head southwest, aim for Bermeo! Artis Beauty, go! ”