"Have you decided?" Old Edgar asked softly, looking at Lina before him with some concern.
Inside the spacious longhouse, various weapons and animal furs were displayed everywhere, and the bonfire burning in the center made the vast longhouse extremely warm.
According to Viking custom, everything from clothing, food, and shelter was kept in the longhouse, and they didn't have the habit of dividing rooms, which meant that one family was one house.
When a daughter married, she should no longer return to live with her parents, but at this moment, the long-bearded old Edgar sat across from Lina, watching his daughter with care.
Looking at her aged father before her, Lina calmly nodded.
The grief that couldn't be dispelled between her brows had completely vanished, replaced by determination.
"I've thought it through, Father. Please spread this news to everyone."
Looking at his pitiful daughter across from him, old Edgar looked at her with complex emotions. In the end, he could only sigh deeply and said to his daughter earnestly:
"Lina, your father will spare no effort to help you."
…
A few days later, a shocking piece of news spread throughout Rogna Island.
"The kind-hearted Lina has decided that whoever can help her kill the giant serpent Jormungandr that slaughtered her husband, she is willing to marry them, along with half of old Edgar's family fortune."
In this era where entertainment was scarce, this news instantly caused a sensation on the entire island of Rogna and even spread to some nearby islands.
When they heard this news, who knows how many young men who had once been dispirited because of Lina's marriage excitedly shouted and yelled. And even for those who didn't have much affection for Lina, they couldn't help but be tempted.
What did half of old Edgar's family fortune mean?
Old Edgar's family was known for being well-off on Rogna Island. Hundreds of cattle, thousands of sheep, nine tall and valiant sons, and only this one daughter Lina, who had always been doted on.
Back then, Lina didn't like anyone and only had eyes for the poor boy Karl, whom she grew up with, and even married him. Who knows how many people envied him at the time.
And now, the good news that fell from the sky was that as long as you succeeded, the beauty, wealth, and the fame of slaying the giant serpent Jormungandr… everything would come.
This kind of temptation was enough to move countless people.
As for the giant serpent Jormungandr?
As the ancestors of the Vikings who believed in "when in doubt, charge ahead," these Norse people were all brimming with confidence, saying that even if it was the son of the god Loki, they would still skin it and dismember it.
In this era where gods and humans coexisted, the connection between humans and deities was not uncommon. Because of this, the Norse people were not afraid of the giant serpent Jormungandr mentioned by the female seer, but were eager to give it a try.
For the Norse people who believed that bravely dying in battle would be taken to Valhalla by the Valkyries, while dying of illness in bed would be taken to the realm of the dead, death in battle was not something to be feared. Instead, the excitement of challenging the giant serpent was even stronger.
In an instant, upon hearing the news, there was a response from all directions.
Rogna Island, the many nearby islands, and even the continent of Midgard, suitors who came from all over in an endless stream, all just to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And the Edgar family spared no expense this time, slaughtering cattle and sheep to entertain the suitors who came.
At the same time, Lina went to the female seer's temple to try to ask her about the auspices and determine the time to set sail for revenge.
According to Norse custom, they always had to first ask the opinion of a witch or female seer before taking action. In their view, these elderly women often held many secrets unknown to ordinary people.
But in response to Lina's inquiry, the female seer only replied, "Now is not a good time to set sail."
Every day, Lina would go to the temple to ask the female seer when she could set sail to avenge her husband.
But every time, the female seer would only answer her, "Now is not suitable for setting sail."
No matter how Lina asked, the female seer gave this answer every time.
Left with no choice, Lina could only arrange lodging for the suitors while organizing warships to be ready to set sail at any time.
Thus, spring turned to autumn, and it wasn't until the spring of the second year, a full six months later, that when Lina asked the female seer again, the female seer's answer finally changed.
…
"It's time."
Looking at the mysterious rune symbols appearing on the white cloth during her divination, the female seer's eyes revealed a hint of complexity.
She let out a long sigh, then continued.
"Setting sail now will bring a rare good opportunity. But fate is always fickle. Before the Norns fully reveal their choice, I cannot truly foresee what your future will be like…"
"In other words, fate is in our own hands, right?"
A cold voice came.
Turning to look, under the female seer's gaze, the once frail girl now wore leather soft armor.
In her hands, she held a long spear and round shield. The frailty between her brows had long disappeared, replaced by a sense of valiance, her entire being exuding the aura of a female warrior.
In this half year, this girl who had never known what a blade was under the protection of her father and brothers had almost exhausted all her efforts to learn combat skills, leaving even the Norse warriors who taught her clicking their tongues in amazement.
But the female seer knew that a flame was fiercely burning inside her…
A flame called hatred.
Resentment, anger, love, memories, powerlessness, weakness, desire…
All the beautiful and not-so-beautiful human emotions intertwined and fermented, eventually turning into a raging flame.
That flame burned incessantly, scorching her, spurring her forward.
Unless the giant serpent Jormungandr was killed, this flame would never be extinguished.
The female seer nodded.
Lina didn't know how many days and nights she had waited for this gesture, tossing and turning every night, unable to sleep.
But when this gesture truly arrived, Lina felt no joy or excitement in her heart, only…
Endless hate.
…
Three days later, this group consisting of Lina herself and over three hundred warriors with their own weapons and eight dragon-headed warships finally set off towards the vast sea amidst the cheering crowd.
At the same time, among the crowd, watching the gradually receding group, the female seer couldn't help but recall the rune from her divination.
"NAUTHIZ."
In the runic alphabet, this symbol resembling a cross with one horizontal and one vertical line was not a good omen in divination.
Resistance, sadness, overcoming grief and misfortune, development of willpower, understanding of inevitable things…
This rune signifying the "present of fate" represented Lahkesis, the Norn who governed life and the present.
"What… does this mean?"
"Is it indicating that you are about to slide towards the past of death, or stride towards the future of hope?"
The female seer thought to herself and could only sigh.