"Maybe a thousand, maybe more."

"Do your best. Since you told me about this, I agree now. I... will also give you some conditions."

"But it doesn't matter."

"I will send my scribes to follow you."

"Oh?" Arik suddenly had an idea: "Is it possible that we still need to tax the hunted leather? You can't do that."

"Hey! What are you thinking about? We agreed that this year will be completely tax-free, and I'm sure of it. My scribes are all proficient in drawing and writing. Brother, we should be prepared to explore the unknown world in the future. The team passed those rivers and mountains

, try to draw the terrain as much as possible. Also draw the strange animals you encounter. Also, write down what happened every day, what the weather is like, and what problems the brothers encountered. This will make it easier to summarize after the exploration.

"

"This... is too troublesome. If something happens, can everyone just come back and say no?"

Rurik shrugged: "I am afraid that you will encounter too many things and forget a lot, so my scribe will record the things you encounter for you."

"Okay. One more person is not a problem, but I'm afraid your clerk won't pee his pants when everyone encounters a bear."

"Is this possible? If a bear really appeared, wouldn't you just shoot it with crossbows and arrows?"

"Haha, that's not the case. We will stab the bear's vitals with a spear. After all, only intact bear skins can be sold at a good price."

The action plan has been approved by the king, and the king also wants to deploy people to participate in it. The expedition to Lake Valdai is not a journey to make a fortune hunting wild beasts. Rurik wants to take the opportunity to conduct land exploration, even though the price of such exploration is primitive.

Because Rurik also has a long-cherished wish.

He knew very little about the huge Eastern Europe, and he was no better than his own people. Now, through commercial trade with the Pechenegs and Kievs, the Rus Kingdom basically understood the direction of the Dnieper River, and occupied the upper reaches of the river.

The Smolensk Horde Alliance of the Passage.

Where is the very important Volga River? This large river is somewhere further east, and there must be a large number of tributaries converging into the main river. Ross's explorers did not have to insist on looking for the main river. All rivers that flow eastward as a whole have a larger number of tributaries.

There is a high probability that it will flow into the Volga River.

Rurik did know the Caspian Sea, the final estuary of the Volga River. What is certain is that the narrow riverside plain in the estuary area is now completely occupied by the Pecheneg Khanate.

It would be great if we could reach our allies through shipping, and the trade costs for both parties would be greatly reduced.

Thinking of this, Rurik made an updated request to his elder brother. "You try to explore as far east as possible. There is also a very wide river in the east. It is wider than the Rhine. I call it the Volga River. If you find it

, we will build a settlement where we found it. We will build ships there and we will go down the river.

"Where will we end up?" Aric asked casually.

"The territory of the Pechenegs."

"Ah! What a miracle."

Rurik's face was serious and he didn't mean to be joking at all. His younger brother always predicted the unknown, and he often received revelations from Odin. The "Volga River" was completely inexplicable to Arik. You can find it by exploring eastward, and then find a direct contact with Pei.

Channel for the Chenegs? It would be great if it worked.
Chapter completed!