The words of the Greeks caused a wave of confusion among the Germanic people, although his Germanic language was clear enough to express them. In order to hide the embarrassing scene, Sigitis said: "Brave Tenadus, I can't imagine that you have such wisdom in addition to your amazing skills, what a good thing you say. ”

"This is not what I said, but it was said by one of our Greek philosophers on the eve of his execution." Turnadus bowed politely.

Heilman watched all this with a strange smile, he slowly stood up, clapped his palms, and the lively crowd suddenly fell silent.

"In order to welcome the granddaughter of Ariovistus and the head of our neighboring tribe, we Saxons have gathered together from various villages, and it happens that tonight is the night of the full moon, so let's discuss some tribal matters!" His gaze swept to the children gathered around the banquet.

"Magath, Loklentz, Rehhagel, come to the front!"

Three Germanic boys in brand-new coats walked to the middle of the clearing with excitement.

The leader of the Saxons looked at them with appreciative eyes and said aloud:

"These three young men have reached their age, and you all know that they have never fallen behind when they have followed the party through the forest, that they have not lost track of the beast when they are told to follow it, and that their first thought is to grab their weapons when they encounter a sudden shock in the middle of the night - so I think they have withstood the test and should be allowed to use them from this day forward! Dear people, what is your opinion? ”

The warriors, who were being very excited by the liquor, screamed loudly and swung their short spears vigorously. This means that they agree with the three young men joining their ranks.

Heilman waited for a moment, but nodded without hearing a sigh of disapproval. Two large men with short spears and shields in their hands stepped out of the crowd, they were the fathers of Magat and Loklenz.

They handed their spears and shields into the hands of their clan leaders, and Heilman looked solemnly at Magath and Loklentz.

"Magat! Loklenz! From this day on, you are Saxon warriors! These are the weapons that your father made for you, remember—they are your life from now on! Heilman's high-pitched voice echoed through the camp.

Then, Heilmann's gaze passed over Magath and Loklenz, who were ecstatic with their weapons in their hands. Falls on little Rehhagel. The child was standing strong, his face flushed, and he was biting his lip tightly. Tears swirled in his eyes, but he refused to fall.

Heilman's handsome and resolute face became gentle: "Rehhagel, your father and uncle were both killed in the Danube battle, so there are no relatives to make weapons for you today. Last night, though, I made a spear and a shield with my own hands. They're yours! With his voice. The chief squire brought up a short spear made of black iron and an oak shield.

Heilman gently placed the weapon in Rehhagel's hand, "I don't know what color you like, so the shield is not painted, it's up to you to do it yourself." ”

Little Rehhagel's tears were finally pouring out uncontrollably, "I will dye it red with the blood of the Saxon enemy!" ”

"Rehhagel, you're a man." Heilman's smile was relieved, "The tribe has built your own cabin for you. The Saxon leader pointed to the three cabins on the edge of the camp, "Go and see." Then you will dwell in yourselves. ”

The three children ran there with a cry, in the log house. They found the household utensils that their mother and sisters had prepared for them: an animal skin laid on the ground, two coats hanging on the wall, a few simple clay pots and bowls, and a clay jar in the corner of the wall to store water.

Just as the three new warriors were happily touching this and that in the room, a new ritual began: a young Saxon man and woman named Seldes and Hesnia stepped forward and demanded that the clan approve their marriage. After a brief deliberation, Sigitis stood up and asked aloud who had any objections to the marriage, and after three shouts no one came out to object, the application was approved.

Selders is a brave and upright warrior, and although he has not been in the ranks of warriors for a few years, he is already a seasoned hunter. It was believed that he was a promising candidate for Heilman's squire. At this moment he looked at his lover with joy, Hesinia was a little shy, but not as embarrassed as a Roman woman when she was married, she blinked her big beautiful eyes, and looked directly at Syldes with affection from behind her long eyelashes. On the side, Hesthenia's parents examined the pre-agreed gift: Seldes took out a yoke ox, a reined horse, a shield, and a spear, the ox was strong and the horse fat, which satisfied them, and felt that their son-in-law valued their daughter.

"Hesneya's parents, are you happy with Seldes's gift?" Sigitis smiled, as the priest he was in charge of presiding over this sacred ceremony, and everyone in the room fell silent, looking at the happy couple in unison.

Seeing Hesnia's parents nodding with a smile, Sigitis opened his throat: "In the name of Freya, the beautiful goddess in charge of love, I declare that Seldes and Hesinia are married!" ”

There was no expected cheering, and there was still silence in the arena, which surprised Tenadus, who had just picked up a piece of fragrant wild boar, and he put down his food and stared intently at the center of the field to see what would happen next.

Seldes, who was about to become her husband, took a step forward and stroked Hesnia's beautiful hair with infinite tenderness: "My dear Hesnia, when one day I returned from the jungle, a girl who was drawing water by the river gazed at me with eyes like stars in the sky; From that moment on, every day when it was time to fetch water, I would come to the river, and in the countless silent glances I saw, in my heart you were the embodiment of the god of beauty. Today, I have given the gift of the Celebrity, according to the custom of our Germanic people, the spear and the shield, which I have taken from the first enemy whom I have slain, and which are my most precious things, so that you may be with me from now on, I offer them to your father and mother. ”

Haysinia's parents solemnly walked up to them. To his daughter, he said, "Our daughter, these gifts are neither to cater to a woman's tastes, nor to be used as a decoration for the bride – this is the greatest constraint. This is a sacred ritual, a divine power to protect marriage, lest you give up your desire to pursue noble deeds and avoid the danger of war after marriage, therefore, on the eve of your marriage, we ask you that you should share in the hardships and sorrows of your husband, and that you will be happy with your husband in peace. In times of war, you should also go through the crisis with him. The yoke of the ox, the reined horse, and the weapons are meant to affirm that meaning! ”

The beautiful Hesinia raised her head: "Seldes, I have brought as my dowry a pair of handmade leather armor, which I have spent countless nights sewing little by little. May it protect your body. However, the only thing that can really protect you in the face of danger is your bravery and my prayers to the gods. I will pass on the marriage token you have given me to our sons, and through his wives to their sons. ”

Seldes took Hesinia in his broad, solid arms and kissed the bride deeply on the lips: "With you." In addition to getting honors. I have nothing more to ask of Odin!

The two lovers kissed each other eagerly, ignoring even the cheers that had only then sounded, and now that the world was only in their eyes, Heilmann's voice made them reluctantly separate.

"Seldes and Hesnia, since you are married, the hut where Seldes used to live alone is too small, and the tribal council has decided to give you a larger hut, and you can move into the hut under the old oak tree tonight."

Hesinia blushed over her face. She tightened Sards' hand.

"So what are we waiting for?" With that, Hesinia dragged Seldes to the new house under the old oak tree.

Hesinia's mother hurriedly shouted, "Remember to bring something covered and make a fire." It's cold, and it's easy to catch a cold when you're naked! With the laughter at the banquet, there was a giggle like a silver bell in the distance.

"Heilmann, you spent time in Rome, what was the wedding like for the Romans?" Edler, grinning and grinning, asked.

Heilmann smiled, "Ah, the Romans are the opposite of us Germans, where it is the woman who gives the man a gift; If a woman does not have a rich dowry, men of status are generally reluctant to marry her. As he spoke, he glanced at Jaian and Tenadus. Yaian and Tenadus are here, you can ask them. ”

Jaian nodded a little groggily, the first few rounds of toasts had left him a little drunk, "Well, the Romans are a little strange, uh, I don't understand their customs. ”

The Greeks, like Jaian, were a little overwhelmed by the Germanic drinking, and quietly picked up a bowl of barley porridge, only to be caught by Edler, who turned his head to look at him. "Guest from Greece, how did you drink this? Hold the wine glass, how can a man at the Germanic feast not drink?! ”

Sentumaros's attendant smiled wryly and put down the porridge bowl, and another round of drinking began......

Time slipped by, and like Tenadus, Yayian had no idea how many bowls of wine had been poured into the road. The poor man had drunk so much that he could not even move his tongue, but he could barely think and knew that if he drank any more he would make a fool of himself. So the Germanic teacher of Sentumaros decided to leave his fellow slate, and with great difficulty he held the table with his hands, staggered up straight, and stammered that he had to leave.

A barrage of jokes and sarcasm accompanied Yayi'an stumbling away from the banquet, and the emaciated Lombard swayed away from the crowd as he swayed back and forth. He stood there in front of the wooden house where he was hosted, coated with a layer of bright oily clay, and thought for several minutes: drunk, he was somewhat reluctant to return to the windowless and sullen rooms of the Germanic people. Finally, he came up with a good idea, and struggled to turn around and stumble in the other direction.

In this way, he kept swaying, sometimes to the left, and then to the right—he was determined to go into the woods where the air was fresh and cool, and let the fresh air and walks revive him from the drunkenness caused by the heavy drinking.

So the birds on the forest path saw a man staggering: he was staggering along and drawing a mess of patterns on the ground with his soft feet...... As soon as Yayian stepped into the woods, he gasped for breath as hard as he could. After inhaling a chest full of fresh air filled with the scent of leaves, he walked deeper into the woods in search of a quiet, cool corner he desperately needed now...... With what little sense he had left, he scurried through a few trails. Suddenly, Yayi'an's feet tripped over a weedy root that stretched on the ground, and his weak legs could no longer support his body, and he rolled out of the ground in a daze......

After rolling for a while, he found himself lying on a soft grass under a steep slope, surrounded by lush weeds and a few large trees with lush foliage. He leaned his back against the trunk of a hundred-year-old tree. Sit down in the weeds and fall asleep in the cool evening breeze......

The moonlight of the Germanian jungle is as beautiful as the sunset on the Italian peninsula, but with a mysterious and solemn color. The Germanic people worshipped the moon very much, and unlike other peoples, their moon god was a male; Under this mysterious moonlight, all parts of the woods seemed to have doubled in size.

In the middle of the night. A voice suddenly sounded in Yayi'an's ears. Several small stones rolled in front of him, and he felt as if they had been kicked down by a foot, and as if someone was walking quietly over his head, with very light steps, as if trying not to be heard.

Curious, Yayian leaned out of the woodshang, and sure enough, a figure appeared, and as the man walked up the forest path, his figure gradually emerged from the darkness. The moonlight shone on him and a horse he was holding in his hand, "It's really strange to be in a hurry at this time?" The Lombard muttered to himself. The traveler walked a little tensely, evasively, pausing to listen attentively at every step, which led Jaian to believe that he had come for some purpose.

The visitor froze in a small circular clearing not far from him, as two figures suddenly appeared silently in front of him blocking his path.

Seeing the ghostly person suddenly appearing in front of him, Ya Yi'an held her breath and instinctively shrank short......

"The Frost Giant's Wrath!" The visitor whispered, while cautiously resting his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Mimir's resurrection!" The two men who stood in the way replied.

The visitor breathed a sigh of relief, "Take me to Heilmann, I brought a message from Lord Archon, the leader of the Germanic League. ”

The two roadblocks didn't give way, and Ya Yi'an recognized them as Heilman's two attendants, "You're late, you should have been here two days ago!" ”

"I can't be blamed for this, I'm going to hide my whereabouts, I found suspicious people on every road leading here, and I finally had to use a small road to get here."

The two attendants did not hesitate any longer and disappeared into the path with the visitor.

Yayi'an's wine was fully awake, and he climbed up from the bottom of the slope and walked in the direction where the three men had left......

．．．．．．

In Herman's house, the four Germanic chieftains looked at the envoy of the Germanic tribal alliance: the envoy was a sturdy middle-aged man, who was calmly accepting their scrutiny.

"Well, since you're from the man whose name is Ernst, I think you should have brought his reply to our proposal." Heilman's voice was deep.

"Yes, I brought the words of the Archon!"

"Then please speak, you see it—we're waiting for this answer."

"Well, Lord Archon, let me tell you that his answer to your offer is that he can't accept it!"

The air in the room seemed to freeze, Heilman remained silent, Uyle sneered, Keruman slammed his fist on his leg, and Adler gasped in indignation.

"He only answered in one sentence?" Heilman cut off the messenger's observations, forcing him to focus on himself.

"Of course not, honorable chief, he said......"

"Don't call me Chief! I'm Heilman! Germanic Heilmann! Heilman stood up, his eyes shining with a chilling light, and he fixed his eyes on the Marcomani.

The Adam's apple of the Marcomani moved: "Yes, honorable Heilman!" Our consul says that you will never succeed according to your plan! ”

Unable to contain his anger, Edler grabbed the messenger's chest: "I tell you, your consuls are shit!" We were determined to help you in your most perilous times, despite the possibility of annihilation, and your consuls left us aside when they were satisfied with their victory!

The messenger's face was undaunted, and Heilman, who was carefully observing his expression, stopped Edler, and then said slowly: "But our archon has another suggestion, I hope you will listen. ”

"Say." Herman said with a sigh of rage.

"Join the Germanic Alliance, only in this way can we protect you." The messenger's words were still so calm: "A scattered Germania will definitely not be a match for the Romans, and we can only succeed if all of them are united, as the previous defeat of Caesar's legions has proved very well." ”

"A fluke victory doesn't speak for itself." Heilman stared at each other: "We will never join any alliance, we are not willing to obey the orders of the consuls like the Romans, even without your help, we can succeed ourselves!" ”

"You cannot succeed because your enemy is Caesar, but we will come to your aid in times of defeat."

"No, no, we will never accept such mercy!" (To be continued......)