Rebirth of the Viking King

Compared with this, Loki was more interested in this Byzantine girl named "Emma Waldorf". His eyes occasionally drifted to the badge on her chest with the double-headed golden eagle emblem. Memories of this country are recalled in my mind.

In the 8th century AD, the Byzantine Empire was a very powerful country.

Its strength comes from its pedigree.

In 395 AD, the Roman Emperor "Theodosius I" died. This emperor who didn't know where his brain was twitching divided the powerful ancient Roman Empire into two parts, and gave the eastern and western parts of the empire to his two sons.

The Eastern Roman Empire (later known as the "Byzantine Empire") ruled for more than a thousand years and was the oldest monarchy in European history. It was also the political, economic, and cultural center of Europe in the 8th century AD. The "Book of Tang" named this country "Da Qin", which is enough to show their praise for this country.

According to the records in the "Book of Tang", there were three things about the Byzantine Empire that made Tang merchants marvel.

First of all, their glass production technology is extremely developed, crystal clear and extremely low cost. Even the proud Tang Dynasty people called the stained glass produced by Byzantine craftsmen "unparalleled in the world."

Secondly, there is their surgical procedure.

For some diseases that seemed incurable in Tang Shang Dynasty, Byzantine doctors could directly treat the organs through craniotomy and chest opening. After a soldier breaks a bone, doctors also cut open the skin and muscles. Use steel and steel nails to connect the broken bones together, and then use needles and threads to suture the wounds.

This is a surgical medical record clearly recorded in the Tang Dynasty. (The HBO TV series "Roma" also has a description of craniotomy)

Finally, there are the Byzantine merchants.

This is the first record of a "supermarket" in historical materials.

"The sellers lay them out in front, and the buyers pay them in the back. They all place them directly next to the things, wait for them to be straightened, and then collect the things. It is called "Ghost Market"."

Translation: The seller puts down the goods for the buyer to choose. After the buyer makes his choice, he puts the money next to the goods and leaves. If the seller takes the money away, the buyer can take away the goods after visiting the market.

This kind of market where no one can see the other party during the whole buying and selling process is called "ghost market" by the Tang Dynasty.

The existence of the ghost market illustrates two problems: 1. Byzantine merchants were too busy. They don't even have time to stop in one store. Instead, they constantly shuttle between their stores to collect money and stock goods. Business is very good.

2. The people of this country do not pick up lost things on the road and have a very high reputation. Even the people of Tang Dynasty were amazed by this.

The 8th century AD was a time when religious rituals ruled everything. However, at this time, Loki couldn't help but be surprised that the Byzantine Empire actually had a department like the "Academy of Sciences". You know, Byzantium at this time was one of the holy cities of the "Holy Bishop", and the Pope and the 12 Temples of the Holy Lord were all located in this city.

In this case, the royal family of Constantinople was able to build a state-funded "Academy of Sciences", which Loki did not expect at all.

No wonder many Western scholars all admit that "Chang'an" in the Tang Dynasty was the largest city in the world, but when it comes to cultural and religious heritage, "Constantinople", the capital of the Byzantine Empire, is not much inferior.

**

Twenty years after time travel, Loki finally saw a real living person from the "big city" with his own eyes. After the courtesy volume, he found that it turned out to be hundreds of pages of maps, plants, animals, Vikings, Slavic warriors, etc.

The girl used precise perspective painting to record everything he could come into contact with in Scandinavia. Although her records are not as precise and luxurious as Mo Yiquan's, she uses soft charcoal and sketches on papyrus to look vivid enough. The proportions of each painting are extremely precise, ranging from large dire wolves, man-bears and tundra rhinos to small flowers, plants, and even some unknown small beetles.

The three large notebooks add up to hundreds of pieces. Loki flipped through a few pages and returned them to the girl. Judging from her mottled hands, her living environment is obviously not as relaxed and comfortable as that of another noble lady next to her.

Only 19 years old, the girl's hands are already covered with calluses and ravines.

"Since Lord O'Sullivan has spoken, how dare I, as a minister, disobey. But what I want to say is that we are a poor village after all, and the navigation conditions after going to sea are not comparable to your Byzantine warships."

"Not to mention that this is an expedition sailing north. Compared with the vast deep sea, the power of mortals is too small. If any accident occurs, your distinguished friend may be injured."

Speaking of this, Loki hesitated and did not continue. After all, cursing someone's friend in front of the noble princess might end up dying at sea, which is unlucky no matter what.

However, what Loki didn't expect was that Emma Waldorf revealed the emblem on her chest rather firmly. It was a badge made of brass. In the center of the badge was engraved the head of an old man with a white beard, and at the bottom were written a few Greek letters that Loki didn't quite recognize.

"I am a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and my belief is Mr. Socrates! We mages must use rational thinking and explore the world based on the principle of seeking truth from facts."

"Sooner or later we will free mankind from the deception of the gods!"

As a Byzantine, Emma is not yet proficient in Viking. But these few words were still spoken with sonorous force, and the will was extremely firm.

Loki was dumbfounded, while the noble lady behind Emma shook her head helplessly.

"Mr. Loki, please don't mind. My friend is a 'blind believer'."

**

The word "blind believer" is very unfamiliar to Loki. In the long 20 years, he has only heard of it two or three times. And each time, it was accompanied by teasing and ridicule.

People are utilitarian.

If believing in a true god can give people power, 99% of humans will believe in the true god.

But in this medieval world, there are still a small group of weirdos. They do not believe in the "new gods" of "popular choice".

A small number of them chase after the old evil gods and pray for their inheritance. There are also some who do not believe in gods at all.

For example, the "Socrates" believed by Emma Waldorf.

Although he is older than many new gods who are now roaming the continent (he was born in 475 BC. He is more than 400 years older than the Lord Christ), his original body is an ordinary person in the ancient Greek city-state.

He spent his life trying to popularize wisdom and science. When he was over 70, he was given poisoned wine and died because of "blasphemy" and contempt for the traditional pope. This was one of the few awakened people with clear vision in the early days of blind and stupid human civilization.

But he did not establish a sect and become a god after all.

"Blind believers" believe in this kind of people. Their beliefs will not give them "upgrade paths" and will not transform their bodies in any form to make them stronger from the source.

Walking in the Middle Ages, they were generally considered "madmen" and "idiots", and even many lords would maliciously slaughter them out of fear, thinking that they were seduced by evil gods.

Seeing the girl's rather shabby clothes and calluses on her hands, Loki's intuition told him that she must have paid a lot to stick to her beliefs.

Having lived two lives, he knew how difficult it was to hold a torch and move forward in the dark. Facing this girl who left her family's glory and wealth and went to the uninhabited wilderness alone for "scientific investigation". Supreme respect suddenly rose in his heart.

In another 700 years, the Renaissance will come. People will re-examine the humanistic spirit from "ancient Greece" and "ancient Rome". At this time, science, which is regarded as "heresy", will be transformed into the primary productive force. And the fire of science was nurtured by countless "blind believers" like this girl in the dark Middle Ages.

They are the real pioneers of the times.

In the future, this group of people called lunatics will change this planet.