Grünn seemed to be stunned as well; he hadn't expected Ulfric to be so audacious as to openly defy him. However, he had to admit that Ulfric was right. Although he had been appointed as the slave overseer by the lord, he had no right to punish these slaves. He had merely intimidated them with his usual fierce demeanor.
"Do you really want to die?" Grünn was furious. Although he couldn't directly execute Ulfric, he had a thousand ways to deal with this disobedient slave.
"Enough, Ulf! Respected Lord Grünn, he merely had his head kicked by a wild horse. Please forgive him." At this moment, the old man with the grizzled hair hurried over. He bowed respectfully to Grünn.
"Hmph." Grünn showed no appreciation. He gripped his whip and lashed it fiercely across the old slave's body. The crack of the whip on the old slave's skin made the other slaves tremble, but the old slave could only endure it silently.
"Crack." Suddenly, a large hand gripped the whip. Grünn was surprised to see Ulfric grab his whip. He tugged hard, but it didn't budge.
"What do you want to do?" Grünn said to Ulfric, seething with anger, but he felt a little nervous inside. Ulf, whose body Ulfric possessed, was tall and strong. He used to be gentle and not at all like a Viking, and his slow wit made him a target for others to bully. But now it was different; the sharp killing intent in Ulfric's eyes made the overseer feel a hint of fear.
"Why are you hitting people?" Ulfric asked Grünn coldly.
"What? I'm hitting a slave, and you ask me why?" Grünn laughed in extreme anger. Slaves were just tools, easily replaceable. Whipping a slave was like kicking a stray dog by the roadside.
"Don't hit people." Ulfric stared at Grünn, enunciating each word. Then he snatched the whip and threw it aside. This action shocked everyone. A slave openly defying an overseer—this was outrageous.
"You, you're dead." Grünn pointed his hooked finger at Ulfric, but his eyes were full of mockery. There were only two outcomes for a slave who defied their master: having the hand that struck the master cut off, or being hanged as a warning to other rebellious slaves.
Grünn abandoned the others and ran towards the lord's manor. He intended to report this matter to the lord and ask the lord to execute this audacious slave. Ulfric watched the fleeing Grünn, then turned and helped the grizzled-haired old man up.
"You shouldn't have resisted." The old man's silver-gray eyes looked at Ulfric, and he shook his head with a bitter smile.
Ulfric was actually quite frustrated. Before finding a way to improve his status, he had indeed revealed his rebellious will too early. But he still couldn't hold back. After all, the soul within this body was that of a free modern person, still unable to adapt to this unfair slave system.
"You stood up for me. If I had stood by and done nothing, my soul would not be at peace," Ulfric said calmly to the old man.
"Thank you, Ulf. I don't know what happened, but I see the soul of an upright and brave Viking in your eyes. However, the lord will not let you go." The old man gripped Ulfric's hand with his rough hands, speaking with concern.
"Can't I escape, or can we escape together?" Ulfric's eyes swept over the other slaves, but they lowered their heads under his gaze and continued with their work.
"Impossible. The lord has several strong hunting dogs that can quickly track us down. Once caught, we will immediately be tortured," the old man said, shaking his head.
"It seems I can only die then." Ulfric also gave a bitter smile, thinking about whether to find some weapons, at least to kill Grünn before he died.
"But you still have a chance. Although Grünn will complain to the lord, to show fairness, you will have a chance to refute him in front of the lord. If you can persuade the lord or prove your worth, you won't be executed." The old man pondered for a moment and suggested to Ulfric.
"Rumble~~." Just then, the sound of horse hooves thundered from afar. Several of the lord's retainers rode their horses, aggressively surrounding Ulfric.
The other slaves scattered in panic, as if fleeing a plague, leaving only the old man standing firmly by Ulfric's side.
"Take him away." The leading Viking rider with a bushy golden beard circled Ulfric on his horse, then waved his hand and said.
Immediately, a Viking jumped off his horse, drew the axe from his waist, and agilely moved behind Ulfric. He then savagely struck Ulfric's kneecap with the back of the axe, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Then, the other Vikings came forward, bound him, and led him behind the horse towards the lord's manor.
Along the way, many Vikings curiously watched Ulfric being led behind the horse, pointing and gesticulating at him. Ulfric stumbled along, the horse moving quickly, and with his hands tied behind his back, his balance was unstable. Sometimes he would be deliberately dragged to the ground, his face hitting the foul-smelling, muddy ground, which would elicit snickers from those around him.
"Wait." Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out. Shieldmaiden Ange stepped forward, helped Ulfric up, and wiped his cheek with her fair hand.
"Ange, don't meddle. This slave defied Lord Hrolf; he will be brought before the lord to face punishment." The Viking on horseback turned to Ange and said.
"Stand up. Even if you die, you should die like a Viking." But Ange ignored the warning. She patted the dirt off Ulfric's body and said to him calmly.
"Haha." Ulfric grinned, lifted his head, and continued to follow the group.
Hrolf's lord's house was a typical Viking longhouse, with wooden walls supported by many wooden pillars on the outside. The thick wooden door was carved with statues of axe-wielding Viking warriors, and the doorframe had trefoil patterns representing the gods' totems. Pushing open the large door, the noise and heat rushed out. Viking feasts were usually extremely boisterous; they ate the food provided by the host in large mouthfuls, talked rudely to each other, and even fought.
"I once sailed a longship to the Golden Coast, where I saw dense forests, herds of elk, and fertile land. The rivers there didn't flow with water, but with sweet honey." Pushing open the heavy oak door, light and boisterous laughter spilled from the gap. Ulfric saw a black-bearded Viking with brown eyes, built like a strong bear. When he stood up, he looked like a small giant, but that was also because everyone else was sitting at cedar tables, all looking up, listening to his story.
"Did you reach the realm of the gods?" However, not everyone believed his story. Hrolf the Heartbreaker, holding a drinking horn, scoffed.
"It's just a story, what does it matter? Don't we Vikings travel far and wide so that when our souls return to Valhalla, we can tell the gods the stories of our lives?" Sitting beside Hrolf was a beautiful red-haired lady. She smiled and said, seemingly very pleased with the fantastical tale.
"My Lord, I have brought the offending slave." The Viking leading Ulfric walked to Hrolf's side and bowed to him, speaking.
"Bring him up." Hrolf rested his elbow on the armrest, stroked his beard, and his eyes swept over Ulfric, who was tied at the entrance, as he spoke.
"Yes." The retainer immediately gestured to Ulfric and the others at the entrance. When the bound Ulfric was pushed into the lively feast, the room immediately fell silent, and all eyes focused on him.
"Ha, isn't that the slave who tells riddles?" said Vargarr, who was eating meat from his plate. After finishing, he wiped his greasy hands on his beard.
"Untie him. He won't run away here." Hrolf waved his hand, instructing them to loosen the ropes binding Ulfric.
"Respected Lord, it is this slave who openly defied your authority. He even took the whip you granted me from my hand." Grünn emerged from the shadows in the corner, speaking subserviently to Hrolf.
Hrolf frowned, clearly annoyed with Grünn, but he straightened up, preparing to exercise his lord's authority. He crooked a finger, and several of his Viking retainers immediately pushed Ulfric before the lord.
"You threatened the overseer I appointed?" Hrolf's blue eyes fixed on Ulfric, his gaze icy. A timid person would likely have been terrified by now.
"Respected Lord, I did not threaten him. On the contrary, Grünn was secretly damaging your wealth without your knowledge," Ulfric said loudly to Hrolf, his voice resonant and echoing through the hall.
"Oh?" Hrolf was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected a slave to have such courage.
"Is this a slave?" The other Vikings were also curious. They were accustomed to subservient slaves, and this was the first time they had seen someone like Ulfric. Moreover, Ulf, whose body Ulfric possessed, was tall and burly, and with his confident demeanor, he now resembled a Viking warrior.
"What's going on?" Hrolf couldn't help but glance at Grünn beside him, asking him with dissatisfaction.
"Respected Lord, please do not listen to this slave's nonsense. I swear by Woden's name, he is merely trying to deceive you." Grünn became anxious upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Ulfric to dare to bite back.
"Lord, Grünn wantonly beat your slave, causing the slave to be injured and unable to work. Is this not destroying your property? And he does this merely to satisfy his twisted and perverted psychology, seeking the pleasure of conquest from it. Is this not stealing your wealth?" Ulfric spoke in a very rapid tone. Are you kidding? As an excellent modern salesman, how could I get by without being articulate and knowing a bit of rhetoric?
"Uh?" As Ulfric's words fell, the previously quiet room immediately stirred, and Lord Hrolf's brows furrowed even deeper.