Soon, after leaving the Twilight Realm, most of the clouds on the island dissipated.
Soon, they saw the sun shining on the mountains and fjords of the Nordic land.
King Harald of the North led the leaders back to the temporary camp with a solemn expression.
"You are right. This time, the Dark Magic Queen's divination prophecy is too obscure."
Then he stopped and turned to face the leaders who followed him.
"So, we should follow the ancient Viking tradition and interpret God's will in a more direct way."
A battle-scarred leader nodded in agreement, "Your Majesty is absolutely right!"
"Runes are indeed mysterious and powerful, but our gods also taught us to observe changes in nature to predict the future!"
The group came to an open meadow, which happened to be located at the confluence of two rivers and was regarded as a holy place connecting heaven and earth.
According to Viking tradition, divination needs to be performed in a place where the four elements of water, earth, wind and fire can be touched at the same time, so as to obtain the full range of revelations from the gods.
"Let's observe the birds first."
Everyone looked up and saw a few ravens circling overhead.
Their flight paths take on a peculiar geometric shape, neither a straight line nor a common spiral, but an undulating path similar to a wave.
An older leader frowned: "How strange."
"Generally speaking, if victory is certain, the raven will take on an upward trajectory, soaring into the sky. This signifies that we will have an absolute advantage on the battlefield, just like the sky itself."
“If the outlook is bleak, they will hover low.”
"But I've only heard of this kind of wave-shaped flight."
"They say that when our former kings went on expeditions to Iceland, the ravens flew in this way."
"During that expedition, his fleet lost two-thirds of its ships in a storm."
"Although the occupation of Iceland was successful, it came at a huge cost."
The leaders whispered to each other and exchanged their views.
Then, Harald raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, because they were now going to check the second sign, which was the animal's internal organs.
Several warriors were then sent out hunting, and soon they dragged back a freshly captured stag.
According to tradition, they need to use a sharp dagger to cut open the animal's abdomen and observe the color and texture of the liver.
“A healthy red liver signifies victory, while a grayish hue suggests danger.”
“If there are clear lines on the liver, it means we will reach our destination successfully.”
"If there are irregular spots, it indicates a difficult journey."
The dagger cut through the flesh, emitting a strong smell of blood. One of them carefully took out the liver and held it up to the crowd.
"Strange! Look! This is not any sign we are used to seeing!"
"how so?!"
The liver has a strange gradient of color.
It is neither completely red nor gray, but a color that gradually transitions from scarlet to violet.
Even more surprising was that the blood vessels on the surface of the liver formed a complex maze-like network, neither clear nor a mess of spots.
"I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Does this mean that opportunities and difficulties coexist?"
"Or is it that even the gods can't give us an answer?"
King Harald of the North said nothing, he just looked at his warhorse.
This is the last item, which requires observing the behavior of the war horse.
In the center of the camp, a black stallion was led out.
This is a battle-hardened warhorse that has accompanied its owner in many battles.
According to Viking tradition, war horses could sense the good and bad fortune of the battlefield, and their behavior often foreshadowed their impending fate.
"If a warhorse holds its head high, paws the ground three times, and then neighs to the south, it means victory is in sight and the road ahead is clear."
"If it curls up, avoids the reins, and has a glazed look in its eyes, it means we will face insurmountable obstacles."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black stallion's behavior once again surprised everyone.
It neither raised its head and neighed nor showed fear. Instead, it began to draw concentric circles around the center of the venue, one circle after another.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Why is the warhorse circling?"
"No, more like a spiral. In our tradition, the spiral symbolizes the cycle of life and rebirth!"
"But it didn't complete the entire spiral. It only drew two-thirds of it and then stopped. What does this mean?"
Harald took a deep breath and interrupted the discussion.
"Everyone, listen up! All the results of this divination are beyond our previous experience."
“They are neither the classic signs of victory nor the warning signs of defeat, but rather hints of something entirely new and unprecedented.”
When the leaders heard this, they immediately fell silent.
In Viking culture, interpreting the will of God has always been considered the sacred duty of the ruler.
Now, they are faced with a completely new kind of "oracle", for which they can neither find a corresponding explanation from tradition nor make a judgment based on past experience.
"king."
"Perhaps this is Odin's test for us?"
"I think it must be because the ancient divination methods are no longer sufficient to meet the challenges of the new era. We must rely on our own wisdom and courage to make decisions."
"Or perhaps, this is the gods warning us that this expedition will completely change our current order!"
“The price of our success may be something we cannot imagine.”
More people joined the discussion, and opinions became increasingly divided.
Some say this is a blessing from the Supreme God Odin, because chaos is the prerequisite for creation.
Some people also said that this was a trap set by the Lord God Loki, intended to lure them to destruction.
Others believed that this unprecedented sign foreshadowed the approach of the twilight of the gods, and that they were at a crossroads of fate.
Harald, King of the North, looked at everyone.
These men were the best warriors and leaders in the North, and had fought with him throughout the land without ever being defeated.
But now, faced with this new and unprecedented scene, even the bravest warriors showed hesitation.
"The gods have not given us a clear answer."
"This is a path no one has ever taken, and there are no ready-made prophecies to follow."
Then he drew the battle axe from his waist and smashed it hard into the ground beneath his feet.
"But we are Vikings, descendants of Odin, children of the sea and the storm!"
"Our ancestors once faced unknown oceans, sailing simple ships in search of new lands. Even when facing enemies a hundred times stronger than themselves, they still dared to wield their battle axes!"
"I just want to tell you all here!"
"No matter what the future holds, we will face the challenges head-on and live up to the Viking name!"
Everyone was silent for a moment, then burst into a deafening war cry and raised their weapons to the sky.
Obviously, the more mysterious and unpredictable the results of divination are, the more it inspires their determination to conquer the unknown.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
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