The entire Volantis was shaken. Both the Tiger Party and the Elephant Party were enraged. Many suggested immediately dispatching troops north along the river to attack Na Sa Star and capture Nameria, both to teach Lord Linde a lesson and to use Nameria as a bargaining chip.
However, this suggestion was immediately met with a cold splash of water, because Nameria currently commanded at least twenty thousand combat-ready warriors. With her current strength, let alone attacking her, Volantis still needed to guard against Nameria cooperating with Lord Linde's army to sandwich Volantis.
Although nearly a thousand years had passed, Volantis still vividly remembered being besieged by the Loisne people back then. And this time, if they were besieged again, there wouldn't be hundreds of dragons appearing to relieve them.
After serious discussion, the Volantenes decided to negotiate with Lord Linde to see if this crisis could be resolved through talks.
"Lord Linde, what you've done is a bit excessive!" Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis of the Tiger Party, who had a very good relationship with Summerhall, was naturally the first choice for negotiations. So, upon receiving the order, he immediately rushed to Lys and met Lord Linde, who was handling official business in the Lys Governor's Mansion.
"I received news that you blocked the Lorne River, closed the Miracle Merchant Guild's branch, arrested my people, and seized supplies bound for Na Sa Star, Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis, is this true?" Lord Linde ignored Illyrio's anger, and calmly looked at him, slowly speaking.
The expression on Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis's face became somewhat stiff. For a moment, he didn't know how to answer Lord Linde's question.
Volantis had been preparing to occupy Lys for a long time, even giving up many interests to persuade the Elephant Party. As a result, they had occupied Lys for less than half a month when it changed hands, which was unbearable for them.
There were many impulsive individuals in the Tiger Party. Before the magistrates made a decision, they directly acted against the Miracle Merchant Guild and Na Sa Star, hoping to force Lord Linde to relinquish Lys. By the time the magistrates discovered it, it was already too late, and more importantly, they could not condemn such behavior.
"This wasn't my idea," Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis could only explain for himself.
"I know this couldn't be your idea," Lord Linde said in a deep voice. "But have you considered the consequences of this matter? Does Volantis want to go to war with me?"
Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis felt immense pressure from Lord Linde, but he still stood firm, took a deep breath, and said seriously, "It is you who wants to go to war with Volantis, and with the Free Trade City States."
Lord Linde smiled, and from a nearby box, he took out three council proposals, placing them on the table, and said, "My occupation of Lys, Tyrosh, Myr, and other Disputed Lands was allowed by formal proposals from the Three City States' councils, and the Three City States formally transferred sovereignty to me. And Volantis? When you occupied Lys, did you get Lys's permission? Do you have legal sovereignty? No, you have nothing. Since that's the case, how can you say that I want to go to war with Volantis?"
Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis looked at the three council proposals from the Three City States in front of him, and he felt an impulse to tear them all up, but this could only be a thought in his mind. If he made any sudden move, he wouldn't need to act; the Redemption Sisters and Silent Monks beside him would kill him on the spot.
When Nameria passed through Volantis not long ago, she had demonstrated the power of the Redemption Sisters and Silent Monks to the Volantenes, and he still had a very deep impression of it.
"Furthermore, there's one point you've either unintentionally or deliberately misunderstood. Volantis is Volantis, and the Free Trade City States are the Free Trade City States; they cannot be conflated," Lord Linde continued. "Do you think the Free Trade City States will stand up for Volantis? No. Let's not even mention Kohor and Norvos. Braavos would love to see slave-trading Volantis destroyed. Only Pentos might send troops, but does it dare to now? If it sends troops, then I will have an excuse to attack Pentos, and the governors of Pentos would never give me such an excuse."
Although Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis disliked Lord Linde's words, he knew that what Lord Linde said was true. The entire Free Trade City States and Volantis had more or less some grudges, including Pentos. They would be delighted to see Volantis in trouble, eager to kick it while it was down, so how could they possibly offer assistance?
"They will not allow a Westerosi to annex the Disputed Lands," Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis said in a deep voice.
"Yes, they certainly won't want me to rule the Disputed Lands, but what can they do?" Lord Linde sighed and said, "Our relationship is very good, and I have no need to lie to you. I cannot give up the Disputed Lands, and Volantis does not have the ability to take the Disputed Lands from me. So, instead of having these useless arguments with me here, why don't we discuss something more practical?"
"What practical thing?" Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis asked suspiciously.
"For example, the gem mines in the Disputed Lands," Lord Linde said calmly.
Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis's breathing became heavier, and he said, "You are willing to offer mining rights for the gem mines?"
Lord Linde nodded and said, "Not just the gem mines, but also other mineral deposits in the Disputed Lands. I can offer them for people from the Free Trade City States to mine, but on the condition that they mine according to my rules."
"Your rules?" Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis asked with a puzzled expression.
Lord Linde, who was well-prepared, took out a mining agreement and placed it in front of Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis.
Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis quickly took it and flipped through it, then immediately shook his head and said, "These terms are too harsh. We cannot agree to them."
"No, not at all harsh!" Lord Linde shook his head and said, "My people have calculated it in detail. If you mine according to my agreement, you can still make money, just not as much. But there will be a stable income every year, and you won't need to send people specifically to manage it, saving you a commission. In the end, what goes into your pockets will be real gold coins."
Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis listened to Lord Linde's words, remained silent for a moment, then picked up the agreement he had just put down and began to read it again. This time, he read it much more carefully. After reading it once, he specifically found the parts he was interested in and read them again.
Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis said in a deep voice, "I will take this agreement to them, but I cannot guarantee whether they will ultimately agree."
Lord Linde nodded and said, "To show my sincerity, I will let you take Volantis's fleet back with you, though a few flagships and some people were lost. I hope you don't mind."
A hint of a smile also appeared on Magistrate Illyrio Mopatis's face. Although he had not been able to reclaim Lys this trip, being able to bring back the fleet was already a great success, and this would greatly help his prestige in Volantis.
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