Several days had passed since Daenerys first saw the Glutton. Every day, she would find Lord Linde, begging him to summon the Glutton, then she would approach and gaze at the giant dragon, seemingly unable to get enough of it.
As for Viserys, on the day he met the Glutton, he actually lost his mind, attempting to tame the Glutton with his Targaryen bloodline right in front of Lord Linde. As a result, he was swept away by the Glutton's tail. It's unclear whether he was lucky or if his body had strong resilience, but he didn't die from that blow, only suffering severe injuries and several broken bones. He's still lying in bed, unable to move.
It's unclear whether it was due to his injuries or the blow of failing to tame the dragon, but Viserys appeared very decadent. Moreover, whenever Daenerys went to see the Glutton and returned to tell him details about touching the dragon scales on the Glutton's body, his gaze towards Daenerys was filled with intense jealousy.
Lord Linde sensed Viserys's emotional change, but he didn't take it to heart. Instead, he focused on handling the affairs in Tyrosh.
The compensation matters related to Tyrosh had been thoroughly discussed, and the compensation agreement had been signed. Tyrosh dutifully paid the first installment of compensation and also allowed the Miracle Fleet to take over the docks.
The reason Lord Linde didn't press on and pursue victory during this opportune moment wasn't because he didn't want to, but because Tyrosh's military strength hadn't yet been depleted to its lowest point. There were still a large number of mercenary groups stationed in the city, and the number of Unsullied in Tyrosh was also very high. The entire city's defenses were still very complete.
If he chose to forcefully attack Tyrosh, Lord Linde's current army size would be insufficient. Using the Glutton might allow him to capture Tyrosh, but then he would only get a pile of ruins. Moreover, capturing Tyrosh is one thing, but occupying it is another.
After temporarily forgetting the great victory in the Stepstones and calmly considering, he still decided to follow the original plan: incite war in the Disputed Lands to deplete the military strength of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, and then use other means to limit the intervention of Myr and Lys's forces, dealing with Tyrosh alone.
Therefore, Lord Linde not only didn't continue to attack Tyrosh, but he even gave Tyrosh a break in terms of compensation, ensuring that Tyrosh wasn't crippled and still had the capacity for external war.
In fact, the Archon of Tyrosh and his officials were somewhat incredulous when they received these compensation terms. In their view, since Lord Linde had annihilated Tyrosh's fleet, exerted strong pressure, and blockaded the port with the sea dragon, he should have been extremely demanding and insatiable. They had even prepared to make significant sacrifices.
However, when they received the terms, they all, without prior discussion, thought that the Tribune, Magistrate Aterste, might have brought the wrong compensation terms.
After repeatedly confirming that the terms were correct, they suspected if there was some unknown trap within them. So, they stayed up all night, studying the content line by line, word by word, but ultimately found no suspicious elements.
Thus, the arrogant and prejudiced Tyrosh high command presumptuously believed that Lord Linde was practicing the so-called knightly spirit of Westeros.
In their eyes, Westeros was merely a larger island, and its inhabitants were uncivilized barbarians. The only thing they approved of was the knightly spirit established by the Seven Gods Church.
And since Lord Linde was a Godsworn of the Seven Gods Church, they naturally assumed that Lord Linde possessed that sometimes foolish knightly spirit, and thus speculated that when Lord Linde wrote the current compensation list, it was when his knightly spirit was acting up and making him foolish.
Therefore, they quickly approved these compensation terms and drafted the corresponding compensation agreement, gathering the first installment of compensation as quickly as possible. They then signed the compensation agreement with Lord Linde, solidifying the agreement to prevent Lord Linde from coming to his senses and amending the terms.
Just as Lord Linde was signing the agreement, Asha and her forces successfully completed the occupation of the Stepstones. Although they encountered some obstacles during this process, such as pirates hiding in caves on the islands, attempting to evade the encirclement.
But Asha and her forces didn't care at all. When encountering such situations, they would directly throw Wildfire into the caves, then continuously throw wet firewood inside. Those hiding inside would either be suffocated by the smoke or try to escape, get covered in Wildfire, and be burned alive.
In short, all the pirates hiding in the caves died inside without exception.
After that, there were no further obstacles. The pirate families and other residents of these islands were all relocated to live near the newly built castle east of Prince's Pass, participating in the castle's construction, completely severing their roots of resistance.
These islands were then occupied by prepared immigrants, re-planned and rebuilt. It wouldn't be long before these islands could be completely controlled.
In the southeastern waters of the Stepstones, the Sunspear Fleet, commanded by Dayron Martell, encountered the fleet sent by Lys in the waters near Helmet Bay, at the southern end of the Stepstones.
The Lys fleet dispatched thirty longships, twenty armed merchant ships, and some warships converted from fishing boats. It seemed they also didn't want to see the Stepstones unified under one person and intended to do their best to prevent this.
However, when they wanted to bypass the Grey Gallows area along the coastline from Helmet Bay, they happened to encounter the Sunspear Fleet waiting there. Neither side initiated battle; instead, they confronted each other on the sea.
It wasn't until news arrived that the Tyrosh and Pirate Alliance fleets had been completely annihilated and Lord Linde had completed the initial unification of the Stepstones that the Lys fleet silently turned its ships around and returned to Lys.
Among the Three City States in the Disputed Lands, Lys was the one Lord Linde cared about the least. As long as the Stepstones were controlled, Lys's main trade routes with the north and Westeros would be completely controlled. This is why Lys, upon learning of Lord Linde's intention to unify the Stepstones, put aside years of enmity with Tyrosh and proactively sent a fleet to support Tyrosh.
As a city-state isolated overseas, normal shipping is especially important for Lys. Supplies like food and other materials all rely on sea transport. Lord Linde only needs to send the Miracle Fleet and the Glutton to blockade the waters around Lys, preventing any ships from entering or leaving, to completely starve Lys.
Although Lys could also seek aid from Tyrosh and Myr, ships from these two cities would have to pass through the Stepstones to support the south. If they were to travel by land through the Disputed Lands to the southern coastline, they would also need a large number of ships, and these ships would not be troop transports but warships capable of combat.
The only one who could offer help to Lys was Volantis, but Volantis and Lys, or rather, the Three City Alliance, were at loggerheads. They would be delighted to see the Three City Alliance suffer, so why would they be willing to expend a great deal of manpower and resources to aid an enemy?
Therefore, the moment Lord Linde gained control of the Stepstones, Lys was already like a turtle in a jar. After he dealt with Tyrosh, Lys would be next.
Although Lord Linde already considered the Three City States of the Disputed Lands as his for the taking, he currently showed no aggression towards them. Instead, he immediately sent people to Lys and Myr to discuss new trade agreements. The new trade agreements primarily aimed to form a trade alliance with Lys and the other two cities, using the Stepstones as a checkpoint to control the north-south trade between Essos and Westeros.
Of course, using the Stepstones to control north-south trade was real, but the trade alliance was merely a way to make the Three City Alliance relax their guard. This is because trade agreements and trade alliances would certainly not be achieved in the short term. Lord Linde would prolong the discussion and negotiation time until he made his move against Tyrosh.
"Lord Linde, do you also have Targaryen blood?" As Lord Linde pondered his next move, Daenerys approached him, unable to resist asking the question that had troubled her for days.
"No," Lord Linde shook his head, answering definitively.
A hint of disappointment appeared in Daenerys's eyes.
Lord Linde said calmly, "Do not easily judge a person's friend or foe, good or evil, by their bloodline. Some people have noble blood but act basely, while others are of humble birth but are like saints."
"Like you?" Daenerys asked deeply.
Lord Linde smiled and nodded, "Yes, like me."
As he spoke, he took out a Dragon Rune Dragon Crystal necklace from his person and handed it to Daenerys, saying, "This Dragon Crystal necklace is a gift for you! It has magic I've imbued, and wearing it when you're agitated can help you calm down. But remember not to wear it for long periods; only take it out when you need it."
Upon hearing this, Daenerys eagerly put the necklace around her neck and quickly felt its effects, a look of surprise appearing on her face. Then she took the necklace off and carefully placed it in her small cloth pouch.
Lord Linde then added, "This necklace is also a token. If you ever need help, you can take this necklace to the Miracle Merchant Guild in your city, and the people there will help you as much as possible."
Hearing Lord Linde's words, Daenerys seemed to realize something and asked with reluctance in her eyes, "Are you leaving?"
"Yes!" Lord Linde did not hide it and nodded, saying, "The compensation agreement has been signed, and there's no need for me to stay here. I will return to Summerhall, and subsequent matters will be handled by my subordinates."
Daenerys looked a little dejected after hearing this. These past few days had been very happy for her. Not only did she have new clothes to wear and plenty of food, but she also didn't have to hide and starve, nor be treated as an exhibit at banquets, facing all sorts of strange looks. More importantly, she saw dragons, and she saw the power the Targaryen once possessed.
The moment she saw the dragons, a strong desire she had never felt before arose in Daenerys's heart. She hoped that one day she too could ride on a dragon and soar through the sky.
"Will I also have dragons in the future?" Daenerys couldn't help but voice what was on her mind, as if asking Lord Linde and herself at the same time.
Lord Linde heard this and reached out to ruffle Daenerys's silver-gold hair, saying, "Yes, you will have your own dragons in the future."
Daenerys turned to look at Lord Linde, a hint of gratitude in her eyes. From her expression, it was clear she believed Lord Linde's words were merely comfort and not a prophecy.
Before Lord Linde left Black Stone Island, he had a merchant ship send the Targaryen siblings to Pentos. Although he knew that after they arrived there, they would be received by Illyrio and become his honored guests, he still gave Daenerys some money, just in case.
After seeing Daenerys off, Lord Linde left Black Stone Island, inspected the newly occupied Stepstones, and then returned to Miracle Port.
The Miracle Fleet did not return with Lord Linde but instead moved its headquarters to Grey Gallows, responsible for the defense of the entire Stepstones.
Lord Linde did not immediately send Asha and Beller to the Iron Islands to contend for control of the Iron Islands. Instead, he kept them in the Stepstones to ensure the safety of the Stepstones until the Miracle Fleet had enough ships, officers, and sailors to take over the sea defense in their hands, only then would he send them to the Iron Islands.
As for Dagmer Cleftjaw, he never considered returning to the harsh land of the Iron Islands, even though he was the sole heir of Harlaw.
Dagmer was thriving in the Stepstones. Not only did he marry a Lysene woman and have two sons, but one of his sons had already been sent to Harlaw, entrusted to his father, Rodrik Harlaw, the Earl of Harlaw and Lord of Ten Towers, to be raised as a stand-in heir for the Harlaw family.
Lord Linde had no objections to Dagmer's decision. In fact, even if Dagmer hadn't voluntarily stayed, he would have forced Dagmer to remain in the Stepstones because Dagmer was not only a qualified naval officer but also a very rare marine Shapeshifter.
In all known records of Shapeshifter, all Shapeshifter established mental connections with land creatures, attaching their consciousness to land animals such as lynxes, Hound, wolves, and birds like ravens and falcons, etc. There had never been a case of a Shapeshifter establishing a mental connection with a marine creature.
However, Dagmer was a true marine Shapeshifter, and the marine creature he connected with was a giant octopus, the very sea monster that people who make a living at sea say inhabits the waters around Broken Arm Point, frequently attacking passing ships and dragging them into the water.
In fact, Lord Linde already knew about the sea monster's existence before the sea dragon appeared and attacked ships.
Because at that time, Dagmer and Asha's fleet happened to be pursuing a group of pirates near Broken Arm Point, and somehow they disturbed the great sea monster there. Several pirate ships were attacked and sunk by the sea monster.
When the sea monster turned to attack Dagmer and Asha's ships, Dagmer unexpectedly established a mental connection with the sea monster.
However, this connection was not very deep. He couldn't project his consciousness onto the sea monster like a Shapeshifter, control its movements, or even directly command it. His connection with the sea monster was merely to sense its location and feel a sense of closeness, avoiding being attacked by the sea monster.
Upon learning of this, Lord Linde changed his mind about eliminating the sea monster. Instead, he had Dagmer go to Broken Arm Point to interact with the sea monster whenever he had time and conduct relevant training according to the Shapeshifter training methods provided by Moroa.
After two years of continuous training, Dagmer's connection with the sea monster grew deeper and deeper, gradually allowing him to command the sea monster to do certain things, such as not attacking or attacking certain ships.
It is believed that with continuous practice, Dagmer will eventually be able to control this octopus sea monster. At that time, this sea monster will also serve as an important means of controlling the Stepstones, and Asha and Beller will then be able to leave the Stepstones for the Iron Islands to contend for the position of Lord of the Iron Islands for Lord Linde.
After Lord Linde instructed Asha and the other two on some major matters, he prepared to end his inspection of the Stepstones and return to Miracle Port. At this time, the Archon of Lys sent an envoy to Grey Gallows, hoping to meet with Lord Linde and personally discuss maritime trade matters with him.
But this request was rejected by Lord Linde under a pretext. He was already delaying the trade agreement negotiations, so why would he actively complete them?
After refusing the meeting request, the Lysene envoy made another request, which was for an extremely large weapon order.
The amount of this weapon order was so huge that it was almost the sum of all previous weapon orders, and the vast majority of the weapons were curved swords, which, judging by their design, appeared to be the type of scimitar favored by the Dothraki.
Faced with such a large order, Lord Linde naturally would not refuse. He quickly had his trade officials sign the transaction and also inquired why such a large batch of weapons was being ordered, but the envoy did not reveal any information.
Lord Linde didn't think much of it. Anyway, for him, these weapons would eventually be sold to Lys, and Lys actively buying them now saved his people the trouble of promoting them.
After Lord Linde returned to Summerhall, various news constantly coming from the Three Free Trade City States made Lord Linde feel that something was amiss. Because whether it was Myr, who had not appeared in the Stepstones naval battle, or Tyrosh, who had just paid a large sum in compensation, both came to Grey Gallows in the following one or two months, almost simultaneously, to discuss a large weapon order with Lord Linde, and the weapon type was entirely dominated by Dothraki scimitars.
This unusual situation made Lord Linde feel that a major change might have occurred in the Disputed Lands that he was unaware of. Therefore, while signing the orders, he also sent people to several Free Trade City States to gather information.
The news he received was that a huge open-pit gem mine had been discovered in the Disputed Lands, and this gem mine was an open-pit one, which could be directly excavated and collected without much effort.
The Three City States almost simultaneously claimed absolute ownership over this open-pit gem mine, and they also simultaneously realized that a battle for the gem mine was inevitable. So they almost made the same decision: they would not fight directly but would hire multiple Dothraki to fight for them. This led to the Three City States simultaneously placing orders to purchase Dothraki scimitars.
This was undoubtedly good news for Lord Linde; he didn't need to incite war again. The only thing he needed to do was to keep this war in the Disputed Lands going until the power of the Three City States was weakened to the extent he had estimated.
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