Lord Linde felt a bit unlucky. First, Jon inherited his title and resigned from him, and now Daisy was doing the same. He somewhat suspected that, apart from those whose origins were already humble, all his subordinates seemed to have the potential to inherit noble titles.
Jon was an accident. The Bulwer family was not an important character in the previous life's book, so he didn't even know where Black Crown City was beforehand, let alone that Jon could inherit a title and a castle.
But Daisy was someone he had seriously considered. He knew very well that the Great Bear would commit a crime and leave, and Daisy's mother would inherit Bear Island. He had also planned to use Daisy's connection to build a port on Bear Island and trade with the Beyond the Wall Wildlings.
When necessary, Bear Island could be used as a springboard to transport the Beyond the Wall Wildlings to the south to fill the population gap in his territory.
Or, to establish a forward base on Bear Island, specifically to monitor the movements Beyond the Wall, and so on.
But now, Lady Maege actually intended to hand over the lordship to Daisy, which completely disrupted Lord Linde's plan. Evidently, Daisy's outstanding performance in this war was the key factor that led Lady Maege to make this decision.
Although Daisy becoming the Earl of Bear Island would not affect his plans north of the Wall, and might even be better, Bear Island is, after all, a territory of the North. After Daisy becomes the Earl of Bear Island, her liege lord would become Eddard Stark, the Duke of Winterfell. Lord Linde directly contacting Daisy, and even building a port and military base on Bear Island, would clearly infringe upon Winterfell's rights. If investigated, Lord Linde would definitely be in the wrong.
After a brief thought, Lord Linde said to Daisy, "We'll discuss your matter privately later."
"Yes, Earl," Daisy nodded.
Lord Linde then asked, "Since you are leaving, do you have any suitable candidates you can recommend to me for your current position as Commander of the female camp?"
Daisy was momentarily stunned, then looked at Obara Sand beside her. Although their cooperation period was not long, she had to admit that in terms of commanding an army, Obara, who had received special training from Red Viper, was superior. Most of the female camp's affairs were handled by Obara, while Daisy mostly led the female camp warriors in training.
Lord Linde also looked at Obara. The female camp was something he tried to establish in Miracle Port, so he naturally paid special attention to it and understood the goings-on within it very well, and he was also well aware of Obara's abilities.
Obara quickly shook her head and said, "Don't look at me. Don't forget, my father sent me here to learn. I'll be returning to Dorne in a few years, so I won't be here long. You should find someone who can stay for a longer time, to avoid constantly changing Commanders and affecting the female camp's combat power."
Hearing this, Lord Linde remembered Obara's identity as a "Dornish exchange student."
He still remembered when Obara came to him with Red Viper's letter. He had originally wanted to send Obara to Black Hollow to assist Moroa with experiments, as Obara's poison skills were second only to Red Viper, and perhaps even surpassed Red Viper. Moroa had communicated with her before and highly praised her abilities.
However, the potions in Black Hollow were Lord Linde's most core secrets. Obara was not a subordinate loyal to him; she was merely sent by Red Viper to learn his groundbreaking new system, which was seen as such by people in the Seven Kingdoms. Naturally, it was not suitable for her to access too many secrets within the territory.
Ultimately, he chose to send Obara to the Miracle Port female camp. Since Obara wanted to learn the new system, Miracle Port was naturally the most suitable place. The system here was entirely new, from the inside out, and the female camp was an innovation never before seen on the continent of Westeros, which was enough for her to learn.
However, Obara had performed so exceptionally well in her position as deputy Commander of the female camp that Lord Linde frequently forgot her identity as an exchange student.
"What about you? Do you have any good recommendations?" Lord Linde asked Obara again.
Obara thought for a moment and suggested, "How about Ser Brienne Tarth as the Commander of the female camp?"
Scarface Mite, as the Commander of the Miracle Port garrison, was nominally the superior of the female camp. Upon hearing Obara's suggestion, he couldn't help but frown and say, "Ser Brienne Tarth seems to be only in her teens, which is a bit too young."
"She is young, but her ability is not bad. She is a Ser Brienne Tarth who has been trained by Lord Linde since childhood," Obara said, observing Scarface Mite, who had gained some weight from living comfortably. "Lord Mite, you probably wouldn't be her match now, would you? If even you can become the Commander of the Miracle Port garrison, why can't she?"
The conflicts and disputes between the female camp and the garrison warriors were no longer news in Miracle Port. The original cause was unknown, but the only thing certain was that the female camp's Commander and deputy Commander had a very poor relationship with their nominal direct superior, Scarface Mite. Although it hadn't reached the point of physical confrontation upon meeting, they would still exchange sarcastic remarks.
Lord Linde ignored the conflict between the female camp and the garrison. In his opinion, it wasn't a big problem as long as they didn't come to blows directly, and he had no intention of personally mediating.
He was considering Obara's suggestion. Ser Brienne Tarth was indeed the most suitable person to be the Commander of the female camp. Although only in her teens, her physique and strength were already on par with ordinary people, and she had been trained by Lord Linde for many years, fighting against various warriors and knights under Lord Linde, and even occasionally participating in various bandit suppression operations. In terms of combat power alone, she was already very strong; even Daisy and Obara were not her match without using special methods.
In addition, as Lord Linde's squire, Ser Brienne Tarth frequently participated in various political meetings and assisted Lord Linde in handling various affairs. Her administrative abilities were also sufficient to hold any position in the territory.
However, after careful consideration for a moment, Lord Linde still shook his head, rejecting the idea of Ser Brienne Tarth serving as the Commander of the female camp.
"Why? Isn't she the most suitable candidate?" Obara and Daisy both asked, confused.
"She is the sole heir of House Tarth of Duskendale Hall," Lord Linde stated the reason for his rejection of Ser Brienne Tarth as the female camp Commander.
Although Earl Selwyn Tarth had always hoped to find a male heir for House Tarth by having Ser Brienne Tarth marry and have offspring, with the rise of Nameria and Tengshi Town, he gradually changed his mind. That's why he sent Ser Brienne Tarth to Nameria, wanting her to learn how to be a lord.
Recently, Earl Selwyn had written several letters to Ser Brienne Tarth, stating that his health was deteriorating and hoping that Ser Brienne Tarth could return to Duskendale Hall to help him manage the territory. Clearly, Earl Selwyn already had the idea of handing over the territory to Ser Brienne Tarth.
However, Ser Brienne Tarth had always refused her father's summons, citing that she had not yet accumulated enough merits to become a knight.
However, in Lord Linde's opinion, Ser Brienne Tarth's return to Duskendale Hall was only a matter of time, so she was not suitable for a key position in the territory.
"I do know a good prospect," Daisy said after some thought. "Her name is Tilan. She's a captain in my female camp's garrison. She used to be a gladiator in Meereen, then she and her family were bought by slave traders and brought here. After becoming free, she joined the female camp. Her abilities are outstanding within the female camp. Her brother is a falconer in Eagle's Nest, and her nephew seems to have become a dock pilot. There's no problem with her loyalty."
After hearing Daisy's recommendation, Lord Linde thought for a moment and said, "You select a few more people and make a list. I want to transfer them to Redemption Sanctuary for a loyalty trial and ability test. As long as she can pass the trial, she will be your successor. However, before that, you still need to continue in the position of female camp Commander for a while."
"Yes, Earl," Daisy nodded upon hearing this.
Lord Linde then looked at the Miracle Port officials in the room and asked, "Where are Ser Horth and Bishop Josais?"
Steward Weiss replied, "Ser Horth is stationed in the Stepstones. Because of your disappearance, the Pirate Alliance of the Stepstones thought they had an opportunity and wanted to cause trouble. Ser Horth has already led a portion of the fleet to God's Grace Island. Bishop Josais is currently in Redemption Sanctuary, undergoing the Seven Gods Trial."
"Josais is undergoing the Seven Gods Trial?" Lord Linde was surprised to hear this and asked, "Why is he doing that?"
The Seven Gods Trial, created by Lord Linde and Moroa, was an enhanced version of the Redemption Sisters and Silent Monks' trials. Its purpose was to comprehensively transform the person undergoing the trial, and the danger level was naturally increased exponentially.
To date, three people had participated in the trial, all of whom were extremely devout Seven Gods Church monks and intensely loyal to Lord Linde.
However, all three monks ultimately suffered a mental breakdown because they could not endure the pain brought by the trial. Even if their bodies eventually completed all the trials, they inevitably became living dead, almost like vegetables.
These three monks' trials were not overseen by Lord Linde and Moroa. In fact, when the Seven Gods Trial was created, both of them felt that such a transformation was too radical and had no intention of implementing it, or even conducting experiments.
Qyburn, as an assistant, however, felt that the Seven Gods Trial was already very complete and could be subjected to human experimentation. So, he tricked three devout monks from Redemption Sanctuary into participating in the experiment. The experiment ultimately failed, and Qyburn was punished for it. For the next six months, he was not allowed near Black Hollow, nor was he allowed to conduct any experiments, which was undoubtedly the greatest punishment for Qyburn, who was addicted to various experiments.
"He felt that you paid too much attention to Redemption Sanctuary and neglected Miracle Sanctuary for too long," Weiss said with a helpless expression, "That's why he voluntarily applied to undergo the Seven Gods Trial to prove his loyalty to the Seven Gods and to you, Lord."
Hearing Weiss explain Bishop Josais's reasoning, Lord Linde was somewhat dumbfounded and didn't know what to say for a moment.
As Weiss said, he did indeed put a lot of effort into Redemption Sanctuary, personally forming the Redemption Sisters, Silent Monks, and Chosen of God, among other quasi-ecclesiastical armed forces, while Miracle Sanctuary was completely left to its own devices.
Although he had also sent a portion of Stone Giants to be stationed at Miracle Sanctuary as temple guards, when Lord Linde disappeared this time, Redemption Town felt that the strength to protect Nameria and the child in her womb was insufficient, so they recalled the Stone Giants to Redemption Sanctuary.
This naturally caused Bishop Josais's dissatisfaction, which is why he decided to participate in the Seven Gods Trial to prove his piety and loyalty, hoping to gain more attention from Lord Linde in the future.
And this kind of behavior could simply be replaced by the term 'seeking favor,' which also left Lord Linde somewhat speechless.
"Which trial has he completed now?" Lord Linde sighed and asked Weiss.
To Lord Linde, Bishop Josais was not only loyal to him but also extremely capable. He did not want such a capable subordinate to become a living dead due to seeking favor, so he hoped that the Seven Gods Trial had not progressed to an irreversible point, and he wanted to stop it from continuing.
Weiss replied, "I heard he has completed all the trials and is currently adapting to the Seven Gods Blessing he received during the trial in Redemption Sanctuary."
"Already passed all the trials?" Lord Linde was stunned to hear this. He knew very well that without any anesthetic, those so-called trials, which were actually transformations, required a person to be fully conscious. Even with an iron will, it would be extremely difficult to endure such torment. So Lord Linde felt that Redemption Sanctuary was lying.
But thinking carefully, lying can only deceive for a while. Bishop Josais will eventually return to Miracle Sanctuary to preside over affairs. When Bishop Josais doesn't return, the lie will fall apart, and it might cause more trouble. Those few in Redemption Sanctuary should not be so short-sighted as to miss this point, so Bishop Josais's trial was probably a true success.
This also made Lord Linde a bit curious about what kind of changes Bishop Josais would undergo after these transformations.
Lord Linde did not dwell too much on the matter of Bishop Josais; everything would become clear once he returned to Redemption Town.
Subsequently, based on the things he had just heard, he adjusted Miracle Port's policies, such as increasing the number of Miracle Merchant Guild members, and, for example, initiating the third phase of dock expansion ahead of schedule.
After giving these instructions, he dismissed everyone except Daisy.
After keeping Daisy, Lord Linde briefly explained his Beyond the Wall plan and the importance of Bear Island within that plan. He hoped that Daisy, after becoming the Earl of Bear Island, would cooperate with him in implementing these plans.
After listening, Daisy thought for a moment and said, "If we unauthorizedly contact the Savage Tribes Beyond the Wall, what about the Night's Watch?"
Lord Linde offered a solution, saying, "I will give you a letter. After you return, go to Black Castle when you have time and give it to the Commander. He will not hold you accountable for this matter."
Saying that, he paused and said, "The only thing you need to consider is Winterfell's attitude. After all, if I build a military fortress on Bear Island, it would be equivalent to an invasion of the North. Even if you and Duke Eddard don't mind this, other Northern nobles will raise objections and force Duke Eddard to make some decisions. At that time, you will probably be the first to bear the brunt and be difficult."
"At that time, I can indeed send troops to support you, but that way, I would truly become an invader of the North, and you and Bear Island would be considered traitors to the North. I do not wish for relations with the North to deteriorate because of this, so unless absolutely necessary, I will not send troops directly. You will have to find a way to resolve everything yourself."
Hearing the difficulties mentioned by Lord Linde, Daisy not only did not feel worried but instead looked eager, saying, "Please rest assured, I know how to deal with it. At worst, we'll solve this problem the traditional Northern way."
"Traditional method?" Lord Linde looked at Daisy in confusion.
Daisy picked up the spiked mace at her waist, swung it twice, and said, "Just beat them into submission with force."
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