The final outcome remained unchanged; while Volantis was unwilling to see its spoils snatched away, it had no means to alter the situation.
They couldn't even break off relations with Lynd, because if they did, they would lose their share of the profits from the mines in the Disputed Lands.
Moreover, they no longer had the energy to deal with this matter, as the plague that had previously appeared in the Disputed Lands suddenly broke out again in Volantis.
The people of Volantis blamed the Windblown and the Golden Company, who were resting in Volantis at the time, and expelled them.
However, they didn't want to completely antagonize the two powerful mercenary groups, so while expelling them, they also provided them with sufficient provisions.
After a brief stop in the town of Velyon, which had been plundered into ruins by the Dothraki, the two mercenary groups parted ways.
The Windblown headed east, planning to take the Demon Road to Slavers Bay, while the Golden Company went north to see if they could find work in places like Na Sa Star, Ge Dohe, Kohor, and Norvos.
Although the two mercenary groups left, the plague in Volantis did not stop; instead, it worsened.
People in the city began to worship the god of calamity, hoping the Archons would allow a plot of land in the city to be designated for the Temple of the God of Calamities, and at the same time, they sought help from the priests who were building the Holy City of the God of Calamities in the Disputed Lands.
Designating a plot of land for the Temple of the God of Calamities was not difficult for the rulers of Volantis.
Although Volantis primarily followed the god of light rhllor, and most native Volantenes, both commoners and nobles, were followers of the Lord of Light, it did not mean they could not accommodate other religions.
In fact, religions such as Night Lion, Moon Singer, and Thousand-Faced God all had corresponding temples in Volantis.
The followers of these religions and the followers of the Lord of Light could barely coexist peacefully, so adding another god of calamity was not a big deal.
But the problem was that inviting the priests of the god of calamity made the Volantene nobles hesitant, because from Lynd's military action in taking Myr, it was clear that the Church of the god of calamity completely obeyed Lynd.
It was said that the idol of the god of calamity was designed by Lynd himself; this idol had no specific form, only a symbol, and that symbol was the Li character at the top of the longsword hilt in Lynd's family crest.
Such a close relationship between Lynd and the Church of the god of calamity made Volantis full of concerns.
They were very worried that Lynd would use the Church of the god of calamity to infiltrate Volantis, and then annex Volantis without a single soldier, just as he had annexed Tyrosh and Myr.
However, before Volantis could decide whether or not to invite the priests of the god of calamity, the three major cities of Slavers Bay and all the Free Trade City States except Norvos and Kohor experienced outbreaks of the plague.
There were even rumors that many Khal tribes on the Dothraki Sea also had outbreaks of the plague.
This was not the end; Lynd's Miracle Port, Dorne's Sunspear and Planky Town, The Reach's Oldtown, the Westerlands' Lannisport, the Crownlands' King's Landing, the Vale's Gulltown, and the North's White Harbor—all cities that traded with the Free Trade City States—all experienced outbreaks of the plague without exception.
At this moment, everyone realized that the plague originated from the Dothraki.
The Dothraki had already developed the plague when they left the Disputed Lands, but it only spread among slaves and captives, and the Dothraki paid no attention to it.
Upon reaching Slavers Bay, the Dothraki sold the diseased slaves to the slave masters of Slavers Bay, thereby spreading the plague to Slavers Bay.
Similarly, the plague first broke out among slaves, and the slave masters did not care about the lives of the slaves, not taking it seriously.
Some diseased slaves were transported to Volantis, Lys, Tyrosh, Myr, and other places for sale, spreading the plague to these city-states, and people who had contact with diseased slaves then went to other trade cities, thereby spreading the plague throughout the coastal trade cities on both sides of the Narrow Sea.
Facing this completely out-of-control great plague, Lynd reacted the most quickly, establishing isolation zones within the city, arranging medicines, and setting up quarantine belts at the docks.
Although he desperately wanted to blockade Lys, Tyrosh, Myr, and Miracle Port, including the Stepstones, it was clearly impossible, no matter how high his prestige or great his power.
Thanks to Artemisinin, a miracle drug against the epidemic, and its quick discovery and timely handling, the plague in his territory was extinguished in less than half a month.
In stark contrast to the situation in Summerhall, other cities experiencing the plague were getting worse and worse.
In King's Landing, for example, a large number of people were infected and died, and places like Flea Bottom lost a third of their population; the situation in other cities was similar.
Lynd, who had returned to Summerhall Castle, carefully reviewed the various documents submitted by his subordinates, his expression remaining solemn and serious.
When he closed the last page of the document, a hint of fatigue appeared on his face; he hadn't slept well since the plague broke out.
Although this plague was caused by the Dothraki, he had anticipated it beforehand and let it run its course, thinking he could control the plague in the Disputed Lands.
The current situation, however, slapped him hard, bringing him back from his arrogant and conceited state.
Ever since he regained his magical armor and displayed god-like power in Kohor, subduing a city-state by himself, Lynd's heart had become somewhat arrogant, believing that everything was under his control, and he even became dizzy from the praises of the monks and priests of the Church of the god of calamity, the Church of the storm god, and the Church of the god of magic.
Now, having sobered up, he found his previous actions difficult to comprehend.
Why did he then believe that he could control a plague that even the high-tech of his previous world couldn't control? The only explanation was that he truly saw himself as a god at that time.
Lynd laughed self-deprecatingly, then turned to the Archbishop of Redemption Sanctuary and the Archbishop of Miracle Sanctuary waiting nearby, asking, "Archbishop Huren, Archbishop Zanqi, have you completed the preparations I asked you to make?"
"Personnel and supplies are all ready, and we can depart at any time," the two quickly replied.
"Then say no more, let's depart now!" Lynd nodded, then reminded them, "If you encounter any insoluble problems, remember to send someone to report immediately.
Also, remember to remind the monks below that between saving people and protecting themselves, they must first protect themselves."
After responding, the two took a letter of authorization for material allocation from Lynd and left the room.
Lynd then turned to Liza, the Archbishop of the storm god, who had just arrived from Braavos and was waiting nearby, and said, "You must return to Braavos immediately, and take the medicine with you when you go back.
I will send several more ships of medicine later, and you must strictly follow the epidemic prevention rules I gave you, without any slack.
If the medicine is insufficient, remember to send a letter in advance, do not wait until it runs out to report."
"As you command," Liza quickly replied.
After Liza left, Lynd turned to Marthus, the Chief Priest of the god of calamity, and said, "You should know what to do about the matters in Pentos and Volantis, right?"
Marthus replied, "I already know what to do, my Lord." Then he hesitated for a moment and said, "What about Slavers Bay…?"
Lynd interrupted Marthus, saying, "Consider Slavers Bay after the plagues in Pentos and Volantis are resolved."
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