Valantis, in the core area of the Black Wall Guard, stands the palace where the consuls exercise their power.
This magnificent temple has a dome that hangs high and is inlaid with stained glass.
When the noon sun penetrated, it cast a blurry light and shadow on the polished black marble floor, like the silent gaze of the gods.
At this moment, deep in this hall of supreme power, at the huge council table, the three archons of Valantis were in a fierce dispute.
The only archon of the Tiger Party, Malacho Megaya, whose old face was flushed with anger, his thick fingers tapped heavily on the tabletop, emitting a dull echo that echoed in the empty hall.
He wore a silk robe embroidered with the roaring golden tiger crest, symbolizing the Tiger Party, and wore a heavy gold chain around his neck, each of which was engraved with the exploits of his ancestors.
His voice was loud:
"The latest news, the army of the Mir people has been defeated, the Easterners are advancing towards the city of Mir, we must do something.
Will it be until the Oriental man chews up Telosi, Reese, and Mir one by one, turns the entire kingdom of the three daughters into the jewel in his crown, and then sharpens his knife and casts his greedy gaze on our Valantis? "
The Tiger Party, representing the oldest aristocratic blood and military tradition of Valantis, believes in conquering the world with iron and blood.
In the "bloody century" after the fall of the Free Fortress of Valyria, the Tiger Party was in power, driving the powerful Tiger Robe army and huge fleet in an attempt to rebuild the glory of Valyria.
However, the overinflated ambitions eventually led to a joint counterattack from the free city-states, and Valantis suffered a crushing defeat, and the political power of the Tiger Party collapsed, and its prestige plummeted.
For three hundred years, the Elephant Party has firmly controlled at least two consul seats, and the Tiger Party has been reduced to a marginal growler.
Malachio's anger not only stemmed from his vigilance against Liu Qian, but also from the humiliation and unwillingness of the Tiger Party that had been suppressed for three centuries.
Opposite him sat the two consuls of the Elephant Party, representing the interests of merchants, bankers and slave owners.
They pursued the flow of money and the expansion of trade networks, believing that wealth is the real power.
Neisiso Visama was thin and habitually rubbed a huge sapphire ring on his thumb.
His family was the largest middleman in Valantis' trade with Slave Bay, controlling countless slave shipping routes.
He spoke slowly:
"Lord Malachio, anger blinds the eyes of wisdom, that oriental? He did make waves in the disputed lands, but note that his conquest of Telosi and Ris did not touch the roots of slavery, on the contrary, the war made the nobles and workshoprs in those areas even more hungry for slaves.
At a time when the number of slaves destined for disputed territories has increased by 40 percent over the past year compared to peacetime, and countless riches are flowing into our coffers, it is not wise to take the initiative to provoke a powerful force that currently poses no threat to our trade lanes. We should first contact and observe, and even establish mutually beneficial trade relations with him, which is the choice of the Xiang Party. "
Dofas Pannimien, another elephant party consul, has a rich physique and a smile on his round face.
His family wealth was built on the broader trade in goods, from spice silk in the East to timber ore in the West.
He followed up with Nexiso's words in an optimistic tone:
"What Lord Nesiso has said is that war, especially on other people's lands, is sometimes a wonderful business opportunity, and the supply of luxury goods such as pear brandy at Tellosi, lace and glass at Mill, and wine at Reese has been disrupted by the war, and prices have soared like wings, and my fleet has been staggeringly profitable, as to whether the Oriental will threaten Valantis?"
He laughed and patted his round belly: "We have an impregnable black wall, a well-equipped tiger robe army of tens of thousands, and we can also hire the best mercenary regiments on the continent of Essos, if that oriental man really dares to stretch out his claws, we will let him understand that Valantis is not the soft-footed shrimp of the third daughter." "
Malacho looked at the two colleagues in front of him, immersed in the illusion of wealth growth and security, and a deep sense of powerlessness and anger almost made him feel dead.
He suppressed his anger, his voice trembling slightly from the suppression: "You short-sighted guys! You only see the gold flowing in front of you, but you can't see what kind of giant beast the Oriental will expand into after integrating the resources of the third daughter, his army is tempered in wildfire, his ambition will never stop at the Mir River, when he digests the results of the battle, sharpens his minions, and when the soldiers come to the city, you will regret it! "
Nesiso was unmoved, and even gracefully picked up the crystal cup and took a sip of chilled red wine: "The loyalty and combat effectiveness of the Tiger Robe Army, there is no doubt about it, Lord Malachio, you are too worried, the failure of the third daughter stems from its own weakness and division, not how invincible the enemy is, Valantis will not repeat the mistakes of the past." "
Dopas nodded in agreement, his fat fingers tapping on the table: "That's right, Lord Naisiso is right, the third daughter can't even make up a decent army, it's normal not to be able to beat it, we Valantis, there is a black wall, there is a tiger robe army, there is a fleet, and there is unparalleled wealth, that oriental person is not to be feared." "
Seeing that the two of them were not getting oil, a trace of determination flashed in Malayang's eyes.
He knew that the power of the Tiger Party alone could not push for intervention.
He took a deep breath, as if with some kind of determination, and took out a letter sealed with fire paint from the inner pocket of his silk robe.
"Since the two lords are so convinced of Valantis, they have no interest in taking the initiative—"
Malachio's voice returned to cold, and he slammed the letter on the keel table and pushed it towards the two of them: "Then, you might as well take a look at this." From Braavos' 'proposal'. "
The smile on Dofas' face froze, and with a hint of reluctant doubt, he picked up the letter and muttered, "Braavos? What tricks do they want to do? Don't let us jointly send troops to provoke that evil star-"
He unfolded the letter paper and quickly scanned the text on it.
After a few seconds, his muttering voice stopped suddenly, and the shrewd businessman's eyes widened suddenly, and the usual smile on his face was replaced by disbelief.
He suddenly looked up at Malacho: "Braavos - they actually want to do this?!" "
Nessiso also noticed Dofas's abnormality and immediately took the letter.
His sharp eagle eyes quickly swept over the content, and his usually calm face also showed obvious vibrations, even with a hint of pain: "This—how much money do you need to invest in those guys? Will the price be too high? "
Seeing that the two were finally moved, Malayang's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
He snorted coldly: "What is the golden dragon compared to mobilizing the Tiger Robe Army and hiring a huge fleet to go deep into the disputed land to fight the Orientals head-on?" This is already the best plan that the Braavos can come up with, it does not require us to lose a single soldier, it does not require us to get involved in the war, but it can eliminate that disturbing threat, is it not more effective than you fantasize about using trade and the Black Wall to influence a conqueror? "
Dofas and Nexiso looked at each other again.
Silence spread through the huge halls, with only the domed statue staring silently below.
Finally, Dopas nodded slowly, and Nexiso also pondered, rubbing his fingers unconsciously against the sapphire ring, which was considered the default.
Malacho looked at the compromise of the two, but there was no joy in his heart, only short-sighted contempt for these elephant party colleagues.
If it weren't for Braavos' unexpected "proposal", Valantis would probably really sit back and watch the Oriental man grow up completely on the ruins of his neighbor.