"You don't think I would risk my family's honor being stained and become a pirate with you, do you?"
"Of course not."
Samwell shook his head with a smile, wearing a completely harmless expression.
"Only someone as desperate as me would take such a risk. You just need to invest. Even if this matter is exposed in the future, it won't implicate you."
"Invest?"
"That's right." Samwell took a sip of wine and said leisurely, "The Tyrell family has already invested two hundred elite soldiers, and the Redwyne family of Qingting Island is about to invest a batch of warships and sailors. The returns will be enormous. So, respected Lord Viscount, are you willing to take part in this investment as well? You should know, the two strongest families in the Reach have already placed their bets. Opportunities like this don't come often."
Viscount Martin pondered for a moment, then still asked cautiously:
"What do you want from me?"
"Artisans," Samwell answered concisely. "I already have an army and warships. What I urgently need now is a group of craftsmen to help me build my territory and docks. So I hope you can send artisans from Highland City to develop together with me. I can promise you—your returns in the future will be tenfold, even a hundredfold!"
Viscount Martin thought for a while, then nodded and said:
"Alright. I can send ten craftsmen to accompany you…"
"Ten?" Samwell interrupted rudely. "My lord Viscount, I risked my reputation to tell you the truth, yet I didn't expect you to treat me like a beggar."
Viscount Martin suppressed his anger. "Then how many do you want?"
"All of them."
"All of them?"
"Yes. I want all the craftsmen in Highland City!" Samwell waved his hand grandly. "Lend them to me for one year. After one year, I'll pay you ten times the rent."
"That's impossible!" Viscount Martin rejected him immediately. "What if your development fails? Who am I supposed to ask for money? I might even lose all my craftsmen. Do you think I'm crazy enough to agree to such a request?"
"Failure?" Samwell smiled faintly. "My lord Viscount, do you really think this pioneering operation will fail?"
"Any action can fail, let alone opening up land in the Crimson Mountains."
Samwell burst out laughing.
"My lord Viscount, it seems you still haven't understood the true meaning of this development. Do you think the Tyrell family went to all this trouble just to rob a few Dornish merchant ships?"
Viscount Martin asked patiently,
"Oh? Does the Tyrell family have other plans?"
"Of course. The Reach and Dorne have a feud lasting a thousand years, and Duke Mace's eldest son, Vilas Tyrell, was just crippled by Prince Oberyn. How could the Tyrell family not seek an opportunity to take revenge on Dorne?"
"Revenge on Dorne?" Viscount Martin looked doubtful. "Dorne isn't that easy to invade."
"You're right. Dorne is easy to defend and hard to attack. But Daeron I once conquered Dorne—and he did it without the aid of dragons. Though he claimed all the credit for that war himself, anyone with discerning eyes knows that the true key to victory lay in Earl Alyn Velaryon leading the fleet to capture Planky Town, control the Greenblood River, and sever the connections between Dorne's major regions.
"You should also know that this time, the location of my pioneering territory was personally chosen by Lady Olenna. It lies near the mouth of the Turbulent River. This position is strikingly similar to Planky Town on the Greenblood!
"As long as the mouth of the Turbulent River is controlled, the three major regions in western Dorne will become the Reach's purse!
"Tell me—would the Tyrell family allow such a crucial pioneering operation to fail so easily?"
Viscount Martin fell into deep thought after hearing this.
Seeing this, Samwell immediately pressed on:
"As long as the Tyrell family is determined, I really can't imagine how this development could fail. Could those savages in the Crimson Mountains stand against the Tyrell family's elite soldiers? Or do you think the Dornish would notice the Reach's ambitions, take the initiative to attack, and destroy this development?"
Viscount Martin shook his head.
Those disorganized savages were naturally nothing to fear. As for the Dornish, if they truly took the initiative to attack and started a war, Duke Mace might wake up laughing in his sleep.
After all, in terms of population, resources, and military strength, Dorne was completely inferior to the Reach. The reason they had been able to contend with each other for so many years was mainly due to the shelter of the Crimson Mountains and the desert's unique climate. If they were foolish enough to abandon their geographical advantage and attack first, they would inevitably be crushed by the Reach's army.
Moreover, the greatest obstacle to establishing a new territory in the Crimson Mountains—funding—had already been resolved by the bold pioneer knight before him, at the cost of his reputation and future. After thinking it through, Viscount Martin realized that there truly seemed to be no possibility of failure.
Still, he hesitated to commit all of his family's craftsmen to this endeavor.
Seeing this, Samwell stopped persuading him. He set his wine cup down on the table and said:
"My lord Viscount, please consider it carefully. I'll stay in Highland City for a few more days to purchase supplies and provisions, preparing to head into the mountains. If you're willing to invest, you can send someone to find me at any time."
With that, Samwell turned and walked out of the room.
…
On the third day of staying in Highland City, Samwell still had not received Viscount Martin's reply.
It seemed that the lord was indeed extremely cautious, not someone easily swayed by rhetoric.
However, Samwell did receive a reply from Miss Margaery.
In her letter, Margaery criticized Samwell's extravagant behavior as usual, while also urging him to quicken his march. Moreover, this young lady had learned her lesson this time and set clear rules with Samwell in the letter. From now on, she would only provide one hundred golden dragons per month as development funds. If Samwell wanted more, he would have to show results—
Such as progress in building the new territory, growth in population, and so on.
It had to be said that this time Margaery had grown smarter, successfully avoiding Samwell's reckless extortion.
Samwell wasn't too surprised. The Tyrell family wasn't truly foolish enough to willingly serve as his "cash machine."
Still, this sort of subtle "control technique" was unlikely to have been devised by the immature young lady herself. More likely, it was inspired by the "Queen of Thorns."
Samwell wasn't disappointed. After all, he had already squeezed quite a bit of money out of the Tyrell family. Using that as a grand banner was more than enough to bluff other investors.
Development was, in essence, no different from starting a business. Naturally, it relied on investors' money.
It was just that this lord of Highland City seemed particularly difficult to deceive.
Samwell decided to wait one last day. If Viscount Martin still didn't respond tomorrow, he would set off to find a new big wronged—no, a new investor.
…
On the other side, Viscount Martin, who was "not easy to fool," privately summoned the messenger from High Court and asked:
"Who wrote the letter you delivered to Samwell?"
The messenger bowed, neither servile nor arrogant.
"Sorry, my lord Viscount. I'm afraid it's not convenient for me to disclose that."
However, when Viscount Martin slipped a golden dragon into the messenger's hand, a flattering smile instantly appeared on his face.
"It was written by the duke's daughter, Miss Margaery, and it came with three hundred golden dragons."
"Really?" Viscount Martin murmured thoughtfully. "Anything else? I also saw you seek out Todd Flowers."
"That was a message from Lady Olenna to Knight Todd…" At this point, the messenger hesitated again.
But when Viscount Martin took out another golden dragon, the once-upright messenger immediately added:
"Lady Olenna instructed Knight Todd to obey Lord Caesar's arrangements."
Hearing this, Viscount Martin's expression changed slightly. He stood there, motionless, for a long time.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
"Game of Thrones: Dragon Prince"
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" Game of Thrones: From the Elden Lord to the Young Wolf"
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(End Chapter)