While Linde observed the people in the tavern, the Dornishmen who were reveling and drinking inside the tavern also stopped, their gazes unanimously turning towards Na Melilia Fudeli, and then they all stood up to salute.
Perhaps because Na Melilia Fudeli's figure was too tall, blocking Linde behind her, the people in the tavern didn't see him for a while until they saluted and looked up, then they saw Linde walking out from behind Na Melilia Fudeli, and expressions of surprise appeared on their faces.
The reason for their surprise was exactly the same as Na Melilia Fudeli's surprise when she saw Linde earlier; Linde's attire was somewhat peculiar, with a person wearing four swords, two of which were knight's longswords, and these two longswords were even hanging at his waist.
If Linde hadn't been tall enough, these two knight's longswords would probably have dragged on the ground.
However, among these people, the surprised expressions of a few after seeing Linde were not due to Linde's attire, but his identity.
The few Dornishmen who recognized Linde gathered beside the young leader's ear and whispered a few words, seemingly introducing Linde's identity. The young man's eyes lit up after hearing it, and he looked at Linde as if he had found some new and interesting toy.
Although the voices of those few Dornishmen were very low, Linde could still vaguely hear some of the content with his extraordinary hearing, but since they were speaking the Dornish language, he couldn't understand it at all.
As soon as Na Melilia Fudeli entered the tavern, she walked straight to the young man and directly questioned him: "You suddenly came here because you knew Duke Tywin was going to act against me, didn't you?"
"I heard some news, but it wasn't certain, but now I'm somewhat certain." The young man lazily straightened up from his armchair, then looked at Linde and said, "Bear Hunter Linde, the name I've heard most in the southern taverns recently. Did Duke Tyrell order you to come here? He's also interested in this land."
"My orders were only to suppress bandits, Prince Oberyn." Linde replied naturally.
The Red Viper was not surprised that he was recognized; what surprised him was Linde's overly calm attitude towards him.
"How many men did you bring?" Unsure if she was worried that the Red Viper would make things difficult for Linde, Na Melilia Fudeli took a step back, blocking him, and asked the Red Viper.
The Red Viper pointed to the Dornishmen in the tavern, counting about twenty or so.
Na Melilia Fudeli frowned and said, "You only brought this many people, how can you help me deal with the invaders?"
The Red Viper shook his head and said, "No, I didn't come to deal with the invaders. I came to knock you out and take you south by boat if necessary."
Na Melilia Fudeli yelled angrily at the Red Viper, "I won't go to Dorne! I am the Earl of Tengshi Town, Fudeli."
"An Earl who can't even protect her own territory?" The Red Viper scoffed, then his expression turned serious and he said, "You should know how important the location of Tengshi Town is. It's right at the junction of the Westerlands, The Reach, and the Crownlands, and not far from the Stormlands and the Riverlands. No king would want this place to be ruled by a powerful lord, so after the Dance of the Dragons destroyed Tengshi Town, it has never been rebuilt. Did the Fudeli Family not want to rebuild it? No, the surrounding great lords wouldn't allow it to be rebuilt."
Na Melilia Fudeli couldn't help but yell, "If that's the case, then let it remain abandoned!"
"You don't need to shout at me," the Red Viper pointed in the direction of King's Landing and said, "Your enemy is over there, my cousin!"
"Shut up! I am Fudeli, not Martell!" Na Melilia Fudeli roared with extreme displeasure.
The Red Viper looked calmly at Na Melilia Fudeli and said, "You have Dornish Martell blood in you, from the day you were born. No matter how much you deny it, you can't change that fact."
The Red Viper's words seemed to touch a raw nerve for Na Melilia Fudeli; her expression immediately darkened, and her anger quickly receded, replaced by icy eyes and tone: "Get out! Now, all of you, get out of my territory! I don't need you to do anything for me. I just want you to leave my territory immediately and go back to Dorne."
The Red Viper could tell that Na Melilia Fudeli wasn't just talking; she genuinely wanted to drive them away. His lazy demeanor instantly vanished, and he became much sharper, like a venomous snake raising its head.
The surrounding Dornishmen also stood up at this moment, all placing their hands on the weapons at their waists, as if they would act against Na Melilia Fudeli at the Red Viper's command.
Seeing this, Linde didn't think much of it. He crossed his arms, gripping the hilt of his swords at his waist, maintaining the starting stance of the Lost Country Knight's swordsmanship. Since he intended to use Tengshi Town as a base, he naturally needed to do something for the Earl of Tengshi Town.
The moment Linde placed his hand on the sword hilt, the Red Viper's attention shifted from Na Melilia Fudeli to Linde, because at that moment, he instinctively felt danger, a kind of danger he had never experienced before, as if death would descend upon him if he made even the slightest unusual movement.
It wasn't just the Red Viper; every Dornishman in the room felt the threat of death, but they couldn't clearly feel the source of the danger like the Red Viper could.
Conversely, Na Melilia Fudeli, who stood in front of Linde, did not feel the threat of death from Linde. She was only somewhat puzzled by the tense expressions on the faces of the Red Viper and the Dornishmen.
The Red Viper did not act, but instead raised his hand as a signal. The surrounding Dornishmen, seeing the Red Viper's gesture, also sighed in relief, removed their hands from their weapons, and then silently walked out of the tavern one after another.
After all the Dornishmen had left, the Red Viper stepped out, but as he passed by Na Melilia Fudeli, he paused, looking up slightly at his giantess of a cousin, and said, "You'd best not use the people hidden in that valley. They've been watched from the beginning. That's Jon Arryn's bait. If you dare to directly contact them, King's Landing will have a reason to act immediately, unlike now where they can only act covertly even if they want to." He paused, then added, "I'll leave a troop near Bitterbridge. If you..."
"No, there's no 'if.' Even if I die, I will die in my own territory." Na Melilia Fudeli interrupted the Red Viper, stating firmly.
The Red Viper said nothing more and walked away, but as he left, he looked again at Linde and at Glory, who was baring her teeth at his feet.
"Why aren't you leaving yet?" After the Red Viper left, Na Melilia Fudeli gradually calmed down. With a gloomy face, she turned to look at Linde and said ungraciously.
Linde calmly said, "Earl, you haven't agreed to let my men be stationed in your territory. I need an answer from you so I can decide what to do next."
Na Melilia Fudeli said dismissively, "Is House Tyrell planning to annex my territory this way? By clearing out bandits?"
"Of course not." Linde shook his head and said, "If House Tyrell truly wanted to act against you, they wouldn't need to do anything at all. They could just wait for things to escalate here and then come out to uphold justice, after all, House Tyrell is your liege lord, and if I recall correctly, there are collateral branches of the Fudeli Family serving in Highgarden. If something were to happen to you, then it would be a matter of course for House Tyrell, as your liege, to support a collateral branch of the Fudeli Family to inherit Tengshi Town."
As he spoke, a bold idea suddenly formed in Linde's mind: perhaps House Tyrell really would use this method to deal with Tengshi Town in the future, because in his memory, Tengshi Town had almost disappeared a decade or so later. Even if it sometimes made some noise, it was only in conjunction with House Tyrell.
If Na Melilia Fudeli was still the Earl of Tengshi Town at that time, she would absolutely not have done that. Moreover, with Na Melilia Fudeli's stature and appearance, it would be impossible for her to remain completely unknown a decade or so later; at the very least, her reputation should be comparable to that of Brienne the Beauty. Therefore, Na Melilia Fudeli might have already died by then.
Na Melilia Fudeli didn't notice the subtle change in Linde's expression; instead, she was seriously considering what Linde had said.
Although she was only Prince Lemony's bastard daughter, Prince Lemony, adhering to Dornish tradition, cultivated Na Melilia Fudeli no less than any male descendant. This gave Na Melilia Fudeli extremely high political cultivation and wisdom, and she quickly analyzed that everything Linde said was highly likely to happen.
Linde looked at Na Melilia Fudeli and said in a deep voice, "Please rest assured, even if such a thing were feasible, Duke Tyrell is unlikely to do so."
Na Melilia Fudeli questioned, "Why wouldn't he do that? You're not Duke Tyrell, are you?"
Linde explained, "Scholar Moras, the Duke's advisor, once suggested a marriage between you and the Duke's second son, Garlan Tyrell, but it was rejected on the grounds that you have Dornish blood."
Na Melilia Fudeli turned and glared at Linde as if a raw nerve had been struck, as if she would throw Linde out if he said one more word.
However, Linde was unaffected and continued, "But in my opinion, that was just an excuse; the real situation should be a concern."
"A concern?" Na Melilia Fudeli asked, puzzled, "What concern? Dorne?"
"Of course not, it's the Iron Throne." Linde explained, "Duke Tyrell spent a year clearing up the impact he caused during the Usurper War to regain the Iron Throne's trust. If he were to occupy such an important place as Tengshi Town at this time, how would King Robert view it, how would Duke Tywin view it, how would the Stormlands view it, how would the Riverlands view it? The rose is too delicate; it needs careful nurturing. So, the House Tyrell is the last one you need to guard against right now."
Na Melilia Fudeli listened to Linde's analysis, remaining silent for a long time before scrutinizing Linde with a hint of a strange gaze, asking, "You seem to be only a hunter by origin. Why do you know all this?"
Linde smiled and said, "You're not the first to ask me that question, but I don't want to answer it anymore, because for everyone who asks me that question, I come up with a different story. Too many stories lead to too many loopholes, and while this won't cause me any trouble, it will still have some negative effects."
"You trust me that much? You even tell me these little secrets. Aren't you afraid I'll spread them?" Na Melilia Fudeli asked, somewhat puzzled.
"These things aren't important, and it doesn't matter if they get out. Besides, if you spread them, who would believe you?" Linde looked calmly at Na Melilia Fudeli and said, "As for why I'm saying all this, it's because I think partners should be more frank, especially since I might be stationed here for several years to come."
"Are you so sure I'll agree to you establishing a base here?" Na Melilia Fudeli looked down at Linde, saying.
"I can't think of a reason for you to refuse." Linde shrugged.
Na Melilia Fudeli gazed at Linde for a long time and said, "I need to think about it."
Linde bowed his head slightly and said, "That is your right, Earl. If you decide, just send someone to let me know."
With that, he turned and walked out of the tavern, but stopped at the doorway, turning to Na Melilia Fudeli and saying, "Prince Oberyn just told you not to contact those people in the valley. That's a very good suggestion; I also think it's a deliberate trap."
"I know." Na Melilia Fudeli replied calmly.
Linde observed Na Melilia Fudeli's reaction; he felt that Na Melilia Fudeli had probably suspected the purpose of those people's existence for a long time, which was why she hadn't contacted them despite being so close to their hiding place.
Seeing this, Linde said nothing more, stepped out of the tavern, mounted his horse, and rode away from Tengshi Town.
This impromptu trip to the ruins of Old Tengshi Town was extremely fruitful for him, as he not only made contact with the Earl of Tengshi Town but also met the legendary figure, the Red Viper.
Soon, Linde rode out of the wooden palisade walls of Tengshi Town and was about to head towards the dense forest where his men and horses were stationed, but he suddenly pulled on the horse's reins, stopped, dismounted, turned to look at a small hill nearby, and asked the Red Viper, who was standing there and had probably been waiting for a long time, "Prince Oberyn, it seems you were waiting for me. Is there something you need?"
The Red Viper pulled out the steel spear stuck beside him, walked down the hill, and as he walked, he said, "I mainly have two things. One is that I want to know if you mean harm to Na Melilia Fudeli, and the other is that I want to know if the first swordsman of the Seven Kingdoms lives up to his reputation."
Linde was stunned, and asked in confusion, "The first swordsman of the Seven Kingdoms? How do I not know I have such a title?"
"A title given to you by your admirers, after all, it's rare for a legendary figure to emerge among the low-born commoners." The Red Viper chuckled, then looked at Glory at Linde's feet and said, "Is that the gift the female Shadow Lynx in the story gave you?"
"Yes." Linde nodded.
"A very beautiful little fellow." The Red Viper said with a hint of envy.
Linde reached out and stroked Glory's head, agreeing, "Yes, he's a beautiful little fellow."
The Red Viper came before Linde, looked at him, and said, "Although this is my first time meeting you, I think you're a man of honor. Now I ask you, will you harm Na Melilia Fudeli?"
"Of course not." Linde replied directly.
The Red Viper and Linde stared into each other's eyes for a long time before he slowly said, "I believe you, Bear Hunter." With that, he took a few steps back, twirled his spear, and said, "Then let's begin the second matter! Fight me."
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