If there's anything the last battles with the pirates taught Linus, it was the value of intelligence in and outside the dominion. This became more valuable to him now that he was walking on thin ice with relationships he had with his northern allies and the Nexians. He didn't want to believe that his neighbors and friends would betray his trust, but it was just too naïve of him to assume that everybody could be trusted.
Like in the case of Old Vincent and his family, even though their views and activities were widely tolerated by Julius and his men, the bunch still betrayed them and even instigated a rebellion, demanding the chief be replaced. It was the bitter truth that Linus learned that if there was something valuable enough to gain from betrayal, then some people would be willing to commit the most heinous acts as the rebels have demonstrated during the riots and the battle at sea.
To my lovely patrons, I'm sorry if my updates come late these days. I'm just too busy jugling my day job, other responsibilities, and writing this work. So please, as much as possible, do hold back an hour or two before reading the latest releases once they just came out. Most likely, I'm still doing self editing at that time, adding embelishments and additional content. I do not wish for you to be shortchanged of what you read, so please understand. Thank you very much and see you again in the next release.