Maximus was right, both parties had friendly intentions, so the agreement was quickly reached.
The drafted agreement is as follows: Article 1, Leader Maximus of Free Italy will purchase the land of Validosi from the Alde Tribe of Illyria for a price of eighty-three silver talents. Once the payment is made in full, Validosi and the surrounding land will permanently belong to Leader Maximus and his subordinates.
During the negotiations, the purchase price was the focus of the dispute. Pigeris reduced the price to below fifty silver talents on the grounds that "the core region of Validosi is a swamp and uninhabitable," while Cleobrotas and others argued that "although Validosi is now a swamp, once the climate improves, it is still suitable for living and farming," thus raising the price as much as possible. In the end, Maximus personally determined the price to avoid unnecessary disputes.
Over the past year, the Maximus Army first occupied Pompey, then seized Sarabia, and during this time looted countless farms, accumulating a great deal of wealth. Although a significant amount was spent on port trade, he later replenished his coffers by plundering the wealthy town of Padua, so dozens of talents were nothing to him. Winning the friendship of the Alde Tribe was more important.
Next is Article 2: The Alde Tribe and Leader Maximus with his army will form a defensive military alliance. If one party is attacked by an external enemy, the other party must send reinforcements to help repel the enemy.
Initially, Maximus hoped to form a comprehensive military alliance with the Alde Tribe, but Cleobrotas, considering Maximus’s strong intention to attack the Pannonians, feared the Alde Tribe might get drawn into a long-term war with the Pannonians—a loss it could hardly bear due to its weakened state. Thus, he insisted on altering the alliance to a defensive one.
Next is Article 3: Establish a market between the Alde Tribe and Maximus Army to allow both sides to freely trade again (this was Maximus’s strong request);
Following is Article 4: Aside from the jointly established market, neither party may enter the other’s territory without invitation (this was Cleobrotas’s request, considering Maximus’s army consisted of many outsiders, including foreigners, who might disrupt the various villages of the Alde);
Following is Article 5: If a dispute arises between the parties, it must be jointly handled by representatives designated by Leader Maximus and the Great Chief of the Alde Tribe; neither party may impose penalties on its own;
Following is Article 6: Allow free marriage between the parties, with no dowry required from the bride’s side. (This was Maximus’s request because his army had more men than women, and he had heard from Budocaribas that due to the long-running war with the Pannonians and frequent cases of people becoming pirates, the Alde Tribe had more women than men. Cleobrotas readily agreed, believing marriage would foster closer relations between the parties.)
Following is Article 7: If the Maximus Army defeats the Pannonians and occupies their land, the land, regardless of its previous ownership, will belong to Maximus and his subordinates. (This was naturally Maximus’s strong request, which Cleobrotas did not oppose, as an active attack on the Pannonians by Maximus’s army was what the Alde Tribe earnestly hoped for.)
The initial discussion was merely about land purchase, but it eventually turned into an alliance, an outcome that was only natural given both sides’ intentions.
The agreement contained only seven articles, simply because Maximus did not wish to waste time discussing tedious details; he urgently needed to settle his army, which had been on the move and fighting for more than four months.
After the alliance and land purchase agreement was confirmed, the text was engraved on a sturdy wooden board (using both Latin and Greek languages, as the Illyrians did not have their own script but were heavily influenced by the Macedonia Kingdom, and the nobles usually learned Greek). The agreement ended with the names of Acoupaigos and Maximus, followed by the names of all attendees.
According to Illyrian tradition, forming an alliance is one of the most important events for a tribe, and both parties need to conduct a sacred ritual to solemnly pledge to strictly abide by the agreement.
Maximus currently presented himself as an Illyrian, and his army was going to live on Illyrian territory, so he did not hesitate to express his willingness to make a sacred oath.
Thus, the Aldean Envoy Group set up a simple altar near a small stream to worship the Greek sea god Poseidon. For hundreds of years, the Illyrians, with piracy as their main occupation, had revered this sea god, hoping to receive his protection at sea.
At Cleobrotas’s request, Maximus reluctantly sacrificed a white horse to Poseidon, and the group solemnly swore in front of the altar: to abide by the agreement and never violate it!