"Long live the King in the North!"
"Long live the King in the North!"
"Long live the King in the North!"
The wave of cheers behind Jon sounded like a landslide, but he no longer cared.
It seemed Jon failed to stop Robb from claiming the crown, but stopping him was never really the goal.
He only opposed it to test if his cousin would listen to reason.
Now it was clear these Northerners were too shortsighted.
There was no point in staying.
He planned to collaborate with Stannis in the future, earning titles and lands on the battlefield of the Blackwater.
Jon had already made his stance clear in front of everyone.
Before long, word of this event would spread.
In a way, he had "cleared his name."
This should make Stannis trust him more—Stannis might even see him as someone to win over to fracture Winterfell's unity.
But Jon wasn't interested in Winterfell.
In the original timeline, the Starks were the biggest losers of the War of the Five Kings, leaving the North ripe for slaughter.
If he could win the Battle of the Blackwater, the Lannisters would face the same fate.
He could absolutely seek to claim the Westerlands.
Even if not Casterly Rock itself, securing a large fief in the West was entirely possible.
If Jon weren't a transmigrator, the best strategy for the North would be to ally with Renly.
This would be the fastest way to achieve the strategic goal of revenge against the Lannisters.
Renly was incompetent; Winterfell only needed to unite with the Riverlands and threaten the Westerlands to become the hegemon of the North.
Later, they could marry into Renly's line and plot for the Iron Throne.
The "middle strategy" was Stevron Frey's suggestion: sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.
Wait for a victor to emerge, then choose a side.
The "worst strategy" was declaring independence.
While claiming a crown could unite the North and Riverlands, it also isolated them completely.
"Build walls high, store grain wide, and claim the throne slowly"—this was a historically proven strategy.
But Jon was a transmigrator.
He knew that Renly's seemingly unstoppable momentum and massive army would soon collapse.
Stannis held the "Shadow Assassin," a superweapon.
Who wouldn't fear a method that ignored the laws of physics to take a man's head?
Even so, declaring independence remained the worst choice.
Bowing to Renly left room to maneuver with Stannis later.
Declaring independence made you an immediate target for everyone's schemes.
If Robb could control his greed for the crown, Jon would help him—at least wiping out Tywin and controlling the Westerlands would be no issue.
But since he insisted on being King, it meant endless wars ahead.
So Jon planned to run.
But before running, he intended to "cash in" the favors he earned in the North at a high price.
Since Robb divided his army into cavalry-heavy and infantry-heavy sections...
Many of the men Jon saved at the Green Fork were related to the lords currently at Riverrun—some directly, like Harrion being Rickard Karstark's son.
He decided to trade these favors for weapons and armor, then go to the Mountains of the Moon to recruit an army.
He would build his strength for the upcoming Battle of the Blackwater.
There was still quite some time before that battle.
Enough time to train them.
As Jon pondered, he suddenly felt a familiar sensation.
[Remaining Upgrade Points: 1]
The corner of Jon's mouth twitched up slightly; his mood improved a bit.
Suddenly, he noticed Ramsay Snow—the Little Flayer—standing guard at the door, looking at him with sinister eyes.
The look contained mockery and schadenfreude.
In Ramsay's view, Jon opposing Robb's coronation was political suicide.
There would be little room for him to rise in the North now.
"What are you looking at? Your life is still mine!" Jon whispered, making Ramsay shiver.
Act tough all you want. One day I'll be Lord of the Dreadfort, and you'll always be just a bastard—unless you can kill your brother too.
Ramsay thought darkly. Just then, a young noble about Jon's age walked to the door and spoke respectfully to Jon:
"Lord Jon... His Grace, King Robb, invites you inside to discuss the upcoming battle plans."
Him? Why does Robb still trust him!
Ramsay felt his worldview crumbling.
But Jon ignored him.
Re-entering the timber-roofed hall, most people avoided looking at Jon, as if deliberately ignoring him.
Only Catelyn, Robb, Brynden...
Catelyn looked numb; she likely realized how difficult the North's position would be.
Robb was tense; having his brother and strategist oppose him weighed heavily on his heart.
Brynden was expressionless; clearly, Robb had asked him to lead the meeting.
Besides them, there was a small boy.
Jon saw the "plowman" sigil on the boy's chest and realized he was from House Darry.
House Darry was an anomaly among River lords.
They still kept portraits of Targaryen kings in their home.
Their loyalty to the Dragon Kings was beyond question.
Unfortunately, The Mountain had wiped out most of the remaining Darry bloodline.
This boy must be Lyman Darry, the last legitimate male heir of House Darry.
Lyman Darry was looking at Jon with adoration.
Jon could guess why.
The boy was eight or nine—the prime age for idolizing "lone wolf" heroes.
Perhaps Jon's bold stance earlier had struck a chord with him.
Jon eventually sat in the southwest corner.
An inconspicuous spot.
But the nobles around him moved their chairs away as if avoiding a plague.
This actually made Jon's position stand out more.
Brynden slowly stood up and addressed Jon:
"Jon, we've won two great victories in the Riverlands. Next, we prepare to reclaim lost territories. Do you have any suggestions?"
Suggestions? I just want to leave.
Hearing that their first strategic goal after crowning a king was this, Jon got a headache.
He was glad he hadn't committed to following the North down this dark path.
In his view, Tywin's army was right there, and the garrison at the Golden Tooth was watching hungrily.
Splitting forces to reclaim territory now was brain-dead.
"Save people, lose land; land can be retaken. Save land, lose people; both are lost."
Unfortunately, this was a logic these short-sighted nobles would never understand.
Compared to stopping the nobles from crowning Robb, Jon had no "passion" left for this matter.
He just wanted to get some gear, go to the Mountains of the Moon, recruit men, and build his own power.
But he knew if he continued to refuse, he'd only get more opposition and rebuke.
"I plan to join Lord Bolton on the eastern front to pin down Tywin's main force, creating conditions for you to reclaim the lost territories."
Hearing Jon say this, some of those deliberately turning their backs on him turned around.
At least the kid knows his place.
If he objected again, we'd throw him out.
Robb's expression softened upon hearing Jon's words.
For some reason, even though he was now King in the North, without Jon's support, the crown felt uncomfortable on his head.