Previously, Snow had planned to maintain the status quo. As long as he didn't court death, he probably wouldn't die.
But after setting foot in King's Landing, he quickly saw the situation clearly, especially those surrounding Ned and him, who were all guys with ambiguous intentions.
Even the few bigwigs in the Small Council harbored some speculation and malice toward the North, and even toward him, more or less due to their respective interests.
Among them, Petyr, this dog who was bent on throwing the Seven Kingdoms into chaos and planned to climb up the ladder of chaos, had long become Jon's primary target for strict defense.
In addition, the transmigrator needed to be cautious about Grand Maester Pycelle, this old dog, who was obviously not someone to be trifled with.
Jon even suspected that the Warden of the East's untimely death was probably related to this old thing.
Even if the Grand Maester didn't provide the Tears of Lys directly, he probably had intelligence exchanges with Littlefinger.
Leaving aside these two people, the Master of Laws, Renly Baratheon, was not someone who let people relax either.
Not to mention that he was already restless while Robert was alive, wanting to sit on the Iron Throne; even around the time of the Usurper's sudden death, this guy had the vision and courage to try and turn the tables.
Although he eventually died with regret in the Stormlands due to Stannis's shadow assassin, which was completely classified as a "plot kill," under the current circumstances, if the original trajectory was changed due to Jon's random messing around, presumably this guy would also stir up huge waves in King's Landing.
Of course, leaving aside these fake-smiling faces who were polite on the surface but cursing internally, there was also an absent guy in the Small Council who worried Jon: the Master of Ships who activated cheats at the drop of a hat—Stannis Baratheon.
If others could be considered qualified players in the game of thrones, still abiding by the basic rules of the whole game...
Then Stannis was simply a cheater, and an overpowered existence who used scripts more than once to trigger bugs in Westeros.
God knows if this guy would hook up with the Red Woman early and then send a shadow assassin Jon's way.
Thinking of this, Jon felt a splitting headache and even worried for Ned for a moment.
It could be said that the entire King's Landing was a slaughterhouse; a slight carelessness would lead to death on the spot.
And as the most insignificant yet sensible existence among them, he was tied down instead, unable to make much effective progress.
After all, regarding the operating rules of the whole world, charging forward bravely was the only opportunity to break the game. Conversely, those smart guys often missed opportunities because of hesitation.
And right now, he happened to be playing such a role.
Just as Jon was lost in confusion, a smell mixed with fragrance and hidden stench faintly came from behind him.
Sensing something wrong, Jon turned around immediately and saw an egg-like bald head faintly reflecting the light of the torch. It was the Master of Whisperers, Varys.
Regarding this, the transmigrator first looked back at the still-busy Duke Ned, then stepped forward to the Spider.
"Lord Varys, do you need me to announce you to the Lord Hand?"
Jon's etiquette and tone were impeccable, especially his usual attitude, which made Varys feel close.
The Master of Whisperers knew better than anyone that in this magnificent King's Landing, even though he held a high position and had served two monarchs, the respect he could enjoy was countable on one hand.
Guards and servants mistook fear for respect and kept him at a distance.
Those colleagues in the Small Council were all of noble birth and always used his painful experience as a topic of conversation.
Only this newly appointed King's squire and Secretary to the Hand possessed a temperament completely different from ordinary people.
Especially in the gaze he cast upon Varys, there was no curiosity or contempt for a eunuch; instead, he always maintained the direct gaze one would give an ordinary person.
Apart from these, the two also had surprisingly consistent views on the disposal of the Targaryen girl, which made the Spider appreciate this young man even more.
So today, after receiving news from his little birds, Varys chose to come here immediately, intending to use it as a testament to friendship.
However, these were all Varys's inner thoughts and were not revealed to anyone, including the bastard standing in front of him.
At the same time, the transmigrator didn't understand these little thoughts of the Master of Whisperers.
Seeing that Varys didn't speak but just tilted his head to signal him to follow, Jon composed himself slightly and understood that the other party was obviously not looking for Duke Ned.
Sure enough, before Jon could inquire further, Varys chose to get straight to the point first.
"Before disturbing the Lord Hand, I have a situation here that Lord Jon needs to confirm."
Hearing this, the transmigrator instinctively sensed something and subconsciously wanted to hide far away.
After all, for now, he and the Master of Whisperers were not friends yet. Even if they were, he needed to treat his "friendship" cautiously.
However, Varys didn't give him a chance to refuse and immediately grabbed Snow's arm and walked outside.
Then, in front of the gate of the Tower of the Hand, Jon saw a slender figure almost like a woman's.
Even though the other party was shrouded under a cloak, the transmigrator could be certain that this lithe and never-wrong back definitely belonged to Petyr Baelish, whose sigil was the mockingbird.
At this moment, Jon only felt a splitting headache because he finally remembered a critical, deadly plot point.
Of course, he wasn't afraid of meeting Lady Catelyn, but simply lamented that his good days were about to end.
After that, the two followed closely in Littlefinger's footsteps and arrived at a brothel.
When they stepped inside, before even reaching the VIP area on the top floor, a slightly sharp and mean voice rang out from a certain room.
Hearing this familiar voice, Jon didn't even need to guess to know why the proud Lady Catelyn was furious.
Even the friendship accumulated in Littlefinger's youth was worn away by time at this moment.
Then, the two people hiding behind the scenes watching the show exchanged glances.
Although Jon knew that the reason Varys invited him was to let him grasp firsthand intelligence so as to explain to Duke Ned afterward.
But one thing the transmigrator could be sure of was that doing so meant more to the Spider than just showing friendship.
Looking at the entire Westeros, anyone could become a node on Varys's web, unconsciously embedded in it or utilized.
And as a small character with no say, apart from the titles of King's squire and Secretary to the Hand that could attract the other party, Jon couldn't figure out what exactly Varys was plotting on him.
However, this time, the transmigrator clearly misunderstood Varys somewhat.
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