As the King's Squire and Secretary to the Hand, Jon could never tell which of these two positions was more "noble."
But for now, he still had to balance the tasks entrusted to him by both Ned and the Usurper.
Although this task was directly assigned to Duke Ned, in Jon's view, even if the Hand of the King completely slacked off, Robert would only curse his brother a bit, not punish him.
In contrast, he, the bastard and King's Squire, would bear unexpected wrath and suffer unbearable misplaced anger.
To avoid being bound by this foreseeable outcome, the transmigrator could only take the initiative and seek out Petyr Baelish.
"That's roughly the situation. Just as you complained before, the King and the Hand are the ones spending the money, but as for getting the money, only you, the Master of Coin, can do it."
However, when the Secretary to the Hand stated his needs, Littlefinger, the Master of Coin, did not show any anger at being offended. Instead, a humble smile still piled up on his handsome face.
"So, the Lord Hand is looking into matters of taxation?"
When he said this, Petyr's voice was as pleasant as a mockingbird's song, making Jon almost nod in admission.
But thinking of what this master conspirator had done, the transmigrator subconsciously shook his head.
"I think you worry too much. Duke Ned just wants to understand the basic situation; there is no other meaning."
While dispelling Petyr's doubts, Jon didn't forget to add a sentence that completely put the Master of Coin at ease.
"After all, the Kingdom's finances have no bottom line to speak of. Presumably, the Hand just wants to do what he can."
Hearing this, even someone as cunning as Littlefinger would subconsciously judge others by himself and agree with the King's Squire's explanation.
After all, from any angle, there was no solution to King's Landing's financial problems other than bankruptcy and liquidation, a "let it rot" plan.
Even if the Seven Gods descended, they probably couldn't fill such a big hole.
So in Littlefinger's view, Duke Ned just wanted to get a general understanding and use it as leverage to pressure the Small Council.
And he certainly wouldn't think that this Duke from the barbaric North could come up with any effective solution.
After that, the transmigrator got the relevant records about King's Landing's income and expenditure as he wished.
Including the servants and himself, they carried away dozens of account books from Petyr, stacking up to over ten feet high on the ground.
After getting the materials, the transmigrator ignored the gazes of others and began to browse through the relevant records on his own.
After roughly looking through a few account books, Jon was already certain that the records inside were basically waste paper.
The reason was simple: although the records inside were detailed, they were fundamentally untraceable, simply because the vast majority of expenses were charged to Robert's account.
And he couldn't possibly take these accounts to the Usurper to verify where every single expense went, could he?
At the same time, regarding King's Landing's income, although it was also clearly organized—including the monthly port tariffs and monthly levies, all confirmed by the signatures of the handlers...
The total annual sum was only over one hundred thousand Gold Dragons. Compared to the massive expenditure, this actually made Jon lose interest in reconciling the accounts.
In short, there was a huge problem with the Usurper dynasty's income and expenditure, and it was a bottomless pit where expenses exceeded income.
After seeing this, Jon also lost confidence in helping Ned and just wanted to destroy everything, clock out early, and flee from here.
Turning a corner, before Jon could prepare himself, he saw a figure quietly step out from the shadows.
If Jon's Spirit stat wasn't far beyond ordinary people, he would have hardly heard these silent footsteps.
Then, before Jon could call out, the figure slowly raised his head, revealing a shiny bald head from under the cloak.
"Vary—?!"
"Shh~ This way..."
The conversation that started abruptly was instantly muffled in his throat under the Spider's hint.
Seeing this, Jon hesitated somewhat and looked around immediately.
If not for the last experience, the Secretary to the Hand would probably have turned around and left right now, or at the very least, called out Varys's name publicly.
However, at this moment, anyone who wasn't an idiot could see that the Master of Whisperers didn't want to expose himself.
So the unknown pressure was instantly transferred to Jon.
After all, anyone knew that in King's Landing, the more secrets you knew, the easier it was to die an unnatural death.
Just as Jon hesitated for a moment, several patrolling guards appeared in the corridor in the distance. In a few breaths, they would run into the two.
In a flash, countless thoughts of self-preservation flashed through Jon's mind, but his body followed Varys into a utility room.
Then, when the Master of Whisperers gently pushed a certain relief carving, a secret passage appeared in front of them.
At this moment, Jon had no time to hesitate, nor the chance to turn back.
Otherwise, his previous choice and current regret would completely change Varys's stance towards him.
Fortunately, looking at the entire Game of Thrones, the bald Master of Whisperers didn't seem to have a record of directly murdering anyone, which allowed Jon in the darkness to breathe a slight sigh of relief.
After that, neither of them made a sound, just quietly walking through the long and dark passage.
After turning many corners, just when even the transmigrator started to mutter to himself about where they were going, he saw the Master of Whisperers slow down.
In the next moment, as the Spider pushed open a door, before Jon's eyes could adapt to the light, the humid and hot sea breeze mixed with the smell of decay drilled into his nose.
When the transmigrator saw the forest of masts and the bustling crowd, he naturally understood that he was near the port.
Although still puzzled, Jon didn't ask immediately.
Because he had long discovered that compared to curious companions, these players active in King's Landing preferred friends who were good at observing.
Jon had deeply realized this after getting along with the Master of Whisperers a few times.
Unlike Duke Ned, Varys never gave answers or lectures directly; instead, he always maintained composure and quietness.
Even if he had different opinions, he never refuted them to one's face, but chose to present facts and offer advice.
Previously, regarding the handling of Daenerys, the Spider had behaved similarly, just as silent and mysterious as today.
Thinking of this, Jon suddenly thought that the Master of Whisperers coming to find him today might also be related to this.
But when the two stopped, Jon found they were standing at the entrance of a Tyroshi jewelry shop.
Then, under Varys's lead, the transmigrator stepped inside and was led behind the counter by a steward-like person.
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