Even the most destitute family, if they want to sign up and participate, needs to prove their strength—two warhorses, a set of armor, and various tournament equipment are just the minimum requirements.
In addition, the participant also needs a qualified squire to help him dress neatly in the arena and promptly deliver suitable weapons or shields after the jousting clash.
Therefore, taken together, the cost of just these items is nearly several hundred Gold Dragons, with the value of armor and weapons occupying the vast majority of the expense.
In contrast, servants and warhorses can be resolved with just over a hundred Gold Dragons.
The last point is also the most important one.
Although Robert's generosity is renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and he directly abolished the previous registration fee system for tourneys, generously allowing any knight to sign up for free.
But this is only the King's order; it cannot easily benefit every knight.
To successfully appear on the list of participants, any knight cannot bypass the layers of exploitative clerks and officials.
For example, the few scribes Jon sent to watch the door and receive guests are stumbling blocks on the qualification review road for many nobles and destitute knights.
As for the cost involved, it is a matter of opinion, and there is no accurate amount at all.
The dull-witted might pay an unimaginable price just to get their application to Jon, and then sent to the Small Council to continue passing through the checkpoints.
In contrast, those nobles who have long mixed in King's Landing will take out just the right amount of Gold Dragons to satisfy these greedy vampires.
Precisely for this reason, when dealing with the tourney, Jon appears extremely serious and careful, afraid of missing any participant.
The reason is simple: as a bastard, even if he is now the King's Squire or Secretary to the Hand, he is not qualified to make a mark in such an arena.
Bloodline and prejudice make it difficult for any bastard to move an inch. Even if he is a "noble" bastard, he cannot stand shoulder to shoulder with true nobles.
Fortunately, in the long river of history, countless people have set examples for Jon to follow.
Just like his cheap mother Lyanna, who sneaked into the tourney arena under someone else's name, so he can also do this.
Moreover, as the person handling the review of this work, it is naturally very simple for Jon to manipulate things, but fabricating a name out of thin air is absolutely unadvisable.
After considering this, the Secretary to the Hand quickly made up his mind and began to screen from the many registered participants.
Soon, an unknown surname appeared in Jon's sight, and he happened to have some impression of this person.
Looking at this surname on the list, the corners of Jon's mouth couldn't help but grin slightly, and he soon thought of an excellent idea.
...
King's Landing, the majestic capital of the Seven Kingdoms.
Besides being the largest and most prosperous trading city in Westeros, everything inside it can make people feel its expensiveness.
Although there are many nobles who probably won't set foot in King's Landing in their entire lives, similarly, this place is also filled with the most and densest nobles and crowds in the Seven Kingdoms.
And in this city where land is worth gold, the lords are ultimately only a minority. Countless commoners almost fill every corner of the city, constantly using their hard work to serve every lord.
Precisely because of this, there is almost no vacant space in King's Landing. Almost every room is filled with unimaginable lodgers.
Apart from those great nobles and wealthy merchants who own property, the only two ways out for the rest are taverns or renting. And many down-and-out knights have to crowd together with commoners.
Just like Ser Dontos, who is fat and round like a wine barrel; he is a destitute noble who lost his manor.
The reason is simple. Since many nobles are illiterate, they often hand over their properties to stewards or the Faith to manage, and Ser Dontos was one of them.
Since his youth, he has mixed in King's Landing, wanting to stand out.
However, apart from making Dontos rounder, time hasn't let him make any progress in status at all.
After that, perhaps he was cheated out of his family property by a black-hearted steward, or the expenses in King's Landing were too great.
In short, now, what is presented to people is a knight who only knows how to live a life of drunkenness and dreams, desperately drinking himself to death with the cheapest ale.
So when the two appeared in the foul-smelling Flea Bottom and saw the knight who was still hungover even though the sun was high in the sky, even Gendry on the side began to suspect why his new master chose to set foot here.
However, no matter how the squire criticized internally, Jon had his own plans.
As early as when handling the list for the tourney, the transmigrator had noticed Ser Dontos's name.
Although he was a bit confused why this destitute knight, who didn't even have weapons or armor, would shamelessly participate in the tourney.
But this doubt was quickly resolved.
Perhaps out of gratitude for Jon yielding the visitors' "offerings," when the transmigrator expressed doubts about this, several scribes revealed a not-so-obscure piece of common knowledge to him.
That is, since Robert sat on the Iron Throne, the tourney has become a fixed entertainment item in King's Landing, held every once in a while, it's just that the rewards this time are the most.
But even so, the winner each time will get a handsome bonus, and some people will even leap to become new nobles in King's Landing due to the King's appreciation.
Based on this, many small nobles and knights from the countryside, and even many wealthy commoners, naturally want to take this opportunity to make a mark.
However, status and qualification review are like an insurmountable shackle, ruthlessly blocking these potential participants who want to rise from any possibility.
Of course, this also brings business opportunities to many destitute knights mixing in King's Landing.
Often, they just need to report their names, and some blind guys who want to be the lucky ones will buy the qualification to participate from these destitute knights and impersonate them.
However, for these dream-filled passersby, the vast majority, apart from being knocked off their horses in the first round, can be counted on one hand who can truly stand out.
After all, a tourney is not playing house, but a cruel war game.
Any commoner, even if they try every means, simply cannot compare with those nobles who have received training since childhood.
But in any case, this tacitly acknowledged gray industry really has a considerable scale and audience in King's Landing.
And precisely because he grasped this news, Jon soon had a bold idea.
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