As the lord of this place, Jon didn't have many chips in hand, and could completely be counted as being weak and isolated.
Although he knew in advance that this seemed to be an area where he could make a fortune, the situation was far more complicated than he imagined.
Gendry had only sat in the tavern for an hour or two, but the superficial problems he observed were not few.
In the Bull's description, Jon's fief was called "Tampa" by the locals, meaning a sunny beach that doesn't support idlers.
And this place was indeed filled with an anxious atmosphere.
Just from the mouths of the tavern drinkers, Gendry had identified at least three local forces.
The first was the idle and destitute nobles. Although these people were poor, they were extremely particular about face. They would fight to the death over everything and were the group most likely to cause trouble.
The second was the smugglers hidden in the town. These people often represented a certain dignitary in King's Landing behind them, and might even have direct access to the Red Keep.
The third was some soldiers stationed here. Although there were only a hundred or so people, they had set up outposts and beacon towers on the offshore islands and were affiliated with the Dragonstone fleet.
After saying all this in one breath, Gendry seemed a little hesitant, stuttering and unable to organize his words.
Seeing him like this, Jon could only put down his longsword first and turn to look at his squire.
"Is there any other trouble?" Jon naturally understood that things were far from this simple.
"Of course, but for you, the biggest trouble might be that monastery outside the town..."
When the Bull said this, there was more or less a hint of watching a good show.
Jon pretended not to hear it, but muttered to himself: "Since there is still a ten-year service period, I don't mind letting the squire mine to subsidize the household expenses..."
Hearing about mining and the ten-year service period, the Bull, who originally had some attitude, immediately became much more honest. He didn't want to die in a dark mine.
Therefore, after shaking his head violently, Gendry still spilled everything out and stated that this news cost a whole five Silver Stags.
Regarding this, Jon, apart from rolling his eyes vigorously, was not overly stingy. He immediately threw out a Gold Dragon to reimburse the intelligence fee, then leaned back in his chair, ready to listen further.
Then, the new baron, who had maintained an indifferent attitude, also had a somewhat solemn look on his face.
It turned out that in the innkeeper's mouth, those overt forces were actually not as good as an old man in the monastery.
According to unknown rumors, many desperadoes around, including smugglers, had to obediently choose to cooperate when the old brother came to their door, as if the old man had some kind of magic power.
So after grasping this situation, Jon also became a bit more curious about this old brother.
"What does he rely on to deter smugglers and bandits?"
"I don't know, but at least it won't be the will of the gods."
The Bull couldn't help laughing when answering, but this joke was enough to prove that he was not a devout believer in the Seven.
However, Jon didn't laugh along with him; instead, he fell silent.
Compared to the Bull, his understanding of the Faith of the Seven was naturally much deeper.
Although the transmigrator knew that the Faith today no longer had the glory of its heyday, it still had pivotal influence.
Although the power of the Faith of the Seven was still huge, it was merely a secular religious organization without any proof of divine miracles.
But what maintained all this was neither the divine power people believed in nor the Faith Militant that had long vanished, but the numerous believers spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
And according to his understanding of the Faith, a septon could absolutely not represent the entire Faith; he could only represent a certain faction within the Faith.
But looking at the entire Game of Thrones, there was such a powerless, aging mortal brother who almost occupied King's Landing single-handedly.
Precisely because he thought of this, Jon showed a solemn expression.
You know, after power is formed, it is indeed only responsible upwards.
But similarly, in the pyramid of power, some anomalies that sweep away everything will also be born, wanting to subvert all known orders and vainly attempting to bring about a world where all living beings are equal.
And if this vision happens to fall into the heart of a determined person, it will erupt with unimaginable charm, and can inspire countless people to follow him regardless of life and death.
Of course, these were just one of the reasons for Jon's apprehension, far from making the baron avoid it.
Anyway, now that the fief had been selected, he had no way back.
If anyone saw his weakness, even if he was a majestic lion, he would be eaten up by these seemingly tiny ants.
So after making up his mind, the transmigrator decided immediately to start visiting and investigating from tomorrow.
However, when he turned his head to look out the window, he saw a fast ship speeding towards them on the sea in the distance.
What was even stranger was that this ship had a flat hull like a flat-bottomed boat in an inland river, yet it could advance steadily in the waves.
Perhaps seeing Jon's confusion, Gendry couldn't help showing off.
"If you are curious, it must be because its owner is a Maester."
While explaining, the Bull also craned his neck to look at the fast ship: "Just now, people were still discussing that the Maester's ship would return at high tide. I didn't expect it to be really punctual."
"Maester?" Jon was a little puzzled.
"Yes, it's a Maester, but listening to the tone of those drunkards, it seems there's something slightly wrong with this Maester..."
While responding to the master's question, Gendry also expressed doubts.
By this time, Jon naturally understood that continuing to ask would not yield more information.
He glanced out the window and quickly gave an instruction.
"Let's leave it at this for today. Tomorrow morning, the two of us will look around."
...
The next day, when Jon pushed the door open and walked onto the street, the Bull was already dressed neatly and following closely behind the lord.
Regarding Gendry's following, Jon did not object.
Although he believed that his arrival would not invite a fatal disaster, having one more person meant having a few more ideas.
Moreover, judging from Gendry's performance last night, this bastard simply exceeded his expectations.
Compared to this guy's old man, although Gendry was huge, his brain seemed to be quite good too, and could completely be counted as rigorous and meticulous.
So while walking towards the shops, Jon couldn't help but want to evaluate this squire.
"Tell me, why do you follow me so honestly? You know, on the way here, you had plenty of chances to escape."
When saying this, Jon pointedly looked at the horse's back. The weapons and armor on it were enough for an ordinary person to live a wealthy life.
However, Gendry's answer gave Jon some food for thought.
---