A delicate carriage stopped by the roadside, and the noble lady and her maid alighted to play under the protection of guards.
"Ser, why do I feel like there are far fewer wildflowers?" the young lady asked curiously.
"Because it's autumn now, and the weather has turned cold."
The noble lady was only seven or eight years old; the long summer of over ten years had just ended.
These children, born in summer, had no idea of winter's terror.
"Oh, I see." The noble lady said, a little disappointed.
She looked around listlessly and suddenly spotted a young rider on a magnificent horse.
Behind him followed a wolf with snow-white fur.
"Ser, look!"
The noble lady pointed at the white wolf, a little timid yet excited.
The guard looked in the direction of the young man and replied:
"Don't be afraid, My Lady, he must be a Night's Watchman…"
Jon rode past the carriage, not paying attention to their gazes.
Instead, he inwardly rejoiced.
[Upgrade count: 1]
Feeling the change in his golden finger, Jon smiled calmly.
Upgrade count can be used to upgrade existing skill entries.
One upgrade count is added each month.
In other words, as long as he lived long enough, he would eventually become a hexagram warrior.
Additionally, the golden finger could also help him acquire new entries by killing enemies, but he hadn't put it into practice yet.
Although he had recovered one upgrade count, he didn't plan to use it now.
Westeros would soon fall into bloody and terrifying chaos.
The situations he would face next were very complex, and if he randomly allocated points, it was highly likely to lead to waste.
After all, good steel must be used on the blade.
As a businessman in his previous life, Jon knew the importance of maintaining cash flow.
For his golden finger, upgrade points were cash flow.
With sufficient cash flow, he could cope with ever-changing situations and complex human hearts.
From afar, Jon could already see the familiar yet strange Winterfell.
Ghost was also a little excited, running to a small hill to gaze into the distance.
He had grown up in Winterfell, after all, only having left for a long journey.
"Ghost!" Hearing Jon's call, Ghost looked back at him. "Let Winterfell know we're back!"
"Woof~"
The snow-white Direwolf whimpered, then excitedly charged forward. When he reached a higher hill in the distance, he raised his wolf head.
Awoooo—
A long wolf howl echoed between heaven and earth; the dense forest rustled, the city walls stood tall, and many people heard this excited howl.
Theon naturally heard it too.
"That sound…" Theon looked around, confirming that this wolf howl was neither Robb's Grey Wind, nor Bran's Summer, nor Rickon's Shaggydog.
And clearly, this wolf howl came from the north.
Awoooo—
Another wolf howl; this time, Ghost's call was answered by his brothers.
Grey Wind, Summer, and Shaggydog all excitedly ran to the city wall, responding to Ghost.
Awoooo— Awoooo—
Awoooo—
Rickon in his sleep, Robb and Maester Luwin handling official business, all felt something from the sudden wolf howls.
"Hodor, let's go see what's happening."
"Hodor."
A boy of about seven or eight was riding a horse with a special saddle.
His name was Bran, Robb's younger brother, and also the unfortunate child in Game of Thrones who was pushed from a high tower after accidentally discovering the Queen's affair.
Bran heard the wolf howls and wanted to go investigate with Hodor, who looked after him.
Now Theon was certain that Jon had returned.
He had already prepared a whole set of words, ready to scare and tease Jon.
Thus, he was eager to try.
Speaking of which, he was also present that day when the Stark children 'divided the wolf cubs'.
He originally thought he would at least have Jon, the bastard, to accompany him.
Unexpectedly, he actually got the most special white Direwolf.
Theon was practically green with envy.
Sure enough, someone soon reported to Theon that it was very likely Jon had returned.
Theon said, "Do you remember what I told you?"
"Yes, Robb was very angry about Jon's unauthorized departure from the Wall and wants us to escort him back."
"Good, let's go!"
Theon waved his hand and led a group of people out of Winterfell.
A group of four or five people rode swiftly, and soon Theon saw a familiar figure.
It was Jon!
A sinister smile appeared at the corner of Theon's mouth, and he quickly rode to meet him.
"Jon, what have you done! You're a deserter! You're disgracing Winterfell! You've made Lord Stark lose his honor! What are you going to do now?!"
Theon deliberately spoke loudly, his voice even somewhat indignant, as if wanting the passersby to hear.
Jon looked at this guy who always liked to seek a sense of presence from him, feeling no ripple in his heart.
He had also thought about Theon's matter along the way.
He still didn't understand why Theon's father, King Balon, would harass the sparsely populated and poor North at that time, instead of plundering the much richer Westerlands.
Could it be that his vision was already so far-sighted that he believed Robb and Stannis were doomed to fail, and he wanted to pledge allegiance to Lannister early?
But then why would he declare himself king?
Jon was a bit confused by the thought processes of these pirates.
So he decided that he must make Theon go to the Iron Islands when Robb had the upper hand, to persuade Balon to send troops to the Westerlands.
But it was still a bit early to talk about these things.
As for Theon, he understood him very well.
Theon and the original Jon both suffered from some insecurity.
The original Jon, as a bastard, liked to use aloofness to hide his insecurity.
And Theon, as a 'ward', liked to emphasize his identity as the heir of the Iron Islands to hide his insecurity.
He wasn't inherently bad, but since he was preparing to cause trouble for him, Jon would not be a punching bag as he used to be.
So he said, "It's simple! I'll just cut off Joffrey's head, won't I?"
His answer first stunned Theon, then he sneered:
"You? Cut off the King's head? What do you think you are?!" Theon waved his hand and said, "Drag him down and escort him back to Winterfell! If you're a deserter, you must accept the consequences of being a deserter. Prepare to be beheaded!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the accompanying men on horseback surrounded Jon.
Seeing the others surround him, Jon immediately drew his sword to confront them. He didn't believe Robb would kill him.
During the subsequent war, the Young Wolf was somewhat hypocritical; for example, Catelyn secretly released an important captive, hoping to get her daughters back.
As a result, Robb did not punish his mother.
Yet another lord merely killed two captives out of anger, and Robb had his head cut off.
Although he was somewhat hypocritical, he was beyond reproach when it came to his blood relatives.
Moreover, in the original storyline, when the situation became uncontrollable, he expressed his intention to have Jon inherit his throne and Winterfell.
In Jon's opinion, Theon was probably trying to scare him.
So he thought of a sharper retort.
"Theon, do you think you will eventually become the heir to the Iron Islands, inheriting your father's lands and title?"
"What do you mean? Isn't that a given?" Theon replied subconsciously, though he wasn't sure why he felt a little guilty.
The successive counterattacks made him realize that the young man in front of him was no longer the silent type who let him seek a sense of presence.
"A given? Theon, don't be childish. Is the order of succession in your Iron Islands the same as in Seven Kingdoms?
I think you've stayed in Winterfell too long; your thinking has become Westernized!
I heard your sister is a true Greyjoy. When she was your age, she had already plundered several merchant ships. What about you? You still pay for women. Are you even a Greyjoy?"
Inheritance was Theon's only pride.
It was also his spiritual pillar.
Seeing Jon speak so convincingly, he panicked a little, and angrily said as if a sore spot had been hit:
"What the hell do you know! I am male! I am my father's only heir!"
Seeing Theon like this, Jon smiled slightly and said:
"Oh? Is that so? Then why don't you go to the Iron Islands, raise an army, and attack the Westerlands?
Tywin has already led a large army to plunder the Riverlands; the Westerlands are empty—isn't that a good opportunity for plunder?
Why don't you try to persuade your father, and also figure out if your inheritance is still yours."