The armies gathered around King's Landing finally retreated, whether from the Westerlands or the Reach.
At this moment, the Red Keep was completely under Jon's control. The original garrison was entirely imprisoned, and Cersei and her three children were heavily guarded.
Eddard Stark's head had been removed from the spike. Varys found a court painter for Jon to paint a portrait of Eddard, which could serve as a reference for the stonemasons of Winterfell in the future.
The Stark custom was to make a statue for every Lord of Winterfell and place it in the crypts.
Additionally, House Stark's ancestral sword, Ice, had been delivered to Jon.
This ridiculously large Valyrian steel sword was as tall as a man, with a blade wider than a palm, covered in dark, rippling patterns as if containing magical power.
Thinking of magic, Jon opened his cheat sheet:
[Sword Saint]: Red
[Archery]: Purple
[Riding]: Blue
[God's Eye View]: Purple
[Skinchanger]: Green
[Unburnt]: White
[Great Strength]: Blue
Remaining Upgrades: 1
Previously, to execute the mutiny and control Roose Bolton in the shortest time, Jon used two upgrades.
Later, during the march and his time in King's Landing, he recovered one upgrade.
Jon tried touching Ice to see if it would affect his cheat, but nothing happened.
It seemed his cheat didn't have much to do with magic.
In this timeline, Ice avoided the fate of being melted down into two swords. Although Jon also wanted a Valyrian steel sword, he wouldn't go as far as targeting Ice.
He ordered it to be carefully preserved, while he himself toured the Red Keep accompanied by Varys and Pycelle.
"My Lord, the place where you just captured and killed the false king is called Maegor's Holdfast. It was built by the third Targaryen king, Maegor the Cruel..." Pycelle introduced every flower and tree of the Red Keep to Jon with his aged but fawning voice, as if "selling" the castle to him.
The overall style of Maegor's Holdfast differed somewhat from Westeros, reportedly because Maegor recruited craftsmen from the Free Cities.
Jon had learned that the Lion-Rose Alliance dared to attack because they confirmed the Red Keep hadn't been captured by him.
And the method of confirmation was ravens.
This gave Jon a new idea: if he could control the sending and receiving of ravens in a castle, wouldn't he know their actions like the back of his hand? He could even reverse-operate, having ravens carry "false information" to influence their judgments and decisions.
Jon decided to upgrade the [Skinchanger] trait next, wondering if he would eventually become half a greenseer.
Speaking of intelligence, Jon observed Varys calmly. This guy should have hidden Tyrion by now, but he didn't mention a word, seemingly intending to conceal it.
"The most regrettable part of this battle is not catching the Imp. Actually, our relationship is not bad. Winterfell was where we first met; he taught me many principles. If I could find him, I definitely wouldn't kill him." Jon tried probing Varys.
Seeing Jon wasn't interested in his knowledge, Pycelle sensibly shut his mouth.
"Indeed, Tyrion truly possesses a rare intellect in this world, but war is cruel and chaotic, and he is just a dwarf, unlike you, my Lord, with your high martial skills." Varys quietly cleared himself of suspicion while flattering Jon.
Jon smiled slightly without comment. According to their previous correspondence, Varys might have sent Tyrion across the Narrow Sea in advance, then eventually to Young Aegon.
He wondered if Tyrion would end up following Young Aegon or Daenerys.
If he chose to follow Daenerys, once she had her own territory, Tyrion should be a good minister to assist her. Thus, Jon didn't press for Tyrion's whereabouts.
However, this didn't mean he could ignore the matter.
Varys's goal was to assist that "Blackfyre bloodline" Young Aegon to the Iron Throne. He also had an ally in the distant Free Cities, Illyrio Mopatis.
Illyrio was a merchant, but since Varys became the "Mad King's" spymaster, Illyrio began to prosper, becoming a famous magister of Pentos, even able to speak with Dothraki Khals.
It was rumored the Targaryens still had a large sum of gold in the Iron Bank of Braavos. Jon didn't know if it was true, but considering their circumstances, it was likely.
Jon decided to extort Varys a bit.
The three arrived at the practice yard, filled with various weapons. In a small shed, Jon spotted the warhammer at a glance.
It was Robert's warhammer.
Jon walked toward the warhammer. Varys and Pycelle exchanged glances; they both knew the weight of this hammer. Ordinary people would struggle just to lift it, let alone wield it.
Moreover, in their view, Jon's build belonged to the agile and lean type, not burly like Robert.
But in the next moment, Jon lifted the steel warhammer with one hand. It was evident that although Robert's warhammer hadn't been used for a long time, it was still well-maintained, coated with wax and oil, with gold wire and gems decorating the handle.
Holding the warhammer in one hand, Jon walked to a dummy, spun, and struck fiercely.
Crack— The dummy shattered into pieces, as if trampled by a bull.
Varys and Pycelle were shocked. They hadn't believed the rumors of Jon hitting people with a battering ram, but now it seemed true!
After smashing one dummy, Jon continued swinging. The heavy warhammer made a woo-woo sound tearing through the air; just listening to it made Pycelle's legs weak.
"Lord Jon truly has divine strength. The way you smashed the dummy just now truly had the majesty of King Robert killing Rhaegar!" Pycelle flattered, but the corner of Jon's mouth twitched slightly.
He said nothing but turned around: "Grand Maester, I want to place the King's warhammer and Lord Eddard in the sept. I want to hold a vigil for them." The waters in the Red Keep were too deep. Before Stannis arrived, Jon would only seal it off, not live in it. But he still needed to stay in King's Landing for a while, and the sept was a good place.
"No problem, my Lord. I will have the High Septon arrange it for you."
Jon nodded. Actually, he also wanted to release Rhaegar's soul trapped in the hammer.
"Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Varys, I have slain the false king and successfully avenged my father. I intend to return to the Wall and continue as a man of the Night's Watch after handing the Iron Throne to King Stannis."
"Hmm—hmm? My Lord—you—"
Pycelle seemed to think he misheard. He looked up at Jon, the pale flab on his neck shaking in confusion. In his view, this was completely impossible.
Jon had too many choices. First, he captured King's Landing for Stannis, preventing him from being a "King in Exile."
Such a massive merit could easily earn him a vast, fertile territory and make him an absolute power in Stannis's new court!
This was something countless people dreamed of, yet Jon wanted to give it up with a light sentence. Pycelle couldn't understand at all.
Varys also flashed a look of astonishment. If Jon really decided to go to the Wall, how could he rely on him to gain a foothold with Stannis?
But intuition told him things weren't that simple. Varys weighed his words and said, "My Lord, in my opinion, the Seven Kingdoms need you more than the Wall does. King Stannis might not allow a talent like you to waste away at the Wall. Please reconsider."
"You don't understand." Jon showed a "troubled" expression and sat casually on a stone pier. Pycelle and Varys followed closely, bowing deeply to hear him better.
"I am not only a bastard but also a deserter from the Wall. I heard my father Eddard was framed and left secretly. Moreover, the Wall lacks manpower and supplies now. If I don't go, who else can?
"You don't know, the situation at the Wall is severe. Due to the cold weather, wildlings want to storm the Wall and move south. There are even rumors of White Walkers echoing in the wind and snow. Our Wall is in imminent danger."
Jon observed their reactions while speaking. Seeing them thoughtful, Jon continued, "King Robert was extravagant, and King Stannis will be short of money in the future. I hope to bring back more supplies when I return to the Wall, which can count as atonement for my crime as a deserter." Saying this, Jon looked at Varys and teased, "Lord Varys, you are the Master of Whisperers. Do you have any intelligence on gold?"
Hearing Jon say this, Varys laughed, stating he also exchanged intelligence for gold and had no intelligence on gold itself.
However, this small probe didn't make Varys believe Jon really intended to return to the Wall; the possibility was too small.
He thought Jon was likely preparing in advance for managing his future territory.
Next, the three walked to the Throne Room, home to the famous Iron Throne.
On the way, while Pycelle introduced the surrounding architecture to Jon, Varys quietly indicated he might be able to raise a sum of gold for Jon, but on the condition that Jon must speak for him before Stannis to retain his position as Master of Whisperers.
To this, Jon naturally agreed.
He already knew Varys's goal, essentially knowing his trump card. Keeping him by Stannis's side allowed them to exchange intelligence occasionally, which was beneficial and harmless to Jon.
Soon, the three arrived at the Throne Room. As soon as they entered the spacious hall, Jon saw the hideous Iron Throne.
Spikes, curved or straight, bared their fangs and claws, as if to tear the flesh of every ambitious person.
There were many examples of Targaryen kings being cut by the Iron Throne.
Aegon the Conqueror, who cast it, said this was to remind his descendants that a king shouldn't be "too comfortable."
This was indeed a wise maxim, but the problem was it didn't seem to have any positive effect.
Watching Jon examining the Iron Throne, Pycelle and Varys exchanged glances, wondering if they should encourage Jon to sit on it and "experience" it.
But just as the two communicated with their eyes, a white shadow darted past them!
Ghost!
Having left the North for over half a year and with the weather gradually turning cold, Ghost had shed the dye Jon used and returned to his original color.
Pure white Ghost, light as smoke, quickly climbed onto the Iron Throne and sat down.
He stretched his long, sharp nose, sniffing around, seemingly intoxicated by the rust smell emanating from the Iron Throne.
"Ghost! Get down!" Jon's pupils contracted. He wanted Ghost off that iron chair, but the wolf seemed to like this cold, hard thing, even resting his head on the armrest.
Jon felt a bit numb.
If no one was around, it would be fine for Ghost to experience it, but Varys and Pycelle were here!
"My Lord's wolf is truly active," Varys smoothed things over.
In fact, they really couldn't make an issue of Jon's wolf. Telling outsiders Jon's wolf sat on the Iron Throne would only make others think it was slander, disadvantageous for them to establish themselves in the new court.
Fortunately, under Jon's urging, Ghost reluctantly came down. Jon leaned over and tapped Ghost's long snout lightly as punishment.
Looking at the Iron Throne, Jon said, "Seal off the Throne Room and the entire Red Keep until King Stannis arrives."
"As you command (as you wish), my Lord," Varys and Pycelle said respectfully in unison, treating the incident just now as a small interlude.
Moreover, Ghost's action also declared a fact—Westeros was now in its second "Hour of the Wolf."
If Jon supported Stannis as King, the Seven Kingdoms would welcome peace; otherwise, they would fall into a war of kings.
One sentence could summarize the current Westeros: "Whether the Seven Kingdoms are chaotic or not, Jon has the final say." Jon turned to face the two, then looked at Pycelle and declared loudly:
"Grand Maester Pycelle, please send ravens to the entire realm immediately. State that Eddard Stark's son, Jon Snow of Winterfell, has led an army to capture King's Landing. King Stannis is the only legitimate King of the Seven Kingdoms. The lords of the Seven Kingdoms have the duty to intercept and capture the traitor Tywin!"
Pycelle looked at Jon issuing orders in the hall. His voice echoed like an oracle, just like the King in his memory.