I Think Your Thinking Has Been Westernized

A fine carriage stopped by the roadside, and a noble girl and her maid got out to play under the guards' watch.

"Ser, why do I feel like there are far fewer wildflowers?" the girl asked curiously.

"Because it's autumn now. The weather has turned cold."

The noble girl was only seven or eight years old. The long summer that had lasted more than a decade had only just ended.

Children born in summer simply had no idea how terrifying winter could be.

"Oh, I see." The noble girl sounded a little disappointed.

Bored, she looked around, then suddenly spotted a young rider atop a magnificent horse.

A wolf with snow-white fur followed behind him.

"Ser, look!"

The noble girl pointed at the white wolf, both frightened and excited.

The guard looked toward the young man, then turned back and said,

"Don't be afraid, my lady. He should be from the Night's Watch..."

Jon passed by the carriage without paying any attention to their stares.

Instead, his heart leaped with joy.

[Upgrade attempts: 1]

Sensing the change in his cheat ability, Jon smiled calmly.

Upgrade attempts could be used to upgrade his existing skill traits.

He gained one upgrade attempt every month.

In other words, as long as he lived long enough, he would eventually become an all-around warrior.

His cheat ability could also help him seize traits he did not possess by killing enemies, though he had yet to test that function.

Although he had regained an upgrade attempt, he had no intention of using it yet.

Westeros would soon plunge into bloody, terrifying chaos.

The situations ahead would be extremely complicated. If he spent points carelessly, he could easily waste them.

After all, good steel had to be used on the blade's edge.

As a merchant in his previous life, Jon understood the importance of maintaining cash flow.

For this cheat ability of his, upgrade points were cash flow.

Only with sufficient cash flow could he handle changing circumstances and complicated human hearts.

From afar, Jon could already see the familiar yet unfamiliar Winterfell.

Ghost was excited as well, running to a small hill and gazing into the distance.

He had grown up in Winterfell too. He had merely gone on a long journey.

"Ghost!" Hearing Jon call, Ghost turned to look at him. "Let Winterfell know we're back!"

"Wooo~"

The snow-white direwolf gave a low growl and sprinted away. Once he reached a taller hill in the distance, he raised his wolfish head.

Awoooo—

The long wolf howl echoed between heaven and earth. The woods rustled, the castle walls stood tall, and many people heard that exhilarated cry.

Theon naturally heard it too.

"That sound..." Theon looked around, confirming that the howl belonged neither to Robb's Grey Wind, nor Bran's Summer, much less Rickon's Shaggydog.

And it was obvious that the howl had come from the north.

Awoooo—

Another wolf howl rang out. This time, Ghost's cry received answers from his brothers.

Grey Wind, Summer, and Shaggydog all excitedly ran onto the walls and answered Ghost.

Awoooo—Awoooo—

Awoooo—

Rickon in his sleep, Robb handling official affairs, and Maester Luwin all reacted to the sudden wolf howls.

"Hodor, let's go see what's happening."

"Hodor."

A boy of seven or eight was riding a horse with the help of a special saddle.

His name was Bran. He was Robb's younger brother, and also the pitiful child from Game of Thrones who had been pushed from a high tower after accidentally discovering the queen's affair.

After hearing the wolf howls, Bran wanted to investigate with Hodor, who took care of him.

That confirmed it for Theon. Jon had to be back.

He had long prepared a whole set of lines to scare and mess with Jon.

He was practically itching to try them.

Back when the Stark children had been "dividing up the wolf pups," he had been there too.

He had thought that at least Jon, the bastard, would be there to keep him company.

Yet Jon had received the most unusual one—the white direwolf.

Theon had been warped by jealousy.

Sure enough, someone soon reported to Theon that Jon had most likely returned.

Theon said, "Do you remember what I told you?"

"Yes. Robb is furious that Jon left the Wall without permission, and he ordered us to escort him back under guard."

"Mhm. Let's go!"

With a wave of his hand, Theon led a group of people out of Winterfell.

Four or five of them galloped on horseback, and Theon soon spotted a familiar figure.

It was Jon!

A sinister smile appeared at the corner of Theon's mouth as he quickly rode over.

"Jon, what have you done?! You deserted! You've disgraced Winterfell! You've made Lord Stark lose his honor! What are you going to do now?!"

Theon deliberately raised his voice, even sounding somewhat grief-stricken, as if he wanted every passerby nearby to hear.

Jon looked at this fellow who always liked seeking validation from him, but felt no ripples in his heart.

He had thought about Theon during the journey as well.

He had never understood why King Balon, Theon's father, had chosen that moment to harass the vast, sparsely populated, and desperately poor North instead of raiding the wealthier Westerlands.

Could it be that his foresight was so great that he had already decided Robb and Stannis were doomed, and wanted to submit to the Lannisters in advance?

But then why did he proclaim himself king?

Jon could not understand the thought processes of these pirates.

So he decided that he had to send Theon to the Iron Islands while Robb held the advantage, to persuade Balon to attack the Westerlands.

But it was still too early to discuss that now.

As for Theon, Jon understood him very well.

Both Theon and the original Jon had some inferiority in them.

As a bastard, the original Jon liked to conceal his insecurity through distance.

As a "hostage," Theon liked to conceal his insecurity by emphasizing his identity as heir to the Iron Islands.

He was not bad by nature, but since he had come looking for trouble, Jon would not be a punching bag like before.

So he said, "Simple. I'll just cut off Joffrey's head."

Theon was stunned by the answer at first, then sneered.

"You? Cut off the king's head? Who the hell do you think you are?" Theon waved his hand. "Drag him down and escort him back to Winterfell! If you deserted, you should be prepared to face the consequences. Wait to have your head chopped off!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the men traveling with him rode their horses around Jon and surrounded him.

Seeing the others encircle him, Jon immediately drew his sword and faced them down. He did not believe Robb would kill him.

During the war that followed, the Young Wolf had been somewhat hypocritical. For example, Catelyn privately released an important prisoner in hopes of getting her daughters back.

Robb did not punish his own mother for it.

Yet when another lord merely killed two prisoners to vent his anger, Robb cut off the man's head.

He might have been hypocritical, but he treated his blood relatives well.

Besides, in the original storyline, when the situation became uncontrollable, he had declared that Jon would inherit his crown and Winterfell.

In Jon's eyes, Theon was probably just trying to scare him.

So he came up with an even sharper reply.

"Theon, do you believe that sooner or later, you'll become the heir to the Iron Islands and inherit your father's lands and title?"

"What do you mean? Isn't that only natural?" Theon replied instinctively, though for some reason he felt a little guilty.

After being countered again and again, he realized that the youth before him was no longer the dull, silent fool who let him seek validation at his expense.

"Only natural? Theon, don't be childish. Is the succession order on the Iron Islands really the same as in the Seven Kingdoms?

I think you've stayed in Winterfell so long that your thinking has been Westernized!

I heard your sister is the real Greyjoy. When she was your age, she had already raided several merchant ships. And you? You even remembered to pay the last woman you slept with. Are you even a Greyjoy?"

The right of inheritance was Theon's only pride.

It was also the pillar supporting his spirit.

Seeing Jon speak as though he truly knew what he was talking about, Theon panicked. As if Jon had stepped on his sore spot, he snapped,

"What the fuck do you know?! I'm male! I'm my father's only heir!"

Seeing Theon like this, Jon smiled faintly 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 his army to raid the Riverlands. With the Westerlands left empty, isn't this the perfect chance to plunder them?

Instead of going to see whether you can persuade your father, you might as well find out whether your inheritance rights still exist."