The first ray of morning light was like a long sword, cutting through the dirty and filthy black smoke.
"May I have your name?"
"My name is Kiplingskidder, if you please." The fat man with the bulging eyes added, "You can also call me Toad."
"puff--"
Sansa was amused by Kipling's words, because Kipling's nickname was really appropriate, and his big eyes really protruded like a toad.
What's even more amazing is that this guy has a very big mouth.
"What's with that gang?" Jon asked.
"They are from the Londo family, and they are charging me some fees..."
Jon knew what he meant by the fees.
In my time, some people sold anxiety, but in this era, anxiety is still a bit of a luxury, so many people still sell "security".
Of course, the cost of selling a sense of security is protection money.
The taxes that peasants paid to their lords were of the same nature.
"It's a pity that the old crocodile family has become weak. Now I have to pay double the money at once."
The word "old crocodile" caught Jon's attention, but he did not ask immediately, but changed the subject.
"So what do you do?"
"Hehe." Toad Kipling smiled and said, "Do some human trafficing."
"Oh? Tell me more."
Seeing that Jon seemed quite interested, Kipling began to pick out some "interesting things" from his business to entertain him.
"My lord, you know that King Robert always indulges himself in pleasure and pays little attention to state affairs. He also keeps raising taxes. Many people can't survive. So let me... help them, or at least help their sons or daughters..."
"Haha, keep talking."
Because of the angle, Kipling didn't notice that Jon's face looked a little gloomy.
Since traveling to this world, Jon has never considered himself a noble, and he cannot empathize with those high and mighty feudal lords.
Even though Dom's family had once repaid him with ingratitude, Jon did not blame them.
As the saying goes, when the granaries are full, people will know etiquette. The feudal lords took too much from them!
He knew that he had Targaryen blood, but he had no intention of "reviving" the Targaryen dynasty.
All Jon wanted was to use his foresight to help the people on this continent preserve as much strength as possible to cope with the coming long night.
Human beings hate labor by nature, so he thought that the best situation would be that he could rely on Robb, the big brother, to invent something and do some business, and become a rich man.
But when he saw these people living in poverty along the way, Jon couldn't help but wonder if there was anything more he could do.
But what can he do? At present, his personal safety is not guaranteed.
Gradually, Jon began to feel a little irritated.
Now he should think of a way to hide first, and then take the opportunity to leave.
But when Kipling saw Jon chatting with him, he began to lose his temper and couldn't control his mouth.
He even pointed at Sansa and said with excitement, foaming at the mouth: "If someone like her were sold to the Free Cities, my lord, she would be worth at least three thousand gold royals."
Seeing Sansa hiding behind him in fear, Jon slapped Kipling on the back of the head, knocking him off balance. He staggered forward two steps and his greasy face came into close contact with the ground.
"This is my sister, you bastard!"
Seeing Jon cursing at Kipling, Sansa had never been so glad that she was Jon's sister.
Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Kipling didn't even wail, but pinched the back of his hand with his fingernails and forced a smile on his face.
"My Lord, I am such a son of a bitch that I didn't even see it. I really deserve to die. I really deserve to die."
Kipling slapped himself on the face as he spoke. He often wandered in such a gray area. It was not the first time he encountered a tough guy like Jon. He knew that he should never stand up when he should be timid.
He hadn't said the wrong thing for a long time. He still remembered that it was two years after he had just entered the industry and met the subordinates of a big boss on the Narrow Sea.
I accidentally said something offensive. If I hadn't immediately offered everything I had on me and quickly knelt down to wipe the man's boots, I would have been thrown down.
Of course, after he became famous, he rarely made such mistakes again. Basically, for the past ten years or so, he was the one who taught others a lesson and few people attacked him.
So whether it was hitting his own face or someone else's face, he already had rich experience. Although there were loud slapping sounds under his hands, he actually wouldn't get hurt at all. Apart from a slight redness, there wasn't even any sign of swelling.
Jon was too lazy to argue with him any further, so he stopped him and ordered him to continue on his way.
The three of them passed through a hidden path and entered a slum. Because it was so early, there were not many people on the road, but Jon could feel someone sticking his head out from the window.
The road was bumpy, and they carefully avoided the excrement on the road. After walking another two or three hundred meters, a huge puddle appeared on the road. The surface of the puddle reflected the moonlight, and there were many floating objects on it.
Kipling lifted up his wide-leg pants very naturally and prepared to wade directly across the water. Although Jon realized that this puddle was definitely not simple and there might be a rich microbial ecosystem in it.
But it was already this time, so he didn't care about that. He rolled up his trouser legs and followed Kipling over.
Unexpectedly, he had just taken two steps when he heard Sansa's call from behind.
"Jon..."
Looking back, Sansa was standing there at a loss, holding up her skirt, revealing her smooth ankles. She frowned and looked at the ripples left by Jon and Kipling's steps, and was reluctant to take a step.
Kipling narrowed his eyes, thinking that Sansa was indeed not an ordinary lady. The greed in his heart rose like ripples on a puddle, but after looking at Jon, he quickly suppressed his thoughts.
"Come here quickly! Don't dawdle!"
Hearing Jon's urging, although very reluctant, Sansa had to try it with her toes. Just as she gritted her teeth and prepared to go into the sewer, a toad jumped out of the water, scaring her and she screamed.
Then the toad jumped onto the back of her foot, scaring Sansa so much that she started jumping and tapping on the spot.
"Come here! There's nothing to be afraid of!"
Jon was a little impatient. For Sansa, it seemed that there were dangers everywhere after she walked out of the castle.
Jon in front of her urged her again, and Sansa looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Brother, I'm scared."
The cry-like call of "brother" made the corners of Jon's mouth curve slightly, but because of the angle of the light, Sansa could only see a dark silhouette and couldn't see his expression.
"Wait!"
Jon jumped into the puddle again and came to Sansa, then motioned for her to lie on his back.
Sansa obediently grabbed Jon's shoulders with her little hands, and Jon picked up her legs with his hands and slid back.
"Is this the first time you call me brother?"
Jon whispered, and for some reason he felt a vague sense of victory in his heart. Sansa sniffed slightly and said nothing.
Maybe it was because she liked lemon cake, but her body exuded a faint lemon scent, allowing Jon to relax his nose a little in this place that was not much better than a public toilet.
Kipling was watching from the front and thought to himself, could these two really be brother and sister?! After all, they don't look alike at all.
Jon had no obligation to answer his questions. He followed Kipling through many twists and turns and came to a slightly dilapidated courtyard with a big lock in front of the gate.
Jon looked up and saw that there were broken tiles stuck on the wall. This reminded him of when he was in the countryside, many people liked to use broken glass to stick on the wall as a layer of "defense measures". For a moment, he actually felt a little bit of familiarity.
Kipling unlocked the door, held it open for Jon, stepped aside, and motioned for him to enter.
Jon noticed the something in Kipling's eyes and his suddenly dilated nostrils, and realized that there must be something wrong, so he adjusted his center of gravity so that he could retreat at any time.