In the cramped gladiatorial arena, a big ugly fat man in gray leather armor is walking around with a wild dog with red eyes.

A dense fence of planks surrounded them, and beyond the fence, a large crowd of people in black was watching and cheering.

Sitting on the second floor of the tavern, Lan Li couldn't help but shake his head after glancing at the "battle situation" below.

A bottle of sweet wine from the river bay had just been placed on the wine table in front of her, and the tavern maid had already swayed away, but the smell of inferior fat powder on her body still remained, mixed with the ubiquitous smell of wine and meat around her, which looked particularly strange.

The burnt smoke of the candles burning on the table also joined in the fun, and the brain penetrated into the nostrils, and the smell was almost choking.

Lan Li was not used to the smells, just as he was not used to his surroundings, noisy, dim, large crowds of people watching from below, and scruffy diners walked around the second floor in twos and threes, boasting about trivial trivia and erotic jokes without any scruples.

The wooden ceiling above his head was not soundproofed, and the creaking sound and the sound of women screaming could clearly penetrate his sensitive ears, so that Lan Li couldn't help but speak to the person sitting across the table, "Stannis's proposal this morning still has some merit. ”

"What are you talking about, my lord?"

The emaciated middle-aged man with a gray beard was stunned when he heard this.

"He proposed in the Imperial Council that the brothels of King's Landing be banned." Lan Li couldn't help but smile and said, "As a result, he was scolded by the king and asked him if he wanted to ban him from eating and?" ”

The emaciated middle-aged man coughed dryly when he heard this, but he didn't dare to answer.

"But I think illegal brothels can be banned, it's just a mess." Lan Li pointed to the ceiling above his head as he spoke, but the other party looked up and looked at it with a puzzled face, so Lan Li realized that the onion knight in front of him couldn't hear the movement above at all.

"With all due respect, Lord Duke, there are countless illegal brothels in the Seven Kingdoms, and many of them run inns and taverns, and they usually run this kind of business."

It's just a joke, but the one in front of him is obviously serious, Lan Li shrugged his shoulders when he heard this, and then changed the subject: "How have you been in the past few years, Davos?" ”

"Everything is fine, my lord, my territory is quite rich, and my wife and children are healthy." The brown-haired middle-aged man replied politely.

"All the time in the territory?"

"Yes, I've never learned how to be a lord, and it takes a long time to get used to."

"Didn't you follow my second brother?"

"I'm a smuggler, my lord." Davos smiled wryly and said, "What can Master Stannis do with me?" ”

Lan Li blinked when he heard this.

Things are completely different from what I remember, and the onion knight in front of me, who was personally named the former prime minister by Stannis in the future, is obviously not taken seriously now, and there is no use for it-

This is not surprising, after all, Stannis is not the Lord of Dragonstone, but the Duke of Stormlands, and there is no shortage of talent.

But if it weren't for that, Lan Li really wouldn't have asked this person to come here today.

"Come and help me, Davos." He said bluntly, "I need your help. ”

"What can I do, my lord?"

Davos didn't refuse, or rather, at this time, as a propertied knight who was not taken seriously, if he could make Lan Li look like it, it was really better than staying in the territory honestly.

"I'm going to let you unite the black forces in King's Landing."

Lan Li glanced at the filthy tavern as she spoke, "Most of the street thugs and thieves in King's Landing are in groups of threes and twos, and there are no large-scale organizations, but the trouble caused by this kind of scattering is very serious, because they have no rules to speak of. You should know, Davos, I've been controlling the security of King's Landing lately, but it's better to block it than to be sparse, and it's not advisable to keep it high. ”

"I've never done anything like this, my lord."

Davos frowned when he heard this, and said, "I'm afraid it's difficult to be competent." ”

"You've never been a knight either." Lan Li smiled and said, "Isn't it familiar now?" ”

"Knights are different from this kind of thing."

"What's the difference?"

"It's ......," Davos hesitated.

"Why, do you think this kind of work can't be put on the table?" Lan Li asked with interest.

"It's a bit of a mistake to say that, but ...... Yes, my lord, I think it might be detrimental to the knight's honor, my lord. ”

Davos replied carefully—

In fact, he didn't want to live that kind of life like a smuggler, people go to high places, why can't he climb back?

He wanted to be a decent man, and in his opinion, it was better to be a smuggler than to be a thief or something.

"And what do you think is the so-called knightly honor?" Lan Li asked patiently. He thinks that the person in front of him is very suitable for this kind of work, so he does not plan to give up easily.

"Loyalty, courage, integrity......" Davos replied hesitantly.

"Is it an honor to help a lot of people?"

"Of course."

"So let's make an analogy." Lan Li said, raising his hand and pointing at the big fat man in the middle of the tavern below, who was already biting and fighting with wild dogs.

"With that guardrail, the dog can only bite the fat man with fangs, but if it doesn't have that guardrail, do you think it will pounce on the people around to watch the excitement?"

"Absolutely."

"So do you think this guardrail is noble or vulgar? Is it honorable, or is it shameful? ”

Davos didn't answer, but obviously understood the specific meaning of what Lan Li said, and his expression was slightly deep.

Lan Li didn't urge, but kept watching the tearing bucket in the field below.

This kind of brutal performance in the normal world is eye-catching, let alone in this unentertaining medieval setting.

The fat man went mad and wrestled with the wild dogs, causing a lot of cheers around him, and he hit hard, because this was his life.

But if there is no dog, or if there is no stage to "imprison" him, whether the dog brings more destructive power, or the savage fat man brings more bloody smell, it is not necessarily.

And this is one of the reasons why he thinks that blocking is better than sparse......

Thinking about it, Lan Li's thoughts drifted farther unconsciously.

For the time being, there is not much to pay attention to in the situation in the various parts of the seven countries.

Dorne, the Vale, the Crab Claw Peninsula, and the Blue Rite have all done what they can, and the rest is basically up to see how the bottom will develop.

The Riverland is a bit chaotic, he doesn't know where to start for a while, and in his opinion, the biggest "thorn" Frey family in the Riverland has been inexplicably wiped out, so he is not in a hurry to do anything over there.

The Iron Islands were also a little uneasy, but Lan Li didn't think they were out of control.

Nothing else.

The security aspect of King's Landing is being managed, and the garrison of the capital is also in control, so as long as it develops in a short period of time, it doesn't take much thought. Other preparations for war also don't need to worry about Lan Li, and the belligerent King Robert will naturally ask about it himself.

The Lannister's problem is a hidden danger, but it is not a serious problem, after the rumor "slander" more than ten years ago, and the change in the color of Robert's hair, Lan Li believes that this hidden danger will not break out unless the Lannister siblings die, or if he wants to expose the matter.

Overall, Baratheon's reign was solid, just waiting for the Targaryens to come to his door - not that he didn't want to take the initiative, mainly because he really couldn't reach outside of Westeros.

So after all the calculations, he thinks there's only one thing to focus on at the moment, and that's to find a suitable archbishop for the church and complete that deal.

In fact, it was only incidental that he asked Davos to talk about uniting the underground forces of King's Landing, and his main purpose in this tavern was to observe a person.

A man who has heard that he is very suitable for an archbishop.