"Lord... Lord Link, please don't joke with me like this... I... I..."
Facing Lord Link's sudden flirtation, Della instantly blushed.
Her face was like a ripe apple, she nervously lowered her eyes, stammering in response, her heart pounding like a drum.
"What, do you have a sweetheart?"
Lord Link leaned in a little closer, his gaze fixed on Della.
"No... Not yet..."
Della's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, her head lowered even further, a few strands of hair falling beside her cheeks, adding to her pitiful appearance.
"Without a man by your side, Della must find it lonely and hard to sleep at night, right?"
Lord Link leaned in even closer, the distance between them so short they could feel each other's breath.
Della felt Lord Link's hot breath gently brush against her pale neck, ticklish and somewhat provocative.
Ultimately, she couldn't withstand such intense teasing.
Della tightly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and with a whimper, she frantically clutched the hem of her skirt, turned, and ran away like a startled deer, leaving only a flustered silhouette.
"Ah, well, never mind, I'd better go find Olivia to cool off."
Lord Link watched Della disappear into the distance, shaking his head helplessly, but a faint smile still lingered on his lips... In the vicinity of Thorn Ridge.
A convoy was moving majestically, thirty fully loaded grain carts, like a winding dragon, slowly traversing the winding dirt road through the fields.
Old Slo's expression showed a hint of tension, his gaze constantly sweeping the rolling hills on both sides of the road.
Lord Link had previously told him the plan without reservation; simply put, this convoy was bait, intended to draw out the bandits to rob them.
At that time, he had patted his chest and agreed unequivocally, without the slightest hesitation.
But now, as they drew closer to the area where the bandits frequently appeared, Old Slo's worries surged like a tide.
He recalled his impetuous youth, when he dared to confront three or four fierce Goblins with just a machete.
At that time, he was full of courage and fearless.
But now, time has caught up, and he is already old.
Although he knew in his heart that Lord Link would arrange everything properly, fear still quietly spread in his heart.
"Alas, I am old after all, and my courage has also diminished. I'm truly useless..." Old Slo couldn't help but sigh softly.
At this moment, in the dense forest northeast of Thorn Ridge, figures flickered.
"Boss, the grain convoy is about to be under our noses. Should we make a move?" A bandit asked eagerly, lowering his voice.
"Has any news come back from Winterfell City?" The bandit leader frowned, his expression solemn.
"Someone came back to report a few days ago, saying that Orlando was executed by that lord, but these past two days, no other news has come back." Another bandit quickly replied.
"Then there shouldn't be a big problem. Even if we encounter some obstacles, if we can hijack a few carriages, it's still a sure-fire profit!"
Those were thirty carriages full of grain, and the value of each carriage was probably three or four gold coins!
A hint of greed flashed in the bandit leader's eyes. He waved his hand fiercely and ordered loudly, "Go, tell the brothers to be on high alert and get ready! As soon as the convoy reaches the foot of Thorn Ridge, act immediately!"
"Yes, Boss!"
The bandit took the order and left, his voice filled with excitement and ruthlessness.
They had done this kind of thing too many times, so they were naturally familiar with it.
As expected, just as Old Slo's grain convoy reached the foot of the mountain, the bandits swarmed out of the forest on the mountainside like hungry wolves, their shouts making the forest tremble.
Looking around, their numbers probably exceeded a hundred.
There were bandits on the slopes on both the left and right sides, and what was even more alarming was that some of them were drawing bows and notching arrows, the arrowheads glinting coldly in the sunlight.
"Oh no! They have archers!" Old Slo's pupils constricted, and his heart tightened abruptly.
However, in the next second, a mercenary beside him reacted quickly, taking a stride to pull a shield from the carriage and firmly blocking it in front of Old Slo, like a solid bulwark.
The other mercenaries were also quick, instantly taking down their shields and drawing the longswords from their waists, their movements fluid and seamless.
The arrows shot by the bandits struck the sturdy shield formation, like eggs hitting a rock, gaining no advantage whatsoever.
One must know that these mercenaries were actually all Greck Cavalry in disguise.
Although they were without mounts and not wearing their heavy armor at the moment, their own strength was not diminished in the slightest; they were still battle-hardened and valiant fighters.
As the bandits rushed down aggressively, they were met with a torrent of sharp sword attacks!
Sword shadows flickered, cold light overflowed, and the bandits' formation immediately fell into disarray.
"Damn it, don't just stand there, hurry up! Grab the carriages first!"
The bandit leader stood halfway up the mountain, shouting loudly at the bandits below.
But before he finished speaking, from the direction of Winterfell City in the distance, more than two hundred cavalrymen, like a surging flood, swept towards them with an overwhelming force.
The sound of hooves was like thunder, making the earth tremble.
💎 Power Stone Bonus: Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
🌟 5-Star Review Bonus: Every 5 (5-Star) Reviews = +2 Extra Chapters
💬 Comment Speed-Up: If any chapter reaches +10 Comments = The Next Chapter Will Be Released Faster!
🔥 Want to Read Ahead? If you want to read advanced chapters, check out my buymeacoffee(.)com/02netnovel