Chapter 799: Chapter 678: Bandit_2

The next moment, a dark shadow shot through the air like lightning, arriving in an instant!

Sharp claws clutched tightly at his arm, appearing fiercely dangerous, yet they didn’t pierce through his clothing at all.

This hawk stood four to five meters tall, its immense wings enveloping the entire body of the Duke of Silver, and when it landed, the arm that supported it sank slightly under its weight.

And the hawk itself seemed to struggle to maintain its balance, its wings wobbling, probably trying to minimize its own weight.

“If you can’t stand comfortably, don’t. Stand to the side.”

The Duke of Silver remarked helplessly.

“Caw caw~”

The hawk crooned discontentedly, its voice carrying a hint of grievance and coquettishness.

But it managed to stabilize itself despite the struggle.

The Duke of Silver then inquired indifferently, “What’s the situation?”

“Caw~ Caw~ Caw~”

The hawk responded while flapping its wings to maintain balance, its eyes showing a human-like intelligence, and different emotions were conveyed in its voice.

The Duke of Silver listened impassively and then lowered his arm.

The hawk seemed to realize that it had tired its master, so after standing on his arm for a moment, it jumped down, happily hopping around the terrace and nuzzling its head against the side of the Duke of Silver’s head.

“Caw~”

“Well done, you’ll get a chicken leg as a reward later.”

Picking up on its plea for praise, the Duke of Silver wasn’t stingy with his words.

“Caw! Caw!”

But the hawk seemed a bit anxious, hopping around twice.

“Reward it with a magical beast.”

“Caw~”

Now it seemed satisfied.

What’s a chicken leg in comparison? How much energy could it replenish?

The magical beasts from the mountains were far more delicious!

The Duke of Silver let the hawk groom its feathers on the terrace, glanced at the Far North Mountain Range in the distance, and then turned and entered the room.

There were two knights guarding the entrance of the room.

Knighthood wasn’t reserved solely for the Holy Court; long, long ago, every noble lord had his own order of knights.

Unfortunately, these institutions had all vanished along with the private armies.

“Master.”

Upon the Duke of Silver’s exit, the two knights immediately bowed deeply in salute.

“Proceed with the preparations that were made earlier.”

The Duke of Silver said faintly upon exiting, then turned back into the room, and following his instructions, one of the knights quickly departed.

The preparations made earlier.

They were naturally targeted at the two people who were on their way.

…

After entering the Far North, one wouldn’t encounter any fortresses for at least a few dozen kilometers, only some scattered nomadic tribes.

Or bandits.

Gentle snowflakes fluttered down.

Due to the cold climate, the pace of Xu Shuo and Sola’s travel understandably slowed down. After all, even if they wanted to move quickly, the horses couldn’t sustain such exertion.

And so, half an hour later, the two suddenly ran into bandits blocking their path!

This was a coniferous forest.

Having entered the forest, the horses slowed down even more.

Because the forest floor was littered with hidden stones and fallen trees, reckless galloping could easily lead to accidents.

However, what caused them trouble at the moment wasn’t an accident.

It was a trap!

Swish swish swish–

Suddenly, numerous thin ropes sprang from the ground. Xu Shuo’s eyes narrowed as he signaled the horse to halt in time.

But the horse’s momentum wasn’t so easily stopped.

Bang!

A piteous neigh followed as the horse tumbled over, its body crashing heavily against a tree root, lying motionless on the ground in an instant.

Meanwhile, Xu Shuo leapt up in the nick of time, his toes tapping the horse’s back, before grabbing the nearest fir tree branch.

“Mr. Los!”

Sola cried out in alarm from behind.

“Be careful, there are trip ropes!”

Xu Shuo shouted back to her.

But while he suffered the mishap, Sola quickly reined in her horse, standing anxiously in place.

Then, from all around in the forest, countless sharp arrows burst forth, shooting rapidly towards them!

Xu Shuo quickly dropped to the ground, taking cover behind a large tree trunk.

At the same time, he reached out to grab the central trip rope, and with great force, he tore it apart. The broken branches and leaves fell, blocking many of the arrows from the side.

Sola’s expression was grim as magical energy flickered in her hands, swiftly repelling the arrows around her.

“Someone ambushed us?”

She was both shocked and furious, scanning the surroundings.

But the area was thick with trees, and while she could just discern a few shadows flitting in the distance, she couldn’t capture them.

Had the attackers been lying in wait here all along?

Who could they be?

Were they from the Holy Court, or…

She considered the Dragon Clan, but then recalled that dragon’s way of doing things.

If it had been them pursuing, they would have likely come laughing and chosen a direct confrontation, not skulk about like this!

Xu Shuo frowned and said, “They’re probably the bandits who roam around Silver City-State. Life in The North is harsh and barren; many who cannot survive turn to banditry, usually setting up ambushes along routes to target passing caravans. We might have just stumbled upon them by chance.”

“Bandits?!”

Sola was surprised, but remembering what he had told her before, she was somewhat convinced.

She quickly extended her hand toward Xu Shuo, “Mr. Los, let’s get out of here fast!”

Xu Shuo’s horse had already been tragically sacrificed, and thankfully, Sola had decisively used a magic barrier in time, or her horse would likely have met the same fate.

If both of them got trapped in this forest, it would be truly troublesome.

It was unclear how many people the attackers had, and they were also pressed for time before sunset, so retreating seemed to be the wiser option.

Xu Shuo nodded at her and ran towards her side without hesitation.

However, the moment he emerged from behind the tree, yet another volley of sharp arrows flew at him from both sides, forcing him to retreat back behind cover.

wuxiaworld.site .co