166. Old Peeler Ruth Bolton

Little Jon quickly lowered his head to avoid being noticed, offering a respectful salute. "Lord Bolton—"

Roose Bolton recognized Jon immediately. He knew the Amber family well, especially since they were one of the few northern families with such tall, strong figures. Furthermore, the Amber family's Castle of Dread and the Last Hearth City were located close to Bolton lands.

"Jon, where's your father, Lord Amber?" Roose Bolton asked with a calm nod. His voice was always soft, neither fast nor slow.

Little Jon listened intently. The soft tone of Roose's voice was a far cry from his father's loud, booming voice.

When Jon heard the question about his father, he answered, "Lord Bolton, my father is with the Amber family's caravan. We had to slow down after traveling all day, and my father said he didn't want to hold up your progress. So, he sent me ahead to let you know and to let your group go ahead of us."

As Jon spoke, his eyes shifted to Roose Bolton's exposed skin. Rumors had spread that his skin was very pale, a result of his strange habit of using leeches. Roose was known to use the leeches to suck out "dirty blood," believing that this helped maintain health and longevity.

Jon shuddered as he thought about the black, soft creatures. He couldn't imagine letting them crawl over him, afraid that it could cause serious harm.

Roose's voice cut through Jon's thoughts. "It's a pity," he murmured, "I was hoping to travel with Lord Amber. It would have been nice to have someone to talk to during the journey... But, since Lord Amber is moving slowly, we will go ahead."

Jon quickly nodded. "I'll go back and tell my father..."

Jon turned his horse around and was about to head back with the Amber family soldiers when Roose Bolton's quiet voice stopped him.

"Don't forget to send my regards to your father."

"Of course," Jon replied, then rode off toward his family's caravan.

Roose Bolton watched him leave, his gaze cold and indifferent. He gave a simple order, and his group continued their journey forward.

The Bolton family had earned a fearsome reputation for skinning their enemies alive, and their family motto, "My blade is still sharp," was well known. But there was another saying that the Boltons preferred: Naked people have few secrets, but skinned people have none.

For generations, skinning enemies alive had been a tradition in the Bolton family. The fear it inspired in others was essential to their dominance, and they saw fear as the greatest weapon in securing their power. It wasn't about intimacy; it was about control.

Roose knew that Big Jon, Lord Amber, didn't like dealing with him much, but it didn't matter. He didn't care if the other families in the North avoided him either. The Bolton family had earned respect and fear by being ruthless, and that was the foundation of their strength.

The Amber and Bolton families were just two of the many noble families in the North. As winter drew closer, families from all over the region were heading toward Winterfell. Merchants along the road, seeing the caravans of these noble families passing by, hurriedly moved their carts to the side to let them pass. They whispered to each other, curious about why so many nobles were heading to Winterfell.

A knowledgeable merchant shared the gossip, explaining that Winterfell was preparing for a grand harvest banquet. News of the banquet spread quickly, and soon all the merchants knew. This meant that there would be more wealthy buyers in Winterfell, making it easier for them to sell their goods.

Excited by the news, more and more merchants hurried toward Winterfell, eager to arrive early and secure a good spot in the market. They were hoping to sell their goods quickly and then head to the Easter store to buy luxury items like paper, pens, and soap to take back home for resale.

This wave of excitement only increased as more and more merchants gathered at Winterfell, making the town a busy and bustling hub.

Among those making their way to Winterfell was Jason Liu, who had recently attended a banquet at Stark's house. After his official visit, he took some time to return to his business. There, he signed off on the four sets of full defensive equipment he had ordered, meant for his four guards, and arranged to have them brought to Westeros.

These sets of armor included riot helmets with iron bars and transparent plastic face shields, along with stab-resistant jackets, pants, and boots.

The helmets were lightweight yet incredibly strong, made of PC alloy. The iron bars provided extra protection for the face, while the plastic face shield was clear, strong, and comfortable to wear.

The stab-proof jackets and pants were designed to fit the body closely. They were lightweight, more so than the heavy armor commonly worn in Westeros, and they offered excellent protection. The boots had thin steel plates inside and were also made from material resistant to cuts and stabs.

Once the armor arrived, Jason Liu had his four guards—dicken, Kent, Rubin, and Chris—try it on.

With their stab-proof jackets, trousers, boots, and riot helmets, they grabbed wooden swords and practiced fighting against a group of 30 soldiers who wore only upper-body stab-proof suits.

Protected from head to toe, dicken, Kent, Rubin, and Chris fought fiercely. The soldiers, who were only partially protected, screamed and fell as they were overwhelmed.

"Clap, clap!" Jason Liu clapped his hands in approval. He was pleased to see that the armor worked just as he had hoped.

The protective gear was so effective that one soldier could easily handle three or four enemies. This success made Jason even more excited. He had already decided he would continue to purchase more sets of this full defensive equipment in the future.

"Sir, the protective gear you brought is incredible," one of the soldiers said, admiring the quality. "It's even better than full-body iron armor!"

---------------------------

For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse