Elite

Loyd accepted the price of three Gold Coins per Slave without showing any other intentions for the time being.

Nearly ten months after leaving home, Derek finally broke through a major limit.

Von Derek

Class: Elite Knight, Level 1 (0/100)

Experience Pool: 0/100

After reaching level ten as a Knight, the next advancement was Elite Knight.

A stronger body, more proficient martial skills, and even a sharper mind.

The all-around enhancement left him feeling no pressure when facing any soldier or squire in the camp.

At this level, one's talent had almost reached its limit, and the effects of training were barely noticeable.

Only by accumulating experience in the Experience Pool could one grow stronger bit by bit.

For blacksmiths like Little Tru, leveling up was even more difficult.

He had long since reached the limit of his talent and had gradually become a level-eight blacksmith with the help of the Panel.

At this level, he could already begin forging some Refined Iron.

In this world, Refined Iron was actually a general term.

Steel was also one kind of Refined Iron.

Blacksmiths generally had two paths for forging Refined Iron. The first relied purely on repeated hammering and tempering, producing Ten-Temper, Hundred-Temper, and Thousand-Temper Refined Iron.

The other involved mixing in various metals and using different methods of quenching, annealing, and smelting to create alloys.

Little Tru, the level-eight military blacksmith, used the first method.

He had suddenly gained an insight into the method of forging Ten-Temper Refined Iron, obtaining higher-quality materials.

Because of Derek's rules, Little Tru did not keep the technique to himself. Under his guidance, the other blacksmiths quickly mastered it as well.

Not only did they produce more Ten-Temper Refined Iron, but Derek also noticed that the other blacksmiths' experience had shot up considerably.

Clearly, advanced and superior techniques could accelerate growth.

With the same talent, one's inheritance also determined one's future.

Of course, Little Tru's sudden enlightenment was likely a special effect of the Panel.

Better materials could not only forge better weapons, but also allowed them to begin trying to make iron armor.

Their first target was Half Plate Armor.

A carefully made set of Half Plate Armor was worth as much as a Warhorse.

However, production was currently far too low. Their techniques were still flawed, forcing them to make up for it with manpower.

Still, they would solve the question of whether they could make it first, then consider the cost.

For Derek, it was at least cheaper than buying it elsewhere, and he would not be at someone else's mercy.

When he put on his own Half Plate Armor, his sense of security immediately soared.

And with an Elite Knight's stamina, he felt he could wear it all day and still fight another three to five battles.

Perhaps only full heavy armor would make him feel any strain now.

Just as Derek was developing steadily, the Goat Caravan entered the mountains once more.

This time, they had hired the soldiers Derek had left behind in Watch City.

They also brought the goods Derek had ordered.

When Steward Vincent saw Derek again, he was greatly surprised.

"Knight Derek, what are you ordering so much grain and so many iron ingots for?"

Since Derek had paid half the deposit in advance, Steward Vincent naturally would not refuse the deal.

On the contrary, bringing along more goods increased the Caravan's profits by at least thirty percent.

"Steward Vincent, my old friend, would you turn down business when it comes to you?

Don't ask too many questions. These aren't sensitive goods."

Steward Vincent accepted Derek's explanation.

In truth, grain and iron ingots also required a certain level of access.

But the Goat Caravan had connections behind it, so this was not a problem for them.

Moreover, with this layer of concealment, outsiders would find it difficult to notice Derek's existence.

As for being exposed before the Goat Caravan, one should not forget where this was.

Their business came with a certain degree of danger, and in the mountains... the Mountain Folk were the ones who controlled the resources.

So Steward Vincent wisely shut his mouth. The two had missed each other in Watch City last time, and now that they had met, they ought to have a proper chat.

Without a competitive relationship between them, that slight estrangement immediately vanished.

Derek's growing demand would even make him a major client of the Goat Merchant Guild.

As for what Derek intended to do, who cared?

With at least fifty percent profit, the people behind Steward Vincent would dare put their own heads into a noose.

As they spoke face-to-face, Derek promoted the high-quality weapons and Half Plate Armor from the south while also ordering resources such as Nags, grain, iron ingots, and people.

Steward Vincent inspected the weapons and found the quality quite good. Their prices were also far lower than those on the market, leaving ample profit with just a resale.

"Prepare twenty sets of Half Plate Armor, one hundred Iron Swords, and three hundred spearheads for me."

Steward Vincent placed the order generously. So many weapons and pieces of equipment could even arm the guard force of a Baron's household.

Half Plate Armor in particular had terrifyingly low production, and there was simply no way to gather enough in a short time.

But production would only continue to increase, and this deal alone would bring a profit of two to three hundred Gold Coins.

Derek agreed without hesitation. "I'll deliver them the next time you come, but can you handle such a large quantity?"

"Of course. You underestimate our Merchant Guild's capabilities."

Steward Vincent was extremely confident. In fact, he had already received news that the prices of weapons and equipment would slowly rise in the future.

After agreeing on this transaction, Steward Vincent also decided to increase the frequency of his mountain trade runs.

The proportion of goods demanded by the Mountain Folk had greatly decreased, while Derek's orders accounted for more and more.

He even considered making a special trip into the mountains just to save time.

Thus, what truly constrained the Caravan was the market. Steward Vincent wished he could come once a day.

Steward Vincent had barely left when Knight Cloya's messenger arrived.

The latter had easily sold ten Warhorses and a pile of miscellaneous weapons for him.

It was another business deal worth several hundred Gold Coins.

After changing his strategy, Derek's business suddenly entered a period of explosive growth.

Now, the thing limiting his business was production.

Once these two orders were completed, there would be no spare production capacity for the next three months.

"People, people."

Derek was nearly obsessed with the shortage of people, and he also had to consider acquiring territory that could accommodate a larger population.

Unfortunately, he had no way in.

There was plenty of land in this world, but not a single inch of it was unclaimed.

As Derek remained both happy and troubled, the new year drew near.

He had been away from home for a year. By his reckoning, it was time to return.

He had even considered competing with his elder brother for the family inheritance, but quickly dismissed the thought himself.

The old man definitely would not agree.

Besides... he believed that sooner or later, he would achieve something greater than the Ferrera Family.

There was no need to sacrifice the little family affection he had left for it.

Compared with that, family affection was the truly scarce resource.