The Baron's Generosity

Derek admitted that part of it was showing off.

But what was the point of getting rich if he didn't return home in glory and show it off a little?

Had he worked so hard just to hide under the blankets and laugh to himself?

And the effect was exactly as he had imagined. Everyone was stunned.

The Ferrera Family's finest set of equipment was an inherited suit of Black Armored Heavy Plate.

It was heavy armor that covered the wearer from head to toe, even protecting the eyes.

The wearer could only see through narrow gaps.

If someone stood there wearing that suit and let you chop at them, you still would not be able to hurt them.

Back then, the first Baron Ferrera had fought his way to a baronial title while wearing that armor.

Only after several generations of hard work had the family achieved its present splendor.

But ordinary people could not even wear it.

Even the current Baron Ferrera had never worn that heavy armor on the battlefield.

Yet no one doubted that, if necessary, a Ferrera knight would once again don the heavy armor and charge forward.

But though the honor passed down through history carried great weight, it was also somewhat distant.

The shock Derek had brought was right before their eyes.

His Second Brother, Sergei, stared wide-eyed. The kingdom's directly affiliated legions offered decent treatment, but they were not this extravagant.

As a low-ranking officer, he had never dared hope for equipment like this.

Though his eldest brother Marco was not skilled in combat, he understood its value.

His Fourth Brother, Sheriff, pounced on it, practically desperate to pick it up and wear it himself.

Even Baron Ferrera was momentarily dazed.

This kind of equipment was not simply a matter of money.

Baron Ferrera was usually not generous, but if such equipment were placed before him, he would certainly be willing to pay for it.

The more, the better.

But there were only so many premium knight sets on the market each year. Even at inflated prices, you might not be able to buy one.

Only connections, networks, and even luck could secure a set.

Then it would be stored away in a warehouse, waiting for the day it was needed.

For such a suit of equipment, a knight might even swear fealty to you.

It was also this suit of equipment that made Baron Ferrera fully realize how much Derek had changed.

The boy had grown rapidly, enough to speak with him as an equal.

After all, he was the head of the Ferrera Family. He could not truly care only about family affection.

He did not know whether this was what Derek was trying to convey, but if the boy truly had such thoughts, then he had really grown up.

"I am very pleased with your gift, Derek.

I think we can find an opportunity to have a proper talk."

Baron Ferrera treated Derek differently. Of all his sons, Derek was the first to qualify to speak with the Baron as an equal.

After returning home in glory, Derek immediately began enjoying the long-lost warmth of family.

He did not remain idle either. He visited each of his uncles and gave every one of them a gift.

At the same time, he worked on strengthening his ties with everyone in the family. Anyone who did not know better might have thought he had returned to fight for the baronial inheritance.

And for the third time, Derek received news that war might be approaching.

His Second Brother had warned him that the Iron Lion Legion's training had intensified. They were even considering delaying the retirement of some soldiers and increasing recruitment for new troops.

The standing legion of three thousand men might expand to five thousand within a year.

Finally, the Baron confirmed his suspicions.

"If you have the connections, the family also needs to procure a batch of military equipment."

The father and sons spoke behind closed doors, and the Baron expressed his expectations for war.

"The kingdom's strength has recovered quickly over the past few years. It may soon launch a war of revenge against the Barbarians.

Our Northern Province is on the front line, so we will inevitably join the fighting in the north.

Many people are already making preparations. The family has decided to expand its private forces. Derek... if you do not leave, you may soon have an opportunity."

This was a small selfish wish of the Baron's. If the Ferrera Family performed well in the war of revenge, they might obtain one or two Fiefs.

Whether through reassignment or by securing a small Fief for several of his sons, both were possible.

The family estate would be passed to the eldest son, but that did not mean the Baron had no affection for his other sons.

Fortunately, Derek could now make something of himself as well.

Derek remained very calm and had no regrets.

"War will definitely come. The prices of weapons have begun rising again recently, and many people are stockpiling weapons and grain.

If war comes, I will choose to take part."

Derek had come into contact with many people, so he had naturally noticed some abnormalities in the market.

With an additional weapons supplier like him, prices had stopped falling and begun rebounding instead. That was clearly abnormal.

The Baron and Derek did most of the talking. The eldest and second sons could occasionally get a few words in, while the fourth son could only listen.

The exchanges within noble families contained much intelligence that ordinary people could not imagine.

Looking across the entire kingdom, the Ferrera Family was merely a bunch of country bumpkins, local petty powers.

But within the Northern Province, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Narrow it down further to the Watch City region, and they could be called local tyrants.

If war broke out, they would have to provide at least one hundred-man unit of regular troops and two to three hundred-man units of Militia.

If the Baron personally took the field, he might even secure a Chiliarch's post.

Even Count Perez needed to win over powers like them.

But although war might be coming, the Baron had long been prepared.

So no one panicked. Compared to ordinary people, they had much more time to prepare.

Derek did not reveal his full situation, but he disclosed some information that was not secret.

Baron Ferrera was once again surprised. He had not expected Derek to build up such an operation in just a year.

Although it was not formal, and the kingdom would not even recognize it.

But if it seized an opportunity, it could take off at any time.

And right now, there was such an opportunity.

"Derek, if you need anything now, the family can provide it to you in advance, but you must offer sufficient returns."

Baron Ferrera had finally relented. Supporting Derek was both an emotional need and a matter of interests.

Over the years, Baron Ferrera had accumulated a batch of resources, but he had no good way to turn them into profit.

The connections and political resources Baron Ferrera controlled were not abundant.

Since the conventional path was blocked, and Derek now provided an alternative route, naturally he had to speed up the process of turning those resources into profit.

"People and land. I need both."

Derek opened his mouth like a lion. Under normal circumstances, he would not have had such a good opportunity.

Baron Ferrera's concession was the result of several factors coming together.

"The family's Estates will be given to you, but you will need to pay taxes from now on."

The Ferrera Family's two Estates were merely Mini Manors, with only one or two hundred people between them and over a thousand mu of land.

Moreover, Estates developed on one's own Fief did not need to pay taxes.

The difference between such Estates and a Fief was that they were completely privately owned, but came with no other political rights.

Put that way, some might feel that a Fief was too disadvantageous. Why let outsiders farm your own land?

In reality, reclaiming land required costs.

Population was also a cost.

Free citizens who reclaimed land within a Baron's territory had to pay taxes, and it cost the Baron virtually nothing.

Furthermore, the subjects also had to perform labor service, which could promote the local economy.

If they clung tightly to their land, perhaps the Ferrera Family would only have two Estates and several hundred people today. How could they possibly support such a large household?

But Estates could be freely traded. Like ordinary free citizens, they only needed to pay taxes.

They were a form of concentrated property.

In the kingdom's administrative territories, many wealthy merchants and nobles owned such Estates, indirectly opening up land for the kingdom and increasing its tax revenue.

Population was strength.