The Arrogant Garcia Family

Forming an army after the spring planting would not delay the farming schedule.

The importance of food to a nation could not be overlooked.

By the time they dawdled their way through assembling a legion and arrived in the Northern Lands two or three months later, it would probably almost be time for the Northern Lands' autumn harvest.

That would be enough time for the royal army to launch an offensive, then stabilize the situation before the snow fell. The Barbarians would not be able to launch a counterattack in winter either.

Clearly, the great nobles above had clear heads. They had not reached the point of asking why people did not eat meat porridge.

Even Derek had never considered the possibility of failure.

To a certain extent, from the Divine United Kingdom to the present three divided kingdoms, they had always looked down on the Barbarians.

The common belief among the nobles was that the Barbarians had only succeeded through opportunism while the kingdom was divided.

Now that the situation among the three kingdoms had stabilized and a new balance had been reached, they knew that eliminating one another would not be easy.

Thus, most eyes turned toward the Barbarians.

After all, the Barbarians occupied quite a bit of the old kingdom's land and population.

Land was the foundation of a noble's power.

The news Marco had revealed must have already reached many nobles by now.

The south and central regions had begun mobilizing, which meant the Northern Province would soon follow.

As the kingdom's territory closest to the Barbarians, it would surely bear an extremely heavy burden in this battle.

The nobles who had lost their family territories back then now had a chance for revenge as well.

Derek could already see the grand scene that was about to unfold.

Training! Step up the training!

Derek was brimming with motivation. At this point, he no longer cared whether he drew attention.

Besides, the current environment was such that even making bigger moves would not arouse suspicion.

Visible to the naked eye, the prices of weapons and equipment on the market had risen sharply.

News of the imminent northern campaign against the Barbarians gradually spread.

Noble children awaiting ennoblement, merchant families, and even some city residents all began making preparations.

Although Derek had begun stockpiling supplies long ago, he soon ran into difficulties.

"The Iron Ore consumption is too great."

Little Tru came to Derek to complain.

As the blacksmith team expanded, they were consuming more than ten times as much as before.

Some refined steel consumed even more.

A full set of knight's equipment weighing dozens of pounds might require nearly a thousand pounds of ore.

Derek's small stockpile, even combined with the Ferrera Family's reserves, was nowhere near enough.

Even though they could trade weapons for some, there was still very little ore available on the market.

It was simply something you could not buy.

Even with Gold Coins in hand, you could not spend them.

The Ferrera Family was not skilled in smelting and did not own any mines.

Even among their relatives, few were involved in that sort of business.

They called in a few favors, but unfortunately, those people could not obtain enough raw materials either.

The problem lay at its source.

The families controlling the ore supply were deliberately tightening it, hoping to make excessive profits.

"If it comes to it, I'll lead some men and rob them."

A vicious glint appeared in Simon's eyes. He had clawed his way up from the bottom. Though he had learned some etiquette, he would not remember such superficial trimmings at critical moments.

To be honest, Derek was somewhat tempted, but he quickly rejected the enticing idea.

The Northern Lands were now arming for war, with troops everywhere. The kingdom's rule was stronger than ever. Unless someone had lost their mind, who would dare cause trouble?

Hadn't Loyd become much more obedient lately as well?

The bandits in every region had disappeared without a trace, terrified of becoming targets for the army to practice on.

"Make a list of every family that can provide ore. I'll visit them one by one and see if I can secure a share."

Derek immediately put his connections to work, seeking introductions to people he could speak with.

The Northern Province's circle was only so large. If he sought out enough people, he could always find a connection. He did not need it to accomplish anything; merely establishing a relationship would be enough.

Derek's business had not been for nothing. He soon found several intermediaries.

Then he visited them one by one.

The families controlling the mineral veins were all very polite, though they could not release much of their supply.

One family offered a cartload each month, another gave three or five cartloads in a single delivery. It was the equivalent of a polite refusal.

After making the rounds, he had solved nothing. It seemed like a fair amount, but it was still not enough to meet their consumption.

Moreover, the bargaining chips he had—weaponry and equipment—were not things they lacked. No family that controlled mines would be short of blacksmiths.

Derek could provide too few Warhorses, nowhere near enough to trade for resources.

"No, at this rate, all our stock will be gone in a month."

Derek began to grow anxious. Just before he was about to take desperate measures, he finally received some good news.

"There aren't many families that control mines, but there aren't few either. The major mine owners on the market may not be selling, but there are also smaller mine owners.

"Now that Iron Ore prices are soaring, someone will surely be willing to sell."

This was Baron Ferrera's suggestion. He had seen much in his life and knew of other avenues.

Besides nobles with Fiefs, even some merchants holding court titles controlled a few mines.

So Derek began visiting them one by one.

Some small mining sites might be depleted after only a year or two of extraction, and their quality varied.

But Derek was not picky. Even if a site produced only one or two cartloads a month, he wanted it.

He even discovered a new mine.

The Garcia Family was a Baronial Family with a Fief. Unlike the Ferrera Family, however, the current Baron Garcia served the kingdom and held the title of viscount.

Although the viscount title could not be inherited, it still represented the other party's status.

The Garcia Family was one of the rising families. Previously, its strength had likely been more or less on par with the Ferrera Family.

But recently, a sizeable mineral vein had been discovered on their territory, and it had begun producing ore.

Already powerful and influential, the Garcia Family suddenly became a highly sought-after prospect.

Yet because they had only just discovered the mine, the Garcia Family lacked the foundation and simply did not have many blacksmiths.

The motley collection of mediocre blacksmiths they had scraped together could not bring in greater profits.

As a skilled trade—and one that people deliberately kept under wraps—it would take at least two generations of effort to achieve any real results.

Therefore, if Derek paid them a visit, he stood a chance of gaining a new source of ore.

However, after his calling card was delivered, there was no response.

Derek waited three days before a servant finally invited him in.

As a rising family, the Garcia Family's base was merely an Estate. They did not even have a castle of their own.

Though the Estate was well fortified and even encircled by a tall wooden wall, it still carried an air of poverty.

Adrian was deeply dissatisfied. How dared a family like this slight his own family?

Derek soothed the people around him. They were asking for a favor now, so they had to swallow their anger.

But when he saw the person who came to meet him, Derek grew somewhat angry as well.

"Harvey Garcia?"

After hearing the man's introduction, Derek realized he was not the one in charge of the Garcia Family at all.

Viscount Garcia was absent, but for a business matter like this, they should at least have sent the heir to negotiate, not a second son.

Moreover, the man's attitude was arrogant, his nose nearly tilted up to the sky.