There were some things Derek did not ask aloud.
Otherwise, if the Old Count truly intended to rebel, should he follow him or not?
Still, business went on as usual. Besides heavy armor, there was also a large batch of weapons and equipment. Clearly, this was a major deal worth tens of thousands of Gold Coins.
His mission in Pulan City was already more than halfway complete.
All that remained was to inspect several businesses and meet with the Northland Nobles one by one.
The entire circle of Northland Nobles, including minor nobles with hereditary knightly titles, numbered only forty or fifty families.
It was a rather small circle, and making connections within it was very convenient.
Unlike last time, Derek's status had changed this time, and so had the treatment he received.
By the time he left, there were another fifty or sixty attendants behind him.
They were young men pushed into his care by their respective families, a political investment by the Northland Nobles in the Augusta Family.
Even with the year's end approaching, tempted by immense benefits, these minor nobles had all sent their eldest or second sons to Derek's side.
Just like the Ferrera Family back then: the eldest inherited the family business, the second took a post in the local Royal Legion, the third served a major local noble, and the fourth trained with an allied family that had close ties to them.
If Derek had not risen to prominence, that would have been the Ferrera Family's political path.
Their status as noble sons allowed them to easily become junior officers. After spending ten or twenty years climbing the ranks, they would either fail and return home to assist their eldest brother, or become mid-level officers and help the family prosper.
Now, these sons of