Chapter Summaries

Von Derek discovered that his Panel could track and accelerate the training of others as he led a militia squad through its month-long course. The newly trained militia reached levels 3 to 5, and Derek decided the Panel’s power was strong enough to take a gamble.

• Von Derek reviewed his status and recalled that he had been sent by his father to train as a Knight Squire at Count Perez’s household.
• Derek began training a ten-man militia squad, using simple drills to teach them formation, spear thrusts, and physical fitness.
• Derek found that the Panel recognized the squad as Militia Squad One and could display each member’s attributes and Experience Pool.
• Derek tested transferring overflow experience to Pitchfork, raising his Militia level progress by one point without any visible reaction.
• After a month of training, Derek’s militia members reached Levels 3 through 5 and became far more capable than ordinary village guards.
• Derek judged that the Panel’s accelerated training could give him a chance to take a gamble, while remaining cautious about revealing its power.

Derek passed the Knight Graduation Exam with a Top Grade and confirmed he would leave the Knight Order to become a Wandering Knight. After declining Cloya’s offer to join his territory, Derek collected his badge, said goodbye to the estate, and set out toward an independent future.

• Knight Cloya arrived to examine Derek’s militia and formally tested their skills, fitness, and formation drills.
• Cloya awarded Derek a Top Grade and privately asked whether he would return to his family after retiring from the Knight Order.
• Derek told Cloya he planned to become a Wandering Knight, and declined Cloya’s offer to sponsor him with soldiers.
• Derek received the badge representing his service as a knight and avoided swearing loyalty to Count Perez.
• Derek packed his luggage, bade farewell to the stewards and militia, and left his life as a Knight Apprentice behind.

After retiring, Derek returned to the Ferrera Family, where Baron Ferrera gave him fifty Gold Coins and permission to recruit soldiers for his journey as a Wandering Knight. At Haystack Village, Derek received a Fine Iron Longsword from his Second Uncle Andrew and prepared to assemble his men.

• Derek refused to abandon his plan to become a Wandering Knight, and Baron Ferrera gave him fifty Gold Coins as support.
• Derek asked to recruit soldiers from the family’s territory, and Baron Ferrera agreed to let the security officer help him.
• Derek took his father’s written order to the Security Office in Haystack Village and met his Second Uncle Andrew.
• Andrew welcomed Derek, offered to introduce him to suitable recruits, and gave him a Fine Iron Longsword.
• Derek tested the sword with a flourish, impressing Andrew with his skill.

Derek recruited soldiers, an attendant, and Tru as a blacksmith, then set up a training ground using support and supplies from his relatives. After a month, his recruits had advanced through intensive training and Tru had begun forging usable spearheads for a profit.

• Andrew arranged eleven recruits, Tru, a training ground, supplies, and equipment for Derek without him spending any money.
• Derek assigned Tru as an Army Blacksmith through the Panel and had him build a crude furnace while the other recruits began training.
• Tru struggled to forge reliable spearheads, and Derek kept the recruits training even when their practice weapons broke.
• After a month, all eleven recruits had reached militia level 5 or above, while Tru had reached blacksmith Level 3.
• Tru began producing usable spearheads that cost twenty or thirty Copper Coins to make and could sell for seventy or eighty Copper Coins, though he remained bound by his contract of indenture.

Derek used his accelerated progress and available funds to recruit and train more soldiers, then set out for Watch City with a cart of wheat bran. After selling the grain, he began looking for a reliable source of Iron Ore and adjusting to life in a much larger city.

• Little Tru rapidly improved his craftsmanship, while Derek kept him from becoming conceited and assigned him two apprentices to train.
• Derek decided to spend his Gold Coins on recruiting twenty more men, and he persuaded Andrew that a long-term guard contract through Count Perez's connections required the manpower.
• Derek gathered a squad of recruits, bought a carriage, and set out with a thousand pounds of wheat bran while the remaining soldiers stayed behind to gain experience.
• Derek reached Watch City after ten days, paid the gate fee, and was disgusted by the city's poor sanitation.
• Derek sold the wheat bran to a Ferrera Family shop and looked for a place to stay, intending to find a reliable source of Iron Ore.

Derek bought Iron Ore in Watch City and returned to Haystack Village, where Little Tru and the other apprentices continued improving as blacksmiths. After Little Tru learned to forge Iron Swords, Derek used up most of the Ore and realized he needed to establish himself elsewhere before his growing business attracted attention.

• Little Tru's apprentices gained Army Blacksmith classes, and Little Tru became more obedient after accepting Derek's view that plentiful materials could train anyone.
• Derek surveyed Watch City's Iron Ore market and bought a cartload, keeping the purchase small enough to avoid notice.
• Back in Haystack Village, Little Tru reported forging about ten sets of spearheads a day, and Derek told him to experiment with Iron Swords.
• Derek concluded that blacksmithing could generate substantial income, but he prioritized building military strength to protect the business.
• After a month and a half of failures, Little Tru forged Iron Swords; Derek used nearly all the Ore and decided he needed a place to establish himself.

Derek established a blacksmith shop in Watch City and negotiated his first caravan-escort job to gain experience and prepare his soldiers for danger. He chose Simon as his Knight Squire and equipped him for the journey from Watch City to Count Perez’s Territory.

• Derek spent his remaining funds to buy and renovate a courtyard in Watch City, opening a blacksmith shop to sell weapons and support his group.
• Derek found an escort job through the Goat Merchant Guild and negotiated with Steward Vincent, agreeing to protect a caravan for five Gold Coins.
• Derek selected the obedient, diligent Simon, an eighth-level Spearman, to become his Knight Squire.
• Derek gave Simon Iron-Studded Leather Armor, an Iron Sword, a nag, and increased wages, preparing him for the caravan escort.

Derek outfitted Simon as a Knight Squire and led his soldiers to escort the Goat Merchant Guild’s Caravan. The trip went smoothly until they left Count Perez’s Territory, where Derek questioned why the Caravan traveled through a dangerous area near the mountains.

• Derek named Simon a Knight Squire, gave him a longsword, and encouraged the Spearmen to train for the same rewards.
• Derek met Steward Vincent and set out with the Goat Caravan, whose guards and workers joined his soldiers on the route.
• Derek organized the march and trained Simon and the Spearmen while the Caravan traveled through Count Perez’s Territory.
• Derek learned that the Goat Merchant Guild traded common goods for furs and grain, and greeted Knight Squires he knew along the way.
• After the Caravan left Count Perez’s Territory, Steward Vincent warned Derek about barbarians and bandits, and Derek asked why they were traveling through the area.

Derek led the Goat Caravan through a dangerous mountain route and prepared his recruits for an attack. When about a hundred bandits ambushed the Caravan, Derek organized a defense and launched a countercharge, leaving the battle underway.

• Derek learned that the Caravan traded furs with remote villages and grew more vigilant as it approached the final stops.
• Derek eased his recruits' nerves by boasting about his past victories against bandits and Barbarians.
• A boulder rolled down, and a scattered band of about a hundred bandits attacked the Caravan with weak hunting bows.
• Derek ordered the Caravan to circle the wagons, then led his Spearmen into a staggered countercharge.
• The Spearmen pierced the bandits' front line, while the disorganized attackers argued over whether to flee or fight.

Derek led the Spearmen and Caravan guards in repelling repeated attacks by the Mountain Folk bandits, while Steward Vincent saw how dangerous the encounter could have been. The bandits fled after suffering heavy losses, leaving the Caravan battered but alive.

• Derek ordered the Spearmen to retreat in formation, then halted them to thrust down a bandit who charged at them.
• Derek organized the Caravan’s defenses behind the wagons as the bandits argued and prepared another assault.
• The bandits charged again, but the Spearmen and guards cut down those who reached the wagons.
• Derek warned Steward Vincent that more professional attackers could have destroyed the Caravan, persuading him that paying for protection was worthwhile.
• After losing more fighters, the bandits fled, and the Caravan counted its dead, wounded, and damaged goods.

After the bandit attack, Derek found that his soldiers and warhorse had gained experience and later gave Healing Salve to a powerful Mountain Folk named Wood in exchange for hides. The Caravan prepared to return, while Derek saw Wood as a potential warrior worth recruiting.

• Derek checked the Panel and found that his soldiers had gained experience, his Knight Squire had reached level four, and his unnamed Warhorse had appeared on the Panel.
• Steward Vincent quietly promised Derek another reward for fighting off the bandits, and the Caravan resumed its journey through the Mountain Folk settlements.
• Derek watched over the trading crowd while Steward Vincent argued with Wood, who needed Healing Salve for his injured eldest brother.
• Derek restrained Wood, offered him Healing Salve in exchange for ten Wild Boar Hides, and gave him his name.
• Wood promised to bring the hides, and Derek told Steward Vincent that he considered Wood a warrior and was willing to give him a chance.

After returning from the Caravan escort, Derek built his mercenary company and grew its reputation, but worried that feudal restrictions and jealous nobles would limit or seize his arms business. He decided he needed a place to use the Panel freely and set his sights on a target.

• Steward Vincent paid Derek two Gold Coins for the successful Caravan mission, and Simon's nag joined the Panel and rose to ordinary quality.
• Derek sent his Spearmen on local missions while his blacksmiths improved, earning the group money and a reputation for strength and trustworthiness.
• Derek concluded that his business could not expand safely without land, population, or a powerful patron, and feared that Baron Ferrera might eventually covet it.
• Derek considered the kingdom's political barriers and the uncertain prospect of war with the northern barbarians, then realized he could not wait for an opportunity to arrive.
• Derek resolved to find a place beyond others' sight where he could use the Panel's abilities, and he already had a target in mind.

Four months after Derek first met the Mountain Folk, Wood and Loyd returned with the promised Wild Boar Hides, and Loyd invited Derek to his camp for a drink. Derek accepted with Simon and his goods, and the chapter ended with Loyd asking whether he was afraid among the wary Mountain Folk.

• Derek escorted the Goat Caravan to the mountain stronghold again and waited two days for the Mountain Folk to appear.
• Wood arrived with several Mountain Folk and delivered the Wild Boar Hides owed to Derek, who praised them for keeping their word.
• Loyd thanked Derek for trusting him and invited him to drink; Derek accepted and summoned Simon to accompany him.
• Derek and Simon followed Loyd to a nearby camp, where Loyd stopped his suspicious men and sat down with Derek.
• Loyd asked Derek whether he was afraid.

Derek won Loyd’s respect with Simon’s display of swordsmanship and gifts of fine weapons, then proposed helping Loyd’s bandits grow stronger. He offered weapons and training in exchange for the bandits seizing people he could buy, leaving Loyd shocked by the proposal.

• Simon threw his sword with such precision that it silenced the Mountain Folk and made Loyd apologize to Derek.
• Derek presented Loyd with five finely made swords, and Loyd accepted Derek’s offer of friendship.
• Derek and Loyd shared food while Loyd probed whether Derek wanted to enter the Furs trade, which Derek denied.
• Derek asked Loyd about his bandits’ business and suggested they grow stronger to target richer Caravans.
• Derek offered to supply weapons and training if Loyd seized people for Derek to buy, and Loyd asked whether Derek wanted to recruit him.

Derek secured Loyd’s help in finding a secluded mountain site and secretly arranged to support Loyd’s plan to become a Mountain King. He traveled into the mountains with supplies and found the remote, rocky land where he planned to settle.

• Loyd accepted Derek’s proposal to become a Mountain King, and Derek asked him to find a secluded place to settle.
• Derek assured Steward Vincent he would respect the rules, then prepared two carts of supplies and left Watch City.
• Steward Vincent learned Derek had departed but chose not to interfere, hoping to buy back his goods if Derek returned in trouble.
• Derek reached the agreed meeting place, where Loyd’s messenger told him to wait while Loyd was summoned.
• Loyd led Derek and his convoy by river to a remote stretch of rocky land deep in the mountains, and Derek thanked him for finding it.

Derek established a foothold in the wilderness, while Loyd built the Mountain Wolf bandits into a force that controlled a trade route. Short on manpower, Derek returned to Watch City for supplies and wrote to his Second Uncle to invite Adrian to join him.

• Derek and Loyd's men built houses, a defensive perimeter, and a blacksmith shop in the wilderness.
• Loyd led the Mountain Wolf bandits in an attack on a Night Owl Merchant Guild Caravan and demanded payment for safe passage through the area.
• Loyd absorbed nearby bandit groups and sold banners and goods to Caravans as he built his influence.
• Derek returned to Watch City with Simon, bought supplies, and sold weapons through passing Caravans to raise cash.
• Derek wrote to his Second Uncle, asking him to send Adrian to help with Derek's growing business.

Derek’s letter and gifts persuaded Andrew to risk recruiting people from Haystack Village for his nephew. Andrew took his son Adrian and fifty young men to join Derek, leaving Haystack Village short of workers.

• Simon returned to Haystack Village with soldiers’ wages, letters, and gifts from Derek, impressing Andrew with his new armor, sword, and Warhorse.
• Andrew read Derek’s letter and decided to take a chance on his nephew rather than let Adrian face a limited future in the Ferrera Family.
• Simon presented Andrew with ten longswords, strengthening Andrew’s resolve to support Derek.
• Andrew took Simon to Ferreira Castle, where Baron Ferrera allowed him to take Adrian despite Adrian’s reluctance to leave behind the family’s equipment and Warhorse.
• Andrew scolded Adrian into accepting Derek as his Liege Lord, then hurried Simon and fifty recruits away before Baron Ferrera could react.

Derek expanded his camp’s workforce and weapon production after Adrian arrived with farmers, but iron supplies and sales channels became pressing concerns. Adrian proposed using warhorses to open new business connections, and Derek began preparing a larger horse-raising operation before making a trip.

• Derek welcomed Adrian, equipped him with a warhorse and gear, and assigned the arriving farmers to the army and Blacksmith Shop.
• Derek organized five squads, expanded the Blacksmith Shop to twenty workers, and grew the camp to around a hundred people.
• Derek faced growing demand for iron ore and difficulty selling the increasing supply of weapons.
• Adrian suggested offering warhorses to nobles and officials to establish business channels, while Derek rejected starting with his family.
• Derek calculated the profits from raising nags into fine warhorses and ordered riding horses purchased and slaves assigned to the grooms.

Derek visited Knight Cloya at his fief and brought several Warhorses as gifts and merchandise. Cloya accepted the deal at a steep discount and asked Derek what favor he wanted in return.

• Derek rode with his Knight Squires and five fine-quality Warhorses to Knight Cloya's fief near Count Perez's heartland.
• Knight Cloya initially assumed Derek had come seeking connections, but his steward reported that Derek arrived with well-equipped cavalry and numerous Warhorses.
• Derek greeted Cloya warmly and led him outside to show him the Warhorses.
• Derek gave Cloya one Warhorse and offered four more for eighty Gold Coins, and Cloya agreed to buy them all.
• Cloya recognized the generous discount and asked Derek what he wanted him to do.

Derek secured Croy’s support for trading weapons and armor in the Northern Lands, then returned to Watch City and the Mountain Base to expand his supply network. At the base, he set terms for buying newly captured slaves and offered trusted captives a chance to earn freedom through military service.

• Derek told Croy he traded warhorses, weapons, armor, and people, and Croy agreed to buy his weapons at market rates and help him reach new markets.
• At dinner, Croy told Derek that several great nobles were stockpiling war supplies and that Count Perez was expanding his Knight Order.
• Derek returned to Watch City, ordered iron ore and pig iron, and arranged for the Goat Merchant Guild to buy goods for him.
• At the Mountain Base, Derek learned Loyd had captured twenty-two trained slaves and ordered Little Tru to offer three Gold Coins per slave, with extra compensation if Loyd accepted.
• Derek selected established slaves for questioning and told them they could earn freedom through military service, while keeping them under his supervision for training.