A single Blood Ring Knight was simply too expensive.
A magic mount alone cost fifteen hundred Magic Stones.
And that was with only one magic mount assigned. Under normal circumstances, a Blood Ring Knight needed at least two warhorses.
This was not only to conserve the horses' stamina, but also to ensure that if the magic mount was injured or killed in battle, the Blood Ring Knight could still retain combat power.
But at this early stage, Charles could only make the Blood Ring Knights scrimp and save.
A Blood Ring Knight needed at least three or four horses. Aside from one magic mount, the rest could only be replaced with ordinary Gray-Scaled Horses.
Warhorses were only one part of a Blood Ring Knight's expenses.
Beyond the magic mounts and warhorses, there were the knights' modifications, the knights' equipment, and the magic mounts' equipment. Those were the biggest expenses.
Modifying a knight consumed far more than modifying a magic mount.
Magic mounts could rely on burning their life force to accelerate their growth. Beast potions could be used directly, with no concern for bodily damage—go all out, and they grew quickly.
But knights could not.
Knights were people, and Charles believed in humane treatment.
Moreover, a Blood Ring Knight had a long combat service life. The longer they lived, the greater the profits they could create.
The Blood Ring Knights Charles had modified were still in their advancement phase.
They were products of modification; unlike a wizard's breakthrough, which could be completed in one stroke, their advancement was instead a gradual process.
Their physical attributes improved every day—their bones, muscles, reaction speed, and more all strengthened under the effects of runes and potions.
When Charles modified Blood Ring Knights, he inscribed solidification runes onto their bones, helping the knights absorb