When Derek saw Adrian and a group of farmers arrive, he was indeed quite surprised. However, having more people was always advantageous; population was a crucial resource in this world. Even if some were disparagingly referred to as mere "two-legged livestock," they were still valuable assets.
"Welcome, Adrian."
Derek quickly expressed his trust in Adrian. After all, being blood relatives, Adrian was someone Derek couldn't overlook. In the rules of this era, relatives might not always be reliable, but they were unavoidable. At least Adrian seemed dependable, without any troubling rumors surrounding him.
Additionally, as the son of a village constable, Adrian didn't have many resources to leverage. He had received basic education and even some noble etiquette training. He was also hardworking and lacked grand ambitions. With a bit of blood relation, he was truly an excellent assistant. Derek was confident he could manage someone like Adrian effectively.
Derek replaced Adrian's mount with a warhorse and outfitted him with new equipment. Opening his panel, he saw Adrian's profile had appeared, indicating that, at least in terms of obedience, Adrian was already prepared and ready to serve.
"This place is rather rudimentary and the conditions are tough, but we have the basic supplies. My business… needs some manpower, and you arrived just in time."
Derek first trained the farmers uniformly, then assigned them to the military and the blacksmith shop based on their personalities and obedience. Together with the three previous squads, they formed five squads in total: three spear units, one swordsman unit, and one sword-and-shield unit. Each type of soldier had slight differences in their uses.
The blacksmith shop was expanded to twenty workers. Once they were fully trained, the annual income would reach at least a thousand gold coins. However, sourcing iron ore and finding markets would gradually become new challenges.
From the previous soldiers, five were selected to become new knight attendants. With additional stable hands, basic management staff, and slaves, the small camp now boasted a scale of over a hundred people. The output here far exceeded that of a micro manor. Even the Ferreira family, despite having greater potential power, would only match this in terms of pure profit.
Of course, without considering consumption, the profit would be significantly reduced. Adrian quickly adapted to his new life. Although the environment was monotonous, Derek's generous salary and the promise of progress kept him motivated. Moreover, temporarily leading the cavalry gave him a status far beyond his previous position. He firmly believed Derek's future was brighter than that of the other family members.
As the operation expanded, the daily weapon production increased, and so did the consumption. Daily iron ore requirements of three to five hundred pounds were challenging to meet through scattered purchases alone. Nearby small mines only produced this amount, and buying too much at once would attract unwanted attention.
Given Derek's weapon production rate, he could arm a thousand-man squad in a month. This alone could influence the market, as weapon prices in the city had already seen a slight drop.
Adrian, aware of Derek's challenges, proposed a very useful suggestion.
"We may not be able to penetrate the market in Guardian City, but there's one commodity that no one would refuse."
"No noble would refuse a quality warhorse. In fact, any smuggled-in warhorse won't be questioned about its origins. Using them as a foothold could help expand our business channels."
The northern provinces were known for producing warhorses, and many nobles and merchants kept a stable of them. Even ordinary riding horses could fetch a good price. A mediocre draft horse might cost only three to five gold coins, but a standard riding horse often sold for ten gold coins or more. A high-quality warhorse, capable of bearing heavy armor, could exceed sixty to seventy gold coins.
Most cavalry and knights trained with riding horses, and only a few were equipped with true warhorses. The prices mentioned were for the northern provinces; in the central or southern regions, the prices could be double or more.
Adrian was unsure about the quality of the horses Derek had acquired, but using them as a starting point could potentially open up business opportunities. After all, nobles and kingdom officials were also human and had their own interests and needs. Although Derek was familiar with the rules of this world, he still carried the mindset from his previous life.
Adrian, though not holding a noble title, had been exposed to noble politics from a young age and understood it well. Nobles and kingdom officials wielded power and political resources that weren't just idle; if you could offer benefits, they were open to exchanges. Derek had been cautious and hesitant to overstep, but Adrian believed there was significant room for maneuver.
"Starting with the family business might work, and having warhorses… Uncle will agree."
However, Derek quickly dismissed this suggestion. He had better trading opportunities in mind. Doing business with the family was fine, but it could wait. Moreover, his previous three years in the count's territory were not spent in vain.
He calculated that raising a draft horse from poor to excellent quality took about nine months. The labor and feed were very inexpensive—just over a gold coin for the feed at ten copper coins a day. However, a draft horse worth three gold coins could sell for over seventeen gold coins after nine months.
Profit was secondary; the primary goal was to acquire resources. Warhorses were a scarce resource and had significant value for trading other resources. With the panel available, Derek selected draft horses specifically to minimize costs.
Derek had realized that while warhorses were profitable, they were initially just a regular business venture. He felt that the manpower required could create more value elsewhere. With the panel, managing horses was no more complex than managing blacksmiths.
He primarily raised horses for personal use, with a few excellent-quality warhorses and around ten ordinary-quality ones. Fortunately, he was able to breed three to five excellent-quality warhorses each month.
"Ugh, I've wasted so much time. Let's send someone to acquire a batch of riding horses and assign a few slaves as grooms."
Derek quickly adjusted his plans. Once the upcoming batch of riding horses was upgraded to excellent-quality warhorses, he would be ready to make a move. The wait wouldn't be long.