Lloyd accepted the price of three gold coins for each seasoned slave without showing any further concerns.
After being away from home for nearly ten months, Derek finally achieved a significant milestone:
Feng Derek
Occupation: Elite Knight Level 1 (0/100)
Experience Pool: 0/100
Having reached Level 10 as a knight, the next rank is an Elite Knight. This advancement brings a stronger physique, more refined combat skills, and a sharper mind. Derek now felt no pressure from any soldier or attendant in the camp, as his overall strength had significantly improved.
At this level, natural talent is nearly exhausted, and further improvements come slowly through the accumulation of experience.
Ironmasters like Tru face an even steeper challenge in advancing their craft. Tru had long reached the limit of his natural talent and had become an eighth-level blacksmith through the panel system. At this level, he could start forging fine steel.
In this world, "fine steel" is a general term that includes various high-quality materials, such as steel itself. Blacksmiths typically use two approaches to forge fine steel: one is the meticulous process of repeated hammering to produce ten-forged, hundred-forged, or thousand-forged fine steel, and the other involves alloying various metals using techniques like quenching, annealing, and smelting.
Tru, being an eighth-level military blacksmith, used the first method. He experienced a breakthrough in understanding how to forge ten-forged fine steel, which allowed him to use superior materials. Following Derek's rule, Tru shared his knowledge with other blacksmiths, who quickly learned this technique.
This not only increased the production of ten-forged fine steel materials but also led to a significant boost in the experience of other blacksmiths. It was evident that advanced techniques could accelerate growth.
The inheritance of talent and knowledge plays a crucial role in future development. Tru's breakthrough was likely due to the panel's special effects. The improved materials not only allowed for better weapon crafting but also prompted the beginning of attempts to forge iron armor.
The first goal was half-body armor. A well-crafted half-body armor was worth as much as a war horse. However, the current production was still limited due to technical constraints, requiring additional manual labor to compensate.
Before considering costs, it was essential to address whether there were any issues. For Derek, it was at least cheaper than purchasing externally and avoided dependency on others. Once he donned his own half-body armor, he felt a tremendous boost in confidence. The enhanced stamina of an Elite Knight made him feel capable of wearing it all day and engaging in multiple battles without issue. Only full plate armor could potentially present him with any real challenge.
As Derek continued to develop steadily, the Goat Merchant Caravan entered the mountains once again. This time, they employed the soldiers Derek had left in Watchtower City and brought the custom goods Derek had ordered.
When Vincent, the manager, saw Derek again, he was quite surprised. "Sir Derek, what are you planning to do with all this grain and iron?"
Since Derek had paid half of the deposit in advance, Vincent, of course, was not going to refuse the business. On the contrary, the caravan had brought additional goods, increasing the profit by at least 30%.
"Vincent, my old friend, would you ever refuse business? Don't ask too many questions; these are not sensitive goods."
Vincent accepted Derek's explanation. In reality, both grain and iron had certain entry barriers, but with the backing of the Goat Merchant Caravan, it was not an issue. Additionally, this diversion made it harder for outsiders to detect Derek's presence.
As for the risk of exposure to the Goat Merchant Caravan, they were in the mountains, where the real power lay with the mountain dwellers. Vincent wisely kept quiet about it. After missing each other in Watchtower City last time, they had the chance to catch up now.
Without the competitive edge, any previous reservations vanished. Derek's increased demand could make him a major client of the Goat Merchant Caravan. What Derek intended to do was of little concern to Vincent; after all, with a 50% profit margin, Vincent's associates were willing to risk it all.
During their face-to-face meeting, Derek promoted high-quality weapons and half-body armor from the south, while also placing orders for some draft horses, grain, iron, and other resources. Vincent inspected the weapons, found them of good quality, and noted that their prices were much lower than market rates, which promised substantial profit margins.
"Prepare twenty pieces of half-body armor, one hundred iron swords, and three hundred spearheads for me," Derek instructed.
Vincent, the manager, placed the order generously. The quantity of weapons and armor was enough to equip a baron's retinue. Especially the half-body armor, which was extremely scarce and difficult to assemble quickly. However, as production increased, this transaction would yield a profit of two to three hundred gold coins.
Derek readily agreed, "I'll deliver the goods the next time you come by, but can you handle such a large quantity?"
"Of course, no problem. You've underestimated our merchant caravan's capabilities," Vincent replied confidently. In reality, he had received news that weapon prices would slowly rise in the future. They had agreed on this transaction, and Vincent decided to increase the frequency of trade into the mountains. The demand for goods among the mountain dwellers had significantly decreased, while Derek's orders had risen. Vincent even considered making a special trip into the mountains to save time.
With the market constraints being the limiting factor, Vincent wished he could make daily trips. As soon as Vincent left, a messenger from Knight Clory arrived, easily selling ten war horses and a collection of miscellaneous weapons. Another several hundred gold coins were earned from this deal.
After changing strategies, Derek's business had seen a dramatic surge. The only constraint now was production capacity. After fulfilling these two orders, there would be no spare capacity for the next three months.
"Population, population," Derek lamented, feeling overwhelmed by the need for more people. He had to consider acquiring a larger territory to accommodate a growing population, but unfortunately, he had no connections.
The world was vast, but no land was unclaimed. Amidst Derek's mixed feelings of joy and worry, the New Year approached. After being away from home for a year, it was time to consider returning. He even thought about competing with his elder brother for the family inheritance but dismissed the idea. He was sure that he could achieve greater success than the Ferreira family in time.
There was no need to sacrifice the rare resource of familial bonds for such a cause. In the end, family ties were the true rarity.