Potential

Little Tru felt as if he were divinely inspired, with his skills improving rapidly. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, with new ideas coming to him every day. He continuously refined his craft, making progress to the point where he felt he was on par with his father.

"Could it be… that the old man was holding me back with his lack of skill?"

With his swift progress, some arrogance naturally crept in. Fortunately, as his rate of improvement began to slow, Derek consciously kept himself in check, preventing himself from becoming overly arrogant.

A month was still too short a time for the rest of the family to notice any significant achievements. However, Derek felt that it was only a matter of time before he had to venture out and explore. With the data panel at his disposal, a month of development for him was equivalent to half a year for others. Staying cooped up here felt meaningless.

Moreover, without establishing a source of income, how could he grow quickly? Relying on Little Tru? The one or two gold coins a year he earned were far too little. In the past few days, Derek had managed to stockpile around twenty cast iron spearheads, but that was insufficient as merchandise. He had been conservative before due to concerns, but now it was time to turn the gold coins he had into strength.

After setting aside some for expenses, he calculated that the monthly salary for new recruits was eighty copper coins each, lower than the standard rate. Little Tru, being a follower, was paid one silver coin. Monthly expenses for salaries amounted to no more than eight or nine silver coins, and with the cost of food and various other losses, one gold coin was enough. He planned to keep ten gold coins for emergencies, leaving him with at least forty gold coins to use, which was a substantial sum.

"Recruit another twenty men?"

Andrew thought his nephew had gone mad. How long could his limited funds sustain the expenses of dozens of men, including their food and wages?

"Derek, you need to train a batch of warriors first and then find a way to make money. Trust me, recruiting soldiers is easy, but you have to be able to support them. Without a steady income, loyalty can't be maintained indefinitely."

Andrew shared his experience. The Ferreira family was quite strong, with a regular guard of over a hundred men, seven or eight knights, and the ability to muster a force of five hundred militia at a moment's notice. But all of this was supported by extensive estates and industries. Without these resources, everything could collapse overnight.

Derek understood this well but remained firm in his plan. To avoid Andrew's interference, he even concocted a well-meaning lie: "Uncle, I've already secured a long-term guard contract and will be leaving soon. I need these soldiers to stay here and train for now; I'll take them with me next time."

"You haven't been tricked, have you?" Andrew found it hard to believe. Such good opportunities were rare.

"I swear on my honor, it's true. It's through a connection with Count Perez."

Feigning mystery, Derek revealed a bit of information, and Andrew immediately imagined an elaborate scenario.

"You really have some skill, making reliable friends outside." Although Andrew felt a bit downcast, he no longer doubted Derek, as his nephew didn't seem to have lost his senses.

In truth, the noble rule had its pros and cons. In the Perez family's territory, without the cooperation of the sheriff, recruitment would be unrealistic. To be blunt, if it weren't for Andrew's word, how could Little Tru have willingly come along?

Quickly sweeping the village for the best young men, Derek knew that for the next recruitment, he would have to lower his standards a bit. He arranged the training and assigned two apprentices to Little Tru, making it clear that he needed to train new talent.

In this era, skilled trades were closely guarded family secrets. Little Tru was certainly unwilling, but with a knife to his throat, he had no choice but to comply. Derek understood that at first, Little Tru wouldn't put in his best effort, but that was fine; time would teach him how to perform well. The data panel gave Derek an edge over others, but everything else he had to learn and do himself, which meant he would have more opportunities to make mistakes.

After a few days, with everyone accounted for on his panel, Derek set off with a squad of new recruits, leaving the rest to gradually accumulate experience. This time, the destination was Watchtower City, the largest city nearby and the second largest in the northern province. It was managed by officials appointed by the kingdom and even housed a contingent of the royal army.

Of course, Derek didn't set off empty-handed. He brought a wagon loaded with a thousand pounds of wheat bran. Here, wheat bran cost at most two copper coins per pound, and the purchase price was even lower. But in Watchtower City, it would fetch a profit of half a copper coin per pound. A full wagonload could earn him five hundred copper coins. Though the profit was small, it was an easy gain.

Why not bring more grain? Unfortunately, grain was the business of the Ferreira family. No one could outcompete them in their own territory. Derek had gathered this thousand pounds bit by bit. If he weren't the son of Baron Ferreira, his body would have already been found in a ditch.

Derek's primary goal wasn't making money but gaining experience. He hired a driver and bought a wagon, which counted as fixed assets. This makeshift caravan set off on its journey.

News quickly reached Baron Ferreira's desk, but he barely gave it a glance before dismissing it.

Along the way, Derek had hoped to encounter some bandits or robbers for practice. Unfortunately, his escort was too well-armed, and no one was crazy enough to risk their lives for a few dozen silver coins' worth of grain against a dozen soldiers. The journey was uneventful, and it took ten days to finally reach their destination.

Watchtower City was the first real city Derek had seen since arriving in this world. As pitiful as it sounded, it was true. Even Count Perez's castle paled in comparison to Watchtower City. The guards at the gate saw the caravan and the triangular flag indicating nobility. They symbolically charged fifty copper coins for the entry fee, and Derek entered the city.

Then… who the hell defecated on the street?

Derek stepped into some unidentified excrement, feeling utterly disgusted. The poor sanitary conditions in the countryside had already made him uncomfortable, but he had always maintained strict standards on his own land. This first step shattered all his illusions.

"This world is completely different," Derek thought as he adjusted his mindset. He sold the grain at a low price to a Ferreira family shop and found a place to stay.

His purpose here was twofold: to broaden his horizons and treat it as a training exercise, and to find a reliable source of iron ore.