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"Derek, this is our latest adjusted knight equipment," said Tru, his face flushed with excitement as he introduced the new gear to Derek.

The armor set was a standard knight's armor, more refined than even Baron Ferrer's. With the improvement in the blacksmiths' skills and the increased number of them, they produced high-quality pieces. Although not as heavy as full plate armor, both the horse and the knight were almost completely covered in steel. The joints were wrapped in leather, balancing defense and flexibility. The horse was also equipped with chainmail, making it difficult for ordinary swords to cause damage.

"The cost of a full knight's set exceeds twenty gold coins. It requires the collaboration of one master blacksmith and seven or eight regular blacksmiths, taking about half a month to produce a single set. Currently, we can only allocate two teams, so the output is a bit low," Tru explained.

"Suit me up, let me give it a try," Derek ordered.

With the help of his squire, Derek donned the armor piece by piece. Even with his robust physique, he felt a bit of pressure. As he walked, the chainmail at the joints clinked but wasn't overly noisy. He tested his mobility, drew his knight's sword, and swung it a few times. While some combat maneuvers were restricted, the enhanced defense allowed him to ignore certain dangers, making him more intimidating on the battlefield.

"A well-trained knight can wear this all day. Apart from blunt force from heavy weapons, ordinary light weapons won't cause significant harm," Derek assessed, finding the armor highly cost-effective. Compared to the more expensive full plate armor, which could exceed forty gold coins per set, this was a more practical choice for his needs.

After removing the armor, Derek expressed his satisfaction with Tru's recent work. "We also need to design a heavy infantry set with similar weight specifications."

The heavy infantry armor would consist of leather and iron, a groundbreaking design for this era. Derek aimed to create an elite spearhead unit that could make a significant impact on the battlefield.

Derek assigned Tru and his team a series of new tasks, stockpiling weapons and trading with the outside world for additional resources. He inspected the horses, collected through various channels. While warhorses were scarce, there were plenty of low-quality horses.

The northern region had some capacity for horse breeding, with many discarded horses available. This operation was managed by his most trusted subordinates, as any leak could cause major trouble. Derek checked his panel daily to ensure everything was on track.

For this mission, he chose northern horses known for their endurance, load-bearing capacity, good speed, and decent sprinting ability. These traits remained consistent even in lower-quality northern horses. Currently, he had over a hundred horses, with about ten ready for sale each month as high-quality warhorses. He kept some for breeding better stock.

This number was the limit of what his team could manage. Any more would risk exposure. Feeding a horse well cost three silver coins a month, totaling about two gold coins a year. Given the market price of three to five gold coins for a horse, the profit margin was slim and risky. However, by supplementing their diet with more grass, the cost could be reduced to a third.

For the people of the North, there's still some profit to be made. However, for Derek, the cost is secondary. He can afford a larger number of troops, but ensuring their safety becomes an issue. Thus, he had to leave regretfully. This makes him yearn even more for a completely autonomous territory, preferably where the kingdom's power is weakest. The barbarians perfectly meet all these requirements. Derek is ready to hit the barbarians hard.

Finally, he visited another manor. At this point, it had completely turned into a training ground. Baron Ferreira had kept his word, not only sending half of the family's troops but also most of the cavalry and knights under his support. Led by his elder brother Marco, they were sweating profusely under the training of Derek's knight attendants.

Besides these regularly maintained troops, every week a new batch of militiamen joined. The best were incorporated into the army, while those who didn't make the cut were sent back to farming. After a few months, the baron had assembled an army of over three hundred soldiers. Even without Derek's help, he could train a fairly competent force.

Such armies were being trained by every noble in the North, big and small. Even some middle-class families and merchants' children were training. The news of war seemed to be spreading, and every northerner was preparing.

Derek watched for a while, flipping through his panel. Most of the family's troops appeared on the panel, indicating they had accepted Derek's leadership. Several knights had reached levels five or six, which was quite good. The family's long-trained soldiers were at similar levels, and the new recruits had advanced quickly, some even reaching levels three or four. This was with Derek holding back; otherwise, they would have progressed even faster.

This led Derek to discover a small secret on the panel. Accumulated experience points shrink upon leveling up. He once thought he could exploit this by accumulating 100 points and then leveling up. This hope was now dashed.

His elder brother Marco was also training hard. Derek noticed Marco's level was pretty good, better than he had imagined. After adjusting his elder brother's stats, Derek approached him once his training was done.

"Derek, how long have you been here?" Marco asked, taking a towel from an attendant to wipe the sweat from his face. Here, he didn't care about noble etiquette; he just did what felt right.

"I just arrived," Derek replied. "You seem to be making great progress, big brother. I'm sure Father will be surprised."

"It's all thanks to your training. Honestly, where did you find these attendants of yours? They seem better than the family knights."

"Well, it's not about their skill, but more about how hard they train. Look at my attendants; their training intensity is even higher. If you keep at it for a few years, you'll be just as good," Derek said, deflecting the topic. Marco thought it made sense. Observing Derek's troops, he noted their training was indeed intense.

The two moved past the topic, and Marco suddenly shared a piece of news: "I've heard that the king has issued a mobilization order. After the spring sowing, they've already begun assembling armies in the south and central regions, preparing to march north."