"Everyone, prepare to set off!"

"Adrian, deliver my orders. Have Simon and his men move out."

"Get the food, weapons, and warhorses ready—everything must be combat-ready."

Derek issued command after command. According to the governor's orders, Count Pereira had only ten days to organize the troops. It would take a swift horse ride a whole day just to reach the Count's territory. Time was short for Derek.

Fortunately, compared to others, Derek’s men were better trained. A large number of his soldiers were level seven or eight, with most recruits above level five. He even had some elite knights, their squires, and elite infantry. Almost all of the earliest soldiers had been promoted to elite status. In contrast to other groups, his troops emphasized discipline, making it hard to visually perceive significant differences in strength. The most crucial point was that if someone dared to question their prowess, they might find themselves with broken legs.

Bearing tremendous pressure, Derek's steadily growing army was finally put to good use. The Ferreira family could only send five knights and three hundred soldiers, supplemented by hastily recruited farmers. Derek managed to muster twenty cavalry and two hundred infantry on his own. The rest were scattered to various locations, both training new recruits and safeguarding their estate.

He set off from the Ferreira territory and met Simon's slave soldiers outside Count Pereira’s domain. Once everyone was gathered under Derek’s triangular flag, they entered Count Pereira's territory. Within just a few days, Count Pereira had returned to his estate and raised the banner of the Northern Province's Second Legion.

When Derek arrived at the camp, over ten thousand soldiers had already assembled. The knight responsible for receiving the recruits saw the knight's emblem Derek wore on his chest and smiled. "Sir Knight, please state your family name and the number of soldiers you bring. I’ll make a record and await the Count’s unified arrangement."

Derek deliberately wore the emblem of the Pereira Knights prominently to establish his identity. In a sense, most of the troops under Count Pereira had ties to the knightly order, making them akin to kin.

"Von Derek, noble knight, with a total of two hundred elite infantry, one retired knight from Pereira’s ranks, two knights from the Derek family, twenty squire knights, and fifty logistics militia."

Derek disclosed his details, fully aware of the customs of temporary legions, and dared not conceal any information. The knight in charge of registration examined the troops, and aside from the militia, they were all well-armed. He noted the presence of a squad of heavily armored infantry, and every one of them was robust, with fierce auras and thoroughly equipped—looking every bit elite.

This was also part of Derek's strategy; he had ensured his entire unit was fully geared up in advance.

"Knight, it seems you understand the customs here. But I hope you don’t mind me asking, I’ve never heard of the Derek family before."

"Sir, I hail from the Ferreira family, but I have since established an independent branch. I retired from our knightly order a year and a half ago."

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Derek noticed the badge on the knight's chest and quickly corrected his address. Indeed, this knight was also from the Pereira Knights.

The registering knight smiled, not at all offended by the familiarity. He had heard of the Ferreira family but hadn’t expected such strength from a branch member, able to muster so many elites.

He documented everything meticulously and added a note stating: “Elite troops, well-equipped, and well-trained.” This would be presented to Count Pereira for review, and adding this remark would place the responsibility on the knight. There was no need to take risks; the Count had no reason to endanger his reputation.

The registering knight opened the ledger wide for Derek to see.

"I’m Cesar Ulpin. If we have dealings in the future, I’ll arrange for you a better campsite."

Seeing such kindness, Derek was quick to respond, "I’ll remember that, Sir Cesar. My family deals in warhorses and weapons; if you ever need anything, feel free to reach out."

Derek's offer was not made lightly. The knight responsible for registration was crucial—he was the Count’s primary informant regarding troop conditions, and only trusted individuals would take on such a role.

As long as he was temporarily under Count Pereira's command, building a good rapport was essential. Cesar hadn’t anticipated Derek's proposition; such business wasn’t typical for just anyone, indicating Derek had been away from his estate too long to be unaware of the local nobility.

"I’ll keep that in mind, and I might trouble you in the future, Sir Derek."

Cesar became more attentive, ensuring Derek received a better campsite.

After Derek wandered around, he found his older brother, Marco. To his surprise, Marco’s camp was less favorable than his own. This was clearly a form of preferential treatment.

Marco noticed Derek’s superior campsite and couldn’t help but envy him. "As expected of a knight from the Pereira Knights; your place is nothing like ours."

Derek smiled but remained silent, knowing he couldn’t divulge the details.

However, with an army of over ten thousand, one could imagine how the temporary camp conditions varied.

In the following days, numbers steadily increased. With time running out, Count Pereira finally announced a simple parade for the next day, with plans to deploy three days later.

That night, the Count reviewed the registration ledger. Why was this a secret known only to military nobility?

The ledger seemed simple and inconspicuous, yet it was the primary channel for the legion commander to acquire information. Which family provided elite troops, which knights had exceptional capabilities—such matters were reflected here.

With an army of over ten thousand, the commander couldn’t inspect each individual and relied on limited information to appoint officers.

This was an opportunity; without someone to guide him, one could miss the chance entirely.

After studying the ledger for a while, Count Pereira suddenly called out, "Cesar, come here! What’s the deal with this Von Derek?"

The Count of the Northern Province couldn’t possibly know every noble, but he was aware of those with strength. Producing so many elite troops at once was beyond what most families could muster.

Notably, the ledger marked Derek’s troops as exceptional. Unfortunately, the Count had no recollection of the Derek name.

While underlings might turn a blind eye due to friendship or money, this was too outrageous. He knew Cesar well enough to trust his judgment; he wouldn’t fabricate such claims, but an explanation was necessary.

Cesar, seeing Derek's name, immediately recalled, laughed, and responded, "My Lord, you can personally see tomorrow. I recorded everything accurately—if anything, I might have understated it. Knight Derek’s troops are truly elite, and they come from the Pereira Knights, originally from the Ferreira family."

Cesar briefly summarized, leaving Count Pereira with a better impression. If Cesar was so confident, then it had to be true.

"Arrange for this lad to be positioned up front tomorrow. I want to see for myself," the Count agreed, then added with a smile, "If this is true, this young man has quite the ambition."