The next day, Derek began construction. Soldiers temporarily transitioned into builders; thankfully, in this world, soldiers also needed to do odd jobs, so no one opposed it.

Starting from scratch, he quickly realized that all his preparations were insufficient. They were lacking everything. Fortunately, Lloyd brought people to help, barely managing to hold things together.

First, they constructed a few sturdy wooden houses and then surrounded the area with a ring of wooden stakes to fend off any wild beasts that might be lurking. Lloyd even set up some simple traps.

Next came the blacksmith’s shop, the core resource in Derek’s possession. The bend of the river here was large enough that they could easily level an area for training grounds later.

The only regret was that it was hard for warhorses to run here. Even with horseshoes, a warhorse could easily twist an ankle. But no place is perfect, and with the panels available, there would be room for improvement.

With a preliminary foothold established, the next step was to ensure a steady influx of resources. In Watch City and other places, there were fixed rules that made breaking through the ceilings of opportunity difficult.

But here, in the wilderness, the rules were much weaker.

Though there were still ceilings, they were high enough for Derek. When the blacksmith’s forge lit up, it symbolized that his ambitions were gradually igniting as well.

After sharing a farewell meal, Lloyd took the weapons he had owed Derek and set off on a new journey.

During this time, their hard work wasn’t in vain; in his spare moments, he received training from Derek, temporarily joining the bandits on the panels, which raised his class levels by one or two.

Moreover, he had the benefit of Derek’s professional military tactics.

With people, weapons, and fighting spirit all in place, the next step was to expand their ranks and grow stronger.

...

A caravan from the Night Owl Trading Company was traveling along a narrow mountain path. They weren’t backed by local nobility, so they had to avoid checkpoints whenever possible.

Unless absolutely unavoidable, they would never pay those taxes.

This way, their profits remained intact.

They brought high-quality armor and weapons from the central kingdom, planning to return with warhorses and leather armor, even refined iron ore.

Over a hundred people trudged through the mountains, most of whom were seasoned fighters.

They had traversed this route for many years, knowing it like the back of their hands; even casual bandits would steer clear.

At night, they set up camp.

Lloyd, accompanied by his men, crept closer, with a group of well-armed bandits following him.

The speed and efficiency surprised even Lloyd.

“Those nobles do have some skills; after just a month of training, everyone has improved significantly.”

A month ago, these men weren’t nearly as formidable.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Because of this, Lloyd no longer underestimated the nobles outside the mountains; it was unimaginable how powerful those who mastered military training could be.

Thus, he readily accepted many of Derek's suggestions.

But today… they needed to make a statement.

In the distance, a flicker of firelight caught their attention; it was Wood signaling that there were no hidden sentries ahead.

How careless.

How lowly did these people think of bandits? They had no sense of vigilance whatsoever.

Well, they had never faced any real trouble, so who would care about a bunch of insignificant bandits?

“Keep quiet. We’ll rush in, create chaos, and then leave.”

Soon, the flames soared into the sky as dozens of bandits charged into the camp, a flurry of slashing and killing.

By the time the caravan reacted, some of their goods had been set ablaze, several men were dead, and many more were injured.

After a night of fear and trembling, the bandits returned one of the kidnapped caravan members.

“Who are these bandits? What message did they send?”

The caravan manager suppressed his anger; these bandits were going too far.

“They call themselves the Mountain Wolves, and they say that anyone passing through their territory must first pay for a Mountain Wolf flag. Nearby bandits won’t attack; otherwise…”

He didn’t need to finish his sentence; last night’s events were a clear warning.

Buying peace wasn’t a problem; after all, it wasn’t unprecedented.

Otherwise, unless they abandoned this trade route, they’d face repeated attacks, leading to massive losses.

Grinding his teeth, the caravan manager thought that if it were his territory, he would make these bandits understand the consequences.

But there were no “ifs.”

“How much?”

“Depends on the scale. Two silver coins for one wagon.”

That price wasn’t too high, at least lower than the taxes imposed at the checkpoints.

Otherwise, if they turned around at the checkpoint, they wouldn’t collect a single copper coin.

The caravan manager forced a smile; he didn’t know the Mountain Wolves’ background, but it looked like they had someone advising them.

“Fine, we’ll buy it.”

There were designated places for selling flags both ways. Lloyd’s strength wasn’t enough to monitor all the mountain paths yet, but those willing to take risks could choose not to buy.

Meanwhile, he was simultaneously raiding caravans and establishing rules.

He was forcibly incorporating nearby small bands of bandits, setting up his own regulations.

If anyone bought the flag, he would also take the opportunity to promote his wares.

“Need some hides? How about weapons or warhorses? Good quality at low prices—there’s always someone willing to buy.”

He could even supplement his resources and gradually grow stronger.

Of course, all this would take time—building order little by little.

And despite the apparent bravado, the ceiling of limitations was still there.

How many caravans were out there?

But for both Lloyd and Derek, it was enough for the time being.

As supplies dwindled, Derek returned to Watch City with Simon.

The blacksmith’s shop continued to provide him with profits, though only one blacksmith was running it now, making profits lower but less conspicuous.

Moreover, they also refined iron ore here, saving on transport costs.

After purchasing another batch of supplies, Derek hurried back.

Vincent had just received the news; before even seeing Derek, he was already gone.

However, the lack of additional mountain goods in the market caught him off guard.

After several trips back and forth, some weapons had been sold through the passing caravans without raising any suspicion.

These caravans from outside had local powers they collaborated with, so their shipments went unnoticed.

Additionally, compared to long-distance transport, buying some weapons temporarily was actually cheaper than bringing them over.

Of course, Derek had given up part of the profits.

But that wasn’t the most important thing; the ability to liquidate was key.

As a result, he found himself short-handed.

Even after purchasing a few dozen captives from bandits, they could only serve as basic labor.

These untrained captives needed time to prove their loyalty.

Facing difficulties, Derek decided to take up his pen.

Let’s not forget, he had connections.

While he didn’t have significant help, he still had some contacts.

“Dear Uncle, my endeavors have been going well lately, and I urgently need manpower to assist me.

I’ve heard that Brother Adrian has completed his knight training, and I would like to invite him to help.”

Derek went on at length, ultimately conveying one message: there was plenty of money to be made, and he needed help quickly.

Moreover, the knight training Adrian completed was organized solely by the Ferreira family, so its prestige was lacking, and the quality was relatively poor.

Within the family, he wasn’t even the first choice for the baron’s succession.

Instead of struggling in obscurity within the family, it would be better for him to venture out with Derek.