The two returned to the room, as some topics were not suitable for public discussion.

“Uncle Kloya, the warhorses I brought… they are not produced in the North. Besides this, I also deal in weapons, armor, and supplies,” Derek stated.

“The warhorses from the South are more expensive, and the ones from the West are too far. Are these from even further North?” Kloya asked. “Their price is reasonable, but transporting weapons and armor is a different story. If the people from the capital find out, they'll skin you alive. The monastery would certainly take issue as well; it would be very difficult.”

Kloya stroked his chin, deep in thought. Despite their grievances, business would go on. There were many people in the North trading with the barbarians; if Derek could manage to bring back warhorses, he’d be welcomed by many.

However, transporting weapons and armor was a different matter. Without a powerful backer, it could be quite dangerous.

Derek interjected at the right moment: “I do sell weapons and armor, but I only need people, food, and ore. That shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

“I can understand where the warhorses are from, but where did you get the weapons and armor?” Kloya pressed.

“From the South, some unexpected sources. Our trade routes intersect, so…” Derek spoke vaguely, but Kloya didn’t pursue the matter further. In this line of business, confidentiality was standard.

“Well then, that’s no problem. There are already many people dealing in weapons in the North; having one more won’t hurt. From now on, you’ll be the supplier of my weapons, as long as it’s not above market price,” Kloya replied readily. He figured that it didn’t matter where he bought them; he could leverage his connections to help Derek open up some markets.

Derek thanked him again; with Kloya’s promise, many things could be progressed step by step.

That evening, they enjoyed a grand feast at Kloya’s manor, during which Kloya revealed a lot of useful information. Being one of the largest nobles in the North, he had access to many insights, such as how some major nobles were starting to stockpile war supplies, and even Count Perez was expanding the numbers in his knightly order.

Of course, the pace was slow, indicating that there might not be immediate urgency.

This information was very useful to Derek.

The next day, he left a contact point and then took his leave. He then went to Watchtower City, where he ordered iron ore and pig iron from several merchants. The blacksmith shops in the city had practically turned into outposts; real business was scarce. They forged the ore, transported some resources, and kept a team of soldiers for small employment contracts.

Derek frequently visited, sometimes leaving Simon behind, other times personally overseeing things and handling less urgent issues. Inspired by Adrian, he had become much bolder in his dealings.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He even visited the Goat Trading Company to arrange for a batch of goods to be procured. Unfortunately, Vincent, the manager, was not present; otherwise, he could have negotiated more business.

After a round of visits, Derek returned to the mountain base after ten days. He noticed several unfamiliar slaves and immediately inquired with the remaining little Tru: “Did Lloyd come by?”

Little Tru, having firmly committed himself to Derek, not only helped train newcomers but also managed some basic administrative tasks.

“Yes, I heard he encountered a group of easy targets who didn’t follow the rules and tried to sneak through. He caught them, and these slaves are the spoils,” Tru replied.

“How many?” Derek asked, noticing that there were some unfamiliar faces working in the blacksmith shop.

“There are 22 people. I heard some escaped, otherwise there would have been at least fifty slaves,” Tru explained.

“Are they from a slave convoy? It’s a pity they ran away,” Derek guessed their identities. Slave traders were fewer in the North than in the South.

Little Tru seized the opportunity to suggest, “Lloyd’s people said each slave costs five gold coins. They are all trained and seasoned slaves, not new ones. They say in the South, they would cost over ten gold coins each.”

Derek didn’t care about the five gold coins; in the North, a strong adult slave usually cost six or seven gold coins.

However, since Lloyd couldn't act, the captives he took previously were essentially fresh slaves, worth one gold coin each as compensation.

The sudden price increase made Derek ponder if there were other reasons behind it.

“Three gold coins each. Tell Lloyd’s people that if they don’t agree, take all of them back. If he agrees, offer him some compensation: slightly reduce the weapon prices or throw in some extras. You can decide what to do,” Derek instructed.

He needed to eliminate any other thoughts Lloyd might have, emphasizing that prices were to be set by him as per their agreement. However, he also didn’t want to leave Lloyd feeling slighted; offering some form of compensation from other sources was better than nothing, indicating good faith.

Opening his panel, Derek began to choose from the new faces appearing.

All were slaves, and especially the new ones, most were now visible on the panel. This indicated their obedience and that they had developed a certain loyalty.

After all, Derek’s business was highly profitable; he certainly wouldn’t shortchange his men. Even slaves needed to be well-fed and taken care of to work effectively. They were his property after all.

Of course, whips and blades were still necessary; a balance of reward and punishment was key.

Quickly scanning over the new slaves, Derek noted that they still needed time to prove their loyalty. He focused instead on the previous fresh slaves—those captured from trade caravans, mountain dwellers, and some unfortunate souls caught by Lloyd.

About thirty slaves had appeared consistently on the panel, suggesting that five or six had established a basic level of loyalty.

Derek walked around the camp with his attendants, occasionally pointing out a slave and inquiring, “Would you fight for me, gain merit, and earn your freedom, or would you rather toil until you die here?”

Clearly, compared to being slaves for life, everyone chose to take a chance.

For now, Derek wouldn’t assign them any other tasks. He planned to keep them close, training and fighting to soften their unruly spirits. Only through establishing loyalty over time could he assign them other duties.

Moreover, keeping them in sight ensured that if anyone suddenly disappeared from the panel, he could respond immediately.

He also considered the perspectives of others; after all, a slave could be given a chance, but they couldn’t be treated like freedmen right away.

Otherwise, morale would falter.

If slaves could escape their misery, it would offer them hope—some might even quickly become overseers.

This would have a significant positive influence on the remaining slaves.

Derek took the opportunity to rally the spirits, saying, “Everyone listen closely! Work hard, stay loyal, and I will grant you the chance for freedom, and even the opportunity to succeed and become wealthy. Otherwise… you will die here!”