“Afraid? Why should I be afraid?” Derek countered, laughing heartily. “I see you’re someone of stature, but the mountains limit your perspective. This world is filled with more than just the vermin and beasts you’ve encountered. If you have other intentions, I can easily draw my sword and fight my way out.”

Lloyd remained silent, but a mountain dweller couldn’t hold back. “Outsider, don’t be too arrogant. Do you think I won’t cut you down right here?”

Derek didn’t respond, but Simon threw the box onto the ground, his right hand swiftly drawing his sword. In the blink of an eye, the blade flashed.

Thud! The sword embedded itself just in front of the mountain dweller’s beast-hide shoes, barely grazing the tip before plunging an inch into the ground. The force, speed, and precision left the mountain dwellers in disbelief.

They had seen formidable warriors who could contend with tigers and leopards, but they had never encountered such skill.

“Don’t mistake me for the worthless nobility. Heroes emerge from every corner of the world. Why was Louis crowned king? Why does the name Perez endure in the northern provinces? There are fools among the nobles, but there are true heroes too. I, Feng Derek, am not one of those worthless ones.”

Sitting there, Derek exuded an air of steadiness, as unyielding as a mountain, alongside Simon’s display.

“I’m here to make friends; I don’t wish for such provocations to occur again.”

Lloyd’s face darkened; the slap in the face was uncomfortable. But as Derek said, he was no fool. Any hidden contempt evaporated.

In this world, some feared power, others revered wealth, and some dreaded death. But all looked up to the strong. Here, Derek was the strong one.

Lloyd lowered his head, and even he didn’t notice his own waning confidence.

“Sorry, outsiders are never friendly to us, so... I apologize. My name is Lloyd; I’d be glad to consider you a friend.”

Derek, not solely exerting dominance, nodded to Simon. “Open my gift for Leader Lloyd to see.”

Simon approached the belligerent mountain dweller, who was still stunned by the sword display and hadn’t dared to move.

He unsheathed his sword without ceremony, turning his back with arrogance as he pried open the box. Layers of wood shavings wrapped the contents, and Simon peeled them back, revealing items wrapped in oilpaper.

One by one, he took them out, and seeing Derek’s lack of response, he opened them directly.

A deep black longsword glinted in the firelight, revealing its metallic sheen.

Clang! As he gently pushed aside the scabbard, the blade’s surface displayed a subtle, winding pattern.

“A fine sword!”

To mountain dwellers, any weapon was precious, and this one looked particularly striking. Derek had ensured its quality, both by having the craftsmen, like Little Tulu, improve their skills and by personally refining the blade.

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With this craftsmanship and quality, could it be priced at five silver coins? No, it started at ten silver coins, and if relations were poor, it wouldn’t be sold at all.

Lloyd, although stronger than most mountain dwellers, still had a limited perspective. As Simon lined up five swords, even heavy breathing could be heard.

His gaze was fixed on the swords, unable to look away. He knew Derek had ulterior motives but couldn’t refuse.

After a long moment, he suppressed his urge to snatch one up. “Sir Derek, what does this mean?”

You see, carrot and stick; even heroes must bow.

“Making friends. I, Derek, may not claim to be anything else, but I’m certainly generous to my friends.”

Lloyd nodded in appreciation, realizing this generosity was tangible.

“Yes, friends. From now on, you are my friend, Lloyd. If you encounter difficulties, just mention my name; it carries some weight in the mountains.”

Lloyd was about to act tough but quickly reconsidered after recalling Derek’s fearsome prowess. Uh... better not say anything.

What did Derek want? The hide trade?

No, that was a fragile business without backing; it wouldn’t last long. Even if he wanted to pursue it, it had to be a lower priority, perhaps even alongside Baron Ferreira.

What Derek truly sought were two things: land and people.

Could a mountain dweller or bandit provide that? Legally, certainly not, but Derek didn’t need legality.

In a time when all resources were held by the great nobles and the crown, to thrive, one had to either join them or carve out a new path.

Derek had no opportunity to join the former but saw potential in the latter.

He didn’t rush to reveal his intentions; with these gifts exchanged, their dealings would proceed much more harmoniously.

Soon, they roasted some rabbits, and the mountain dwellers brought out their supplies.

While eating and drinking, Lloyd tentatively asked a few questions, still thinking Derek wanted to venture into the hide trade. But that was dismissed.

After feasting, leaving others to chat and boast, Derek invited Lloyd for a walk, to which the latter immediately understood.

As they walked away from the camp, Lloyd’s expression grew serious. He knew a request from a friend was coming, but he didn’t know if he could afford it.

“Lloyd, how’s business with your banditry?”

He was prepared for his identity to be exposed and maintained his composure.

“Barely getting by; this isn’t a thoroughfare. We mostly rob small merchants. The supplies in the mountains are expensive—just enough to eat and drink.”

“Ha! Just enough to eat and drink, I believe. But there must be more than just small merchants here, right?”

Derek was too familiar with the ways of the nobles and royal officials.

All merchant caravans engaged in networking business. Without connections, one could hardly make any progress.

Nobles and officials didn’t need threats; they merely had to... set up checkpoints and collect taxes.

By the kingdom's laws, that meant a ten percent cut.

But they’d take a toll every time you passed a checkpoint. Nobles often set up their own barriers; your goods would double in cost after a stretch of road, and then double again after another.

With that, how could one make any money?

But you may have clever plans, and I have ways to bypass them.

Larger and smaller merchants traveled through the mountains, using hidden paths.

Some secret trade routes were indeed the core capital of certain businesses.

This mountain wasn’t devoid of fat sheep; it was just that they couldn't be easily harvested.

Derek’s words left Lloyd in deep thought.

“Let me give you some advice: why not try to grow stronger? After all, these merchant caravans won’t dare to venture into the wild mountains to trouble you.

If you’re willing to offer goods at lower prices, many merchants would be eager to buy.

I can provide you with weapons.

I can even assist with proper soldier training.

What do you think?”

Lloyd looked up in shock, blurting out, “You want to recruit me?”

“No, this is just a mutual help among friends. If you’re willing to venture out and acquire some people, I’d be glad to pay for them.

You buy weapons, and I profit too.

Training is merely a testament to our friendship.

Though we’ve just met, I believe that mutual benefit will solidify our bond, don’t you think?”