Bab 6: Iron ore
Derek left the base, but the training continued. Following the established routines, the new recruits were led by the former militia. The efficiency was significantly lower, but with the support of the data panel, progress wasn't too slow.
On the other hand, Little Tru's progress was notably slow. Initially, the blacksmith apprentices made good progress in the first few days, but once Derek left, their progress plummeted to less than half. However, with the data panel's support and the accumulated experience, ten days were enough to elevate them to the level of formal army blacksmiths.
Little Tru soon noticed that the new apprentices were as talented as he was. No, he recalled Derek's words: "Genius? No, as long as the materials keep coming, even a pig can become a competent blacksmith." He had secretly mocked Derek before, but now it seemed he was the foolish one.
Instantly, his attitude changed. Since blacksmithing skills could no longer be exclusive secrets, it was better to comply and avoid trouble. This was because Little Tru was still young; an older blacksmith might not have been so easily persuaded. If the data panel had a loyalty metric, Little Tru's loyalty would have increased by at least fifty percent.
Through the data panel, Derek in Watchtower City could roughly guess what was happening back at the base. So, this method of managing people was quite effective?
Manipulating a rural blacksmith's son didn't bring much sense of accomplishment. The next day, Derek began to explore the streets of Watchtower City. With a large population, many nobles from the surrounding areas lived here. There were numerous shops and abundant supplies.
Derek couldn't afford to provoke any of them. His knight title was merely an entry ticket. Reputation, strength, and price were all factors Derek needed to consider. He didn't plan to buy too much iron ore at once; Little Tru consumed only seven to eight pounds a day, so the short-term demand wouldn't be too high.
Watchtower City, the largest city in the vicinity, had a thriving trade in various industries, including iron ore. With no recent wars, prices were stable. Iron ore cost around 10 copper coins per pound, yielding about one-third iron. This meant one pound of iron cost roughly 30 copper coins, while market prices ranged from forty to fifty.
It seemed profitable, but considering labor, fuel, and transportation costs, the profit margin was thin. Buying a ton of iron ore cost around 80 silver coins.
Bringing the iron ore back for the blacksmiths to practice with would yield over three hundred pounds of iron, enough to forge seven to eight hundred spearheads. That would be worth about three hundred silver coins. Even with three novice blacksmiths, it would take two to three months to complete. After deducting negligible labor and material costs of around ten silver coins, the net profit would still be about 250 silver coins.
Derek knew that if he calculated it this way, he would be considered a fool. Three months of work for a few dozen gold coins, while maintaining a payroll and upkeep costs for dozens of people would cost three gold coins per month, making it a break-even situation at best. Of course, maintaining so many people required other ways to make money. Typically, a noble wouldn't keep so many retainers unless it was profitable.
For Derek, money was just a resource; strengthening his power was the primary goal. Holding three squads of regular soldiers would force even Baron Ferreira to take him seriously.
Derek set his sights and quickly purchased a wagonload of iron ore. The quantity wasn't large, so it went unnoticed. This time, coming to Watchtower City felt like an inconspicuous task, but Derek knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.
The wagon creaked back to Maistaw Village. Andrew was still skeptical about Derek's insistence on training blacksmiths. He had lent Derek the training ground and seldom visited, maintaining a suitable distance to preserve their familial bond.
The round trip took nearly a month. However, the soldiers' levels at the base and those who had gone out were not significantly different. The new recruits were around levels three to five, while the veterans were around levels five to seven. The blacksmiths, on the other hand, made rapid progress.
Tru:
Occupation: Army Blacksmith Level 4 (17/100)
Experience Pool: 22/100
The other two blacksmith apprentices had also reached level two. Upon meeting again, Little Tru bowed even lower.
"How many spearheads can you forge in a day now?"
"About ten. My skills have improved recently, and with the help of the two apprentices, we can make about ten sets of spearheads a day."
"Try forging a few iron swords. Use the iron ore I brought back. Good blacksmiths can't be trained without practice."
"You're right. I've made more progress here than in ten years under my father's tutelage. I have some ideas about forging swords, but it might take a few tries."
Little Tru was full of confidence. Although his progress had slowed recently, he could still see improvements. Given more time, he was certain he could produce a competent iron sword. Derek nodded in satisfaction, though he knew that Little Tru's talent had likely reached its peak.
Derek himself had made only incremental progress, and sometimes none at all. His advancement was largely thanks to the overflow experience from the data panel; otherwise, he would be stuck at level five as a blacksmith for life, similar to his father. But that wasn't important.
An iron sword required three to five pounds of material, costing only one or two silver coins, but it could sell for five silver coins. Even if he forged just one sword a day, the profit would be doubled. Of course, this was contingent on reaching level five as a blacksmith.
Currently, a level below that was essentially a rural blacksmith, earning two to three gold coins a year. Reaching level five meant making a notable mark, with the potential to generate four to five gold coins' worth of value annually. That was substantial profit—real profit.
Indeed, increasing added value was the way to make money. Otherwise, fifty gold coins would only equate to the output of a small estate. Once all three blacksmiths could forge iron swords and with a few apprentices, they could potentially earn 150 gold coins a year, enough to support six or seven squads of soldiers.
In reality, various expenses would make it challenging to support four to five squads. After arranging the blacksmiths, Derek continued to focus on honing his own skills, knowing that the foundation of any venture was armed protection. Otherwise, such a profitable business would attract envy from many.
In the feudal society where nobles controlled basic resources, one couldn't expand indefinitely; it had to be done within the rules.
After a month and a half, Little Tru, having endured countless failures, finally managed to forge iron swords. Compared to the cheap spears, iron swords had much higher value. With dozens of swords produced and most of the iron ore used up, it had been about three months.
Derek had spent about half of his gold coins. Staying any longer would attract attention. He needed to find a place to establish himself.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone