Leaving the courtyard, Su Nan headed towards the main building of the inner castle.
The patrol soldiers he met along the way all saluted him and greeted him.
Out of consideration for keeping his secret, Su Nan had his elder brother seal the news of him becoming a Wizard Apprentice.
As a result, the commoners and ordinary soldiers in Black Stone City didn’t know much about Su Nan, only that the Lord’s younger brother was somewhat secluded and rarely went out.
Only the knights who knew the inside story would feel a deep sense of awe towards Su Nan.
Entering the main building, Su Nan went straight to the third-floor study.
Except when discussing matters with the generals in the council hall, Kei usually handled government affairs in the study or went to the training ground to practice.
According to his usual habits, he should be in the study at this time.
As soon as he stepped onto the third-floor corridor, Su Nan saw a beautiful maid coming out of the study.
Noticing someone coming up, the maid turned her head and saw it was Su Nan. She was immediately startled and bowed awkwardly.
“Master Su Nan.”
Su Nan looked at the maid with a strange expression.
He vaguely remembered that this maid seemed to be a widow. He didn’t expect his elder brother to have this kind of taste.
“Go down.” Su Nan waved his hand.
The maid hastily retreated.
Su Nan stood at the door for a while before pushing it open and going inside.
Kei, who was behind the desk, had already put on his clothes and was holding a book, reading intently.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, he looked up and said with a natural smile, “It’s Su Nan, is there something you need to see your elder brother about?”
Su Nan didn’t expose him, pulled up a chair and sat down, asking, “How is the Blackstone Mine Area going?”
“Very smooth!”
When it came to the Blackstone Mine Area, a smile appeared on Kei’s face.
“It’s only been half a month, and we’ve already earned over a hundred gold coins from selling Blackstone iron.”
“This is just the beginning, and the mine’s output will increase further in the future. Once it stabilizes, the territory will be able to earn at least four or five thousand gold coins annually just from selling Blackstone iron!”
A baron territory might only earn four or five thousand gold coins a year.
Black Stone City, with just a single city, had an annual income comparable to a baron territory. The gold-making ability of the Blackstone Mine Area was evident.
“How has Shining Light City reacted?” Su Nan asked.
The activity in the Blackstone Mine Area was too big to be hidden for long.
If nothing unexpected happened, Shining Light City must have already known about the reopening of the Blackstone Mine Area.
As long as Owen wasn’t stupid, he wouldn’t stand idly by and watch Black Stone City grow stronger with the help of the Blackstone Mine Area.
It goes without saying that he would try to obstruct it.
Kei’s smile faded, and he pondered, “The buyers of Blackstone iron are mainly the lords and trading houses in the Thornflower Duchy. They don’t use the Jin Yan Province route. It won’t be that easy for Owen to intercept them.”
The Thornflower Duchy was a duchy with the same status as the Starsea Duchy, and its border happened to be next to Black Stone City.
If they traded with the Thornflower Duchy, the merchant caravans wouldn’t have to pass through Jin Yan Province to reach Black Stone City, avoiding the possibility of Owen using the checkpoints along the way to create trouble.
Of course, Owen could send troops to cut off the route.
However, that would involve the Thornflower Duchy, and the situation might change.
Unless absolutely necessary, Owen would most likely not be that impulsive.
Instead, they should be wary of him using other means.
“I’m planning to build a cavalry unit,” Kei suddenly said.
Su Nan raised an eyebrow and quickly understood.
The reason Owen was able to occupy the position of baron and suppress the other three noble knights into silence was that he had a精锐骑兵团 (elite cavalry regiment) of 500 men under his command.
Black Stone City would sooner or later clash with Owen, and they had to prepare for it in advance.
The best way to respond was to build an equally powerful army.
“It’s going to cost a lot of money,” Su Nan said.
Kei nodded, “Buying warhorses, armor, all of that will cost a lot of money.”
In this era, warhorses and armor were extremely expensive.
Buying a warhorse and a set of armor would cost at least thirty or forty gold coins.
Subsequent cavalry training, warhorse upkeep, and equipment maintenance would also be a huge expense.
It could be said that cavalry regiments were money pits. Most of the tax revenue in many territories was consumed by them.
It was precisely for this reason that the number of cavalry under one’s command became a standard for judging the strength of a lord.
Even though Black Stone City had the Blackstone Mine Area, a money-making tree, it would still be very difficult to build an elite骑士团 (knight regiment).
“If that’s the case, I have a solution,” Su Nan said, his eyes twinkling.
“What solution?”
Kei’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked.
Having witnessed Su Nan’s many amazing abilities, he had developed an almost boundless trust in his younger brother.
Hearing Su Nan say that he had a solution, he felt a surge of hope in his heart.
“Blackrock Beast.” Su Nan stated succinctly.
Kei immediately understood his meaning and his eyes lit up.
He had already seen the fighting ability of the Blackrock Beast. It was comparable to a knight.
The key was that this傀儡造物 (puppet creature) was fearless and tireless. It didn’t need to eat. If they could be used as mounts, they would be the best mounts!
“Can you create a Blackrock Beast?” Kei asked, his eyes full of hope.
“It should be no problem,” Su Nan replied.
Thanks to the enhancement effect of the Revitalization Potion, his傀儡炼制 (Puppetry Refining) learning progress had accelerated considerably in recent days, and now it was over 90%.
At most, he would master this skill in four or five days.
At that time, he could create a Blackrock Beast.
“Great!”
Kei was overjoyed, and he subconsciously stood up, walking back and forth excitedly. He didn’t know what to say.
A cavalry regiment with Blackrock Beasts as mounts would be the strongest cavalry force in Jin Yan Province.
If he could control such a cavalry regiment, he wouldn’t need many men, just three hundred, and he would be confident in counterattacking Shining Light City!
In addition to his excitement, Kei looked at Su Nan, and a sense of admiration welled up in his heart.
After returning from the mine pit, he had obtained the enlightenment book from Su Nan and wanted to test if he had the potential to become a Wizard Apprentice.
However, after reading only two pages, his head felt like it was about to explode. He had no choice but to give up.
It proved that he didn’t have the aptitude to become a Wizard Apprentice.
Kei had been regretful for several days.
But later, he also came to understand that it was okay if he couldn’t become a Wizard Apprentice. As long as Su Nan was there, it was enough.
With Su Nan’s support, they, brothers, would surely revive the Arnest Family.
For a while, Kei calmed down his excitement and patted Su Nan on the shoulder.
“I’ll leave this to you. If you can make it happen, you’ll be the great hero of our family!”
Su Nan just smiled lightly at his words and changed the subject, mentioning the reason he had come.
After listening, Kei slapped his forehead and laughed, “I was just about to tell you about this.”
He got up from his desk, motioning for Su Nan to follow him.
“A while ago, I asked the Fire Fox Trading House in the Thornflower Duchy to help find what you wanted. They arrived in Black Stone City this morning and should be resting at the tavern now. Let’s go and see them.”