Leaving the courtyard, Su Nan headed towards the main building of the inner fortress.
The patrolling soldiers he encountered along the way all saluted and greeted him.
For the sake of secrecy, Su Nan had his elder brother keep his apprenticeship as a secret.
Therefore, the commoners and ordinary soldiers in Blackrock City knew little about Su Nan, only that the lord's younger brother was somewhat reclusive and rarely left his home.
Only the knights who knew the inside story felt genuine awe towards Su Nan.
Entering the main building, Su Nan went straight to the study on the third floor.
Except when discussing matters with generals in the council hall, Ke Yi usually handled government affairs in his study or went to the training grounds to practice.
According to his usual habits, he should be in his study at this time.
Just as he stepped onto the third-floor corridor, Su Nan saw a beautiful maid emerge from the study.
Judging from her disheveled clothes, flushed cheeks, and damp hair, she had clearly just finished a vigorous activity.
Seeing someone enter, the maid turned around and, upon seeing Su Nan, was startled, awkwardly bowing.
"Young Master Su Nan,"
Su Nan said, giving the maid a strange look.
He vaguely remembered her as a widow; he hadn't expected his elder brother to have such tastes.
"Go," Su Nan waved his hand.
The maid hurriedly excused herself.
Su Nan stood at the door for a moment before pushing it open and going inside.
Behind the desk, Ke Yi was already dressed, engrossed in a book.
Hearing the door open, he looked up and smiled naturally, "Oh, it's Su Nan. Is there something you need from my brother?"
Su Nan didn't expose him, pulled up a chair, and asked, "How's it going at the Black Stone Mine?"
"Very smoothly!"
Mentioning the Black Stone Mine, Ke Yi's face immediately lit up with a smile.
"In just half a month, we've already earned over a hundred gold coins from selling Blackrock Iron."
"And this is just the beginning. The mine's production will increase further, and once it stabilizes, the territory can earn at least four to five thousand gold coins annually from selling Blackrock Iron!"
A viscount's territory probably only earns four to five thousand gold coins a year.
Blackrock City, with its limited land area, boasts an annual income comparable to a viscount's territory, demonstrating the Blackrock Mine's formidable gold-producing capabilities.
"What's the reaction from Flash City?" Su Nan asked. The Blackrock Mine's activities
were too significant to be concealed for long.
If nothing unexpected happened, Flash City must already know about the Blackrock Mine's reopening.
Owen, unless he's stupid, wouldn't stand idly by and watch Blackrock City grow stronger through the Blackrock Mine.
It's obvious he'd intervene.
Kee's smile faded, and he pondered, "The buyers of Blackstone Iron are mainly lords and merchant guilds from the Duchy of Jinghua. They don't take the route through the Golden Rock Province, so it won't be easy for Owen to intercept them."
The Duchy of Jinghua is a duchy on par with the Duchy of Fanxing, and its border happens to be adjacent to Blackstone City.
If they trade with them, the caravans can reach Blackstone City without passing through the Golden Rock Province, so there's no need to worry about Owen using checkpoints along the way to make things difficult.
Of course, Owen could send troops to cut off the route.
However, that would involve the Duchy of Jinghua, and the nature of the matter could very well change.
Unless absolutely necessary, Owen is unlikely to act so impulsively.
It's more important to guard against the other side using other means.
"I plan to form a cavalry," Kee suddenly said.
Su Nan raised an eyebrow, quickly understanding.
The reason Owen was able to hold the title of baron and suppress the other three lords was because he had an elite cavalry regiment of five hundred men under his command.
Blackrock City will inevitably clash with Irving sooner or later, and preparations must be made early.
The best way to deal with this is to build an equally powerful army.
"It must cost a lot of money," Su Nan said.
Ke Yi nodded: "Purchasing warhorses and armor will cost a fortune."
In this era, warhorses and armor were extremely expensive items.
Acquiring a warhorse and a set of armor would easily cost thirty or forty gold coins.
Subsequent cavalry training, horse breeding, and equipment maintenance were even greater expenses.
It could be said that cavalry regiments were money pits, with most of the tax revenue of many territories being consumed on them.
This was precisely why the number of cavalry under one's command became a standard for judging a lord's strength.
Even with the Blackrock Mine, a cash cow for Blackrock City, building an elite knightly order was extremely difficult.
"If that's the case, I have a solution," Su Nan said, his eyes flashing slightly.
"What solution?"
Ke Yi's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently.
Having witnessed Su Nan's many miraculous methods, he trusted his brother completely.
Hearing Su Nan say he had a solution, hope surged within him.
"Black Rock Leopard," Su Nan said succinctly.
Kee immediately understood his meaning, his eyes lighting up.
He had already witnessed the Black Rock Leopard's combat prowess; it was comparable to a knight.
Crucially, this puppet creation was fearless, tireless, and didn't need to eat. If it could be a mount, it would be the best!
"Can you craft Black Rock Leopards?" Kee looked at Su Nan expectantly.
"It shouldn't be a problem," Su Nan replied.
Thanks to the boost from the activating potion, his puppet-crafting learning progress had accelerated considerably, now exceeding 90%.
In four or five days at most, he would master the skill.
Then he could craft Black Rock Leopards.
"That's wonderful!"
Kee was overjoyed, instinctively standing up and pacing excitedly, momentarily speechless.
A cavalry regiment with Black Rock Leopards as mounts would undoubtedly be the strongest cavalry army in the Golden Rock Province.
If he could command such a regiment, even just three hundred men, he was confident he could launch a counterattack on Flash City!
Amidst his excitement, Kee looked at Su Nan, a deep sense of awe washing over him.
After returning from the mine, he obtained some introductory books from Su Nan, intending to test his potential to become a wizard apprentice.
However, after only a couple of pages, his head throbbed with pain, and he had to give up.
It turned out he lacked the aptitude.
Ke Yi lamented this for days.
But later, he came to terms with it; it didn't matter if he couldn't become a wizard apprentice, as long as Su Nan was there.
With Su Nan's support, the two brothers would surely be able to revive the Anest family.
After a while, Ke Yi calmed his turbulent emotions and patted Su Nan's shoulder forcefully.
"This matter is entrusted to you. If you succeed, you'll be a great contributor to our family!"
Su Nan smiled faintly, changing the subject and bringing up the purpose of his visit.
Upon hearing this, Ke Yi slapped his forehead and laughed, "I was just about to tell you about this."
He stood up from his desk, gesturing for Su Nan to follow.
"I recently asked the Firefox Merchant Guild of the Violet Flower Duchy to help me find what you're looking for. They just arrived in Blackrock City this morning and should be resting in the tavern right now. Let's go check it out."