Chapter 6 Identity Gap
Three days later, in the square at the foot of Jianlingbao Mountain.

Rhodes rode on his warhorse and looked at his own troops behind him.

Jianling is a big commercial city, and the Chamber of Commerce has sufficient reserves of goods, even plate armor that needs to be adjusted in size and lining is available in large quantities.

After the money was in place, the ordered supplies were quickly prepared.

At this moment, Knight Noah and Knight Holmes were guarding him on both sides.

Behind them were twelve knights, fully armed and riding straight on their horses to be inspected.

Finally, fifty-two soldiers armed with shields and spears were lined up in an orderly manner, ready for battle.

Except for Knight Holmes who remained silent, everyone else's eyes were filled with strong emotions.

They felt a little uneasy, but when they lined up with weapons in hand and looked at other people, the sense of stability in the group gradually turned this uneasiness into a yearning for the future.

Knight Holmes looked at the armed team behind him, then glanced at the armor on his body, and his impression of Rhodes improved a lot.

He didn't expect that Rhode would be so generous as to pay for the weapons himself instead of letting his men prepare them.

Unfortunately, this can't change anything, Knight Holmes shook his head.

He was the only knight in the team, and the soldiers in front of him were rookies who had never experienced actual combat.

Of course there is no problem in bullying the bandits roaming the wild.

But if they were to move to the north, the casualties from a small-scale conflict would probably cause their morale to collapse and they would shrink back.

Rhodes didn't know that he was pessimistic, but he wouldn't care even if he knew.

In some cases, facts speak louder than words.

After everyone had gathered, Rhodes wondered if there was anything missing, and all the problems at home had been said goodbye.

The high-quality lavender planted five years ago has been harvested, and the one in the castle now is the new season he planted, which will last for another five years even if he is not here.

Alice and her mother had already said goodbye. Her eldest brother Anthony did not go home after returning from the royal capital. After becoming a knight, he basically stayed outside and interacted with other nobles.

As for his father, don't worry about him. Going to the North is the best way to say goodbye to him.

The research records and crop seeds in the room have been taken away and confirmed to be ready.

Rhodes took the lead and said loudly:
"set off!"

The Sword Tomb is located in the Golden Sword Territory in the center of the kingdom, sandwiched between the Northern Frost Principality and the Central Territory.

The land fiefdom of the Golden Sword Territory is ruled by several dukes of royal descent, and was once an important barrier for the capital to defend against invasions from the north.

With the incorporation of the Northern Frost Principality into the kingdom, the Dragonbreaker Fortress was built within the principality, and the northern kings no longer threatened the kingdom.

The responsibility of the Golden Sword Territory also changed from defending the North to being an important shipping hub connecting various parts of the kingdom.

Sitting on the cargo ship, Rhodes opened the map.

According to the itinerary, they would first take a boat upstream along the Agate River, and spend a week to reach the port city closest to the North Frost Principality.

Then they turned to walking, and in one and a half months they crossed the Broken Dragon Fortress of the Northern Frost Principality and entered the northern border to develop the land.

The boat ride was a bit boring. Rhodes leaned on the deck railing and chatted casually with the man next to him.

"I heard that you were knighted by the Duke. What a pity that I was unable to attend the ceremony."

The man, who was dressed in businessman's clothes and looked to be in his early twenties, spoke with an exaggerated look of regret on his face.

This is Baron Collet's younger brother, Morton Collet, a businessman who runs a small business in Jianling.

He was preparing to take advantage of the development trend and sail north to do business. He came over after seeing Rhodes on the deck.

"Nothing to regret, it's just an awarding ceremony within the family." Rhodes responded, focusing on the port that was getting closer and closer. "You are too modest. Five years ago, when your brother Anthony, the 'White Knight of Jianling', was awarded the honor, the Duke invited nobles from all over the country, and even His Majesty the King sent people to watch."

Businessman Morton showed a sense of excitement and pride on his face.

"I was honored to attend. The grand scene is unforgettable. The glory of the White Knight was even recognized by the gods, and the diseases of the guests were driven away!"

"It was that miraculous investiture ceremony that made the name of the White Knight spread throughout the kingdom."

Merchant Morton changed the subject and looked at Rhodes with a smile, "As the second son of the Duke, I believe you are no worse than your brother, right?"

His father did not invite anyone when he awarded him the medal, and Rhodes knew that Morton, as a businessman in Jianling, would know about it.

"If you want to know my name, you can go to the capital to find out. It's quite interesting." Seeing the ship docking, Rhodes smiled and shook his head, then walked past him and went under the ship.

Noah and others followed behind him.

"Why does this businessman speak so strangely? It's really uncomfortable to listen to him." Noah followed behind Rhodes, feeling puzzled.

"Because he was using Anthony to mock me." Rhodes didn't expect that as soon as he left the castle, people around him began to tell him about the disparity in their status.

As long as he stays in Jianling, no matter what his reputation is, he is still the noble son of the Duke.

But after leaving the family, he was seen by outsiders as nothing more than a dying aristocratic joke.

The merchants he met on the road dared to mock him in a roundabout way.

There is no need to be angry. This is caused by your own inaction in the past. Things will change in the future once you take action.

Hearing his explanation, Noah looked unhappy, "I'll go teach him a lesson."

The businessman Morton was born into a noble family, so it would be impossible to just kill him.

But Noah didn’t mind covering his face and keeping him in bed for months.

"Do you remember what I said to you before we set off?" Rhodes looked at him seriously.

After a moment of silence, Noah reacted and lowered his head in shame: "We need to change our mindset. We should no longer be one person, but a team. We should lead by example and stay calm. I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have handled the problem according to my previous thinking."

"It's okay, just adjust slowly. Our time is precious, so we don't need to care about meaningless remarks."

After drawing the next route on the map, Rhodes looked at the team in good condition and set off from the port.

The destination is still a month and a half away.

Despite Alice's valuable financial support, food replenishment and equipment repair along the way still cost money.

In terms of food, people of this era loved bread. White bread was made from fine flour that was ground and sifted from wheat and was expensive.

Bread made from oats, barley and rye, combined with beans and nuts, is a normal staple food for ordinary people.

In fact, if you don't add sawdust, stones, etc. to weigh it down, in terms of nutrition alone, these whole grains rich in protein and dietary fiber are more valuable than fine white bread.

In the villages of Golden Sword Territory, the price of a pound of ordinary bread is 4 copper coins.

A soldier needs at least two pounds a day to eat a full meal.

Including the three knights, the team's food expenses for a month are 1.4 gold coins.

Meat can be obtained by hunting in the woods along the way. Since the lord prohibits civilians from logging and hunting, the prey resources are quite abundant.

Of the 20 gold coins Rhodes had in his hand, 15 were for two months' salary, leaving him with only 5 for emergencies, as he might run into a shortage of funds at any time.

If you want to solve the money problem, you have to go back to the original topic.

The only alternative is to borrow!

(End of this chapter)