Wizard Farming Guide

Chapter 4 Complex Identity

The gold coins jingled, making a pleasant sound.

Rhodes's feelings were somewhat complicated.

Regarding this expedition to the North, in addition to receiving his father's old sword, he also received a sponsorship of 60 gold coins, which was no small sum.

As a commercially developed coastal nation, the Kingdom of Rosa has a relatively stable currency exchange rate.

The exchange rate of the gold, silver and copper currencies used has remained stable at 1:100:10000 for many years.

As a prosperous shipping port, Jianling only paid about 20 copper coins a day to a skilled dockworker.

In the city, this is enough to cover the daily expenses of an ordinary family of four.

In the countryside outside the city, free farmers earn little more than 10 copper coins a day after taxes by farming.

As for the self-sufficient serfs within the manor, they often only received food as payment from the lord and had little access to money.

The 60 gold coins in Rhodes's hand were enough for him to live a luxurious life for several years in the most prosperous capital.

If he were to purchase and operate several shops in a well-planned manner, it would be enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life and support several generations.

When Rod received the money, he did feel a sudden surge of joy at becoming rich and marveled at his father's generosity.

But when he walked into the equipment dealership and sat in the VIP room.

As he flipped through the price list, he, who was somewhat sensitive to numbers, had a bad feeling.

Raising his hand to decline the enthusiastic recommendation from the Chamber of Commerce receptionist, Rod took the goods list and looked at it himself.

Due to the close ties within the guild, the equipment on the list is quite comprehensive.

From full-body plate armor, half-body armor, and chainmail, to longswords, bows, crossbows, spears, and more, they have it all.

Even if some goods are not in stock in the Chamber of Commerce, we can quickly contact the cooperating blacksmith shops to place priority orders.

The most important equipment for a knight on the battlefield is undoubtedly plate armor, which is also the item with the most fluctuating price.

The most basic cavalry armor costs 4 gold coins per set, while high-end armor with a special prefix often costs more than double digits of gold coins.

With limited funds, Rhodes opted for cavalry armor.

The three knights, Noah and Holmes, all need to purchase one set.

Knight Holmes already had armor, but considering he would certainly want to pass it on to his son, it was necessary for Rhodes to prepare another set for him.

In addition to plate armor, you also need to buy Noah a two-handed greatsword as a weapon, which costs 40 silver coins.

Besides the three men, each of his twelve knights-in-arms needed at least one set of chainmail, costing 50 silver coins, and a breastplate and helmet to protect vital organs, costing 40 silver coins each.

In terms of weapons, each person needs to be equipped with a knight's sword, which costs 12 silver coins, and a small round shield, which costs 2 silver coins.

So, the total cost of their equipment for the fifteen people was 24 gold coins and 88 silver coins.

As Rod held his pen and began to calculate, sweat began to bead on his back.

In addition to weapons and armor, fifteen warhorses, fifteen bows, and at least four hundred arrows need to be purchased.

The price of a warhorse is 2 gold and 40 silver. Fifteen horses, plus bows and arrows, cost a total of 45 gold coins.

Now even Rhodes started sweating.

He also needs to arm fifty-two militiamen, with leather armor costing 6 silver coins each, spears costing 5 silver coins each, and large round shields costing 4 silver coins each.

Rhodes looked at it and finally added an axe, which cost 60 copper coins each, as a tool for melee combat and construction.

The total cost for the 52 militiamen was 8 gold and 11 silver.

This means he wants to arm this team, and the equipment alone will require at least 78 gold coins!

That wasn't the end of it; Rhodes' head started to ache.

It would take at least two months to travel from Jianling to the Northern Border. He would also need to purchase draft horses and wagons, as well as provisions for any emergencies along the way.

In addition to these, there are also salaries paid to subordinates.

Rhodes promised that the militia would receive 30 copper coins per day and the knights' squires would receive 80 copper coins per day.

You need to prepare at least two months' salary, which is 15 gold coins.

The equipment distributed is only lent to the soldiers; it still belongs to Rhodes. Therefore, if you want the army to remain stable, you must pay their salaries.

Fortunately, Noah and Holmes don't need salaries.

They operate on a loot system, where they receive a share of the loot after each battle based on their performance.

Rhodes added up all the expenses and concluded that he would need to spend 105 gold coins to get the team together.

The money we have is far from enough.

"Now I understand why many lords only have militias and no army," Rhodes sighed.

Militia is so simple. Just periodically conscript some villagers, let them bring their own weapons, and they can maintain order. It doesn't cost much money.

Building an army is a bottomless pit! The monthly military expenditure is terrifying; no amount of money can cover it all.

"Can't the price be any lower?" Rod looked up at the receptionist waiting beside him.

The latter immediately bowed ninety degrees and replied sincerely:

"Sir Rhodes, this is the lowest price the Merchant Guild can offer. Even the Duke's army uses this price for procurement."

Because news of the northern expansion had recently spread from the capital, the head of the merchant guild was well aware of Rhodes's intentions and understood that it was the Duke's will behind it.

Despite Rhodes's bad reputation, the merchant guild groveled at the foot of that castle.

The head of the chamber of commerce dared not risk testing the Duke's attitude, and had already urgently pushed the price down to the lowest possible level.

Rhodes knew the other party wasn't lying; he had actually inquired about the purchase price at the castle's armory before coming.

The price offered by the Chamber of Commerce was even lower.

The issue of military spending is too complex; let his father worry about that. He needs to figure out how to raise the money first.

After placing the order for the plate armor that needed to be sourced from other places, Rhodes left the merchant guild and returned to the castle.

With his shoulder leaning against the castle wall, feeling the lavender-scented evening breeze, he pondered a solution regarding the gold coins.

It's simply a matter of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure; either cut the workforce in half or find ways to raise money from other sources.

The former would be a major blow; a pioneering group of sixty people was already the minimum standard, and it was questionable whether they could safely reach the North with even fewer people.

If you want to accumulate a large amount of gold coins in a short period of time, the only options besides robbing or borrowing are to steal them.

It's very difficult for Rhodes's paternal relatives and nobles to borrow money, as they are all his elder brother's powerful vassals, and he might never even get a chance to meet them.

As for his maternal side...

Thinking about the situation over there, Rhodes rubbed his temples; he had a terrible headache.

His mother was the daughter of the barbarian king of the North, or rather, she used to be.

She is now the younger sister of the Grand Duke of the Northern Frost Kingdom.

The Duchy of Northern Frost, formerly known as the Northern Frost Plateau, was occupied by William the Overlord thirty years ago. Since then, barbarian attacks have been constant outside the territory, and various tribes within the territory have been constantly rebelling.

Years of warfare have caused the kingdom to show signs of decline.

To avoid being dragged into a quagmire of war, King William at the time chose to win over a barbarian king from the north.

He was granted the title of Duke of the Kingdom and the entire plateau was designated as his fiefdom.

From then on, that place became the Duchy of Northern Frost, which controlled the northern part of the kingdom, suppressed rebellions, and kept the barbarian kings of the north at bay.

Rhodes' mother was the daughter of the first Grand Duke of the Northern Frost, and she married his father, Duke Bert.

Logically, this should be a great thing, since the northern expansion is right next to the duchy.

If Rhodes were to receive support from his mother’s family, not only would the royal expedition led by the prince be out of the running, but even the current crown prince would have to take a backseat.

The problem is that both King William and the first Grand Duke have passed away.

The current Grand Duke of the Northern Frost, Rhodes' uncle, has repeatedly shown a provocative attitude towards the king.

The king's decrees were rendered meaningless within the principality.

As for the relationship between his father, Duke Bert, and the Grand Duke of the Northern Frost, it could not be described as loving and affectionate; rather, it was one of fraught tension.

Since the death of King William ten years ago, Duke Bert has not brought his family to the Duchy of Northern Frost.

(End of this chapter)