Starting My Journey as a Dragon Rider from the Deepwater Realm

For most people, becoming a formal knight is an almost impossible feat, but to Clobber, it wasn't all that difficult. What he struggled with right now was not having the right breathing technique to help him break through.

Foster's breathing technique was wind-based, while the Oat family's technique was water-based. Clobber's mother's family, the Golden Rose family, had a gold-based technique, and he likely inherited their attributes.

Though the Golden Rose family had always been close to him, providing training resources, Clobber knew they wouldn't just hand him a low-level gold-based breathing technique, even if he asked. After all, he still carried the Oat family name, and as long as that was the case, the Golden Rose family wouldn't freely offer him one of their precious techniques.

If he had been adopted into the Golden Rose family, though, they might have given him not just a low-level technique, but even a mid-level one.

Clobber never doubted his maternal grandfather's favoritism. In a world driven by self-interest, the fact that his grandfather had supported him with resources for over a decade spoke volumes about how much he valued him. It might have started out of affection for his late mother, Lilith, but over time, it was Clobber's own talent that drew the family's continued investment.

"Forget it, no point in dwelling on this. I should focus on preparing for the upcoming war," Clobber muttered to himself, pushing those thoughts aside.

With that, he took all his savings out. Since he began his military service at the age of nine, first as a low-ranking squire, he had participated in various operations—from bandit exterminations to escort missions and mercenary work. Over the past six years, he had accumulated 124 gold coins and 72 silver coins.

It was no small sum. For reference, a typical family of three that only ate black bread for every meal would spend about 30 silver coins a year. Clobber's savings could feed such a family for 400 years without them starving.

This also highlighted the inflated value of metal goods in this world.

Because all metal was produced by dragons, the cost of metal remained sky-high. Even in a large barony like Deepwater, the total number of metal items consisted of a few knight swords, a set of steel heavy armor, and a few iron spearheads.

A few years ago, when Clobber had just become a senior squire, he led a small team to eliminate some bandits. To his surprise, he found an iron dagger on the bandit leader. Without hesitation, he claimed it as his loot, as the bandit was his kill. According to custom, all spoils should belong to the one who slayed the enemy.

Taking the dagger, Clobber went to the only blacksmith shop in Moonlight City and sold it for nearly 30 gold coins—a small fortune.

That was just for a dagger. If it had been a knight's sword, it probably could have fetched over 100 gold coins.

However, some traveling merchants passing through the tavern commented that metal items were absurdly expensive only in places like Deepwater. In the territories of the larger noble families, metal might still be precious, but it wasn't at the outrageous prices found in the rural areas.

Clobber's 124 gold coins and 72 silver coins were still quite powerful. He planned to use them to buy a warhorse, a knight's sword, and if there was anything left, perhaps a set of leather armor. If his budget didn't stretch that far, he would settle for armor made from the fur of magical beasts.

In a world lacking minerals, most low-tier nobles or soldiers like Clobber wore armor made from the hides of magical beasts. The durability of such armor was decent enough—it could withstand arrows and provide basic protection.

Of course, Clobber wasn't going to buy his gear from Deepwater. He planned to go to Moonlight City with Foster to make his purchases. Moonlight City was the wealthiest city in the entire territory, located in the southwest of the duchy. It was also the seat of Count Stephen and the only place in the area that sold iron weapons.

After a night's rest, Clobber set off early the next morning, accompanied by Foster, on the road to Moonlight City.

Count Stephen's territory was located in the southwest of the duchy. While somewhat remote, it was blessed with abundant resources, thanks to its proximity to the Moey Forest. There were always fortunate souls who discovered stray magical beast cubs or wild spirit bugs within the forest.

Yes, even spirit bugs had wild breeds.

Through investigation, mages had deduced that spirit bugs were the result of plants reaching their growth limit and then evolving to communicate with the magical elements in the air. Moey Forest, with its rich magical energy, was a prime environment for such occurrences. The likelihood of finding spirit bugs there was far greater than the odds of artificially breeding them.

This was one of the reasons the duchy conducted a Western Crusade against the Moey Forest every decade—it was simply too tempting to ignore.

It's said that when the kingdom was first founded, the duke rode in on a golden dragon to explore the forest. But deep within the woods, there are terrifying creatures capable of injuring dragons.

No one knows what these creatures really are. They could be powerful mythical beasts, or perhaps even other types of dragons.

Clobber leaned more toward the idea that they were mythical beasts. Dragons were incredibly rare, and if one were ever spotted, it would attract several dragon riders from the kingdom to investigate. If they could tame the dragon, it would serve the kingdom; if not, it would be slain, and its remains would provide valuable resources.

The golden dragon that entered the forest back then was still in its youth, so its size and power weren't fully developed. It wasn't impossible for a mythical beast to ambush and injure it.

But if the forest truly had a creature powerful enough to defeat a golden dragon, the duke wouldn't have organized so many exploration campaigns. That much was certain.

The two of them rode swiftly, and soon arrived at Moonlight City.

True to its name, Moonlight City was breathtaking. The city walls were made mostly of marble, and it was said that the soldiers on night patrol didn't even need torches—moonlight alone was enough to illuminate most of the area.

After revealing their family crest, Clobber and Foster entered the city and made their way straight to the blacksmith shop.

It seemed that news of the impending war had already spread. The blacksmith's stall outside was packed with customers, all eager to purchase weapons and armor.

Most of these customers were second sons of noble families or the eldest sons of wealthy merchants. After hearing about the war, they scrambled to arm themselves, hoping to secure their share of the spoils in the upcoming conflict.

Count Stephen was happy to see this, too. Making a good profit from weapon sales before the war would certainly strengthen his position and give him more confidence for the battles ahead.

Like the others, Clobber stood before the weapon rack, selecting a suitable knight's sword.

It didn't take long before he found one that caught his eye.

It was a single-handed knight's sword, about 110 centimeters long, designed for mounted combat. The pommel was a brass ball, intricately engraved with floral patterns, and the grip was made of polished walnut wood, about 20 centimeters long.

Clobber picked it up and tested it. The grip was well-sanded, and the sword felt comfortable in his hand. The length of the handle allowed him to wield it with both hands during battle, which he liked.

Holding the sword, Clobber surveyed the other weapons in the shop.

After some careful consideration, he also purchased a kite shield, a knight's lance, and five throwing spears.

In exchange, his 124 gold coins were reduced to less than 20, which meant his plans to buy a warhorse and leather armor were no longer possible.

"Well, I can always use monster hides to make the leather armor myself. Now, I'll go ahead and buy the warhorse," Clobber thought.

In this world, the most valuable items were metal, followed by warhorses and food.

The knight's sword cost nearly 90 gold coins, while the kite shield, lance, and throwing spears only totaled about 20 gold coins. This clearly showed just how precious metal was.

Warhorses were similar. A regular workhorse could be quite cheap, costing only four or five gold coins, and the horse Clobber currently rode was just an old workhorse.

But workhorses were skittish and lacked the stamina to carry a knight into battle. Clobber needed to purchase a strong warhorse.

With the knight's sword at his side, the shield on his back, and the throwing spears and lance secured to his mount, Clobber headed toward the Moonlight Mushroom family's castle stables.

The Moonlight Mushroom family owned all the shops selling weapons and warhorses in Moonlight City.

The stables where warhorses were sold were located on the outskirts of the castle, where the count kept surplus warhorses or those left behind by fallen knights. These horses were sold to the public.

Clobber and Foster were looking to buy a retired warhorse from the knight's order.

These horses were usually the steeds of knights who had perished in battle, left without owners, and sold off in the stables. They were typically in good health and had no issues with their bodies or minds, making them perfect companions for battle.

Clobber had high standards for a warhorse—after all, it was his second life in battle.

If his funds were short, he even considered selling his old workhorse or borrowing some gold from the old knight to make up the difference.

As they walked through the castle gates, Clobber ran into one of his acquaintances from the Moonlight Mushroom family.

"Welcome, esteemed member of the Oat family, the pride of the Golden Rose, Mr. Clobber Oat," the familiar voice greeted him warmly.