Lord of Rot

Leech, who had watched the whole thing, was momentarily at a loss for words.

’This is the first time I’ve seen someone mooch so brazenly, and with such confidence.’

"You just wait!" The two mercenaries scrambled to their feet, helping each other as they limped away.

The crowd automatically parted to make way for them. No one wanted to provoke this group of mercenaries.

The young woman in the blacksmith’s apron walked over to the young man, looking at him with a worried expression.

"You’re Fanong Gold?" Leech asked.

The young man turned to look at Leech.

His clothes were expensive and impeccably coordinated from head to toe. He was even accompanied by an armored attendant—a clear sign that he was a nobleman.

The young man broke into a smile, though it made him hiss in pain. "I’m Fanong Gold."

"Someone told me I could find you here. Can you help me find her?" Leech said. "She sells potions."

"Oh," Fanong Gold said, realization dawning on him. "So you’re looking for *her*?"

Leech nodded. "Can you take me to her?"

"Three silvers!" he said, holding up three fingers and waggling them in front of Leech.

’You have to pay for favors.’

Even though a noble stood before him, Fanong Gold didn’t care about his status. No matter what, he wouldn’t work for free.

This was how he made a living.

Leech casually took out three Silver Moons and handed them to Fanong Gold.

Fanong Gold cupped his hands and eagerly accepted the three Silver Coins. Forgetting the pain in his swollen face, he beamed, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

He said to the young woman beside him, "Chuina, I’m taking this lord to meet someone. I’ll be right back."

The young blacksmith said worriedly, "But the injuries on your face..."

’A nobleman’s command couldn’t be disobeyed, and besides, they’d taken his money. Still, she was very worried about Fanong Gold’s injuries.’

"Don’t worry, it’s just a few scrapes. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix!" Fanong Gold pocketed the money and said to Leech, "This way, my lord. Follow me."

He led the way, guiding Leech and Carrot out of Iron Stone City.

Outside Iron Stone City was a small village, a place Leech had never been to before.

Since it was so close to Iron Stone City’s territory, most people would choose to make a living inside the city itself. Even if life was hard, they could at least beg to fill their stomachs. Plus, there were Soldiers for protection, so at least their lives weren’t at risk.

But outside Iron Stone City, things were different. From what Leech knew, Baron Spark’s military force wasn’t very strong.

The man was solely focused on pleasure and wasn’t good at managing his territory. But since his family owned a mine, he was never short of money, so all he cared about was living a life of leisure.

Whenever there was a war, as long as he could provide enough armor and weapons, the Grand Duke wouldn’t bother him.

Iron Stone City was the armory of the East Gorge.

In comparison, the meager income from the villages was nothing in Baron Spark’s eyes, so he basically left the surrounding villages to fend for themselves.

On the way, Leech asked, "How did you two meet?"

"Her?" Fanong Gold paused. "Are you asking about Chuina?"

"Of course not."

’Although the young blacksmith showed faint signs of being a Transcendent, she probably wasn’t one yet. Her strength was just greater than that of an ordinary person.’

"Oh!" Fanong Gold finally understood who Leech was asking about. "She came to our village a few years ago. Not many people live here, and she’s a bit eccentric in her ways. I’m pretty much the only one who can chat with her or run errands for her."

The village wasn’t very far from Iron Stone City.

After walking for a while, they saw a village nestled in a small grove of trees.

The farming conditions were much worse than in Porcupine Territory. The land was craggy and rocky, with very little arable land.

Iron Stone City didn’t rely on farming to survive, so that wasn’t an issue for the city itself, but it made life difficult for the villagers.

After entering the village, Leech saw it was just as Fanong Gold had described. The whole place looked somewhat desolate. Weeds grew on the ground, and a single, uneven path of crushed stone led from the edge of the woods deep into the village.

They followed the path for quite some way before stopping at a small wooden cabin next to a creek.

Outside the cabin was a vegetable garden, where many strange and unidentifiable flowers and herbs were growing.

Fanong Gold went up and knocked on the door. KNOCK KNOCK.

After a moment, the door opened, and a head full of silvery-white hair poked out.

She was wearing a long robe, and her hair was messy. Although she was quite good-looking, her face looked listless.

She also carried a rather strong medicinal smell.

"This noble lord says he’s looking for you."

Fanong Gold gestured back at Leech, then said to him, "This is the person you’re looking for."

Leech ignored Fanong Gold and looked at the white-haired woman. He beckoned to Carrot, motioning for him to bring over the cloth bundle he was carrying.

"Take a look?" Leech said, handing the bundle to the woman.

The woman opened the bundle and glanced inside. Her eyes, which had been half-closed as if she were perpetually sleepy, suddenly flew wide open. She stared at Leech in horror. "You actually managed to grow it? A lot of people must have died, right?"

"It’s true they’re highly toxic, but not a single person died. I have my ways." Leech glanced at her small cabin and asked, "Aren’t you going to invite me in?"

"I’m not very familiar with you nobles’ etiquette," the silver-haired woman said, taking a step back. "But people who bring money are an exception. Please, come in."

"You’re certainly direct."

Leech gave Carrot a look, telling him to wait outside.

For some reason, Fanong Gold didn’t leave right away either and stood guard outside.

The woman’s cabin wasn’t very spacious.

Inside, by the window, was a bed with unfolded covers. Women’s clothes were strewn all over it in a messy pile.

In the center of the room was a crucible. Leech had seen a similar one in the high tower of the castle at the Cape Grotto. This kind of crucible was probably necessary for brewing Magic Potions.

Nearby were three counters, crammed with all sorts of sealed glass and ceramic jars.

There was also a table with a grinder for crushing herbs.

The whole room was filled with an indescribable, potent aroma from the mixture of various herbs. It was very similar to a traditional Chinese medicine shop on Earth. Just one sniff made you feel as if all your ailments had vanished.

"I didn’t expect you to be Baron Porcupine." She didn’t offer him a seat, instead plopping down on the only chair in the room.

Baron Porcupine’s reputation in Pig Spine Valley had grown quite a bit recently.

Leech didn’t mind her disrespect and remained standing as he spoke with her. "You already know who I am, but I don’t know you."

"My name is Ramsnor. You can call me Ram. I’m a Hunter, but I’m not interested in fighting," she said. "I’m responsible for making potions for other Hunters, but I’m also happy to sell to rich people like you."

’That name feels a bit strange. I wonder what connection she has to Lady Rem from Livestock Village.’

"Alright, Miss Ram," Leech said. "I’ll get straight to the point. I need some Magic Potion seeds. Of course, I can also help you grow the potion ingredients, but you’ll need to brew them into potions for me."

"I don’t know how you grow them, but your skills would certainly be a great help to me," Ram said. "But first, we need to talk about the price—the price to hire me."

"Hire you? You mean if I pay you enough, you’ll continuously brew potions for me?"

’If I could build up an unlimited supply of Magic Potions and chug them like crazy before battle, my advantage in war would grow infinitely.’

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