Lord of Rot

Once everything was taken care of, Leech left, taking only the corpse of the speed-type Transcendent. The Monkey Clan’s ship would remain here. After all, he had already silenced all witnesses, so the information was contained. There was no need to bring the ship back; merchants visiting Porcupine Territory in the future would surely recognize its origin.

It was better to leave it here. It wouldn’t be too late to make use of it after the Monkey Clan was dealt with in the future.

The other corpses were left on the island, and he had Ah Yamei stay behind as well.

She would turn all the corpses into skeleton soldiers, including the Transcendent who had been riddled with holes at the start.

"Once Ah Yamei is finished, I’ll trouble you to bring her back," Leech said to the Water Nymph. Then he added, "Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

The *Porcupine* set off, heading toward Pigtail Bay.

Leech had his own private cabin. After resting for only a short while, he left it and went out onto the deck.

Day was just breaking.

This was the first time he had ever watched a sunrise at sea, in either his past life or his current one.

The Porcupine Soldiers who had fought last night were ecstatic. There was no battle more satisfying than one where the enemy was completely annihilated and your own side suffered zero casualties.

Some of the Soldiers were waking up. They poured water down the barrels of their guns, then cleaned them by ramming them with cloth-wrapped sticks.

All the while, they chattered about the previous night’s thrilling battle, even though they’d won it without ever laying eyes on the enemy.

Gunpowder residue could clog the barrels, which made cleaning them extremely important.

After cleaning, they would pour in a small amount of gunpowder and ignite it to dry out the gun barrel.

They were more experienced in the use of firearms than Leech.

Trevor emerged, yawning. A single night had passed, and his wounds had already scabbed over. While his body’s regenerative abilities couldn’t compare to the recovery-focused Corpse Ghost Aina, they were still far beyond that of a normal person.

"Good day, milord." His greeting was quite awkward.

The four arms were probably what made it awkward.

Leech, enjoying the sea breeze, asked casually, "When did you awaken this power?"

"This summer," Trevor said with a smile. "I was fighting up north with a group of mercenaries. I got captured, and right when things looked grim, I suddenly sprouted two more arms. I used them to kill the others and escape. After that, I came to the East Gorges to make a living."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Of course, milord," Trevor nodded.

The Porcupine family Emblem was displayed on the ship; he couldn’t have missed it even if he tried.

"I don’t need your fealty," Leech said, turning to look at Trevor. "I know that you mercenaries are loyal to no one. You are, however, loyal to profit, and you won’t act against your own self-interest."

Seeing Trevor’s sudden tension, Leech said, "Relax. I’m not going to kill or imprison you. I’m going to hire you."

"You’ll work for me, and I’ll pay you double. And remember this," he paused, meeting Trevor’s eyes, "no matter how much someone else offers you, I will always pay double their price!"

Trevor laughed. "If someone tries to hire me to get rid of you, I’ll be sure to consult you on the price first."

Leech smiled back. "I hope you remember to wash your own neck first."

The *Porcupine* crossed the sea and returned to Porcupine Territory.

After he disembarked, Quickblade arrived with a contingent to greet him.

"Find something for him to do," Leech said to Quickblade, gesturing to Trevor, who was following behind him. "He can help train the Soldiers, or just fight. I paid good money for him, after all."

Quickblade looked at the four-armed Mercenary and nodded. "Yes, sir!"

His tolerance for the bizarre was growing. ’A man with four arms? Nothing to be surprised about.’

’I’ve seen a Giant Lizard the size of two carriages, a horse that can fly, a maid who talks to animals, another one who controls insects...’

’Four arms is just too ordinary, honestly.’

"Take the cocoon to the castle," Leech continued giving orders.

Leech handed the Transcendent’s corpse and the Wind Cavalry Helmet over to Aina. She would carry the body back to the cavern on the cape to create a new Corpse Ghost.

The expedition had been a victory, and all participants received Silver Moon coins as a reward. The rest of the money was loaded onto a carriage and transported to the castle.

After he finished giving orders for matters both large and small, Leech took the crown and went to find Scholar Toma.

"Scholar Toma, do you recognize this?"

He placed the crown before Scholar Toma.

Scholar Toma frowned slightly.

"Milord, I have never seen a crown like this, but it gives me an ominous feeling."

Leech asked, "As if it’s tempting you to wear it?"

"Yes!" Scholar Toma nodded. "Although I am not certain to whom it belongs, I have read of many similar items in my books. They carry the consciousness of their former masters and possess immense power. If someone cannot resist the temptation to wear it, they will be led down a path not their own."

"Not their own?"

"Precisely!" Scholar Toma nodded emphatically. "Their personality will change drastically, as if they’ve become a different person."

"Is their body taken over?"

"No, it’s not a takeover of the body," Scholar Toma shook his head. "It’s more of a bewitchment, an influence. They gradually become like the item’s original master. Perhaps it yearns to return to its master’s side, in some fashion."

Leech was silent for a moment. "I once heard a story about a ring, much like this," he said. "In the end, that ring was thrown into a volcano."

Scholar Toma had never heard of the ring Leech mentioned, but he simply assumed it was because he hadn’t read enough books.

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