Lord of Rot

Deni worked quickly. That very evening, while Leech and Hawke Wood were having dinner at Deni’s home, his young apprentice returned with news.

A total of 2,000 pounds of corn, at four pounds per copper star—even cheaper than the two pounds per copper star Leech had mentioned earlier.

The corn would be loaded onto the Iron Valley the next morning.

During the banquet, Hawke Wood held a wine glass and praised Leech for his spectacular performance in the Knight’s tournament earlier that day.

Especially upon hearing how one renowned young Knight after another fell before him, Deni felt as if he were witnessing that spectacular battle all over again.

Leech smiled and listened to Hawke Wood’s tale, curious himself about what a battle with a Transcendent looked like in the eyes of an ordinary person.

Perhaps it was the difference in their Life Levels. In Hawke Wood’s words, Leech always decided the outcome in a split second.

「The next morning.」

After the corn was loaded onto the ship, Leech and Hawke Wood stood on deck and waved to Deni, who had come to see them off.

Then, they set sail...

Life at sea was rather dull. The scenery was the same every day, and Lang’s sailing skills were much like old Piri’s—he stuck to the coast.

Fortunately, there weren’t too many pirates in this stretch of the Eastern Strait, and the journey was calm.

The advantage of coastal navigation was that you could spot Porcupine Castle from a great distance, preventing you from losing your way.

With Leech on board, such a thing was even more unlikely to happen. Once his Spiritual Power’s range touched Porcupine Territory, Leech made contact with the Water Nymph.

Her return meant that Trevor, the four-armed Mercenary who had gone to the High Magic Land island, was also back.

Finally, after entering Pigtail Bay, they saw the Porcupine.

The dock’s construction was not yet complete, so they had to take a small boat back to shore.

From a long way off, they saw a line of Soldiers in formation, raising their muskets.

The moment Leech stepped ashore, Quick Blade, who had arrived with a fully armed squad and was shouldering a musket himself, bellowed, "All of you, lower your muskets!"

The muskets were put away.

Quick Blade asked, "My Lord! How did you return by sea?"

"I happened to buy a ship while I was in East Port," Leech said, pointing behind him.

When Quick Blade saw Hawke Wood, another round of greetings ensued.

Today’s events made one thing clear to Leech: the construction of a watchtower had to be expedited. After all, now that Porcupine Territory had a dock, their enemies had another point of entry.

Matters concerning the ship and the arrangements for Lang and his men could be handed directly to Gelan, who in turn would assign the tasks to the bright apprentices at the town hall. The system Leech envisioned was already beginning to take shape.

’I should find someone to research and make something like a telescope,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, it will be hard to tell friend from foe, and there will always be trouble.’

It was already late, obviously not a good time to travel, so Hawke Wood stayed the night in Porcupine Castle.

Despite taking a detour by ship and stopping frequently, it was actually much faster and more restful than traveling directly from East Port to Three-fork River Castle.

The evening banquet consisted of aromatic grilled fish, lemon cake, sizzling pan-fried pork ribs, stewed meat, and a fragrant, hearty soup sprinkled with powdered sea worm.

It was safe to say the food in East Port did not suit Leech’s palate at all.

It was too greasy.

Perhaps it was because of the winter, or maybe it was just a matter of local taste, but they all loved that greasy feeling of fat bursting in your mouth after a bite of meat.

Leech considered himself someone who could handle fatty meat, but he found that particular sensation completely unacceptable.

Truly delicious fatty meat should be steamed, fried, or stewed until it was rich but not cloying. Anything else was just nauseating.

The banquet’s menu seemed simple, but the portions were enormous, so Leech could set aside the issue of mismatched tastes and eat his fill.

THUD! Hawke Wood collapsed onto the table.

Leech looked at the roaring Quick Blade and sighed helplessly.

He could understand Quick Blade’s joy. It wasn’t pride in drinking a guest under the table, but the fact that a guest’s arrival meant he could drink to his heart’s content, without being restricted by Leech.

"That’s enough drinking for tonight," Leech said.

Quick Blade hiccuped. "Yes—HIC—my Lord!"

"Someone, help Lord Hawke Wood to his room. And..." He turned to the two male servants who had run over. "Prepare some water and a bucket. Take good care of the lord."

"Yes!" The two male servants nodded, struggling to haul up the dead-drunk Hawke Wood.

Leech hadn’t been gone for very long this time, and nothing major had happened in Porcupine Territory. Still, Leech informed Gelan and the others that some slaves might be arriving in a while.

He also told the tipsy Quick Blade to train the troops well over the next period, as they would have a battle to fight soon.

Since he was just planning to swoop in and pluck the peach, Leech was in no hurry to go to Iron Valley.

By his calculations, Baron Ross of Steel Territory probably hadn’t even returned to his own lands yet. By the time he organized his legion and marched to Iron Valley, it would likely be mid-February. The real fighting would probably start in March, and there was no telling when it would end. However, he would write a letter to Lady Jie Lin and ask her to keep an eye on the news for him.

Leech’s plan was to wait until the very last moment to make his appearance, shamelessly stroll into Iron Wall Castle, and declare himself the Baron of the new territory.

He had a good night’s sleep in his bed.

The next day, after washing up but before breakfast, Leech summoned the Mercenary, Trevor.

His four arms swayed as he walked.

Trevor bowed. "My Lord! The island has been cleared!"

"Good work," Leech nodded. "How big is the island?"

"About 800 acres."

"That small?"

To put it in perspective, Porcupine Castle occupied about 80 acres, which was considered average. In the eyes of Red Rose, it was just a small, dilapidated, abandoned castle. The neighboring Iron Stone Castle, for instance, was larger than Porcupine Castle.

A smaller plot of land meant less space to develop, but it was a High Magic Land, after all. As long as the things grown there were of high quality, it was still very valuable.

However, large-scale reclamation, such as for the experimental cultivation of Magic Wheat with its special properties, would be impossible.

"I found a Giant Crab nest on the island," Trevor said. "They hide under the reefs, making them very hard for me to catch. I’m no match for them in the water."

"What about the moths?"

"That cavern from before was probably the moths’ nest."

"Anything else?"

"That’s all."

"Alright," Leech nodded. "You’re dismissed for now."

He didn’t just want to deal with the Giant Crabs; he wanted to raise them.

’Perhaps the Water Nymph can help me with this.’

’A battle in the water... there shouldn’t be any problem if I have the Water Nymph handle it.’

Hawke Wood didn’t get out of bed until the sun was high in the sky, his head throbbing.

"Good day, Lord Leech."

"Good day, Lord Hawke Wood," Leech smiled. "It seems you’re not fit to travel today."

Hawke Wood gave a bitter smile. "Sir Quick Blade is simply too good at drinking."

He kept pouring one cup after another, giving him no chance to refuse. Anywhere else, Hawke Wood wouldn’t have even bothered with Quick Blade.

But this was Porcupine Territory, and he was a guest.

Being a guest came with its own rules, and besides, nobles took pride in being able to hold their liquor. But he never expected to be drunk into a stupor, completely losing consciousness.

"Have something to eat," Leech said. "We can set out tomorrow."

Hawke Wood nodded. It was the only option.

While Hawke Wood went back to bed to rest, Leech began his usual inspection tour.

Checking on the rocket, petting the cat, the textile mill, the brewery, the blacksmith forge, the soap, the carpenter’s workshop, Betty’s alchemy workshop... he certainly had a lot to keep him busy.

When Leech arrived at Betty’s alchemy workshop, he found Chuina, wearing an apron, hammering iron.

"Chuina, what is this?" Leech asked.

"Lady Betty said it’s called... a cannon barrel?" The hammer in Chuina’s hand was glowing red-hot, imbued with her Extraordinary power.

"She said it needs to be extremely sturdy. I’ve been forge-hammering it for a long time."

"A cannon barrel?" Leech was astonished. He had only mentioned it in passing to Betty, and she was already close to producing one?

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