Lord of Rot

After coming ashore.

The hundred-plus people split into small groups, standing off to the side.

Leech held a simple map. It had been drawn by the mercenary Trevor during his previous visit to the island, back when he was clearing out its dangers.

"First, we head northeast," Leech commanded. "There are some temporary wooden huts there. We'll use them to store seeds and drop off our luggage."

"Yes, sir!"

"You few," Leech said, pointing to the sailors who had rowed over with them. "Go back and bring the provisions."

"Yes, sir!"

They didn't have to walk long in the direction indicated on the crude map before they spotted the drafty little shacks built by the previous party.

They couldn't block the wind, but they should be able to provide shelter from the rain.

After all, with limited resources, limited manpower, and even a limited area to develop on the wild island, everything was kept simple.

"Cooks, prepare a meal," Leech commanded. "Try to avoid eating anything native to the island."

'I'm not sure what would happen if an ordinary person ate the local wild berries. A good outcome would be one thing, but if it caused some kind of adverse reaction…' They only had one Alchemist with them, and he could do little more than bandage wounds. He couldn't save a life.

Even back in Porcupine Territory, food poisoning meant you had to tough it out on your own; there was no medicine for it.

Some of the people who were currently idle, like the swineherds, voluntarily went out to gather dry firewood.

The masons grabbed some nearby stones to help build a cooking stove.

After being tossed about on the ship without a decent meal, everyone was famished now that they were on solid ground. They all longed for a hot meal to feel comfortable again.

The serfs, on the other hand, were busy. They needed to open some of the sacks. A portion of them had been soaked by seawater during transport, and they had to sort out those seeds as quickly as possible.

In short, everyone had a job to do.

Leech commanded, "Pitz, release a few birds."

Pitz put his fingers to his lips and whistled. The few birds that had accompanied them spread their wings and soared into the sky. Leech had already cast the Eagle Eye Magic on this flock of various sizes and species, allowing him to observe the small High Magic Land island from multiple perspectives.

He placed a small, portable lap desk on the ground and laid out several sheets of paper.

"Arkke, come hold the paper down for me."

The little maidservant must have had some milk on the ship; she carried a faint milky scent as she came closer.

She held the paper down with her two small hands while Leech quickly began to sketch a map.

"The overall terrain is flat, with plenty of trees. The coastal reef area must be the breeding ground for the Giant Crabs."

He sketched continuously on the paper, eventually producing a fairly detailed map.

Just then, the aroma of meat began to waft from the large cauldron. Leech didn't ask the cooks for a special portion, instead telling Arkke to fetch him a bowl.

They had brought plenty of provisions for this expedition, so the food situation was more than adequate.

Leech held the bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other. Eating stew on the island was a pleasure in its own right.

The bowl contained pork stewed until it was fall-off-the-bone tender. A piece of hard, dry bread sat on top, but it quickly softened as it soaked in the savory broth. A bite of the soaked bread brought a satisfying warmth on this February day.

After he finished his meal, Leech handed the bowl and chopsticks to the little maidservant to clean up.

Next came the initial planning phase.

He called the craftsmen over and pointed to the map he had just drawn.

"In this relatively flat area, I want to plant some flowers. Arkke's apiary will also be here. We should put up a fence to keep livestock and people from accidentally wandering too close and getting stung."

"Yes, sir!" the craftsmen nodded hastily.

"Then this area, where the conditions are poorer, we'll use for planting potatoes."

Potatoes were the first crop Leech was attempting to grow experimentally. If he could cultivate High Magic potatoes, he could consider adding other crops later. Some other vegetables would also be planted on the island.

If that failed, he would just focus on cultivating the Extraordinary Magic Potion ingredients and raising the Extraordinary bees. The main goal was experimentation.

"We'll raise the livestock in this area. There's a water source nearby," Leech said. "They must be penned downstream so they don't contaminate the water."

He pointed at the map. "The living quarters are also important. We'll build them near the water source."

Once his orders were given, everyone sprang into action.

Slaves took up axes and saws to fell trees, providing lumber for the craftsmen to build wooden cabins.

The island needed a pier, but that would have to wait until the basic needs of food and shelter were met. Constructing a pier was a major undertaking, and with only a hundred-plus people, they couldn't spare the manpower.

The serfs shouldered their hoes and went to the designated areas to clear and till the land. The island's soil was different from that of Porcupine Territory; digging revealed a large number of small stones underneath.

'It seems growing wheat will be impossible, but potatoes shouldn't be a problem. The soil just needs to be tilled several times.'

Leech strolled about the island alone, occasionally glancing up to see one of the birds circling overhead.

He stood on a reef.

SPLASH!

A shimmering golden figure rode the spray and appeared before Leech.

"Have you found the location of the Giant Crabs?"

The Water Nymph nodded. "I have, Leech."

"Thank you. You've done well."

"You're welcome."

For now, Leech had no way to deal with the Giant Crabs. He could only order his people to build a temporary wall to keep them confined to the water.

If the Giant Crabs were allowed ashore, all one hundred-plus of his people would become their rations. The safest course of action was to block them off first. Once he had some free hands, he would dig a proper "crab trap" and deal with these delicious Giant Crabs then.

The first day of pioneering on the island soon came to an end.

The cabins were only roughly framed; it would be a while before they were finished.

Leech led everyone into the nearby cave to spend the night.

The cave offered shelter from the wind and rain, but it was far too damp. Living here for an extended period would certainly cause problems, and it was unsuitable for storing seeds.

「Several days passed.」

Everyone worked with all their might. This was a golden opportunity to perform in front of their Lord. As long as they worked diligently, they could earn his favor. It was far easier to be noticed by the Lord in a group of a hundred-odd people than it was to stand out among more than two thousand.

In this state of collective fervor, the pioneering progressed much faster than Leech had imagined.

The first batch of sprouted potatoes was all planted.

The Magic Potion garden had also been planted and was just waiting to flower. Meanwhile, Arkke was attempting to let the bees forage outside, giving them strict instructions. In the future, they would only need to make periodic trips to the island to check on them.

Besides, they had brought beekeepers along, so there shouldn't be any major issues.

「Several more days passed.」

In March, Leech returned to Porcupine Territory with his two little maidservants.

The rest of the people would remain on the island to care for the crops and livestock, waiting to see the results of the harvest in a few months.

Leech had just returned to his castle.

"My Lord! A letter from Longship Castle!"

"The letter's here?"

He quickly tore open the letter, his eyes scanning the contents. A look of delight spread across his face.

"Excellent!"

Baron Ross of Steel Territory had led his legion in a fierce assault on Iron Valley, and they were already at the walls of Iron Wall Castle.

Leech's spirits soared. "It's time to swoop in and claim the prize!"

What others saw as a disaster, he saw as a golden opportunity.

"Although Iron Valley is on the coast, its environment can't compare to Pigtail Bay's."

Its coastline is all steep cliffs, unsuitable for a beach landing, making it impossible to break into Iron Valley from the sea. The best route was still to depart from Porcupine Territory, travel overland to Waterfall Land, and then take a ship to Iron Valley.

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