Lord of Rot

Early in the morning, after making oatmeal porridge for his grandson, Old White Hair hurried out the door.

His blacksmithing business had been picking up lately.

He was receiving ration tickets and meat tickets every day. Life was getting more comfortable, and things were looking up.

He had just tied on his apron and rolled up his sleeves, ready to stoke the forge and begin smithing.

"Old White Hair!"

It was the fat manager, Hay. Ever since the new Lord granted him authority, he had grown increasingly arrogant.

Lately, Hay had been getting more and more aggressive with skimming ration tickets. Many were already fed up with his insatiable greed and wanted to report him to the Lord.

"Sir." Old White Hair stopped what he was doing, not daring to show any sign of displeasure.

Hay asked, "Where are the weapons and shields I had you all make?"

Old White Hair pointed to the small hut behind him. "They're all stored in there."

The fat manager, Hay, nodded. "Have them all brought out."

Once the shields and weapons were brought out and laid in the open, Hay led over a group of people.

Old White Hair saw several dozen young men approaching. They all looked familiar—they must be the youth from within Iron Wall Castle.

"Grab your weapons!" the fat manager shouted. "Then go line up at the front!"

The men swarmed forward, excitedly grabbing the weapons and brandishing them.

Old White Hair shuffled to the side to avoid being accidentally struck by a stray sword. He then sidled up to Hay and asked in a low voice, "Sir, are we going to war?"

"Not a war, a cleanup!" Hay stressed. "We've already won. The Lord had us start recruiting soldiers after he returned. There aren't many of those things left outside. Lacy also brought back a group of helpers from Hazelnut Village. These young men will train with them, and we'll treat the cleanup operation as a training exercise."

Old White Hair knew Lacy Sith. He had been in charge of selecting the craftsmen, and Old White Hair was one of those chosen.

"Does that mean we'll be able to go outside soon?" Old White Hair asked, pleasantly surprised.

"We've been able to go out for a while now," Hay said, pointing toward the main gate. "Haven't you seen the castle gates? They've been wide open all day."

After being sealed up for so long, the sudden news that he could leave Iron Wall Castle made Old White Hair feel as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Then… the ration tickets…" A thought suddenly struck Old White Hair. 'My wages have been paid in ration tickets this whole time. If we can reconnect with the outside world, won't these tickets become worthless?'

"The Lord still recognizes the purchasing power of the tickets, so don't worry."

Hay left in a hurry.

'He recognizes the purchasing power, but the tickets will still depreciate!' Old White Hair couldn't feel at ease.

'I have to exchange these for grain today, or I'll take a loss!'

However, his most important task right now was still to forge weapons. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to earn any tickets at all, devalued or not.

...

Leech stood inside the castle, looking down through a window at the busy little ants below.

Although the red dress was gone, the behavior of the vine corpses hadn't changed much. They still pounced on and gnawed at any living person they found. When faced with fully armed soldiers, however, the fight was completely one-sided.

Furthermore, with Lacy leading the Hazelnut Village militia on daily sweeps, the number of vine corpses in Iron Valley was plummeting. It wouldn't be long before they were all wiped out.

Because Transcendents were fatally attractive to the vine corpses, Leech had arranged for Lacy Sith to lead a team out on patrol every day, using him as bait to draw the creatures' attention.

"My Lord," Lidun, the butler of Iron Wall Castle, approached and said softly, "the villager from Maoshan Beech Village you asked for is waiting outside."

"Mm, let's go have a look."

Leech turned and nodded to Lidun.

He had only descended one floor when he suddenly stopped. As a Transcendent, his keen perception told him something was wrong.

He turned his head to the right. In a corner were two inconspicuous shadows.

Following behind Leech, Lidun the butler subconsciously followed the Baron's gaze.

His eyesight wasn't as good as Leech's, however, so he took a few steps in that direction to get a better look.

The approaching footsteps made the shadows freeze.

"Who's there!" Lidun shouted.

After a moment of silence, the sound of rustling clothes could be heard.

A young maidservant emerged from the corner, her head bowed. Her neck was flushed red, her dress was wrinkled, and the top button of her collar was undone, revealing a flash of pale skin.

"And the other one?" Lidun understood immediately. "Come out, now!"

This time, a manservant emerged, his hair a tousled mess.

Lidun took a deep breath and glanced furtively at the Lord, but he couldn't read his expression. He could only say, "You two, go wait for me out back!"

The young servants were startled and looked like they wanted to beg for mercy, but when they met Lidun's glare, the words caught in their throats, and they froze on the spot.

Leech said nothing and continued down the stairs.

Lidun shot the pair another glare, then scurried after Leech with quick, short steps. He said in a low voice, "My Lord, this is my fault. I failed to train them properly and to instill in them the proper morals and conduct. That something like this could happen…"

"Have them pack their belongings," Leech said as he descended the stairs.

To be caught by the Lord himself having a tryst inside the castle—getting dismissed was letting them off easy.

"Hire a new manservant and maidservant," Leech added. "And make all the rules perfectly clear to them."

"Yes!"

It wasn't that Leech forbade workplace romance, but screwing around in his own castle was a bit much. 'I still remember finding a curly hair on that cake back at Porcupine Castle. It's hard not to let my mind wander when something like this happens again.'

"Also," Leech said, "find out what their situation is. If they aren't married and she ends up pregnant, I expect someone to step up and take responsibility immediately."

"Yes!" Lidun quickly made a mental note.

When he reached the great hall downstairs, Leech looked at the massive throne with its towering, tombstone-like back and felt a little uncomfortable.

He didn't sit down, instead remaining on his feet. "Let her in."

A moment later, the sound of soft footsteps approached.

A young girl entered. She had a burn scar on the side of her face. Upon seeing Leech, she immediately curtsied. "G-Good day, my Lord."

"Don't be nervous," Leech said. "Are you from Maoshan Beech Village?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

'Her etiquette is impeccable.' Leech believed that even if Simon and Lidun were to critique her together, they would be hard-pressed to find a single fault.

"What happened in Maoshan Beech Village?" Leech asked, getting straight to the point. As the Lord, he had no need for pleasantries or concerns about emotional intelligence. He could ask questions like an interrogator, and everyone would find it perfectly natural.

"And what about the women who were hanged from the trees?"

"That was over two years ago," the girl said, lifting her head. "I remember it clearly. Men started disappearing at night. My father was the village manager at the time, so he led some men to keep watch. Then, they saw a beautiful woman with long, black hair."

'Long black hair.'

'That matches the image from the Corpse Demon Giant Lizard's memories, and it also fits the description of the Black King's witch-hunting target.'

She continued, "The men followed her into the forest. Some of them simply vanished and never returned. Others came back, but something seemed wrong with their minds. One night, my father also followed her and disappeared into the Night. I remember the people left in the village were furious. Everyone became paranoid and crazed. They believed all black-haired women were witches and that she was hiding among them. So, they rounded up all the women with black hair and put them on trial for Witchcraft. A lot of people were hanged during that time."

'So that's the origin of the Witch Tree.'

Leech asked, "And the Black King? Did he ever enter the forest?"

"Ah?" The girl looked blank. "I'm sorry, my Lord. I don't know."

'Matters concerning the Black King aren't something a person of her status would know about.' Leech could already guess at the underlying reasons. 'The black-haired witch and the Black King must have had some connection, some deal between them. The witch hunt was probably just a side effect.'

He raised a hand. "Please, continue."

The girl nodded. "But the slaughter was useless. All the black-haired women had been killed, yet men still vanished into the Night… Then, someone decided to burn down the forest."

She subconsciously touched her scarred cheek. "That's all I know, my Lord."

'The fire destroyed the forest of Maoshan Beech Village, forcing the Giant Lizard to flee in a panic. It ended up on Pig Head Mountain, though whether it crossed seas, lakes, or mountains to get there is unknown.'

'Then the plague of the dead swept through Iron Valley, and she sought refuge in Iron Wall Castle.'

Leech thought for a moment, then said, "Thank you for your help. You've answered many of my questions."

"Can you read?" he asked suddenly. 'As the daughter of a village manager, she would be considered part of the minor gentry. She should have received some education.'

"I can read, my Lord," she replied with a nod.

Leech nodded, satisfied. "I need a secretary to help me record things. If you're willing."

"I am willing, my Lord!"

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