Lord of Rot

Porcupine Castle, in the Baron’s bedroom.

Leech planted his feet on the wall, his body parallel to the floor.

It was as if the floor’s gravity no longer had any effect on him.

Leaning on his cane, he slowly walked toward the ceiling. With a single step, the gravity shifted from the wall to the ceiling at his will.

Suddenly, his world turned upside down, and he found himself standing on the ceiling, feet above his head.

He felt no discomfort.

He looked up to see the bed, the wolf-pelt blanket, and the long boots on the floor above, all still bound by gravity.

’Spider Walking Skill. Costs one unit of spirit, but to maintain it, I have to cast it continuously.’

With a light leap, he did a half-turn in the air. The Spider Walking Skill dissipated, and his body fell to the floor.

THUD! The sound was rather muffled.

He bent his knees to absorb the impact.

’Light Body Skill. One unit cost. It reduces my weight by about 20 pounds, but the duration isn’t long either.’

’Fire Seed. One unit cost. It can turn a target into a burning object. Its power is extremely low, but when combined with gunpowder, its power can be amplified dozens, even hundreds of times.’

’Stone Skin. Five unit cost. A layer of earthen color appears on the skin’s surface, with a hardness comparable to rock. But a powerful chop can still cause injury. It’s like an extra layer of protection.’

He had tested it on a pig’s leg. After casting Stone Skin on the leg, a regular knife’s edge had been blunted when striking it. However, a well-honed, fine steel sword could still cut through the Stone Skin.

Furthermore, there was no protection beneath the Stone Skin, meaning it was weak against blunt-force attacks.

’Enchanting Melody... I can’t sing... I can’t learn it.’

’Prayer of Concealment. I don’t believe in the Moon God, so I can’t learn it.’

Leech had been practicing Magic these past few days, getting a general understanding of each spell’s abilities and costs.

That was during the ebb of the Magic Tide, yet there were so many flashy spells. What would it be like now that the Magic Tide was surging?

One could foresee that the future would not only have Transcendent Knights, but also a large number of Casters.

’No wonder they’re all about Divine Spirit worship. I think I get it now.’

From this small glimpse, he could extrapolate the whole picture.

Magic could so easily overcome gravity, ignite flames, and save lives. It was simply too convenient.

But technological research required countless years of accumulation and creation. The results were too slow. To be precise, Magic had developed for countless years; if not for the era of weak magic, technology would never have had a chance to develop.

If Leech had been a Mage from some Magic School or a Holy Sanctuary Fighting Spirit Warrior when he first transmigrated, he certainly wouldn’t have bothered with all those little farming contraptions.

In the world to come, high-level battlefields would surely emerge.

’Transcendent beings, Corpse Ghosts, and Magic... that’s the real main event. But for now, the most important thing is to develop the territory and fill everyone’s stomachs.’

The cape catacombs had been conquered, and all that treasure was his!

Compared to the pricelessness of magical knowledge, money was what could help Leech the most right now.

Spend money, spend it like there’s no tomorrow!

Money unspent would just gather dust in the treasury, providing no practical value.

...

Today was an important day.

The commercial district was complete!

The rows of red brick houses were even more beautiful than Livestock Village, the prettiest village in all of Porcupine Territory.

From this day on, everyone would have to trade in the commercial district. There would be a food market there—that’s what Gelan had said—which would provide shelter from the wind and rain. A security team would also be on patrol to maintain order, so no one would be robbed or have their things stolen.

But what truly excited the residents was the theater stage set up in front of the small square.

Since dusk, a group of children had gathered, excitedly chattering as the theater troupe set up the stage.

Many of them had never seen a comedy before. They craned their necks, eager to see, but didn’t dare get too close, merely guessing curiously about what would be performed soon.

A joyful atmosphere enveloped the entire Porcupine Territory.

”I heard it’s a comedy troupe,” said Small Eyes, lifting a ceramic pot from the table with both hands. Inside were flowers transplanted from a selection at Beekeeping Village. All over Porcupine Castle, one could see such pots of flowers, but without the nuisance of mosquitoes.

Wineglass grabbed a linen cloth and quickly wiped the tabletop under the pot, then used another dry cloth to wipe away the water spots. ”Oh! You’ve already told me that ten times, Miss Small Eyes!”

Once Wineglass was done, Small Eyes carefully placed the pot back down. ”I’ve never seen a comedy. Is it funny? I heard it starts after dinner.”

”Of course it’s funny! It’ll make your stomach hurt from laughing. I’d love to go too,” Wineglass said, ”but we have to clean the castle, unless you want to get yelled at by Mr. Simon.”

”If Pitchfork were the steward, he’d definitely turn a blind eye to this sort of thing,” Small Eyes whispered.

She was on good terms with Pitchfork. To be precise, it was just that everyone’s relationship with Simon was poor.

”If we work faster, maybe we can still catch the end of the comedy,” Wineglass said, bending over. She dipped the cloth in water, scrubbed it a couple of times, and wrung it dry.

”But we definitely won’t get good seats.”

Small Eyes mumbled under her breath. She was truly interested in the comedy, especially after seeing Lady Sparrow, Duckfoot, and the others doubling over with laughter when they talked about it. The curiosity in her heart was like a kitten’s claws, scratching and tickling her.

”Ladies, aren’t you coming to see the comedy with us?”

Duckfoot, Gaga Bird, and Rednose were heading out together.

Small Eyes answered, ”We’re not done with our work yet.”

”The Lord said the castle staff can take a break for now,” Duckfoot said. ”The kitchen apprentices are also on a temporary break. The Lord is only eating a cold dish tonight.”

A cold dish meant they didn’t need to fire up the stove, and it could be prepared in advance.

”Let’s go! If we don’t hurry, we won’t get good seats!”

Small Eyes looked at Wineglass, her eyes full of anticipation.

”Did the Lord really say that?”

”You don’t think we’d have the guts to lie, do you?”

”Even if you had more guts, you still wouldn’t dare!”

Small Eyes immediately hooked her arm through Wineglass’s, pressing against her. ”Let’s hurry, or there really won’t be any good seats left!”

”We still have to throw out the dirty water first,” Wineglass said, bending down to pick up the basin. ”If someone accidentally kicks it over, they could slip.”

”I’ll help you!”

Rednose proactively took the wooden basin and trotted out...

Leech sat in his chair, looking over the account ledgers that Gelan had delivered.

Porcupine Territory had increased its capital investment, so the previous plans needed to be changed. There wasn’t much for him to do, other than spend money.

He put down the ledger and turned to look out the window.

The whole town was already bustling. The chatter of several hundred people could be heard all the way up in the castle.

There was no need for him to attend such an event. His presence would only make the residents feel uneasy.

...

In the town square, a crowd had already gathered before the stage of the ”Funny Funny Comedy Troupe.”

Lit torches separated the crowd from the stage, their light illuminating every corner of the small square.

”We’re still too late,” Small Eyes said, looking at the bustling crowd, her chubby face scrunched up in disappointment.

She wasn’t very tall to begin with, and as she strained on her tiptoes to see, all she could make out were the backs of people’s heads.

To make matters worse, someone in front was carrying a child on their shoulders, blocking her view even if she jumped.

”Arkke has a spot over there!” Wineglass tugged on Small Eyes’s sleeve.

Small Eyes’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. She saw Arkke waving at them. Her two handsome brothers were by her side, and there was still some space.

As the head of Beekeeping Village, a person highly regarded by the Lord, no one dared to compete with them for their spot.

Wineglass and Small Eyes gritted their teeth and squeezed through the crowd. After greeting Arkke’s two brothers, they took her arms, one on each side.

’No wonder the Lord likes Arkke—we like her too!’

”The comedy show is starting!”