Lord of Rot

The caravan arrived faster than Leech had expected.

Just one day after Joe’s return, six horse-drawn carriages loaded with goods arrived in Porcupine Territory.

”This is Porcupine Territory?”

The lead carriage stopped, and a balding, portly middle-aged man stepped out.

”This is completely different from what I’d heard.”

According to the information he’d gathered, Porcupine Territory was supposed to be poor and dilapidated, with few people who were barely fed and clothed.

But now, look at the Porcupine Territory before them.

As far as the eye could see, there must have been a thousand serfs working in the fields.

And what was this ground beneath their feet? It felt hard, like stone, but how could there be such a massive, seamless slab of rock, stretching smooth and flat from where they stood to the horizon?

The patrol guard stopped the caravan.

The Lord had specifically mentioned yesterday that a caravan might be arriving soon, so the guards were polite. They simply sent one person to the castle to pass on the news.

A young man approached them shortly after.

”I am Joe, the commercial manager appointed by the Lord,” the newcomer said, looking at the balding middle-aged man. ”May I ask where you are from...?”

”I am Claude,” the merchant said with a friendly smile. ”I’m from East Port.”

”East Port?”

Joe was a little surprised. He knew their Lord had sent some soap to Roaring Castle in East Port, but he didn’t think that would be enough to attract a caravan. After all, Joe himself had taken soap to Green Forest Castle, and no one had shown any interest.

If he hadn’t also brought honey and some other agricultural products back then, the trip probably would have been a total waste.

”You are most welcome!” Joe beamed. A merchant from East Port was a huge surprise. The city had the largest trading port in the entire Eastern Gorge, and its merchants were all wealthy.

”The Lord is in the castle. Please, come with me.”

”Of course, I must pay my respects to the Lord first,” Claude nodded. No matter how big a merchant he was, he couldn’t neglect the proper etiquette toward a noble lord, especially since he was here for business.

On the way to Porcupine Castle, Claude couldn’t help but ask, ”Joe, may I ask what this stone beneath our feet is? I have never seen such a flat surface.”

Was there no flatter ground than this? No, Claude’s own small manor had flat stone floors. To be fair, the ground in Porcupine Territory wasn’t perfectly level.

But it was all one single piece.

’Could it be Magic?’

Scholars charged exorbitant fees. Though Claude considered himself quite wealthy, he couldn’t bear to waste money hiring one just to pave the ground.

”It’s an invention of Lord Leech. It’s called a cement road,” Joe said with a touch of pride. Leech was, without a doubt, the greatest lord he had ever heard of or met.

”I have heard of the Lord’s legendary stories,” Claude said. ”This must be wisdom granted by the Four Gods.”

Although he had no idea what a ”cement road” was.

As they walked further in, rows of red brick houses left Claude stunned once again.

’Flat, red, block-like bricks... used to build entire rows of houses?’

Living in a stone house in East Port was nothing special, but what was this place? This was the barren Porcupine Territory.

The flat ground, the neat houses, the smiling faces of the people coming and going... If not for the lack of high city walls, Claude would have thought he’d entered Iron Stone City instead of Porcupine Territory.

”That’s the residential area,” Joe was happy to introduce Porcupine Territory to an outsider. This was a good opportunity to change the outside world’s perception of it as a poor land. ”The commoners will be moving in in a couple of days.”

”Lord Leech is truly benevolent.”

Solving the housing problem for his people... Leech was indeed benevolent, more so than ninety-nine percent of other lords.

Merchants loved to do business in the territories of benevolent lords. Lawful and good meant safety, which meant they could trade with more peace of mind.

Chatting as they went, they soon arrived at Porcupine Castle.

Along the way, Claude asked questions out of curiosity, and Joe gave simple explanations. As for the deeper principles, not only did Joe not know them, but he couldn’t have explained them in detail anyway. They were all classified secrets.

”Everyone has a job.”

Claude was shocked.

Even in the wealthy city of East Port, beggars were an unavoidable sight. But here in Porcupine Territory, there were no beggars!

”Everyone here is required to work,” Joe said. ”As long as you’re willing to work, no one will starve.”

’Are those beggars begging simply because they’re unwilling to work?’

On Earth, yes, that would be correct. They would be unwilling to work, and begging would earn more.

But in this era, beggars could be mysteriously abducted and sold into slavery, taken to be used as test subjects for medicine, or used as stand-ins for condemned criminals. Being a beggar was not a safe profession; only those who truly couldn’t find work and had no other means of survival were forced into it.

Claude had already had his fill of shocks for one day.

They entered Porcupine Castle.

Following Joe, Claude met Baron Porcupine, Leech Clarence.

A handsome young nobleman.

Claude’s first thought was of East Port’s ”Midnight Sun,” Philip Cavendish. They were both handsome and exuded a powerful pressure.

”Good day, my Lord!” Claude’s etiquette was impeccable. ”I am Claude, a merchant from East Port.”

He presented a box. ”This is a gift for our first meeting.”

A male servant brought the small gift box to Leech.

It was a jewel-encrusted shortsword, worth probably a few dozen Silver Moons. It was more decorative than practical.

”Mr. Claude, Porcupine Territory welcomes you,” Leech nodded in satisfaction. ”Please, have a seat.”

”Thank you, my Lord.”

Claude had gotten out of his carriage upon entering Porcupine Territory and had walked with Joe all the way to the castle. Being portly and out of shape, he was now panting slightly from the exertion.