Lord of Rot

Under Leech’s reassurance, Claude finally calmed down.

The only thing was, Leech found Claude’s sullen look a little hard to bear.

After the short interlude, the conversation turned to business. Claude needed more soap.

As his merchant ships traveled to the domains of various island lords, the soap, as expected, found a ready market.

But the last batch of Porcupine Brand aristocratic soap Leech had given him was too small, and Claude didn’t have enough stock. A large number of ladies were dismayed they couldn’t buy any. They would rather go without than use the soap made for commoners, which made Claude’s task all the more important.

If he could please those nobles, future trade on the islands would surely go much more smoothly.

Therefore, soap was Claude’s first priority.

The Porcupine Brand aristocratic soap didn’t bring in much profit, as nobles were a minority, but its indirect influence was significant.

”Your timing is perfect,” Leech said. ”Porcupine Territory has developed several new scents for the soap. I’m sure those picky ladies will find one they like.”

Hearing Leech’s promise, Claude broke into a happy smile, his earlier sullenness vanishing completely.

”Aren’t you interested in this?” Leech hadn’t forgotten his role as a salesman for Porcupine Territory. He beckoned to his young assistant, who was standing by, and took a simply bound stack of paper from her hands. ”It’s cheaper than parchment, available in large quantities, and thinner.”

The potential of paper far surpassed that of soap, honey wine, or his other products.

”My lord,” Claude said, his fleshy jowls jiggling, ”this paper you’ve developed is certainly unique, but... I’m having a hard time imagining a use for it.”

Claude explained, ”The nobility is already accustomed to using parchment. Even though your paper is cheaper, their demand for writing materials isn’t very high.”

Leech understood what Claude was getting at.

’The paper is useful, but its applications are limited.’

’Nobles can read and write, but they don’t care whether they’re using cheap paper or expensive parchment.’

’As for the common people, they’re illiterate. Paper is completely useless to them.’

’Knowledge is a monopoly. There’s no market for paper.’

’Those who can afford an education aren’t short on money, and those who can’t afford an education wouldn’t buy paper no matter how cheap it was.’

”That’s a good point.”

He thought about it and realized Claude was right.

’Paper is a medium for recording information and spreading culture. To popularize paper, I’ll first have to popularize education.’

For now, Leech shelved the idea of selling the paper externally. If it wouldn’t sell, so be it.

’The usefulness of paper is undeniable. I can just use it to train people here in Porcupine Territory. Best to take care of my own affairs first.’

”Those northerners absolutely love your Porcupine Wine.” Claude rested his hands on his large belly, looking like a pregnant woman. He couldn’t suppress the smile on his face. ”Once they’ve had good wine, they have no interest in anything else. You know how it is with those long-haired Barbarians—they have very particular tastes, awful tempers, and they’re a huge pain to do business with.”

”The soap that’s a bestseller in the East Gorge sold only half as much in the Northern Territory. They just don’t like to bathe.”

In that frozen landscape, resources were relatively scarce, and the cost of boiling water for a bath was too high.

Besides, in the cold weather, the stench wasn’t as noticeable even if one didn’t bathe.

Leech asked curiously, ”What’s the Northern Territory like?”

Leech didn’t know much about the Northern Territory. He only knew it was frigidly cold and that people had to bundle up in layer upon layer of thick clothes for every season but summer.

It was blanketed in snow most of the time. And while the land was vast, it was the most sparsely populated region on the continent.

However, the prowess of the Northern Warriors was still renowned throughout the Lu Leiyi Continent.

Historically, northerners had often raided the south due to food shortages. Northern Warriors were capable of conquering several towns in a single day.

”It’s all snow. And it’s cold.” Claude rubbed his belly and shivered as if he had suddenly become chilled. ”But the architecture there is very distinctive, and there are some colossal wonders to see. If you have time to visit the Northern Territory, you could see them with your own eyes. You probably wouldn’t like the place, though.”

”I am quite interested, actually,” Leech said with a nod.

’Maybe one day I’ll be able to lead the Horse-headed Eagle Knight Team across the continent, flying from east to west, and then from south to north, taking in the scenery and landscapes of this entire land.’

Claude continued, ”The last time my trade fleet was heading to the Northern Territory, we ran into those long-haired Barbarians. They were in small boats, swarming around my ships like piranhas and throwing ropes, trying to climb aboard.”

”Pirates?” Leech asked.

’The pirate ship that came to Porcupine Territory last time is still moored in Pigtail Bay.’

”Yes,” Claude nodded. ”It’s too cold to grow crops there, so half the population turns to piracy, plundering passing ships.”

”And the other half are mountain bandits,” Deni chimed in.

”Haha, that’s right.”

The two men, who normally couldn’t stand each other, found rare common ground when discussing regions outside the East Gorge. The innate arrogance and disdain of the East Gorge People briefly united them.

’We might not get along, but we’re both at the top of the pecking order—we’re the superior East Gorge People.’

Claude continued with the harrowing story of his encounter with the pirates. ”They threw ropes with iron grappling hooks that caught the ship’s rails, and they tried to climb aboard! My sailors hacked at the ropes with knives, but they were too thick to sever in one or two strikes. And you simply can’t imagine it—those long-haired Barbarians have no fear of death. They charged upward like madmen! I saw four or five pirates fall into the water with my own eyes. They thrashed about for a few moments, then their bodies froze stiff and slowly sank. By the time they floated back to the surface a little later, they were dead.

”My ship was larger and faster, and my sailors were wearing decent padded armor, but against the ferocious, death-defying Barbarians, we couldn’t hold them off. They killed several of my men in the first clash. I knew my crew couldn’t stop those pirates, so I ordered them to give up the fight, just to save as many lives as possible.”

”You did the right thing,” Leech nodded.

’When you know you can’t win, surrendering in hopes of surviving as a captive is the smartest choice.’

’As long as you’re alive, you always have a chance to start over.’

Claude said, ”Those long-haired Barbarians were reasonable enough. Seeing that we no longer resisted, they didn’t harm us and just started looting the cargo. I even saw some women and children among the pirates. The kids were like crazed monkeys, wielding finger-knives. It’s a hard place to like.”

This was the second time Claude had said as much.

”And then?” Leech asked. ”Don’t tell me they looted your fleet and then slaughtered everyone, and the man standing before me isn’t Claude but a ghost from the Northern Territory.”

”Of course not, my lord. What happened next was beyond anything I could have imagined.”

Claude said, ”Those Barbarians discovered the wine I was transporting on my ship. Yes, the Porcupine Wine!

At the time, my ship was carrying some soap, honey, and Porcupine Wine, though the main cargo was furs and cotton. A pity those Barbarians got it all for free. They got roaring drunk right there on the ship, and then they discovered they had fallen in love with the wine.

They said that after drinking a lot of it, their bodies grew warm, allowing them to defy the bitter cold.

I even saw a few madmen strip naked and dance on the deck. The Porcupine Wine has a special kind of magic.

They were terrified they’d never be able to drink this wine again. So, not only did they not harm us, they were even willing to pay for it. They only hoped my fleet could regularly bring Porcupine Wine to the Northern Territory. Thanks to a robbery, I gained a group of loyal customers there.”