Lord of Rot

Iron Stone City hired 2,000 mercenaries to head to Iron Valley.

Leech’s first thought was of the oil in Iron Valley.

’Did Baron Spark find out about the oil too?’

He didn’t think Baron Spark was a warmonger, but he knew the Baron loved to mine. A single iron mine had given Iron Stone City enough money to squander, turning it into a haven of indulgence. If he found out about the oil in Iron Valley, there was no way he wouldn’t try to seize it.

The news might have been leaked by Deni, who was likely trying to profit from both sides.

But it was more likely one of Deni’s subordinates.

’This is going to be a problem.’

Before anyone knew about Iron Valley’s resources, Leech could have ”generously” taken it off their hands. But now, Iron Valley was likely to become a hot commodity.

It wasn’t just Iron Stone City; he was about to face a lot of competitors.

’I can only hope their target isn’t the oil.’

Leech sighed and nodded to the messenger, Radish. ”You’ve worked hard. Go get some rest.”

”Yes, my Lord.”

Leech was in a foul mood, as Iron Valley was very likely to slip through his fingers. However, he had no justification to mobilize his troops, so he could only wait quietly.

After overseeing the unreeling of the silk from the cocoons, Leech instructed that as soon as the carpenters finished building the looms, they were to begin weaving the silk threads into silk fabric immediately.

On the Lu Leiyi Continent, clothing was made from several types of materials.

First was linen. The raw materials, like nettle and flax, were easy to grow and obtain. Commoners wore clothes made of linen, but you couldn’t expect them to be very comfortable.

There was also wool. The environment of the Lu Leiyi Continent was well-suited for animal husbandry, so commoners also wore clothes made of wool.

Furs were worn in winter, especially in the north, for warmth and protection against the cold.

Leather was another good material, but wearing it required a certain level of income; it was unaffordable for the average person.

Nobles also used velvet, an extremely luxurious and expensive material that served as a status symbol.

Leech’s most valuable possession wasn’t made of velvet, but was his suit of dragon bone plate armor. In the future, however, he could add a few silk outfits to his wardrobe.

’Once the silk fabric is ready, I have to send some outfits to the beautiful noble ladies who can act as trendsetters,’ Leech schemed internally. ’I’ll send a few sets to Red Rose, and also to Water Hyacinth. Lady Jie Lin can get one, and so can Agnes from Three-fork River... Stacy, too. Sigh, I can’t show favoritism.’

It wasn’t that he was stingy with the silk. Rather, from what he knew of Stacy, she preferred armor to dresses. A finely crafted sword would be a far more suitable gift for her than a skirt.

’I can also send a set to my cousin Bode’s woman.’

Exchanging clothes as gifts was common among nobles, but almost no one was as single-mindedly focused on gifting them to noble ladies as Leech was.

He knew the value of silk all too well.

Silk was the high-end market. Moreover, his silk came from the cocoons of giant moths, making it many times tougher than ordinary silk.

But it wasn’t spun by an Extraordinary silkworm, after all, so the fabric could still be burned by fire or cut by a blade.

What good would it be for a noble lady in a pretty dress to get hit by an axe and not have her skin broken? She would still die from shattered ribs and massive internal bleeding.

Leech wracked his brain, trying to think if he had forgotten any other influential noble ladies.

He could send a gift to anyone he had some connection with, but he had to consider their ”status.” For example, he could send something to Johann Hanen’s wife, but there was no point.

She had no power to drive sales.

’If only I could send a dress to the queen.’

If he could win the favor of the biggest trendsetter in the entire kingdom, Leech would never have to worry about silk sales again.

But that was just a fantasy. The queen wouldn’t care about some country baron, and his gift would most likely never even reach her.

The yield from the cocoons was massive. After several days of continuous boiling and unreeling, they had accumulated a huge pile of thread.

And looking at the pile of cocoons, they had only processed a few of them.

Meanwhile, Arkke and Pitz, who Leech fed silkworm pupae to every day, had rosy cheeks.

Thanks to this, Leech was able to see his young maids change into thin maid outfits even in the cold of winter, which was a feast for the eyes.

The looms were also finally completed and put into official use.

The weather hadn’t warmed up yet, otherwise he could have considered building the Silkworm Village first.

Spring silkworms could be raised around April, with subsequent batches raised all the way until late autumn in October.

Raising these silkworms, which were nearly half the size of a person, was no easy task. It would require a large workforce, and after the moths laid their eggs, they had to be killed. Not only were they too expensive to keep, but flying moths of that size were too dangerous.

’I wonder what these silkworms eat,’ Leech thought. ’They’re so big, their diet must be different. They can’t possibly eat meat, right? After all, the moths eat people.’

The cost of raising pigs was not small, but considering the amount of silk produced and the price of the final fabric, if the profits were high enough, raising pigs to feed silkworms wasn’t out of the question.

Porcupine Castle had many large, empty rooms. Since the Silkworm Village and the weaving mill hadn’t been built yet, he had the workers set up inside the castle for now.

Leech went to inspect the silk production.

He was mainly there to check the finished product. This first batch of undyed silk was pure white.

The tailor who had previously made clothes for Leech was also skilled in weaving, so he was directly transferred over to be the manager of the weaving mill.

With a huge pay raise, no more manual labor, and a management position, the tailor accepted on the spot, afraid Leech might change his mind.

For an ordinary tailor to become a factory manager was a huge step up in status.

Seeing Leech approach, the tailor-turned-manager walked over with a beaming smile. ”Good day, my Lord!”

”Good day,” Leech replied with a slight nod.

Everyone was busy. Several looms were in operation, and the carpenters were still working overtime to build more.

”Oh, my Lord, allow me to praise it,” the tailor said excitedly. ”This silk is absolutely the most perfect fabric I have ever seen! It’s incredibly comfortable, comparable to velvet. I believe it can command a higher price than velvet.”

A higher price?

Of course.

On Earth, there was a path called the Silk Road.

Silk even possessed purchasing power equivalent to currency. Of course, that purchasing power ultimately stemmed from one’s own strength, but its intrinsic value was undeniable.

Porcupine Territory’s silk technology couldn’t compare to Earth’s. The workmanship was still very crude, and they couldn’t achieve the craftsmanship needed to make a piece of clothing that weighed only a few dozen grams. However, in terms of comfort and luxury, it was definitely up to standard.

Leech had a massive supply of cocoons, and the craftsmanship could be improved over time.

”Velvet sells for Silver Moons,” Leech said. ”The future price of our silk will be in Jinri.”

The tailor was stunned.

”Th-that price... isn’t it...” The tailor had made clothes for nobles before. He knew that a noble’s most extravagant formal attire cost only a few to a dozen Jinri at most.

Of course, if you were to inlay the gown with all sorts of rare jewels and treasures, it could be worth several thousand Jinri.

But to use Jinri as the unit of price for the fabric alone... the material cost to make a single noblewoman’s dress would probably be over ten Jinri. After a tailor fashioned it into a dress, wouldn’t the final price be... HISS.

”We are raising moths the size of calves that produce cocoons half the height of a person. This is a precious breed that only Porcupine Territory possesses,” Leech explained. ”As for you saying it’s expensive—that’s not a flaw. It’s a feature.”

”Of course,” Leech’s tone shifted, ”Porcupine Territory can’t sell it at such a high price right now.”

First, they needed to produce it and let people see the finished product. Then he could worry about sales channels.

Velvet sold for about 2 Silver Moons per pound. Leech’s intended price for silk was at least 2 Jinri per pound. The main selling point was luxury.

Leech followed the factory manager to the finished silk. After several days of hard work, they had only managed to weave a little over a pound of it, measuring about seven feet long and four-and-a-half feet wide.

Stroking the smooth fabric, he said, ”This first batch isn’t suitable for sale. Let’s make some clothes first to practice our technique.”

”Yes,” the factory manager asked quickly. ”My Lord, what kind of clothing would you like to make?”

”Stockings,” Leech emphasized. ”Undyed, thigh-high stockings.”

”You don’t know what they are?” Seeing the man’s blank expression, Leech said, ”Bring me a piece of paper. I’ll draw it for you.”

”Yes, sir!”

...

「In the castle’s maid changing room.」

”It feels so smooth!” Wine Cup exclaimed.

”The Lord said this is silk. I hear it’s incredibly expensive. We couldn’t afford it even if we sold ourselves.”

”Silk?”

Oak Basin added, ”But the stockings are so long! They go past my knees.”

As she spoke, she let go.

SNAP. The taut stocking snapped against her flesh, squeezing her thigh slightly and leaving a small indentation.

”I think they’re really comfortable,” Pitz said, rolling over and kicking her legs nimbly, not at all concerned that her skirt had flipped over and was covering her face. ”They wrap around my legs so tightly, and they feel nice and cool.”

”That’s because you two get to eat the special food the Lord gives you every day,” Small Eyes said with envy.

Everyone knew the Lord gave Pitz and Arkke special meals, but all they could do was feel envious.

”The Lord doesn’t give us a lot each day,” Pitz said, scratching her ear-length hair, a little embarrassed.

She had arrived late, but she had received quite a few benefits.

”Alright, that’s enough,” Wine Cup quickly cut the topic short.

They should feel honored to work in the castle, not jealous.

Besides, Pitz and Arkke both possessed special powers; it was normal for them to be valued more highly.

One could talk to small animals, and the other could control insects. They weren’t comparable to ordinary people. The most important thing Wine Cup had learned after several years of working in the castle was to accept everything as it was.

After changing, the young maids found their Lord, who was reading a book.

”My Lord, we’ve changed into the white stockings.”

Although the Lord hadn’t asked them to, they still wanted to show him the stockings. After all, it was a thoughtful gift from him.

The male servants hadn’t received any, and just a moment ago, the maids had heard their envious and sour whispers.

Leech looked up at the sound of their voices.

The maids all struck different poses. Arkke, for instance, was acting like an ostrich, blushing with her head bowed low.

The other maids also waited in their own ways for the Lord’s appraisal.

”Very nice!”

Leech said, ”But it’s too cold right now, so you don’t have to wear them yet. Wait until it gets warmer... Hmm, later on, I’ll have some black ones made for you, so you can alternate between black and white.”

A maid outfit, a white apron, a headband, and white thigh-high stockings.

This was the stereotypical maid from Leech’s imagination!

After a year and a half in this world, he had finally gotten his young maids into stockings.

At that moment, Leech felt all his struggles had been worth it.

”Alright, back to your duties.”

After sending the young maids off to their tasks, Leech watched their energetic figures moving about and realized this leisurely life was truly wonderful.

He was suddenly reminded of a saying.

If you’re already completely naked, how can you look even more naked? You put on a pair of stockings.

’Oh, right, I can send a set to those trendsetting noble ladies. For example, Johann.’

Sending Johann’s wife a silk dress was definitely out, but a pair of silk stockings would be fine.

’Those nobles will definitely thank me for this invention.’