Lord of Rot

The best-case scenario for Leech was the first one.

In the second scenario, if Duru Leopold died, the ”Golden Stallion” would become the new Duke, and the East Gorge would surely descend into chaos.

Maybe Iron Stone City would truly go from being a ”holy land” to a *holy land*.

’The third scenario means war, and I’m used to a quiet life. Mostly, I’m just not ready. My Horse-headed Eagle Cavalry Team isn’t established, the Two-Legged Flying Dragon cavalry is still just an idea, the cannons aren’t built, and I only have a little over two hundred Soldiers. With such a small population, how could I possibly wage war?’

Leech had a fourth theory, and he believed it was the real reason.

’Leopold doesn’t want to die!’

’He wants to live longer.’

’Looking back at the thousands of years of uninterrupted Chinese history on Earth, even the greatest emperors inevitably became obsessed with immortality in their old age, all to live just a little longer.’

’If it were me,’ Leech thought, ’I’d also do everything in my power to extend my life.’

’If a mere Baron Porcupine feels this way, what more the Duke of Radiant Sun, who controls the wealthiest and most powerful domain in the East Gorge of the Lu Leiyi Continent?’

’After a near-death experience, one is even more reluctant to die.’

Hawke Wood said no more. Everyone had their own schemes; it was best to keep them hidden. There was no need to lay all their cards on the table and argue. In the end, they still had to obey the commands of their liege lord.

After a moment’s hesitation, Hawke Wood suddenly asked, ”I wonder if you’ve heard of ghosts, my lord?”

’So this is the real reason he came all the way to Porcupine Territory.’

”Ghosts? Mmm, I’ve heard of them,” Leech nodded. He had done more than just hear of them; he had killed one.

He continued, ”They’re intangible beings. Not even the bravest Knight can harm them. Have ghosts appeared at the Three-fork River?”

Hawke Wood’s face soured. ”Yes. While we were mining the ore vein, several slaves died one after another. I had men drag the bodies out and discovered they had all been literally scared to death. Anyone who entered the mine afterward claimed to have seen swarms of ghosts. Now the mine is completely abandoned. Many slaves would rather be whipped than go back to work.”

Leech said, ”Perhaps you could hire a scholar. Their vast knowledge might help you solve this problem.”

”I did hire a scholar, but he came out mentally disturbed, constantly drawing strange patterns on paper.” Hawke Wood heaved a long sigh. ”I asked Steven about it, and he said that you, Lord Leech, are a Transcendent—and one even more powerful than Philip Cavendish. I thought you might be able to help me.”

’I can’t guarantee I’m stronger than Philip Cavendish,’ Leech thought.

’My own strength is purely physical. I don’t know what Philip’s abilities are, but they’re definitely not based on raw, physical power.’

”Everyone at Three-fork River is in a panic. I beg for your help,” Hawke Wood said, lowering his head.

Leech said, ”I’ve dealt with ghosts before.”

Hawke Wood’s head shot up, his eyes wide with joyous surprise.

He knew he had come to the right person.

”But I have a condition,” Leech said. ”If I can solve the ghost problem in your mine, I want Three-fork River to prioritize supplying Porcupine Territory with Alchemy Materials from now on.”

”Done!” Hawke Wood agreed without a second thought.

’It doesn’t matter who I sell to, as long as I’m selling.’

”I’ll need a large quantity,” Leech stressed. ”I might take your entire monthly output of materials!”

Hawke Wood nodded. ”Done!”

The mine at Three-fork River Castle wasn’t large, but its value lay in the wide variety of precious and highly profitable materials it produced.

However, the extraction costs were also high, and the slaves who did the mining were considered expendable.

”Besides that, I’d like to ask you for another favor,” Leech said. ”Lord Hawke Wood, where do you buy your slaves? I’d like to purchase a group as well.”

”I know some slave traders,” Hawke Wood said. ”I don’t know where the slaves come from—the desert, the plateaus, the Northern Territory, it could be anywhere. If you want to buy slaves, I can write a letter right now to place an advance order.”

Leech was overjoyed. ”That would be wonderful.”

’Finally, a solution to Porcupine Territory’s population problem,’ Leech thought. ’The population has been stalled at two thousand for a long time, and resources are stretched thin. I haven’t been able to expand any of the factories.’

”What type of slaves are you looking for?” Hawke Wood asked. ”There are Northern Warriors, who are usually sold to the arenas in large towns. They cost several dozen Silver Moon, or even 1 Jinri.”

”I don’t need fighters,” Leech said, shaking his head. ’Using warriors for manual labor is too expensive, and they’re difficult to tame.’ He asked, ”What about just strong males?”

”A strong, healthy male costs 10 Silver Moon.”

”What about women?”

”A healthy female slave is 3 Silver Moon.”

Hawke Wood continued without waiting for Leech to ask further. ”Elderly slaves are free. Young children who can’t work are usually sold with the women—mothers and children, or siblings. The young ones are also free. However, adolescent slaves who are old enough to work cost 1 Silver Moon.”

He added one last thing, ”But these prices are very unstable.”

”How unstable?” Leech asked.

Hawke Wood explained, ”You might buy a female slave for 3 Silver Moon one time, and the next it could be 10 Silver Moon, or even 20.”

’A nearly tenfold price hike... That’s a bit much.’

Leech asked, ”Is it because of their quality? Or are they better-looking, or have special skills?”

”None of the above,” Hawke Wood said, shaking his head. ”It’s because of the Avalado.”

”The Avalado? What’s that?”

”It’s a term from the desert,” Hawke Wood said. ”The slave traders all revere the Avalado. They pay them a monthly fee for their protection. The Avalado consider themselves the masters of all slaves.”

This was the first time Leech had ever heard of the Avalado. He asked, ”What happens if someone steals slaves from a trader and refuses to pay?”

”Not every slave trader is willing to pay the Avalado,” Hawke Wood said. ”Some smaller traders think they’re paying the Avalado but are actually paying a fraud. Those people don’t get any protection. But if a trader who has genuinely paid for protection suffers a loss, the Avalado will come to negotiate.”

”Just negotiate?” Leech pressed.

Hawke Wood nodded. ”I imagine anyone would choose to negotiate a settlement. Because the city where the Avalado live, Gaoxue City, is said to have 500,000 slaves.”

”I suppose you’re right,” Leech nodded. ”If it were me, I’d choose to settle as well.”

’It doesn’t matter if that 500,000 slave figure is real or not. Even if only a tenth of it is true, I wouldn’t stand a chance. It’s not worth fighting a tough war over a bit of money from slaves.’

”So the Avalado can just raise prices whenever they want?” What Leech hated most was anything that disrupted the market.

”They seem to have a strict schedule,” Hawke Wood nodded. ”If you happen to buy during one of their designated selling periods, the prices are cheaper. Otherwise, they’re exorbitant. But since we’re in the East Gorge, the journey is so long that the prices are never really cheap for us, no matter what.”

”That makes sense.”

Leech had a sudden urge to rush to Gaoxue City in the desert, raise his arm, and shout for the 500,000 slaves to awaken their bloodlines, fight for freedom, and all come to Porcupine Territory to live a better life.

But it was just a fleeting thought.

’Looks like I’ll have to spend some money and save who I can for now.’

’My ability is limited; I can’t save that many.’

Leech said, ”I want to buy one thousand strong male slaves and three thousand healthy female slaves. The ones with children would be best.”

”That many?” Hawke Wood was taken aback by Leech’s request. In his mind, Porcupine Territory only had one or two thousand people at most. How could it possibly support such a sudden population boom?

Plus, there was an extremely high risk of rebellion.

”Of course, it all depends on the price,” Leech said. ”I can spend a maximum of 300 Jinri on slaves. If the price is too high, I’ll just have to buy fewer.”

’Considering the price fluctuations, four to five thousand slaves would likely cost a fortune—as much as 300 Jinri.’

If Leech didn’t have some money stashed away in his private coffers, he wouldn’t dare to be so extravagant.

After they arrived, he would have to deal with housing, food, and other issues. At that point, it wouldn’t be spending money; it would be hemorrhaging it.

Leech had thought this through carefully. First, he wanted fewer men. If there were too many, a riot would be difficult to suppress. Besides, male slaves were too expensive. Even if Leech wanted to rescue more slaves and give them a better life, he didn’t have the financial means to support it.

Second, there was a huge need for female artisans. Weaving, brewing, shaping clay pots and brick molds at the kiln, papermaking, soap making, fishing, and later, tailoring—all these industries needed women.

Animal husbandry could also be handled by women. ’If women can do the same work as men,’ he reasoned, ’I might as well have them do it. They’re cheaper, so I can buy more and rescue more people from their suffering.’

Most importantly, the children who came with the women were free.

Still, Leech made a mental note of Gaoxue City, marking it for future attention. ’If I ever get the chance,’ he thought, ’I’ll take it down.’

’I’d be rescuing 500,000 slaves and increasing my own population by 500,000. A win-win.’