Lord of Rot

One by one, people stated what they needed. Some chose to make bids, while others opted to wait and see.

For example, Leech was one of those who watched from beginning to end but never made a bid.

Soon, it was the turn of the person sitting to Leech’s left.

Silvery-white long hair peeked out from under her cloak, which couldn’t conceal her slender, tall figure.

When she spoke, her voice was quite pleasant. ”I want to form a team, and everyone in it must be a Transcendent.”

”How much are you willing to pay?” a woman asked.

Leech noted that the woman who spoke had a Northern Territory accent and a rather burly build.

She was probably a Northern Territory pirate or a Mercenary.

She carried a constant chill about her.

”I have no money,” the silver-haired woman said, a bit embarrassed. ”But if you can get me back, you will receive endless riches. There are treasures there that have been accumulating for millennia.”

’What an empty promise.’

Leech lost interest.

’If she really had access to endless wealth, she should at least have some money on hand.’

The others felt the same. They were all pragmatic adults; even if millennial treasures truly existed, they would need to see a down payment first.

Seeing that no one was interested, the silver-haired woman emphasized, ”I’m not asking you to accompany me to your deaths. I just want to go back and retrieve one item. The entire trip will take no more than three months!”

Unfortunately, her words held no appeal whatsoever.

The silver-haired woman sighed and fell silent, resigned.

The conversation soon turned to Leech.

Seeing all eyes on him, Leech didn’t bother hiding his intentions. He had come here without concealing his identity precisely to make a public appeal.

His status as a lord inspired trust; a lord might be able to run, but his territory couldn’t.

He said, ”I want artifacts, the more the better! The same goes for Jinri and Silver Moons! Also, does anyone here know the training methods for Transcendents? Feel free to name your price... ahem, though I hope it’s a reasonable one!”

The man to Leech’s right, who had been silent until now, spoke up. ”I can help you find artifacts, and I can give you enough money. But what I want is that iron-pipe weapon of yours.”

’Looks like my firearm caught his attention.’

Leech glanced at the man and said, ”Not for sale!”

’Right now, the firearm is my only ace in the hole. Even though firearm technology advances quickly and it wouldn’t be hard for others to replicate it, the longer I can keep it to myself, the longer my advantage will last.’

Seeing Leech’s decisive refusal, the man to his right fell silent and said no more.

Black Ball, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. ”I have the training method you need. However, it’s very difficult for an ordinary person to master. It requires tremendous willpower.”

’So there really is a training method!’

Leech’s eyes lit up. ”What do you want?”

Black Ball didn’t answer directly.

The figure sitting next to Black Ball turned, and Black Ball immediately leaned in close.

After they conferred for a few seconds, Black Ball sat up straight and said, ”Alright, I’ll tell you our terms. If you can meet them, we can provide enough artifacts and treasures to complete the trade. We absolutely will not let you take a loss!”

Leech’s gaze flickered back and forth between the two figures. He was starting to understand their relationship. He nodded. ”What do you want?”

”Five million pounds of grain!”

Leech’s finger suddenly twitched.

’How much? Five million pounds?!’

’His entire Porcupine Ridge, even counting crops like wheat, corn, and potatoes, utilizing biological pest control like wasps for insects and dogs for field mice, employing techniques like composting, tilling, using Magic to fertilize the soil, and irrigating with waterwheels and canals—all with the help of several thousand workers—the total harvest would still likely be less than four million pounds of grain.’

’This amount of grain could barely feed ten thousand people, and that’s only if supplemented with animal husbandry, hunting, and fishing. Otherwise, if people only ate grain, three to four million pounds wouldn’t be enough, and they would starve.’

’Not to mention, he had to set aside a portion for brewing alcohol to earn a higher profit.’

’Five million pounds of grain... Even if everyone in the entire Porcupine Territory starved, they couldn’t produce that much!’

Then there was the price. Based on what Leech knew, ordinary finely milled wheat was about five copper stars per pound. The weather had been dry this year; since the start of the year, the entire East Gorge hadn’t seen a single decent rainfall.

Unlike Porcupine Territory, many places didn’t have irrigation canals, so a rise in grain prices was inevitable.

The most common, unhusked grains like oats and rye cost around two to three copper stars per pound.

Considering the grain shortage, buying in larger quantities wouldn’t lead to a discount; in fact, the price would be even higher.

Even calculating at a low-end three copper stars per pound, five million pounds would cost at least 70,000 Jinri!

The scale of the deal was astonishing, but Leech couldn’t bring himself to be happy about it.

Because he had just heard Black Ball’s group say they would trade with artifacts and treasures.

In other words, they couldn’t come up with 70,000 Jinri.

Leech needed artifacts, but he couldn’t pony up 70,000 Jinri.

Even if he really wanted to make the trade, given his relationships with other nobles, he could at most buy some grain from places like Three-fork River, Waterfall Land, Green Forest Castle, and East Port. After tightening his own belt, he could come up with a million pounds at most.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, ”You won’t find anyone in the entire kingdom who can just produce five million pounds of grain on the spot.”

Some lords might have five million pounds of grain in their granaries, but if they actually sold it all, their territories would collapse.

A thought suddenly struck him, and he asked, ”What about meat?”

”Five million pounds of meat?”

Black Ball sat up straight.

The others stared at Leech in shock. ’If he can’t even produce five million pounds of grain, how could meat be any easier?’

Besides, meat was even more expensive.

Black Ball looked to the person beside him, who gave a slight nod.

”Acceptable!” Black Ball said immediately. ”But we’d still prefer more grain. Meat spoils too easily.”

”Don’t worry,” Leech said. ”I’ll make sure you have enough meat... and enough grain.”

His tone shifted. ”However, I want to be paid upfront. You all know who I am, so you don’t need to worry about me running off. But I can’t bear the initial cost of procuring so much at once.”

Black Ball: ”...”

’You just said you would absolutely not reveal your identity, and now you’re saying, ’You all know who I am’?’

’Black Ball didn’t know whether to keep pretending he was oblivious. Baron Porcupine was just too unpredictable.’

The small, thin figure beside Black Ball nodded.

Black Ball immediately said, ”Tomorrow. The items will be delivered directly to you.”

Leech thought to himself, ’So decisive. Looks like they’re the real deal.’

Next, it was the man in black to Leech’s right who spoke.

He was the one who had tried to buy Leech’s firearm earlier.

He said bluntly, ”I need someone to help me win a battle.”

”How much?” someone asked. It was the woman with the Northern Territory accent.

”Thirty Jinri, plus an equal share of the spoils of war.”

The woman with the Northern Territory accent said, ”Alright, I’m in!”

”Me too!” The next to speak was the person who had previously given Leech the dragon-ore gem.

Several people in a row agreed to go. Even the silver-haired woman sitting to Leech’s left, after a moment’s hesitation, said, ”I can help as well!”

She must have understood by now that no one would help her unless she offered some kind of benefit.

After the bartering ended, the crowd dispersed...

...

Not long after Leech returned to his quarters, a Soldier came to report. ”My lord, you have a visitor. He claims to be an old friend of yours.”

”A friend?”

’It’s probably one of the people from the round table meeting. After all, I didn’t hide my identity.’

’My lodgings are easy to find, too. I can’t tell if revealing my identity was a good thing or a bad thing.’

”Please show my ’friend’ in.”

Soon, a man was led in. He had long hair, a large beard, and his skin was tanned dark by the sun.

Upon seeing Leech, he placed his right hand on his chest and bowed. ”Yarrn, my lord.”

Leech said, ”Yarrn, my old friend whom I’ve never met.”

The man introduced himself, ”I am Kuer Oasis, the rightful heir to the Bonta Market.”

Leech said, ”Then you must have a good relationship with the Monkey Nobility.”

”Before you wiped out the Bills... yes, we had some dealings,” Kuer Oasis said with a sense of resignation. ”But I must also thank you for your... assistance. Otherwise, I would not have had the chance to contend with my brother for this precious opportunity.”

Leech instantly understood the convoluted implications.

”In that case, you ought to thank me,” Leech said, glancing behind the man as if looking for a thank-you gift.

The corner of Kuer Oasis’s mouth twitched, and he had to pretend he didn’t understand Leech’s gesture at all.

”So, are you here to ask me to help you get rid of your brother?”

Leech had no interest in fraternal power struggles. Getting entangled in another family’s internal conflicts would only bring him trouble, not benefits.

”Of course not!”

Kuer Oasis shook his head. ”My brother and I have an excellent relationship. We merely have some... disagreements when it comes to business. Whoever can make the business more prosperous will likely become the heir.”

To prevent Leech from asking for a thank-you gift again, Kuer Oasis spoke quickly. ”If you hadn’t dealt with the Bills, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. However, the new lord of Monkey Territory, Little Bill, has already sent people to the Bonta Market. My brother still hopes to establish a partnership with Monkey Territory, but I believe you are a far more suitable partner.”

Although Leech had wiped out the main family of ”monkeys,” other branches of their clan still existed.

As long as Little Bill wasn’t an idiot, he would certainly try to connect with the trade route through the Bonta Market.

A place like the Bonta Market, while seemingly crucial for occupying a key transportation route, was in reality just a fickle opportunist, swaying with the wind. Leech didn’t have the energy to help them protect their business.

Leech ignored Kuer Oasis’s point and said, ”Let’s talk about the job you’re offering.”

He had no intention of becoming a Mercenary, but if the price was right, he didn’t mind moonlighting as one.

”I want to hire the Transcendents under your command. My father discovered an ancient tomb in the desert. It’s difficult for too many people to enter at once, and it’s also quite dangerous. As for the price I mentioned earlier, each person will receive thirty Jinri and an equal share of any treasure found. I only need one thing from inside.”

”What thing?” Leech asked, completely unconcerned about whether he was prying into the man’s private affairs.

’In a situation where I am strong and you are weak, being overly polite just makes you seem mediocre and inept.’

’Especially after I’ve just won a major battle.’

’I have to project an image of dominance.’

Even Kuer Oasis seemed to think Leech’s interrogation was perfectly justified.

”There’s nothing to hide,” Kuer Oasis said. ”It’s a tree that can make an oasis bloom in the desert.”

’Thirty Jinri wasn’t much.’

But an ancient tomb... now *that* piqued Leech’s interest. If nothing else, letting the Necromancer Ah Yamei take a stroll inside might allow her to drag out a few reasonably powerful Undead Warriors.

Besides, ever since acquiring the Crypt ability, Leech had become very interested in subterranean places. Perhaps this was a desert crypt.

”I can help.”

In the conversation that followed, Kuer Oasis kept circling back, trying to get Leech to relent and sell him a firearm.

But Leech refused him at every turn.

After seeing Kuer Oasis out, Leech washed up, lay down on his bed, and quickly fell asleep.