Lord of Rot

The number of Transcendents under his command now exceeded the total membership of the Round Table, and he even had some who were beyond the Extraordinary realm. In his mind, the importance of the Round Table was plummeting.

He had also discovered that the landed nobility remained at the apex of society. A commoner might get lucky and become a Transcendent, but it was still nearly impossible for them to challenge the power of the aristocracy.

’Perhaps my perspective has just broadened.’ In his eyes, the Round Table had suddenly become little more than child’s play.

In Prince Hoffman’s eyes, perhaps it had always been just that—a group of scavengers used to offload his trade surpluses.

Leech looked at Kuer Oasis and the other Transcendents, a sudden thought crossing his mind. ’Should I just slaughter this bunch? I could add six more to my legion of Corpse Ghosts.’

With his numerical advantage, Leech figured he had over a 70% chance of winning. That was even assuming a one-for-one trade on his side. The more likely scenario, however, was that they would stab a Corpse Ghost only to find it still alive and kicking.

It wouldn’t even matter if some of his Corpse Ghosts were sacrificed. He could just ”disassemble” their bodies, extract the Extraordinary substance, and use it to cultivate new ones.

He would only grow stronger with each battle. At worst, it would cost him a bit of gold. It was a win-win situation.

One of the men in the crowd seemed to sense Leech’s thoughts and suddenly shuffled back, putting some distance between himself and Leech.

’Everyone has different abilities; killing them all wouldn’t actually be that easy.’ Leech glanced at the man and dismissed the rash idea of slaughtering all the Transcendents present. It was just a fleeting impulse. They had no grievances with one another, so there was no need for bloodshed.

The Baron, after all, was a man of peace. Unless, of course, someone flaunted their wealth, deliberately tempting him.

But even though Leech showed no hostility, the Transcendents, who had been a scattered group just moments before, subconsciously drew closer together.

Leech’s side held an absolute numerical advantage, and the most critical implication of that was the division of any spoils. If the others didn’t band together, they would likely end up with nothing.

Kuer Oasis raised his torch. ”It seems everyone has arrived. Before we enter the catacombs, I must clarify the potential dangers we might encounter, as well as the rewards we stand to gain.”

The reward of 30 Jinri was enough to make one’s eyes turn red with envy, enough to make them risk their lives.

Regardless of success or failure, Kuer would have to pay out 420 Jinri.

Even Leech couldn’t produce that much money all at once. How valuable could the prize in the catacombs be to justify such an expense?

Based on Leech’s observations over the past two days, the Bonta market was quite profitable, but none of that money went to the Oasis Clan. This territory was like that of a minor village chief; their annual net income probably didn’t even exceed 15 Jinri. Was this prize so important that the Oasis Clan was willing to gamble twenty to thirty years of income to get it?

The crowd watched Kuer, waiting for him to continue.

”Has anyone heard of the Immortal Spirits?”

Immortal Spirits?

Leech actually knew of them, not from any books, but from what those two Wandering Knights had told him.

According to legend, some desert dwellers worshipped not the Four Gods, but the ancient Immortal Spirits, who resided in the Immortal Realm.

One summer, Princess Sophia, one of the Immortal Spirits, went to bathe in the Sapphire River with her handmaidens. When they were dressed, they discovered that Princess Sophia had lost her Cloak of Invisibility. This cloak was said to be the key to entering the Immortal Realm and returning to Eternal City.

Having lost her cloak, Princess Sophia could only search desperately along the banks of the Sapphire River. Alas, her search was destined to be in vain. She eventually came to a strange village, where she met a man in a long robe. That man was a Bishop of the Four Gods Sect. After hearing her story, the Bishop baptized her, making her one of the human race.

According to the Wandering Knights, the current Princess Sophia was a descendant of that very Immortal Spirit princess. Every princess of their line was named Sofia, a name that symbolized both their status and their bloodline.

Leon City was their family’s wealth, but it had been seized by Count Buffalo.

After meeting Leech, this ”powerful” lord, the two Wandering Knights had repeatedly pleaded with him to reclaim Leon City for Princess Sophia in the name of justice. Yet, when Leech asked where this generation’s Princess Sophia was, they couldn’t tell him.

Leech would never fight a war without a legitimate pretext. More importantly, he didn’t believe he could defeat the formidable and well-equipped Count Buffalo. While the desert wasn’t as wealthy as the Eastern Gorges, Count Buffalo’s forces were surely stronger than his own.

Kuer announced, ”The catacombs we’re headed for hold the legacy of an Immortal Spirit!”

The more outlandish the myth, the more real it seems. The less logical, the more believable. One had to have faith in the public’s ability to fill in the gaps with their imagination.

The others were much like Leech. They had little interest in the ”mythical” part of the legacy, but they were very interested in the legacy itself.

”There is a very peculiar type of root inside the catacombs,” Kuer continued. ”If you happen to get tangled in them, you must break free and sever the roots immediately. Other than that, there are no other dangers. Grab the item and come back as quickly as you can.”

He made it sound easy, but everyone knew that catacombs requiring Transcendents to even enter would not contain ordinary roots. They were most likely lethal.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Kuer Oasis led the way. ”This way.”

Their destination was a catacomb at the base of a massive rock wall.

Leech glanced over immediately. There was no red dot to warn him of danger.

It wasn’t a Lair.

That made sense. No one ever said treasure had to be hidden in a Lair.

Leech felt a pang of regret. If it had been a Lair, he could have just sealed the entrance, waited for everyone inside to drop dead, and then strolled in to collect the corpses. How easy and effortless would that be? Of course, he was only joking. He hadn’t sunk so low as to murder people without cause or quarrel.

The others began to enter one by one, but Leech remained motionless on his horse.

Kuer was standing guard at the entrance. As an ordinary person, he wasn’t part of the expedition into the catacombs. But when he saw Leech sitting on his horse with no intention of dismounting, he couldn’t help but ask, ”Baron, aren’t you going in?”

”You expect this lord to risk his life for you for a mere 30 Jinri?” Leech shot back.

Kuer Oasis quickly bowed his head. ”You are right. How could a mere 30 Jinri be worth you risking your own life?”

He seemed to have only just recalled that fact. Perhaps from hearing too many tales of Baron Leech charging headfirst into battle, he had forgotten that the man was a nobleman who didn’t need to lead every charge personally.

While 30 Jinri was a lot of money, it certainly wasn’t more valuable than the life of a noble lord.

Leech studied Kuer Oasis for a few more moments. He felt the man was hiding something, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what was off.

Then, he closed his eyes, his vision shifting to his Corpse Ghosts as his consciousness followed the party deeper into the darkness.

There was no light below; only the flickering torches illuminated the path ahead.

They descended a wide, sand-covered slope. On either side, gnarled roots snaked through the air.

But as Leech, still outside, opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings, all he could see were the jutting rock formations and the vast, empty desert. There wasn’t a single tree in sight.