Lord of Rot

The time for the Shanzhang Castle ball had finally arrived.

It was held in the afternoon.

The noble ladies, dressed in magnificent long gowns, were like beautiful birds showing off their colorful plumage. They gathered in small groups, their silvery laughter ringing out from time to time.

Some young noblemen had already begun to chat with the ladies and wives, each doing their utmost to display their charm.

But when Leech arrived, the eyes of all the wives and ladies were uniformly drawn to him.

Leech already possessed a considerable fortune, fighting prowess that inspired awe, and the merits gained from winning many battles. On top of that, he was exceedingly handsome.

For the unmarried noble ladies, he was the perfect marriage candidate.

For the married ladies, lifting their skirts to conquer a powerful, glorious Knight could bring a unique kind of pleasure.

A few of the young noblemen even kept glancing at Leech.

Of course, their gazes only lingered on Leech for a moment.

There were many other nobles in attendance. Some were lords of towns, like the one who controlled the Bonta marketplace—a small territory, yet one with extraordinary wealth.

Others owned several villages; while not flush with cash, they were self-sufficient and never lacked for servants.

The ball was not just a hunting ground for amorous nobles; it was also a place for exchanging resources.

But Leech had little interest in them.

Business worth a few Jinri a month could hardly pique his interest anymore. He was no longer the minor Baron who would run all over the place for a few Jinri a month.

A few Jinri wasn’t even enough to cover the food rations for one of his territories.

”You must be Sir Leech. I hear you are an excellent rider and won the tournament at Roaring Castle.”

A fragrant scent wafted over.

Before Leech stood a mature noble lady, her luscious red lips burning one’s eyes like flames.

Her taste in perfume was also excellent, a sweet fragrance like sun-ripened red berries at dusk.

”It was just a coincidence,” Leech replied.

She raised her hand. ”Perhaps I could have a dance with the handsome tournament champion.”

”It would be my honor, my lady.” Leech reluctantly raised his own hand, allowing hers to rest on his palm.

’Whoa, what a huge gemstone ring.’

Although Leech himself owned several carriage-loads of treasure, that didn’t stop him from appreciating the riches of others.

Leech maintained a perfectly gentlemanly posture. Their hands touched lightly, and his other hand only hovered near her waist. Even though the mature noble lady was not unattractive—in fact, she had the unique charm of a fully ripened woman—Leech just wasn’t in the mood... His body might have been, but his heart wasn’t.

’A man as handsome as me can’t just give himself away for free to these women who are only looking for a good time.’

”I’m from Chuantou Castle.”

A very familiar name.

’It’s somewhere west of Waterfall Land, I think.’

From Waterfall Land westward, all the way to the Endor Plateau, was all good land where grain grew easily.

Leech suddenly lamented internally, ’I really am a qualified farming lord. With a beautiful, fragrant woman in my arms, I’m actually thinking about how fertile the land in her village is and its bountiful grain harvests.’

The noble lady moved a little closer to Leech, but he quickly pulled away, as if he would lose money just by having her stick to him.

”Ever since my husband died in battle, my only task has been to raise my eight-year-old son to be an outstanding lord. If he could have a tournament champion as his riding instructor...” Hot breath escaped her red lips; her meaning couldn’t be more obvious. ”My village has a surplus of a million pounds of grain and is looking for a buyer.”

She looked up at Leech’s face and said softly, ”The price will certainly be very favorable.”

Leech was indeed tempted. With just a small sacrifice, he could buy a large amount of cheap grain.

Besides, he’d just be teaching her son to ride a horse, and could ride the noble lady on the side. It wasn’t a bad deal for him.

He thought for a moment.

”I’m sorry, my lady.” Leech shook his head. ”I’m afraid I don’t have that much time to teach your son.”

’I’m a dignified lord. How can I make money by selling my body?’

’Selling out occasionally is one thing, but I can’t make a living out of it.’

The main reason, however, was that Leech had a safety net. He could ask the Water Nymph to catch fish for him. Although having an Extraordinary being go fishing was a waste of resources—a gross misuse of talent—the fish in the sea were an inexhaustible resource compared to grain from the land, and they didn’t cost any money.

When comparing something free to something that costs money, the latter lost its appeal. Besides, Leech didn’t have the time to go to Chuantou Castle and be her boy toy.

The song ended, and the noble lady turned and left. She was just looking for some fun; if one man didn’t work out, she would simply find another.

Leech turned his head and looked around.

He knew very well that a man like him would ”shine” even if he hid in a corner. The noble lady from before had given him an idea, though. ’A monthly subscription service won’t work, but a daily rate might.’

’Resource exchange, one trade per day.’

’To reject a beautiful woman who offers herself up, requires no responsibility, and comes with no strings attached... either your big head or your little head must be broken.’

That being said, if given the choice, he would opt to get through the ball quietly to avoid any unnecessary complications.

But if one really threw herself at him, he would swallow her whole.

To avoid another invitation from a hard-to-handle lady or miss, Leech proactively approached a shy-looking noble girl. ”Charming miss, may I have the honor of this dance?”

She was like a small yellow flower in a garden—fully bloomed, yet inconspicuous.

”Oh... um, I’d love to!”

The girl’s excited reaction made Leech wonder if he had said ”Marry me” instead of ”this dance.”

She wasn’t exactly beautiful; her cheeks were a little plump, which made her look quite cute.

The two danced peacefully.

Leech made idle small talk with her, his mind wandering to other things.

The girl, shy, would occasionally offer a brief reply.

Through their conversation, he learned she was merely a Knight’s daughter—and the third daughter at that. This was also her first ball.

For years, noble girls like her—with no family influence, a father with no fief or fortune, and no great beauty of her own—could only serve as wallflowers at balls.

But when Leech asked her for a dance, the gazes of many women couldn’t help but fall upon her, wondering what charm she had that they lacked.

The men, too, glanced at her frequently. A girl invited to dance by Baron Porcupine must have some special charm.

When the dance was over, the girl shyly whispered to Leech, ”Thank you.”

”Your dancing is very graceful, quite memorable,” Leech said with a smile. He didn’t mind complimenting her. Besides, seeing a shy girl at a society ball was, in its own way, more interesting than meeting an overtly passionate one.

Truth be told, Leech still preferred the passionate and unrestrained type.

After leaving Leech, the girl was immediately surrounded by two or three young noblemen who eagerly asked her to dance.

Thanks to Leech’s invitation, this little yellow flower had her moment to shine at the ball. She might not compare to the truly beautiful ladies, but at last, she was no longer a peripheral figure.

Leech rested for a little while.

With his physique, he could dance with the ladies and wives for a day and a night without getting tired.

His body wasn’t tired, but his mind was getting weary.

He knew very well that the ball wasn’t over yet. He still hadn’t seen anyone from the house of Little Bill.

They had invited him here, and it certainly wasn’t to provide him with a hunting ground for women. They must be after something. The most likely scenario was to have a good talk and reconcile with a handshake.

When a new song began, Leech, feeling the pressure of so many gazes, had no choice but to once again select a dance partner.

’It’s one thing for the ladies and wives to admire my charm, but why are you grown men constantly staring at me? Are you perverts?’ Leech felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at like that; it gave him the creeps.

From the moment he walked in, through the dances, a group of men had been staring at him. Their gazes were even locked onto his ass, making Leech so uncomfortable that he nearly sent them to meet the Four Gods, one punch at a time.

”They’re into men.”

A hand grabbed Leech first, and then a fragrant scent burrowed into his embrace.

Leech looked down to see a petite noble girl.

She tilted her head up and said, ”I’m not lying. Those few are notorious in the Monkey Territory. When you kept your distance from those two ladies earlier, they must have misunderstood and thought you dislike women. That’s why they’ve targeted you. They hate women, and especially men who get cozy with women. Hold me tight, quickly.”

Leech put his arm around her waist and back.

Sure enough, the gazes of the men staring at him softened somewhat. One of them even let out a cold snort.

’Whew, calm down. I can’t just kill people wantonly. This is a ball, after all,’ he told himself.

But being stared at in the ass by other men was really getting to be too much.