Lord of Rot

Thanks to Stacy’s arrival, the conversation successfully shifted to a more relaxed topic.

Wedding ceremonies in the Eastern Gorge weren’t complicated. All that was needed were vows exchanged in a church, presided over by a Bishop. Even the banquet was optional.

The first step was to have a church.

Neither of Leech’s two domains had a church of the Four Gods. It wasn’t that he was filled with disgust for the Four Gods, but he was extremely cautious. This was a perfect opportunity to strengthen his image as a lord and diminish the influence of divine authority. How could he possibly allow the church into his territory?

Now that the people in his two territories had enough to eat, they were all singing their lord’s praises. But if the church moved in, everything Leech had done would be attributed to the grace of the gods.

A church was indispensable for the wedding, however. Since his territory had never had one, the Four Gods Sect had probably taken notice of the ”pious” Baron Porcupine.

Fortunately, both parties were followers of the Four Gods. If one side hailed from Endor and worshipped the War God, a fight could have broken out over the wedding ceremony alone.

There were no specific requirements for the scale of the wedding. It could be an extravagant, universal celebration, or it could be held in an empty field with only a single Priest to officiate.

However, neither Leech nor Old Crocodile would permit a simple affair.

In the past, it might have been acceptable, but now Baron Porcupine’s reputation was at its peak. Old Crocodile was also from an old noble family. This marriage alliance would bring too many benefits to be ignored; it would be a shot in the arm for the people of the domain.

Considering the lack of a church in his domain, they ultimately set the date for October of the following year. This left them with ample time. Leech guessed the war was also a factor. ’A war isn’t something that starts today and ends tomorrow.’

Before leaving the study, Leech said to Bode, ”Can you take me to see that mysterious master craftsman?”

”Of course.”

「The next morning.」

After a quick bite, Leech followed Bode out of Green Forest Castle.

To avoid attracting too much attention on the road, they rode horses. Otherwise, with one on a Horse-headed Eagle and the other on a lizard, the scene would have looked just like a player meetup in a browser game—flashy and jarring.

Bode held his reins, riding alongside Leech. ”Master of Golden Armor is from the Northern Territory,” he said. ”He’s an Extraordinary.”

”An Extraordinary blacksmith!” Leech exclaimed in surprise.

He glanced down at the sword-saw at his waist. Although the blade’s materials were nothing special, the craftsmanship was incredible. Even Chuina couldn’t replicate it; the technological gap between them was immense.

’I wonder if I can get Chuina to come to Linta Bay and learn from him.’

The two of them left Green Forest Castle and traveled along a small path for a long while.

Leech noticed that the farther they went, the more withered and yellow the leaves became. ’It’s only July,’ he thought. ’The climate in Linta Bay is mild; things shouldn’t look like this.’

After they had gone a little further, he could hear the muffled, heavy sound of hammering coming from deep within the woods.

”We’re here.” Bode was the first to dismount.

Leech dismounted as well, tying his horse’s reins to a tree.

Ahead of them stood a small cabin. They hadn’t even gotten close, but the astonishing heat already made Leech’s expression shift.

The ground in a circle around the cabin was completely covered in fallen, withered yellow leaves.

”Master of Golden Armor...” Bode began to call out.

The hammering didn’t pause, continuing its rhythmic striking.

Bode turned to Leech and said, ”He must be at a critical stage. Let’s wait here for a while.”

’Even the future heir of Green Forest Castle has to wait obediently outside,’ Leech mused. ’Looks like this Master of Golden Armor has quite the presence—and the skill to match.’

Leech didn’t mind, however. He could use his Spiritual Power to channel his senses through his Corpse Ghosts one by one. He saw the Bonta market, its streets filled with nothing but dust under the scorching summer sun. Then, his view shifted to his own courtyard, where the elven girl, Bai Lu, was napping in the shade.

He admired the sight for a few moments before retracting his gaze, then shifted his focus to Iron Valley.

He saw the Iron Valley People toiling away like ants. Leech had never tried to skimp on their wages; in the early stages of development, it was essential to give people the drive to work. The idea that effort would be rewarded was exceedingly rare, whether on Earth or the Lu Leiyi Continent. As long as that principle held, people would work with boundless energy and passion.

It was a pity Iron Valley’s environment was unsuitable for agriculture. Leech was merely trying his hand at growing potatoes and corn. If he succeeded, it would greatly relieve the pressure on their food supply. After all, Iron Valley had more than four thousand mouths to feed.

There were also the skilled workers ”dispatched” from Giant’s Foot. Leech, of course, paid them the bare minimum and worked them like dogs. There was no way they were going to learn his techniques.

’If any true talents emerged from the group, I could find a way to convince them to stay.’

’Arrange a marriage, perhaps, or offer them a better deal. People always strive for better opportunities. If they can live well in Iron Valley, why would they need to return to Giant’s Foot?’

However, considering the need to maintain a good relationship with Prince Hoffman—lest the man get angry and simply crush him—Leech was very careful about poaching talent. He wouldn’t make a move unless the person was truly exceptional.

The hammering stopped.

Leech withdrew his consciousness.

The door to the cabin ahead was thrown open, releasing a blast of pressure.

A ferocious blast of high-temperature air rushed toward them. Leech could have sworn he heard the SIZZLE of his own hair being singed.

SSSSS!

Billows of steam rose, and a man wearing only a pair of shorts emerged from within.

He wasn’t tall, but he was incredibly burly, and he carried a hammer in one hand.

”Master of Golden Armor,” Bode greeted him.

”Ah, it’s Lord Bode.” The Master of Golden Armor wiped the sweat from his brow. ”What would you have me forge?”

”I’ve brought my brother to see you.” Bode gestured to Leech beside him. ”He wants you to forge something for him.”

The Master of Golden Armor looked at Leech, his gaze falling on the sword-saw at Leech’s waist. Understanding dawned on his face.

Leech said, ”I’d like to have a weapon forged.”

”A gift for someone?”

”Yes,” Leech nodded. ”It’s a gift for Stacy. There’s no deadline, but the sooner the better.”

’In addition to the requisite engagement ring, I want to give her a more memorable gift. A sword is the perfect present for a general.’ At the same time, he also wanted to witness the skills of this top-tier master blacksmith firsthand.

”If you want something on par with that sword-saw, it’ll cost you 50 Jinri. I can have it for you by this evening.”

A thought struck Leech, and he asked, ”What about enchanting?”

”Enchanting?” The Master of Golden Armor glanced at Leech in slight surprise. ”I don’t do that. I only forge. However, I can forge weapons that possess magical effects, but that requires rare materials.”

Leech was suddenly reminded of the greedy enchanter from the Round Table meeting. The man was always soliciting business, but with his prices easily hitting hundreds of Jinri, no one dared to even approach him.

The Master of Golden Armor was similar. Replicating the sword-saw at Leech’s waist cost a staggering 50 Jinri—a price high enough to deter the average lord. This very fact convinced Leech that the man truly possessed a special skill, which was why he had asked the follow-up question. He hadn’t expected such a welcome surprise.

”You can forge with wondrous materials?” Leech asked.

”Of course!” The Master of Golden Armor nodded, full of confidence.

’So a master blacksmith who can actually forge with Extraordinary materials really does exist.’

The Master of Golden Armor said, ”However, the price... will be at least 200 Jinri. And you provide the materials.”

’Same style,’ Leech thought. He strongly suspected the Master of Golden Armor and that guy from the Round Table meeting were brothers.

”Deal!” he nodded.

Since he wanted to forge a sword, he naturally needed good materials. Precious metals like Mithril were essential, which sent the cost soaring. The raw materials alone cost 10 Jinri.

The Master of Golden Armor had these items in his own storeroom; Leech just had to pay for them.

However, he didn’t have any Extraordinary precipitates.

”This stuff!” The Master of Golden Armor’s eyes lit up with excitement as he stared at the Extraordinary precipitate from Luk that Leech produced. ”It’s so pure! Far purer than those other bizarre materials! Do you have a lot of it?”

”I got it by killing someone,” Leech replied with complete sincerity.

The corner of the Master of Golden Armor’s mouth twitched. He might be arrogant about his talents, but he wasn’t a fool. The killings carried out by noble lords were not his business. The nobles were polite to him only because of his skills. His pride was a performance for them, not an excuse to disrespect them.

After cradling the Extraordinary precipitate and studying it for a while, he returned it to Leech.

The Extraordinary material was worth a minimum of 100 Jinri. Combined with the 200 Jinri crafting fee and 10 Jinri for rare materials, the total price of the sword came to a staggering 310 Jinri. It was the most expensive legendary sword Leech had ever heard of.

’A single sword that could buy an entire village!’

Leech was filled with anticipation.