Lord of Rot

The Bonta Market was in chaos after yesterday’s battle.

Merchants from all over were anxious to leave and spread word of what had happened, but Kuer Oasis had sealed the area. No one was in the mood for business. They tried to ask around for information but discovered that everyone, from top to bottom, was tight-lipped. There were simply no sources of news.

Even the Iron Fist Gang, who would normally sell information for a few coins, now strutted around with their hands on their hips, putting on a noble and virtuous act as if they wouldn’t bow to the almighty Silver Moon.

The merchants had a rough idea of the reason, so they settled down, hoping the lockdown wouldn’t last too long and interfere with their business.

They weren’t too worried about their own safety. They hailed from either Oasis City or Leon City and were well-traveled, with powerful backers.

「Leech’s small courtyard.」

The leader of the Iron Fist Gang stood with his head bowed respectfully. Behind him was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen, who timidly peeked up, casting a frightened yet curious glance at the Horse-headed Eagle cooling itself in the water.

Leech gave it a cursory glance. There were at least three hundred Silver Moons and a dozen or so Jinri.

Leech figured the Iron Fist Gang’s leader had brought out his entire gang’s savings.

”Do you need something?”

”My younger brother also has a special ability. I want him to serve you!”

”Oh?” Leech was intrigued.

The Iron Fist Gang leader beckoned behind him, pulling the boy forward. ”Quick, show the Baron what you can do!”

The boy nodded and walked into the shade of a tree.

In the distance, the Horse-headed Eagle Rocket, which had been cooling itself off, also raised its head.

The scrawny boy stood in the shade, his figure gradually fading until he vanished completely.

”Invisibility?”

Leech was surprised. He truly couldn’t see him, but if he held his breath, he could still sense the boy’s frantic heartbeat.

’To an Extraordinary, visual invisibility isn’t true invisibility.’

’But the boy clearly hadn’t entered the Extraordinary realm yet.’

He couldn’t hold it for long, and the boy’s figure reappeared.

”HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!” He bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily. His eyes, however, were fixed anxiously on the money in front of Leech. Remembering his instructions, he didn’t dare raise his head to look directly at the Baron. He knew how much his brother had sacrificed to give him this chance, and he was terrified that his performance hadn’t been good enough.

”What’s your name?” Leech asked.

”Black Sand.”

”Alright, you can stay,” Leech said. ”Follow Lin Nuo and have her train you for a while. You’re too thin and weak.”

The Iron Fist Gang leader knelt in delight. ”Thank you, Baron!”

Then he pulled his younger brother, Black Sand, down to kneel with him. The boy felt his brother’s joy, and a smile spread across his face.

”You don’t need to do this in the future,” Leech said, gesturing to the money. ”Take it back. I still have use for the Iron Fist Gang. Also, have your men maintain order. No stealing.”

”Yes, sir!” The Iron Fist Gang leader nodded eagerly.

He had gotten the news from Kuer Oasis first thing yesterday. He knew there had been a battle, but not who was involved or the circumstances. It wasn’t until Kuer explained the crucial details that the Iron Fist Gang leader made his decision.

He’d known for a long time that his younger brother had a special ability, but he had always kept it a secret.

Though he worked for Baron Porcupine, he had hoped his younger brother might one day join the Wild Boar Mercenary Corps. But after hearing Kuer’s analysis, he had made up his mind.

’The Wild Boar Mercenary Corps was finished. Following the Baron is the best path forward.’

’Worst case scenario, following a baron was still better than running with mercenaries. Even if the Baron suffered a major defeat in the desert, my brother could still follow him back to the Eastern Gorge. Who knows, maybe one day he could even become a noble!’

That was why he had secretly scraped this money together; it was the only valuable thing he had to offer. But the Baron hadn’t accepted it.

He had only been told to keep his men from stealing. A simple enough task.

However, with the chaos in the city after yesterday’s battle, some members of the Iron Fist Gang had indeed profited from a bit of petty theft.

So as not to hold his brother back, he decided to return and carry out the Baron’s order to the letter.

Just as he pushed open the gate, a foul stench assaulted him.

Kuer Oasis stood outside. Behind him were four Soldiers. Two of them carried a stretcher bearing a body covered with a tattered linen cloth, while the other two held a haggard-looking man in custody.

Seeing the Iron Fist Gang leader, Kuer Oasis gave him a nod, then pushed the gate open and went inside.

As they brushed past each other, a gust of wind blew the tattered linen cloth aside, revealing a corpse with half its head chewed off.

”BLECH!”

The Iron Fist Gang leader’s face went deathly pale. He stumbled a few steps away before he couldn’t hold it back, leaning against the wall and dry-heaving.

’Wait... That corpse’s family crest looked like a scale, lower on the left and higher on the right,’ the leader thought in surprise. He turned back, but only saw the courtyard gate swinging shut.

He thought about getting a closer look, but seeing the Soldiers on guard, he gave up the idea.

’I should focus on completing the Baron’s task first.’

「In the courtyard.」

”Baron,” Kuer Oasis began, ”my men went after that bastard Kunq. He couldn’t have gotten far on foot. But when they caught up to him, all they found was his half-eaten corpse.”

The corpse was mangled from the nose up. A fly buzzed over and landed on the bridge of what was left of his nose.

Judging by the bite marks, it must have been a large beast.

’But what kind of large beast eats the head first and leaves the rest of the body?’

”And what’s his story?” Leech asked, turning to the other man. He was a disheveled wreck, dazed, with dry, cracked lips.

”My men found him on their way back,” Kuer said. ”He claimed he had something very important to tell a lord, so they brought him here. I questioned him, and he says he knows why Kunq ended up like this.”

Leech turned to the wretched man. ”You know?”

”May Avalado protect us!”

The man fell to his knees before Leech.

”Ah, a slaver,” Leech realized. ”You’d better actually know something. Otherwise, Avalado won’t be able to help you.”

”Yes, great lord!” the slaver stammered. ”I know why he’s like this! It was monsters! A nine-foot-tall humanoid monster! It attacked my caravan. It was followed by a group of its young, about the height of a normal man. They ate the brains of all my slaves and my men! Just like him!”

The slaver pointed a trembling finger at Kunq’s corpse.

”How did you survive?”

”I was on a horse, my lord!” the slaver said. ”The horse just kept running. They were in hot pursuit right behind me. I don’t know how long I ran. When the horse couldn’t go on, I killed it and drank its blood for strength. Then I just kept running until I met your Knights. Thank you for their help!”

He didn’t look like he was faking it. Leech asked, ”What did these monsters look like? How many were there?”

’Ogres near my post is definitely not good news.’

’I need absolute control over my territory.’

”They gave off a horrible stench, like they hadn’t bathed in years,” the slaver said. ”Their skin was dark, with a cracked texture like tree bark. They were incredibly strong, like upright lions, but even more terrifying. They could speak, though not in the Lu Leiyi tongue, and they wore clothes and used weapons.”

He tried to recall, his voice trembling. ”Their numbers... there were maybe forty of them. But my caravan of over three hundred people... they tore it to shreds in an instant.”

”So they’re a type of Sub-human?”

Leech nodded. He gave Kuer a meaningful look and said, ”Take him away.”

”Thank you, Baron!” the slaver said, overjoyed. ”I will repay you!”

’His idea of ”repayment” is probably waiting for me to be defeated and captured, then locking me up and selling me for a good price.’

Kuer, however, understood the look in Leech’s eyes. ”Rest assured!”