Lord of Rot

Leech soon got his hands on the farming Magic he wanted.

”You wish to learn it yourself?”

Tangkx hadn’t expected Leech to take the Scroll she gave him and immediately begin studying it, muttering words under his breath.

She never expected a nobleman to know Magic. As far as she was concerned, Leech was just buying Magic for entertainment, or perhaps out of a collector’s impulse.

Among the nobles she had dealt with, one had been particularly fond of collecting all kinds of cups. Eventually, that nobleman felt that ordinary cups no longer satisfied him, so he sought out Tangkx, hoping she could craft magical ones for him.

Other than that, the most common hobbies were collecting warhorses, beautiful women, or even socks and shoes.

An old Marquis had once approached Tangkx, wanting to buy a scholar’s used, unwashed socks and shoes. Tangkx was very resistant to making the deal, but his offer was simply too high. To seal the deal, she even took off her own shoes and socks right in front of him and handed them over.

Collecting Magic, by comparison, was a rather ordinary hobby.

”I believe I’ve learned it,” Leech said, setting down the Scroll.

”You’ve... learned it?”

Seeing his confidence, Tangkx felt she ought to explain things a bit more clearly. She didn’t want the Baron to suddenly discover his Magic had ”failed” and come demanding a refund. Though she could use Magic, she was no match for a nobleman.

She said, ”My lord, there’s more to Magic than just reciting the Spell. It must be put into practice. Could you give me some seeds? I can demonstrate for you.”

One could find grain in Mama City, but finding seeds was impossible. The area simply wasn’t suited for farming.

In the end, they procured a batch of soybeans that were just about to sprout from Leech’s cook, as well as a potato.

”Like this.” Tangkx used her Magic. The soybeans, whose green shoots had barely emerged, split open rapidly, the sprouts maturing in an instant.

With a sharp exhale, Tangkx stopped.

She was still in the ”first stage,” unable to create something from nothing. While it looked as though she had accelerated the sprouts’ growth from thin air, she had actually consumed her Spiritual Power to do it, and she appeared quite drained.

Leech clapped. ”Brilliant!”

This was without a doubt one of the most useful spells he had acquired to date.

The ability to accelerate crop growth meant they wouldn’t starve in the event of a natural disaster or drought; grain could still be produced reliably.

It could even allow for multiple harvests a year. Ten wheat harvests a year!

He looked at the potato on the table and cast the Spell.

The potato remained perfectly still, but Leech felt his Spiritual Power draining away at a rapid pace.

One unit, two units, three units...

The drain increased.

But the potato showed no signs of change.

At fifteen units, the potato finally put forth a green sprout, but Leech’s own face was turning pale.

By the time twenty units of Spiritual Power were gone, he had to force himself to stop. He suspected that even if he poured all his Spiritual Power into the potato, it still might not be enough.

Looking back at the potato, a green shoot was now growing from its bumpy skin.

Part of the potato had also started to shrivel.

’A normal potato takes about fifteen days to sprout,’ Leech thought. ’And I just used fifteen units of Spiritual Power.’

Tangkx was completely stunned. ”You... you really can use Magic?”

Leech nodded. ”Of course. To be precise, I’m much more skilled with Magic than I am with martial prowess.”

He was not lying in the slightest.

He used spells like controlling the dead and Corpse Ghosts, as well as Eagle Eye Magic, every single day. In contrast, the number of times he personally joined a battle was pitifully small. The world knew Baron Porcupine as a ferocious warrior, but no one knew his true expertise was Magic.

”You’re self-taught?”

”Yes,” Leech nodded again, confirming it.

Tangkx looked as if she had tried to swallow a piece of dry bread and choked on it. She was floored by Leech’s terrifying talent for Magic.

”I think we have a great deal to discuss regarding Magic!”

”Of course!” Leech agreed. Then he added, ”If you’re willing, you could come teach in Porcupine Territory. I’ll be sure to offer a price that satisfies you.”

’When Tangkx asked for ten Jinri earlier, I could tell she was short on funds. This is a perfect opportunity to lure a scholar to my domain. What’s a little extra money? I have plenty of ways to make it now!’

Tangkx shook her head. ”I’m afraid that’s not possible right now. Once I’ve finished my current business, perhaps I could come work in your territory.”

”You’re welcome anytime,” Leech replied with a nod, not pressing the issue.

For the next two days, Leech and Tangkx Scholar discussed Magic constantly. Instead of lifting its mysterious veil, their conversations only seemed to make it more enigmatic. However, Leech did pick up many useful tips.

For instance, he learned he needed a Magic Staff.

A Magic Staff would help him control the output of his Spiritual Power, making it more stable and preventing waste.

A strong physique was also very important.

Leech was surprised to learn that Casters also emphasized a balance of ”essence, energy, and spirit.” A strong body would make his Spiritual Power stronger, but this wasn’t an absolute rule. After reaching a certain level, Spiritual Power would transcend the physical body.

And so, time passed quickly.

A vulture, soaring high in the sky, spotted a group of dark figures approaching from the south, kicking up a terrifying cloud of sand and dust.

Just as Leech was about to have the vulture fly closer, a formidable Spiritual Power shot up from below, breaking through thousands of feet of altitude to strike the bird with pinpoint accuracy.

The spiritual link was forcibly severed!

’Prince George must have made contact with the Half-Beastman legion.’

Leech’s eyes snapped open. He had only been dedicating a fraction of his focus to controlling the undead vulture, so it wasn’t surprising for the link to break upon being attacked. Still, the enemy’s Spiritual Power was highly aggressive. He guessed the attacker was likely a Demon Beastman who specialized in spiritual assaults; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been caught by surprise so completely.

’Based on the vulture’s distance from Mama City, they’re at least two days away. Plus, there are only a thousand Half-Beastmen at most, and probably not many Transcendents among them.’

He wanted to annihilate this first wave of Half-Beastmen. The enemy clearly didn’t know the extent of the forces at his command, leading them to adopt a tactic that seemed cautious but was, in reality, a classic case of underestimation: sending their forces in one by one to be defeated.

’Good, let them come in waves. The more they split their forces, the easier it will be for me.’

Just then, a report came.

”My lord, another fifteen hundred Mercenaries have arrived.”

Hearing Lisu’s report, Leech quickly left the great hall and went up to the city walls.

Outside, a clamor had erupted.

Having been confined for the past few days, the Mercenaries were grumbling incessantly.

They had figured out that Leech wasn’t going to kill them, just that he was preventing them from leaving for some reason. This emboldened them, and one by one, they began to raise a ruckus.

If Leech had simply shackled them and sent them to the mines upon their capture, they certainly would be quieter now. Instead, being provided with good food and drink had made them forget they were prisoners, and they now even seemed to think they were in a position to bargain.

The arrival of another fifteen hundred Mercenaries had only boosted their confidence.

Leech turned away. He couldn’t be bothered with the opinions of these parasites. Their existence served a greater purpose.

He said to Lin Nuo and the others, ”Ready the troops—Cavalry, infantry, and archers. We must ride out to meet them; we cannot just passively defend the town. Also, set up the cannons on the walls. Lisu, go and invite Tangkx Scholar and her apprentice. I want someone to help me aim the cannons.”

The cannons had to be operated with Magic. Even though the modified versions could be fired without it, Leech insisted on using Magic to power them, as it allowed for precise targeting.

’Could it be?’ Hahn, Lin Nuo, and the others felt a jolt, all sharing the same thought.

The Half-Beastmen were coming!