Lord of Rot

”According to research by some Alchemists in Iron Stone City, these pills contain sugar, flour, and a tiny bit of something else. It’s that ’something else’ that gives men more vitality.”

A man stood beside Becky, his hand slipping inside her collar, his nose brushing against the young woman’s delicate cheek. ”They can’t determine what that ’something else’ is. And that’s the secret to ’Mad Bull’.”

”Can they extract it?”

”I’m afraid not.” The man shook his head. ”That substance... it’s like water that’s been absorbed into the flour and sugar.”

”Never underestimate a Baron.” Becky wasn’t surprised by this result.

...

Leech sat in the study of Iron Stone Castle, looking at the young woman seated across from him in Baron Simon’s chair.

”Miss Simon.”

”You can call me Becky, Sir. After that ball, we should be friends, shouldn’t we?” She smiled, carefully managing the distance between them, unlike at the ball where she had freely exuded her charm.

’Like a sophisticated, well-bred lady.’

But Leech couldn’t help but wonder, ’Do all noble ladies use this tactic to close the distance?’

”Alright, Becky,” Leech nodded. ”What can I do for you?”

”I heard about a peculiar pill from Porcupine Territory. You’re looking for a buyer, correct?” she said, getting straight to the point. ”I want to partner with you.”

’A noble young lady, seeking him out to talk about a male enhancement drug, and being so direct about doing business.’

’Is she an idiot?’

’A noble lady’s reputation would... right, she doesn’t have a good reputation.’

Leech looked at the beautiful young woman before him. Of course she couldn’t be an idiot. But her status as a woman gave her the latitude to be so direct.

Nobles were even more obsessed with ”face.”

Leech guessed that Baron Spark was likely unaware of Becky’s actions. The Baron would disdain such a petty business; his iron mines already made him one of the wealthiest lords in the East Gorge.

’And why would someone with her ’Charming’ reputation need to scramble for money?’

’Who cares? I need to make money too.’

”If you’re willing to work with me, Becky, I couldn’t be happier,” Leech said with a nod. He was still vexed by the Griffin issue, but he had to deal with the pills, get the money, and buy some things before he could go back.

’Doing business with the daughter of this town’s ruler will make everything much smoother.’

’Though his original plan was to negotiate directly with the brothel owners and make deliveries himself.’

”What’s your projected selling price?” she asked.

”You already have an estimated price in mind, don’t you, Becky?”

”10 copper stars,” she said. ”It’s somewhat useful, but it only lasts for a short time. If you don’t want to spoil the mood, you’d have to buy several. No one would be willing to spend too much on it.”

”No,” Leech shook his head. He wasn’t sure how she knew one pill only lasted for a short time. ’Could she have used it?’

But he still said, ”Men will be willing to pay a lot for this.”

”5 Silver Moons.” He raised his right hand, his long fingers spread open as if showing his palm lines to the young woman.

”You must be joking,” Becky said. ”If the price is that high, I’m afraid some men would rather never come to Iron Stone City again.”

”4 Silver Moons. The production volume is very low,” Leech said.

”1 Silver Moon,” Becky said, her eyes fixed on Leech’s handsome face. ”If there was a chance for me to become the Baroness of Porcupine Castle, I could even do 3 Silver Moons. I’d give you everything. Including myself.”

Leech shuddered. He had no desire to throw himself into the bargain. ”2 Silver Moons. I don’t care how much you sell them for. I just want 2 Silver Moons per pill. You know what it’s worth.”

’Two Silver Moons in exchange for a legendary, undefeated night. Totally worth it!’

’Especially since nothing like it existed in this world. He had a monopoly.’

’Actually, my rock-bottom price was 1 Silver Moon and 1 copper star, or maybe 1 Silver Moon and 5 copper stars—just a little higher than Becky’s opening offer. The cost is so low that I can’t accurately gauge the price; no matter what, I feel like I’m coming out ahead.’

’Besides, if the price was too high, many people probably wouldn’t be willing to pay it. But Becky accepted this price so easily. He started to wonder if he’d asked for too little. Maybe she would have agreed to 2 Silver Moons and 5 copper stars?’

’But few people could probably accept paying 2 Silver Moons for a single pill. Nobles could ignore such a price, but most of the men who frequented brothels were commoners who earned little. They could stomach spending one or two Silver Moons for some entertainment, but spending four was a completely different story.’

’Was she deliberately acting like a business novice trying to make her own money, just to lull me into a false sense of security?’

’Probably not. No one would deliberately overpay just to lull someone into a false sense of security.’

”How many of these can you produce each month?”

”It’s hard to guarantee,” Leech said, hesitating. ”Because the master who makes them says the manufacturing process is troublesome and complex.”

’Mixing the dough, rolling it into little pills, and then steaming them in a pot... it really is quite a hassle,’ he thought to himself.

’At most, I can probably make a dozen or so batches a day.’

Becky completely bought his explanation. A peculiar medicine like this was bound to require a great deal of effort.

But then Leech added, ”We can probably produce about 300 pills a month.”

”300?” Becky frowned. ”Given the number of visitors to Iron Stone City, that amount would likely only last for a little over ten days.”

Becky said, ”Perhaps I could send some people to Porcupine Territory to help that master.”

She was shamelessly leveraging her gender. If it had been a male noble, he certainly couldn’t have so openly suggested sending people to steal the recipe. But compared to her behavior at the ball last night, Leech found her more reliable now. Money was more tangible than false pleasantries.

”Heh, that won’t be necessary. But if I push him a bit, 600 pills should be possible,” Leech said.

’He doubled it?’

Becky felt the backwater Baron wasn’t telling the truth. From his calm expression, she could tell that this number was far from the limit.

”Leech, I know that Porcupine Territory’s development isn’t going too smoothly. Turning these pills into Silver Moons will save you a lot of trouble,” she said. ”That master is in your territory. He would surely agree to help you, and in doing so, help Porcupine Territory.”

”900 pills,” Leech said, gritting his teeth. ”That’s really the limit. When I get back, I’ll have to waste days and nights of breath persuading him to work overtime.”

Another 300 pills. Becky wanted to push for even more, but seeing Leech’s pained expression, she finally held her tongue.

’900 pills... that should be enough. There’s no need to ensure everyone can buy one.’

Their business was thus settled. The two would sign a contract under the scales of the Celestial Father. If either party violated the contract, they would surely face punishment.

If the surging Magic Tide could truly bring about miracles, Leech might have been a bit more careful.

’900 pills a month. The biggest costs are sugar and flour. A 10-pound bag of flour costs around 35 to 40 copper stars, and the cost could be even lower if I don’t use fine flour. Sugar is a bit more expensive, but I could reduce the amount of sugar, or even remove it entirely, if I wasn’t concerned about the taste.’

’At 2 Silver Moons per pill, the monthly revenue would be around 1,800 Silver Moons. That converts to about 7 to 9 Jinri.’

’Porcupine Territory’s entire harvest this year wouldn’t even amount to that much.’

’There are still hundreds of plants in the crypt. And I’ve discovered that if I don’t pull them out by the roots, but instead just trim the leaves of the Grass of Life, they will continue to grow back like garlic chives, though the growth cycle might be a little slower.’

A while after the Baron left, someone pushed open the door.

”Miss,” a maid walked in. ”The Baron has given us the bag of pills. The transaction is complete.”

Becky said, ”Find some Alchemists—chefs will do, too. Have them cut each pill into 10 small pieces, coat them with flour and sugar to make them the original size, then send them to the various brothels. Tell the owners to sell each one for 5 copper stars.”