Lord of Rot

The CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH of tearing limbs and a bloodcurdling ”AHH—!” were drowned out.

The mercenaries held their breath instinctively.

Their companion, snatched by the harpies, had been torn into chunks of flesh. An arm, its fingers still twitching, was even tossed back at them.

”Betty, can you hold on?”

”Yes!”

The girl nodded, her hand once again reaching for the small pouch at her waist.

Leech, sitting alone in a corner, also found his gaze drawn to the pouch at her waist.

’And then there was the girl named Betty. She can’t die. At the very least, I have to make sure she isn’t torn limb from limb.’

Using the same method as before, she struck a wooden stick against the ground, producing a shower of sparks that instantly erupted into a terrifying wave of fire.

Only when the light flared did they realize there were four or five harpies hovering above them. Their faces were exquisite and beautiful, their hair flowing gracefully. If one looked only at their upper bodies, they could be called absolute beauties, but their ugly, mottled wings and bird-like talons twisted that delicate beauty into something nauseating.

They were also surrounded by small, blue-skinned monsters.

But because they were too close, the sudden blaze incinerated a number of the harpies and turned the blue-skinned monsters in front into flaming dwarves.

Judging by the current situation, there wouldn’t be another major assault for a while.

The mood among the mercenaries, however, only grew heavier.

They had only bought themselves a moment’s respite.

Now, new monsters had appeared, and the creatures here seemed endless. Their sword hands were already twitching uncontrollably, their blades chipped and broken. They no longer knew how much longer they could last.

That night, while Leech’s body slept, his consciousness controlled another corpse. Since the fighting wasn’t particularly intense, he even had the spare mental capacity to use Eagle Eye to survey Porcupine Territory from above.

During breakfast, it just so happened to be time for the mercenary Leech was controlling to be rotated out for a rest.

’If I don’t sever the connection,’ he thought, ’I doubt I’ll be able to stomach this meal.’

’Even in another world, you’ve got to eat well.’

A steamer basket of buns was brought out. The gnomish carpenter’s craftsmanship was top-notch; following the Lord’s instructions, he had fashioned the steamer in just half a day. He had even woven a liner from vines and wild grass. After a vigorous boiling in hot water to sterilize it, the basket was ready for steaming buns. And each time, the buns would be infused with a faint, grassy fragrance.

Spices were extremely expensive. The lower classes could, at most, add a little coarse salt to their food—a type of salt that came from mines.

Nobles, on the other hand, wouldn’t haggle over a few Silver Moons, always striving for better flavor. Unfortunately, their simple cooking methods meant they rarely tasted anything truly delicious. But to Leech, these spices were very important.

It was just a shame that Porcupine Territory wasn’t suitable for cultivating spices.

’In the future, I can have Barrel train a group of chefs and then set up a food street.’ Such enjoyment, however, was for a time when everyone was well-fed and had money to spare. That was still a long way off, but he could dream about the future.

A man had to have something to look forward to, a goal to live for. If it was just about eating and drinking his fill, his current wealth was already more than enough.

As he ate, Leech was still thinking about the Cape Grotto. He wanted to get the contents of the pouch from the girl named Betty, as well as the knowledge in her head. But acquiring knowledge from a corpse was an uncertain process, and the monsters in the Cape Grotto loved to dismember their victims.

Using gold to piece a shattered corpse back together was no different from forging a Golden Man. ’What a waste.’

Alive was better than dead.

Baron Leech, eating Chinese food in a Magic World, sighed. His hometown’s cuisine was still more to his liking. Eating bread, mashed potatoes, and pies every day was a form of mental torture for him.

Having grown accustomed to the exquisite delicacies from all corners of his world, who would want to eat this seemingly fancy yet greasy and monotonous food every day?

’The culinary revolution of this Otherworld will start with me,’ he mused.

Seeing their Lord thinking while he ate, the others didn’t dare to interrupt him. Gelan had been extremely busy the last two days. The digging and implementation of the irrigation canals was one thing, but the public toilets the Lord had ordered also had to be put on the agenda, as well as the manure theft.

Some foolish farmers thought that the more manure they used, the better their crops would be. They even completely ignored the Lord’s instructions on fermentation. The result was that while others’ fields were already sprouting, theirs showed no signs of life.

But this was also a good thing. With some people acting as foolish examples, the others would understand that they had to follow the Lord’s orders for everything.

Don’t ask why, just do as you’re told.

The watermill was processing a lot of grain, and the fields didn’t require constant attention, so people had become idle. Because of this, after requesting permission from the Baron, Gelan began preparations for the construction of Porcupine Territory’s second village.

Proper planning would officially start with this second village. A portion of the commoners would be relocated there, where their main responsibility would be to raise livestock, such as chickens and ducks, for the Lord.

The original settlement, which had simply been known as Porcupine Territory, was now named ”Maitian Village,” while the second village would be called ”Livestock Village.”

Its proximity to Pigtail Bay also made it convenient for developing a pier, a fishing industry, and so on. One village after another, all part of the development blueprint the Lord had shared with him long ago. Gelan was filled with passion for his work. He’d even given up his plans to chat with a few old ladies—he would fulfill his life’s potential first, then find the old ladies!

Even so, Gelan felt like he was about to run his legs off; he was completely spread too thin.

Kolan Fosak, in contrast, was just freeloading, not helping with anything. After the Lord assigned him a personal manservant, his movements were monitored, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

Anyone who had truly pledged allegiance to the Lord would have been ecstatic—free food and lodging, and even a servant to order around. But Kolan needed his freedom.

Although Kolan loved to chase women, he wasn’t stupid. He could see that Porcupine Territory’s development was completely different from what outsiders imagined. ’What in the world is that water wheel? Using the flow of water to help turn a mill and grind flour?’

’And irrigation canals?’

’Why are the slaves so obedient, all of them acting like they’re on steroids?’

He knew about the work-point system but hadn’t paid it much mind. He didn’t understand why the slaves were so motivated when they weren’t being paid money or given food directly.

It was precisely because he hadn’t paid attention that he was confused. If he had investigated and asked around, Kolan would surely have been even more shocked.

Porcupine Territory was completely unlike the place he had imagined. Although it was a far cry from the bustling prosperity of Iron Stone City, this place was full of life and vitality.

But no matter how vibrant it became, it could never become a second Iron Stone City. Iron Stone City’s wealth came from its iron mines. So, Kolan was still eager to complete Becky Simon’s order, get the formula, and rush back to win her favor.

And he thought he had a good idea of who was making those magical pills!

Lowering his head, Kolan took a bite of his bun and sighed from the bottom of his heart. ’The taste really is incredible. If I leave this place, I might never get to eat these again. Haha, but so what?’ It wasn’t Leech’s steamed buns he wanted, but Becky’s buns.

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, so no one noticed the change in Kolan.

”Gelan.” Leech picked up his cup and took a sip of soup.

He suggested, ”Perhaps you could try training a few apprentices. Pick some clever children and have them do some odd jobs for you.”

”But, my Lord,” Gelan hesitated. ”It’s not that I look down on commoners—I’m the son of a farmer myself. But they are greedy, stingy, and overly cautious. Perhaps this is a task Mr. Fosak could help with?”

Gelan seemed to be doing him a favor, but in reality, he was telling Kolan, ’A job this important isn’t for you. You can stay in the castle and be useless.’

If Kolan Fosak were truly suitable, the Lord would have already arranged it. There would have been no need for Gelan to suggest it.

Little did he know, Kolan was cursing him in his head. ’You gerontophile freak who gets off on old ladies! I’m eating and drinking well, so why would I want to run my legs off like you? Besides, my own job is almost finished!’

Kolan forced a smile. ”Mr. Gelan, the Lord surely wants you to be the one to cultivate new talent. I only know how to swing a sword. If His Lordship wanted me to train Knight-squires, perhaps then I could be of some help.”

”You’re right.” Leech nodded. Kolan’s reminder suddenly made him think it was a viable idea. ”Kolan’s strengths don’t lie in management, but... Knight-squires. Hmm. Kolan, why don’t you train a unit of Knight-squires for me?”

He had never once considered having Kolan Fosak train squires for him before. But the recent developments in Porcupine Territory, combined with the matter of the Cape Grotto, had left him extremely busy. If Kolan Fosak were to suddenly pull some trick, Leech might not be able to guard against it. That being the case, it was better to deal with him first.

The first step to getting rid of someone is to lull them into a false sense of security.

Kolan Fosak broke into a smile. ’If I become an instructor, I’ll definitely have more freedom! That personal manservant won’t be able to follow me around then.’

”It would be my honor, my Lord!” he accepted the job readily.

Three people at one table, with six different schemes.

In the end, they all shared a knowing smile.