Lord of Rot

Leech spent the next few days recovering from his injuries and reading. The books consumed a great deal of his time.

His cousin Stacy had come to see him a few times after that night. But upon discovering Leech engrossed in his books, Stacy tactfully took her leave, giving him ample time to read.

Leech wasn’t particularly warm toward his cousin Stacy either. The allure of living off a woman now held less appeal for him than these few books.

After Porcupine Territory gained an opportunity to prosper, he admitted he’d become a little ”arrogant.” He could accept living off a woman, but he didn’t want to be desperate for it. Even if he couldn’t, it wouldn’t be too upsetting.

Bode, however, brought some news after clearing out the Fishmen: Stacy’s birthday ball was about to begin.

No wonder Stacy seemed so busy; she had to receive the young noblemen and ladies who had rushed here from other parts of Linta Bay.

She was better suited to receiving guests than Bode, who tended to intimidate them.

This also meant that after the ball, Leech would bid farewell to Green Forest Castle and return to his Porcupine Territory.

Leech was half-reclined on a chair in a pavilion in the Green Forest Garden. The comfortable, quiet air of the wetlands was perfect for reading.

He was flipping through *Blood-Red Moon*. In some unknown past era, a group of heroes had risen, creating one legend after another. Then, one day, the moon in the sky was suddenly stained blood-red. After that, Magic began to recede. People grew fearful, believing the gods had abandoned the world, and chaos reigned. The book *Blood-Red Moon* never once mentioned the word ”scholar.”

This suggested that in the long-forgotten age when Magic flourished, scholars who explored knowledge and mysteries did not exist.

Distant history didn’t offer much practical value. The only thing Leech could conclude was that the ebb and flow of the Magic Tide was likely a natural phenomenon—a natural magical phenomenon.

Next was *Red Dragon’s Roar*. Although it had ”Red Dragon” in its name, not a single dragon appeared in it. Instead, it was about a war between races.

”The North, that merciless ice plain trapped in snow and frost. In the desolate lands, barbarian clans and giants roam.

”The South, where plants have overrun the land like a plague. The cunning, insidious, long-lived race residing in the Green Forest Garden enjoys all the finest things in the world.

”The horn of war was sounded at some unknown time, and panic and disease ravaged the continent.”

The process of this north-south war was brutal, and its consequences were far-reaching. The barbarians and giants were nearly wiped out, and the elves became the stuff of historical legend.

In the end, humans—described in the book as having ”no special traits apart from being able to reproduce”—had now become the main players in the world.

The protagonists of history were constantly changing. Perhaps one day, a new race would replace humanity’s current position.

These two books only gave Leech a vague understanding of history.

The most crucial book was *Ker Scholar’s Experimental Log*. Ker Scholar must have been a more recent figure, probably from within the last few hundred years. He had accidentally found a field of Griffin Grass, supposedly a vast expanse like a wheat field. Reading this, Leech couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of envy.

In the book, Ker Scholar fed Griffin Grass to a pig. After eating the Griffin Grass, the pig became incredibly muscular and strong, but it lost its sanity.

It smashed Ker Scholar’s hut to pieces and viciously mauled his apprentice.

The Soldiers had to expend great effort, riddling the crazed pig with so many arrows it looked like a porcupine, before they finally put an end to the horrific incident.

The apprentice was rescued with half his face chewed off, and Ker Scholar grieved over this for a long time.

But Ker Scholar did not end his research there. He continued his studies and discovered that Griffin Grass strengthened a creature’s innate bloodline power, making it stronger and causing its fur to turn red.

When the local lord learned of this, he ordered the scholar to apply the Griffin Grass to his Soldiers.

Thus, Ker Scholar created a batch of incredibly strong super-Warriors. However, this group of Warriors had extremely low intelligence and were quick to anger.

’Thank god I didn’t eat it back then,’ Leech thought to himself.

If he hadn’t resisted the urge to swallow the Griffin Grass he’d dug up in the bear cave, he probably would have turned into an idiot lord.

The record of these super-Warriors in the book was brief. It only stated that they were sent to the battlefield and were quickly withdrawn. Due to disobeying orders, friendly fire incidents, stepping on traps, and so on, they were almost all dead by the time the war had just begun.

Ker Scholar did not end his research.

External application, internal consumption, stewing it in soups, even blood transfusions.

The scholar’s madness far exceeded Leech’s imagination. After the lord forbade him from researching Griffin Grass, he actually resorted to kidnapping beggars and children, buying slaves, and using death row inmates to test his concoctions.

In the end, Ker Scholar succeeded.

Or so he believed, according to the book.

Snake Tongue Flower, bay laurel, belladonna, Oyster Fruit Branch, and Chicken Basket Grass, mixed and ground into a paste in a 3:2:2:2:1 ratio.

Pound the Griffin Grass into a pulp. Take a portion of the Griffin Grass pulp and fuse it with the mixed herbal paste, blending thoroughly.

Then, place this herbal mixture into a sealed pot and simmer it over low heat. Every so often, lift the lid to collect the condensed water droplets.

Once one ounce of droplets has been extracted, mix it with the remaining Griffin Grass pulp to create an ointment.

This ointment can be applied to the surface of the body. It will burn the skin beet-red, but it will make the body much stronger. The effect is best when used after exercise.

”Distillation!”

Leech was shocked that someone had figured out distillation so long ago and even applied it to potion-making. Scholars truly were the most intelligent people on this continent.

For others, collecting one ounce of the liquid might be troublesome, and making enough ointment to cover the entire body this way would take a very long time. But for Leech, the only thing limiting his progress was the skill level of the craftsmen in Porcupine Territory.

As long as the craftsmen were skilled enough, they could build a still.

It wasn’t a big problem.

Leech closed the book and opened *Furnace*, a book that chronicled the story of a Giant Dragon.

It loved treasure, could swallow a sheep in one gulp, its wings blotted out the sun when spread, and its red scales were like volcanic magma.

Giant Dragons had indeed appeared in this world. Even that Necromancer had been obsessed with obtaining the corpse of a Giant Dragon, though he never succeeded in the end.

Furnace was ill-tempered, kept slaves, and lived in a volcano on a remote island, where he would roll around in magma daily.

The slaves were self-sufficient, growing their own food. Their main duties were to praise Furnace’s greatness, clean his lair, and herd sheep. Their lives were not in danger.

According to the book, Furnace’s molten scales came from the volcano, which allowed him to withstand damage from blades.

He could devour six sheep per meal, hated eating pigs, and most detested skinny slaves, whose meat he found dry, stringy, and likely to get stuck in his teeth.

Like goblins, Giant Dragons had no reproductive barriers with other species.

So Furnace abducted the daughter of a minor King. A Knight led an army to vanquish Furnace, but they were buried by the molten rock shaken from Furnace’s body.

Leech suddenly felt someone’s eyes on him. He put down his book and turned to find a young woman in a goose-white dress looking at him curiously.

Being discovered made the young woman a bit embarrassed. ”I’m sorry to have disturbed your reading.”

”It’s fine, I was about finished anyway,” Leech said, shaking his head and closing the book in his hands.

”You’re reading *Furnace*?” she asked as she walked over. ”I think Gael Knight was incredibly brave, willing to give his life for the princess.”

”Gael Knight?” Leech was puzzled. He thought for a moment before remembering. Oh, right, the Knight who tried to be a hero and got himself buried by the magma shaken off the Red Dragon Furnace.

He had no interest in remembering the name of some cannon fodder.

He shook his head and said, ”Brave? More like foolish, don’t you think? He knew he was facing a dragon, yet he just charged straight in. Didn’t he ever consider that dragons can fly before he acted?”

A Knight’s strength is charging on the ground. A dragon flies in the sky. The Knight can only look up and stomp his feet in frustration.

”But his spirit is admirable,” the young woman said, a bit flustered. Perhaps it was because of her gentle nature, but her attempt at being angry was like a bunny hopping about.

Unfortunately, Leech had no intention of humoring the young lady, even if she was likely one of the noble misses attending the ball.

”Action without a plan is called recklessness. He challenged a Giant Dragon and died bravely, but what about the Soldiers who followed him to their deaths? They never even saw the dragon. And in the long run, with that army gone, who is left to protect the kingdom’s safety?” Leech was just idly picking holes in the story.

It was a difference in perspective. The young woman’s heart was full of poetic fancies, admiring the brave Knight, whereas Leech, as a lord, looked at the rationality of the action and its subsequent consequences.

Bravery?

Only those who survive can be called brave. The dead are just stepping stones.

That Gael Knight used his life and the lives of his pitiful Soldiers to forge the ”invincible” throne of the Red Dragon Furnace.

”If the book is so boring, then why are you reading it?”

Leech pointed at the title. ”Furnace is the main character. I’m reading this book because I’m interested in the Giant Dragon. Even though he’s a dragon, he has a great understanding of population management and resource utilization. He uses a mix of reward and punishment, selects slave foremen to manage the other slaves, gives out rewards and even rest days in batches, bestows food, and doesn’t require the slaves to fight to the death for him. He protects them, punishes any who retreat, and even allows them to marry freely.”

Furnace represents a pinnacle of power, one that can change the rules. Precisely because he is not human and ignores human ”rules,” the slaves under him actually live better, freer lives.

If Leech had that kind of power, he could force through many developments.

”Besides, I’m very curious what kind of children Furnace and the princess had.”

’Could the princess handle it? Or is Furnace hung like a toothpick?’

”The princess is so pitiful. She should marry a Prince, or a Knight,” she said.

”On that point, I admit you’re right.”

For once, Leech nodded in agreement. A princess should marry a noble, not because of fairy tales, but because of practical realities.

”But if one’s power is great enough, a princess would even marry a Pigman.”

This statement was a bit of a shock to the young woman.

Leech had no desire to argue with her further. She had likely lived her whole life in an ivory tower, while he had to return to the barren Porcupine Territory. Their paths would not cross again.

He gathered his books, stood up, and left.