Lord of Rot

The reason was that the servants all disliked Simon, and Simon was always finding fault with them.

Arriving at the stables, the Firemane mare was leisurely eating fodder. This was her afternoon tea; her main diet consisted of grains like oats and wheat.

”How is she?” Leech had been visiting more and more frequently, which meant the Groom didn’t dare to slack off, always ready for the Baron’s inspection.

”She’s in great shape,” the Groom said. ”I estimate she has a month at most. She should give birth by mid-September.”

Leech broke into a smile. ”Make sure the Firemane mare is safe, well-fed, and has a smooth delivery!”

”Yes, Lord!” The Groom nodded.

This was the third time he had heard those words today, which showed just how much importance the Lord placed on the Firemane mare’s foaling.

The offspring of a Griffin and a Firemane mare. The books said it would be a Horse-headed Eagle—a horse that could fly. Who wouldn’t be thrilled by that?

For now, there was no other breeding work in the stables.

In the future, if he wanted to raise Cavalry, he would need to introduce some swift horses with excellent bloodlines, even if they weren’t the top-tier Firemane breed from East Gorge. But breeding stallions always had to be purchased at a great expense.

Just like the mounts of his two young attendants and Kuai Renqi, their bloodlines were also excellent.

However, any excellent horse fit for the battlefield was certainly gelded. Otherwise, the stallions would go into rut, lose weight, and become irritable and difficult to control.

Porcupine Territory could get into animal husbandry, but having its own horse farm for breeding superior bloodlines was a bit of a pipe dream. A warhorse on the market cost around two to three Jinri, an expense he simply couldn’t afford.

’I only have a few hundred Jinri in my pocket. It’s nowhere near enough.’

His attendant, Luobo, brought a horse over, and Leech swung himself into the saddle.

”To the carpenter’s shop,” Leech said.

”Yes,” Luobo nodded, leading the horse on foot.

The afternoon sun was scorching. Normally, Leech wouldn’t choose to go out at this time of day. He could be reading a book, taking an afternoon nap, or even chatting with the Corpse Ghost and teaching it to read Chinese characters.

But there was something that required his personal attention.

As they passed the low, earthen houses of Maitian Village, the rich aroma of stewed beans wafted through the air.

Someone was just now having their meal.

The women chose to cook in their doorways, as lighting a fire inside would make the rooms unbearably hot.

People greeted Leech, and he nodded in return. ’Simple country life isn’t so bad,’ he thought. ’Because information travels slowly, you hear about fewer bad people and fewer bad deeds, which makes it seem like there are more good people around.’

Two barefoot boys, leaves pursed between their lips, followed the Minstrel’s son, Pilite. They were trying to learn how to play a melody, but could only manage to produce sputtering sounds.

Leech paid Pilite a salary to occasionally hold solo concerts. The entire ”arts and entertainment” scene of Porcupine Territory rested on Pilite’s shoulders. After dinner, the small square became his personal stage.

He also turned Leech’s stories into songs, which he performed with his fine voice. His singing could even be heard from within the castle of Porcupine Territory.

When Pilite saw Leech approaching on horseback, he immediately stood, bowed, and placed his right hand over his chest.

The two boys followed his example. Their clumsy imitation was rather adorable.

’They’re all part of the vital force that will develop Porcupine Territory in the future.’

Leech smiled and nodded.

Upon reaching the carpenter’s shop, Leech took out the ”energy storage rod.” The old carpenters who gathered around stared blankly, not understanding what their Lord was doing.

’He doesn’t want to mass-produce this thing, does he? That can’t be right.’

”This is a Magic Item,” Leech explained with a deadpan expression, as if he were holding just any ordinary Magic Item.

’As long as I’m not the one feeling awkward.’

”I need you to help me modify it. Turn it into a walking cane.”

’It’s perfectly reasonable for a nobleman to carry a cane when he goes out, right?’

”Change its appearance as much as possible,” he stressed. ”But don’t damage the stone.”

”Yes!”

The carpenters nodded hastily.

’Oh, so it’s a Magic Item. It’s normal for them to be a bit strangely shaped... right?’

”I have a few other requirements. I want the cane to become a whip when it’s taken apart,” Leech added, gesturing to illustrate his concept.

’That would increase the area of effect for the frost enchantment.’

”Lord, that will be difficult,” one carpenter said. ”Turning it into a whip wouldn’t be hard, but how would you retract it back into a cane?”

Another suggested, ”Why not make it into a rapier?”

”Some nobles like to have those.”

Leech refused without hesitation. ”I already have a sword that suits me better.”

He didn’t need a rapier for self-defense. Besides, a rapier was useless against an armored Soldier; you’d be better off turning to flee.

After thinking for a moment, Leech said, ”All right, just make it into a cane for now.”

’At least I’ll be able to carry it around in public. If I tried to fight someone with it in its current state, I’d probably be seen as a pervert.’

”Yes, Lord!”

Leech still needed to inspect the main plots of reclaimed wasteland and the land set aside for new housing. But his primary goal was to enjoy a leisurely ride on horseback and feel the gentle forest breeze.

After Leech left, the carpenters gathered together. They quickly drew up a schematic and prepared to start by cutting a small notch in the wooden rod to connect the main shaft of the cane.

But when a carpenter took a carving knife to it, he tried again and again, only to discover a problem.

”This wood is harder than iron!”

”Then what do we do? The Lord said we have to change its shape.”

The carpenters broke into a discussion. They tried using a hammer and chisel, and even a saw, but couldn’t make a dent.

A young, pointy-nosed carpenter said, ”Why don’t we go to the blacksmiths?”

”What for?”

The blacksmiths and carpenters had collaborated many times, but the carpenters still didn’t believe their work required any help from a blacksmith.

The pointy-nosed man said, ”We could have the blacksmiths forge an iron cane and conceal this wooden rod inside it.”

”Would... would that work?”

”We have to try something.”

The task was entrusted to the pointy-nosed carpenter. He ran to the forge and explained the situation. Upon hearing the work was for the Lord’s cane, one of the blacksmiths immediately volunteered, offering to do it for free.

He had heard they were going to choose a foreman for the forge, and every blacksmith had a chance. ’This is my time to shine.’

They wrapped the wooden rod in red-hot sheet iron, leaving only the round gemstone at the end exposed.

Then, they hammered it into shape, reducing its weight.

The pointy-nosed carpenter then took over, meticulously polishing and decorating it.

When the finished cane was placed in Leech’s hands, he barely recognized it.

The R-rated energy storage rod had been transformed into an elegant walking cane. Aside from the gemstone, not a single trace of its original form remained.

It was a T-handle cane, with a solid weight that fit his hand perfectly.

”Excellent work,” Leech said, thoroughly pleased.

He looked at the pointy-nosed carpenter. As the successor to the deceased dwarf carpenter, the young man was a hard worker, but he rarely got a chance to prove himself among the more senior craftsmen.

”How is Cao Ya?”

”She’s due soon. She’s very healthy, Lord.”

”Take good care of her.”

Leech felt it was best not to say more. ’My master’s wife is my wife, and the junior apprentice she’s about to give birth to is actually my son.’

’Luckily, this world isn’t so concerned with these things. As long as you don’t try to sort it all out, it doesn’t seem that complicated.’

’Things like an uncle marrying his niece, a nephew marrying his aunt, or a sister marrying her brother were practically common practice.’

’It was all to guarantee the purity of the bloodline.’

’And Leech had never heard of any Lu Leiyans born from incestuous marriages having genetic defects. Perhaps it really was the power of their blood?’

Leech said, ”Wait. I have another job for you. It’s a... uh... new idea of mine.”

”Yes, Lord! Please, give me your instructions!” the pointy-nosed carpenter replied excitedly.

’He was all too familiar with those words. They weren’t usually directed at him, but at his master, Fla.’

’Whenever the Lord said that, a new invention would follow.’

”It’s not actually difficult,” Leech said, ”but it will require a lot of trial and error.”

”I want you to make a whistle. It’s like how those children use leaves to make a sound, but this device just needs to be held in your mouth to be blown at any time. The sound must be clear and loud enough for hundreds, even thousands, of people to hear easily!”

”Yes!”

”I’ll draw you a rough diagram, but you’ll have to figure out the specifics of how to make it produce a sound... If you make a good one, you can collaborate with the blacksmiths to create iron versions that are sturdier and more durable.”

When Leech saw the children following Pilite and blowing on leaves, appreciation was not the first thing on his mind.

During the recent skirmish at Waterfall Land to seize captives and slaves, the battlefield had been pure chaos. The air was filled with a cacophony of shouts, screams of pain, and angry curses. His own Soldiers couldn’t hear his commands over the din, and everything had descended into a disorganized mess. Relying on his voice alone had been completely useless.

’And that was with just a hundred men. If I have more Soldiers in the future, how am I supposed to command a battle?’

Some large-scale wars used war horns, but they weren’t flexible enough on the battlefield, generally limited to signaling ”advance” and ”retreat.”

A military whistle, however, would be essential. It could be used to relay information with much more flexibility.

’Since there’s downtime, I might as well use it to train the troops.’