Lord of Rot

After Leech’s order was sent out, work in Beekeeping Village progressed quickly. A small keg of honey was delivered to the castle.

After dinner, Leech went to the kitchen.

The castle’s kitchen had been expanded and had several stoves.

When Leech needed a meal, the cooks would work together, all starting at the same time.

Each one would prepare a single dish.

The advantage was that in the winter, all the dishes served at once would stay hot. There was no need to worry about one dish getting cold before the next one was brought to the table.

The disadvantage was the heat.

When the stoves were fired up, the apprentice cooks would be drenched in sweat.

The kitchen’s temperature would rise to a terrifying level.

Fortunately, Leech’s appetite wasn’t great in the summer. He didn’t like overly greasy dishes, preferring cold salads, marinated vegetables, and the like.

The kitchen had already been cleaned. The wooden tabletop had clearly just been wiped, and was still slightly damp.

”My Lord!” Oakbasin stood by the stove, where a pot of water was heating up.

She knew the Lord liked to drink boiled water after dinner. Sometimes he would simply stir in some honey, other times he would make tea. His choice depended on whether he planned to stay up late and needed something to keep him awake.

But he always wanted something to drink.

”Where is that keg of honey from Beekeeping Village?”

”Right here.”

Oakbasin immediately began to search for it, then struggled to carry over a small wooden keg weighing about twenty pounds. Seeing her struggle, Leech reached out and helped her lift the honey keg onto the table.

”Thank you, my Lord!” Oakbasin’s cheeks were slightly flushed from the effort.

”You’re welcome, Miss Oakbasin,” Leech said as he removed the lid. ”May I have a taste?”

”I’ll get you a spoon right away!”

There was no need to worry about honey spoiling, as bacteria couldn’t survive in it. However, it still needed to be sealed properly to keep out dust and ants. After all, Arkke wasn’t always on guard inside Porcupine Castle.

Oakbasin brought over a clean iron spoon.

Leech scooped a spoonful of honey into his mouth.

Oakbasin’s mouth fell slightly agape. She knew her lord’s preferences; he was the type to frown and spit out pure sugar if you shoved it in his mouth.

He absolutely, positively could not stand anything sickeningly sweet.

The sweetness was indeed a bit much for Leech, as he wasn’t fond of sugary things. But he was more focused on the changes in his body than the taste in his mouth.

’The feeling is subtle. I was feeling a bit sluggish after dinner, but now I suddenly have energy, like I’ve recovered.’

’This means the nectar collected by that Extraordinary bee has been delivered!’

’If I drink water with this Griffin Grass honey for a long time, will it affect my constitution even a little? Could it make me stronger?’

”From now on, when you make me honey water, please use the honey from this keg,” Leech said.

Oakbasin nodded. ”Yes, my Lord!”

’She didn’t know what was different about this honey, but since the Lord had given an order, she would obediently follow it.’

As Leech left, Oakbasin suddenly cried out, ”Ah!” She had just realized she was still heating water and had completely forgotten to watch the fire. Fortunately, nothing disastrous had happened.

「Back in the study」

Gelan was already there, waiting for him with a thick stack of papers.

”My Lord!” Gelan immediately stood up when he saw Leech return.

A few chairs were arranged in the study. Leech, considerate as ever, knew that discussions could be tiring work.

Gelan remained standing, watching his Lord place his cane on a rack before pulling out a chair and sitting behind the desk.

Leech steepled his fingers, rested his chin on them, and asked, ”The plans?”

”Yes. Regarding your proposal to clear land for farming, I personally led a team to inspect the soil. The area you mentioned is suitable for cultivation,” Gelan said with a nod. ”However, housing is a bit tight. I’m afraid construction on the commercial district will have to be put on hold so we can first build the residential area you’ve planned out.”

”In that case, have the masonry teams find the time to build a few large dormitories first.”

Slaves will live in the dormitories. Serfs, if they have money, can purchase houses from the castle, but they are absolutely forbidden from building their own.

Otherwise, they’d spring up like an ugly rash. He was spending all this money and effort precisely for proper urban planning.

Everyone knew the houses in Livestock Village were better than those in Maitian Village, but that was because the Lord had provided them. If left to their own devices, they would inevitably build something that looked just like Maitian Village.

’The houses I build are cheap enough that if a serf actually has the money to build their own, it’s far more cost-effective just to buy one from me. I’m sure everyone can understand that logic.’

’Porcupine Territory doesn’t deal in real estate. Houses are for people to live in.’

’As for future price fluctuations, I’ll do my best to control them. Besides, the nights in Porcupine Territory are too dark. I’m planning to erect streetlights, and I can hang some things on them then, too.’

’In the beginning, the serfs won’t have much money, and with the housing shortage, they can live in the large dormitories for now.’

”Large dormitories?” Gelan was puzzled. ”According to your plans, that segment of the serf population will have their own private property. They might not be willing to live in dormitories.”

”But we have no vacant houses at the moment. There are quite a few slaves sleeping on the streets lately. And once the dormitories are built, they can house people who don’t plan on getting their own place just yet,” Leech said. ”Don’t we have a policy that allows people to buy their freedom? What if someone buys their freedom but has no money left for a house?”

The corner of Gelan’s mouth twitched.

’How could they possibly have nowhere to live?’

’Slaves can only earn work points, which means they can’t buy their own freedom.’

’Under the current system, the only way for a slave to be freed is if a relative pays for it. And if their relatives have enough money to buy their freedom, would they really let them go without a place to live?’

”Perhaps some would choose to live in the dormitories if it’s free,” Leech said. ”Believe me, Gelan. Many people would rather live in a dorm, even if it’s just to save a little money. As a lord, I should give everyone options, not force their hand.”

”Your benevolence shames me,” Gelan said, lowering his head.

Leech smiled. ”Anything else?”

’This isn’t about benevolence. A population of just over two thousand? Am I supposed to be satisfied with that? No, I want more people, so construction can’t stop. Dormitories are the fastest way to solve the housing crisis. I’m not afraid of building too many; I’m certain I can fill them all.’

’After a while, when things calm down, I can write a few letters to my grandfather, cry poor, and see if I can get some more slaves.’

”They are all rather trivial matters, but they require your review.”

The ”trivial matters” Gelan spoke of included a sow giving birth to a litter, a fox breaking its chain and getting into the henhouse to kill three chickens, and the death of a dairy cow.

Someone at the brick kiln suffered heatstroke, but the Alchemist managed to save them.

The blacksmith’s forge needs more iron, which will require an allocation of funds.

The fishermen who returned with Leech have settled in and have begun digging channels to divert water for fish farming.

Old Captain Piri is selecting qualified sailors. After seeing the ship moored outside Porcupine Territory, he decided to start by picking twenty strong young men.

Half of the sailors Leech had previously recruited were deemed unqualified by the old Captain.

”They’re just fishermen,” Gelan said. ”Not sailors at all.”

Leech: ”...”

’Fishermen, then. Raising freshwater fish in Porcupine Territory is just for a change of pace, anyway. The environment isn’t right for it. Since we’re right by the sea, going out to fish is the best option.’

”Also, Qiao Wei mentioned he will be bringing back a brewer.”

”A brewer?” Leech was surprised. ”He never told me that.”

Gelan said, ”He wanted it to be a surprise for you.”

”But you’ve told me first,” Leech said, smiling at Gelan.

”Yes,” Gelan admitted with a nod. ”Because I hope you will lower your expectations for this brewer. I heard from Qiao Wei that the liquor he makes doesn’t taste very good.”

He was being diplomatic.

Leech understood. Gelan was giving him a heads-up on Qiao Wei’s behalf. ’For a man like Gelan, working for a Baron is about avoiding mistakes, not necessarily achieving great merits. That’s the typical mindset of an administrator.’

’Qiao Wei, on the other hand, was more inclined to achieve great things, for his own reasons.’

’Because of the monsters on Pig Head Mountain.’

’Leech had made him a promise. It seemed that after hearing about Leech’s victory, Qiao Wei’s motivation had been rekindled.’

”Don’t worry. As long as he understands brewing,” Leech said, ”I won’t hold it against him.”

A brewer’s status was nothing to scoff at. The Lu Leiyans were a nation of drinkers, and Leech hadn’t been able to hire one even when he tried.

A series of other reports followed.

Some people had fallen ill, others were injured. There was good news, too: someone in the territory was pregnant, which meant that in ten months, Porcupine Territory would welcome a few newborns.

After Gelan left, Leech collapsed into his chair.

”Phew!”

’So exhausting.’

’Being a lord always means having to deal with this sort of mess.’

He drank the honey water that had been brought to him, and some of his vitality returned.

He left the study and went to the garden. There, he opened a tombstone and entered a crypt.

Leech had started to consciously set aside one evening at a time to study the Fishman crystal.

’The simplest method was to pour my Spiritual Power into it.’

”It’s working!”

He looked at the Fishman crystal, pleasantly surprised.

’I tried before and it was useless, but now that I have over forty units of Spiritual Power, it seems to be different.’

A new Magic spell was rapidly taking form in Leech’s mind!