Lord of Rot

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

The water-powered hammer rose swiftly, then fell freely, striking with immense force!

Sparks flew as the hammer, weighing several hundred pounds, pounded the red-hot block of iron.

The workstations in the assembly line factory were spaced as far apart as possible. The roof was raised high to ensure ventilation, and several small channels of water flowed through to prevent fires, yet the temperature didn’t drop in the slightest.

Leech took a tour of the factory. The blacksmith apprentices on each line were all busy with their tasks.

The concept of an assembly line had been introduced, but things weren’t as simple as they seemed. Crafting armor still required experience. The scene the master blacksmiths had envisioned—supervising with their hands behind their backs while sipping tea—had not materialized. Instead, whenever they saw a substandard piece, they had no choice but to rush over and help fix it themselves.

Could they refuse? They only got paid for each completed suit of armor. If they couldn’t produce one, they wouldn’t earn a single copper star. Ever since production began, they had been working no less than usual, even putting in overtime every day, yet they were earning much less.

But if you were to ask the blacksmiths if they still supported this new method, they would raise both hands in agreement. Any discerning eye could see that the apprentices were getting more and more skilled.

’The days of earning money just by sipping tea and making my rounds are almost here!’

”My Lord, these are the ones we’ve recently finished.”

A blacksmith approached and respectfully explained to Leech, ”We’ve made four suits in total.”

Four suits. That was even slower than previously anticipated. A few master blacksmiths working together could have forged five suits by now. But now, even with a group of toiling apprentices on the assembly line, the pace was actually slower.

And they had wasted quite a bit of material.

’So this is the difference between teaching others and doing it yourself.’

It was all an initial investment. Leech told himself he could bear it.

Leech picked up a suit of armor. It was similar in design to the one Little Joel had tried on before. It wasn’t refined, but its thick material would provide an ample sense of security when worn.

”Help me forge a few more suits of armor,” Leech said. ”I’ll give you the body measurements after we finish this batch for the Porcupine Soldiers.”

”Yes, My Lord!”

Leech planned to outfit his Corpse Ghosts with armor as well. The two Corpse Ghosts’ strength already far surpassed that of ordinary people, so a few dozen pounds of extra weight would hardly affect them.

As he left, Leech also took some iron cans. He planned to take down the long-haired monsters in the cape caverns within the next couple of days.

「...」

”My Lord! Allow me to formally introduce you. This is the brewmaster, Mr. Bommer!”

That afternoon, as Leech was reading in the shade of a tree, an excited Joe arrived with a white-haired, hook-nosed man in a long robe.

”Good day, honored Lord!” Bommer bowed, his etiquette impeccable.

”Good day, Mr. Bommer.”

Leech sized up the elegant brewmaster. He was about Gelan’s age, yet his bearing could rival Simon’s.

He remembered Gelan had specifically come to tell him that Joe would be bringing a brewer with terrible skills.

He had been puzzled then, and seeing the man now only made him more curious.

’There’s definitely something more to this story.’

Leech asked, ”Mr. Bommer, where did you brew before?”

”I brewed for Sir Sour Apple,” the brewmaster said. ”I was responsible for running his brewery.”

Sour Apple. A ”village-level” lord who grew sour apple trees and governed a small village of fifty to sixty people. The villagers normally farmed to feed themselves and pay taxes, and come July or August, they would harvest the sour apples for brewing.

Incidentally, a portion of the cheap beer Joe had previously purchased came from Sir Sour Apple.

It was cheap and plentiful. And while the taste wasn’t great, it was still beer.

As for Sir Sour Apple, Leech only knew that his grandfather’s generation had once been quite influential. However, years of war had left the family’s succession in jeopardy and saddled them with significant external debt. Eventually, the heirless village sought out Sour Apple, who was then a brewer’s apprentice. As a relatively close relative from a branch family, he held the right of succession.

They told Sour Apple that he no longer had to brew; he could go be a noble lord.

I Just Learned to Brew and Now I Have to Be a Lord?

If Sour Apple had known what awaited him, he would have surely regretted becoming a noble lord, because what was waiting for him wasn’t the life of a noble, but a mountain of debt.

But Sour Apple was very capable. Relying on his brewing skills, he actually managed to slowly pay off the debt.

His Sour Apple beer even became an incredibly popular drink among the common folk.

”The beer you brew tastes quite good,” Leech said matter-of-factly.

He had tried Sour Apple beer before. While it couldn’t compare to barley beer, he wasn’t particularly picky. It was drinkable.

The slightly sour taste wasn’t unacceptable either, not as terrible as Gelan had made it out to be.

”Why did you stop working for Sir Sour Apple?” Leech asked.

Bommer bowed slightly and said, ”Because I am in debt. I borrowed a lot of money to help my family in the past. The salary from brewing for Sir Sour Apple was considerable, but it wasn’t enough for me to repay my debts.”

It was a less-than-convincing excuse, but Leech understood his meaning. He needed money, so he was looking for a new job.

”I do indeed have plans to build a brewery,” Leech said. ”If you can make the brewery profitable, I don’t mind helping you pay off your debt.”

The prerequisites were that it had to be profitable, and the beer had to taste good.

’Who knew if he could actually brew, or if he was just borrowing Sir Sour Apple’s name.’

”Of course, My Lord!”

”Joe, you’ve brought back the talent Porcupine Castle needs most,” Leech said with a smile. ”Take Mr. Bommer to get some rest for now. After dinner, I expect I’ll discuss brewing matters with Mr. Bommer and Gelan.”