Lord of Rot

Iron Stone City.

Leech changed into the black robe he had prepared long ago. After hurrying through the slums of Iron Stone City, he arrived at a small alley guarded by Soldiers.

Entry was forbidden to anyone not in a masked, black robe.

’Interesting.’

’If you threw a rock in here, you’d probably hit a noble.’

Nobles had the strangest hobbies. They could have traded openly, but instead, they preferred to buy things with their faces covered, savoring the thrill of secrecy.

He walked into the crowd and blended in seamlessly.

The Black Market in Iron Stone City was larger than the one in Linta Bay. He figured it was due to the city’s reputation as a ”holy land”—you wouldn’t leave empty-handed; you were bound to find something of value.

With Bode not around, Leech strolled about on his own, in no hurry at all.

He stopped in front of a stall selling slaves.

In the cage was a male Sub-human with a crow’s head.

Its beak was bound with rope.

It had a powerful build.

But it seemed very timid.

”What species is this?” Leech asked curiously.

”Don’t know. Caught it by chance.” The stall owner had a good temper, probably because he knew that the people who came to the Black Market all had some status. It was like a nobleman’s masquerade ball; they were here to enjoy the atmosphere, not to make enemies.

”Is it smart?”

”Not very. About as smart as a bird.”

”Tsk.”

’What a shame,’ Leech thought. ’If the creature in the cage had crow’s wings instead of a crow’s head and could fly, it would make a great aerial scout. The price would be astronomical.’

He didn’t ask the price and turned to leave.

’Too bad I haven’t seen any female Sub-humans. I’m not exactly short on cash right now. It would be nice to buy a Cat-eared Lady to be a maid back at the castle. Some expenses are worth it.’

The only female Sub-human he did see had a pig’s head and an obese body, like a pig standing on its hind legs. It reminded Leech of a scene from *Spirited Away*, and the sight of it was unsettling.

And there were no Transcendents for sale either.

’Useless, all useless.’ Leech crouched in front of a stall. He strongly suspected the owner was related to Kunber Aix of the ”Soft Rice Clan,” judging by all the random junk they’d collected.

Leech suddenly paused.

He saw a metal plate gauntlet with intricate patterns etched onto its surface. It wasn’t a magical item.

”May I take a look?” he asked, pointing at the plate gauntlet.

”You may.”

The stall owner was more than happy to share his collection.

Leech picked up the gauntlet. It was unexpectedly light. He tapped it gently; from the sound, it was definitely metal.

”What material is this?”

”Mithril.”

”Mithril?” Leech was surprised.

In *The Lord of the Rings*, Bilbo Baggins had a small Mithril shirt, claimed to be as hard as dragon scales and as light as a feather.

The Mithril recorded on the Lu Leiyi Continent was much the same: stronger than steel but far lighter. It was also an extremely precious alchemy and Magic material. It was said that adding Mithril to a weapon could turn it into a peerless Divine Weapon.

”It’s Mithril,” the owner said with great certainty.

Leech turned the gauntlet over, his cheek twitching slightly.

Though he didn’t often fight in armor, he knew some pieces were decorated with steel spikes. Some of the more frenzied Warriors armed themselves this way.

But he had never seen a gauntlet stuffed full of spikes on the inside.

He couldn’t even imagine how to wear this thing.

Sticking your hand in would be no different from feeding it into a meat grinder.

”It’s always been like this,” the owner said, his voice lacking some confidence. ”It should have... some kind of wondrous magical power.”

”Do you have the full set?” Leech asked.

”No, just this piece.”

’So not only is it an incomplete set, but to wear it into battle, I’d have to turn my hand into a pincushion first.’

’I wouldn’t take this even if it were made of dragon scales, let alone Mithril.’

’Once Mithril is forged, it’s difficult to re-melt. Besides, it’s not impossible to buy more, it’s just expensive. No need to get hung up on this particular piece.’

”How much?”

”30 Jinri.”

Leech put the gauntlet down immediately, half-afraid the owner would try to charge him just for touching it.

He got up and walked away without the slightest hesitation.

’It’s kind of frustrating having money in my pocket and not being able to spend it.’

Soon, Leech followed the clue Ma Wei had given him and found the Hunter’s stall.

”What are you buying?” From the voice, it was a woman.

’I wonder if her hair is silver,’ Leech thought.

”A friend recommended you,” he said. ”I’d like to buy some Magic Potion seeds to grow myself.”

”I happen to have some seeds on me.”

She took out several small bags and placed them in front of Leech.

The bags were open, and Leech peered inside. The seeds looked unremarkable; he couldn’t identify any of them.

He asked, ”Which one is Ghost Finger Grass?”

”You want Ghost Finger Grass?” She hadn’t expected that.

Leech nodded. ”If you don’t have it, something like Placenta, Red Dragon’s Tongue, Wife’s Orchid, or Armor Herb will do.”

He listed off the difficult-to-grow magical plants that Ma Wei had mentioned.

”...”

She paused for a long moment. ”I only have Ghost Finger Grass. I don’t have any of the others.”

”Ghost Finger Grass is fine. Which one is it?” Leech looked at her bags.

The female Hunter said, ”Growing Ghost Finger Grass produces a lethal, toxic mist. The plant also requires constant human attention, or it will wither. Some even call it the Life-Reaping Potion. Are you sure you want it?”

She figured some young noble had heard about Ghost Finger Grass somewhere and came to buy some on a whim.

From Leech’s tone, she could tell he knew nothing about cultivating magical plants.

”That’s right.”

The Magic Potion made from Ghost Finger Grass would induce a state of poisoning when consumed.

Poisonous Snake Elo needed this kind of Magic Potion.

’I don’t need poisons,’ Leech thought. ’With Aina around, getting a lethal toxin is simple enough. Growing these plants is just a sudden experiment, a pilot project to see what happens.’

”This bag.” She didn’t press the issue, handing Leech a sack about half the size of a fist. ”If you manage to cultivate the Ghost Finger Grass, I’m willing to buy it from you.”

”How do I contact you?”

’The sale isn’t important, but getting to know a skilled potion maker? Now that’s a different story!’

”In December, I should still be near Iron Stone City. You can go to the slums and find a boy named Fanong Gold. He’ll bring you to me.”

”Got it.”

He then asked her for some more details on growing Ghost Finger Grass, especially confirming whether it needed sunlight. If it needed sunlight, he would have to set aside a plot of land in Porcupine Territory specifically for cultivation. Fortunately, this strange magical plant didn’t need sunlight; a dark, sunless environment was more suitable for its growth.

”How much?”

”1 Jinri.”

’Is she fleecing me?’

’I’ll have to risk my life to grow this, and the seeds are still this expensive.’

Still, Leech obediently paid. He figured once he finished his current business, he’d just find that Fanong Gold kid and have him take him straight to the female Hunter.

”What Magic Potion is this?” Leech noticed she was also selling Magic Potions, contained in small, thumb-sized glass vials.

There were six types in total.

”Hunter Potion.” After taking the money, the female Hunter’s attitude improved quite a bit. ”For a period after drinking it, it increases your focus and makes your eyes and ears more sensitive. Price is 3 Jinri.”

”Potion of Strength. Makes your body stronger for a time after drinking it, but you’ll lose some of your reason. Sells for 2 Jinri.”

”Lucky Potion. This is a miraculous potion I developed based on ancient books. For a period after drinking it, good things will happen. Price is 10 Jinri.”

”COUGH! COUGH!” Leech was startled.

’The others were 1 or 2 Jinri, which was fine, and then suddenly there’s one for 10 Jinri?’

’Is selling Magic Potions really this profitable?’

”Stone Skin Potion. After drinking it, a layer of stone skin will form on your skin. Price is 5 Jinri.”

”Fleetfoot Magic Potion. After drinking it, you’ll run faster. Price is 4 Jinri.”

”Mind Magic Potion. It can restore Spiritual Power. Price is 3 Jinri.”

Leech found that he was interested in every single one of these potions. ’The Potion of Strength might turn you into an idiot, but that depends on the user. If I used it on a brainless corpse, would that make it even stronger?’

’Although, whether a Magic Potion would even work on a corpse is another question entirely.’

’The Mind Magic Potion is obviously a ”mana potion.” Draining my Spiritual Power is a major issue for me, but 3 Jinri is a ridiculous price, and I have no idea how much Spiritual Power it actually restores.’

’I’ve already mastered Stone Skin myself, but I’m tempted to buy a bottle just to see which is tougher—the potion or my own magic.’

”If I take them all,” Leech said, ”can you give me a discount?”

He just had a sudden impulse to buy them all. Maybe it was seeing a complete set of potions that piqued his curiosity. Or maybe it was just that he had money burning a hole in his pocket.

The female Hunter suddenly looked up. Her mask hid her face, but Leech was sure she was excited by his grand gesture.

’Rich guys really do shine everywhere they go.’

”I can give you a discount of 1 Jinri!”

’I’ve finally met someone even greedier than I am.’

’I’m buying all these potions, and she’s only knocking off 1 Jinri?’

He decisively took out the money and said, ”I hope your Magic Potions actually work. Otherwise...”

’...Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind adding one more Hunter to my Corpse Ghost collection. Hunters are said to be Transcendents, after all.’

”Don’t worry,” the female Hunter said. ”They’re definitely effective.”

Leech put the Magic Potions into a bag, hung it at his waist, then took out the bottle of Lucky Potion, pulled out the stopper, lifted his mask, and poured it directly into his mouth.

”...You,” the female Hunter was at a loss for words. ”You’re using it right here?”

”I’m testing to see if the Lucky Potion works,” Leech said. ”If I drink it now and it’s ineffective, we can discuss a refund right away. Saves us the trouble of arguing about it later.”

He asked, ”How long does this potion take to work?”

The Lucky Potion went down, but he felt no special effect. It even tasted a bit sweet and sour. If a tiny bottle didn’t cost 10 Jinri, Leech would have seriously considered adding this stuff to his daily beverage rotation.

”It could be the next moment, or it could be tonight,” the female Hunter said. ”The Lucky Potion increases the probability of good things happening around you and decreases the probability of unfavorable situations. It doesn’t mean you’ll definitely be lucky just because you drank it.”

”...”

Leech felt like he’d been tricked. ”Then how can you prove this potion has any effect?”

The female Hunter replied, ”I drank a bottle right before coming to the Black Market.”

’So you ran into a sucker like me who buys things without batting an eye?’

’That’s... surprisingly convincing. I have no rebuttal.’

After leaving the Hunter’s stall, Leech wandered around the Black Market for several more laps, but Lady Luck never graced him with her presence. Helpless, he could only leave the Black Market.

’At least I got what I came here for.’

Just as Leech found a place to take off his mask and black robe, he suddenly saw a figure.

’Okay, now I believe in the Lucky Potion. I really am lucky!’

’I can’t believe it! The Caster who visited Longship Castle is here at the Black Market too, and it looks like he’s all by himself!’