Lord of Rot

”We’ll be leaving in a few days, Scholar Toma. You can bring whatever you need,” Leech said. ”But don’t bring too much. Our caravan can’t carry a lot of luggage.”

”Of course.”

Scholar Toma nodded. ”With your support, we can just buy everything again.”

’So he really does see me as a cash cow!’

Leech smiled. ”I’ll be going now. Oh, right, this is your Ring of Invisibility.”

He placed the ring on the table. He wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal an invisible ring.

”My ring!” Scholar Toma exclaimed, reaching for it in surprise.

Then... CLINK!

The ring seemed to have dropped on the floor. Leech pushed open the door to leave, and as he sent out a quick ’be right back’ message, he glanced back to see Scholar Toma with his rear in the air, searching for his ring on the ground.

’Hope he can find it.’

’But in a room so cluttered you could barely find a place to stand, trying to find an invisible ring increased the difficulty by several hundredfold.’

’I’m definitely not angry because Scholar Toma took me for a sucker. Definitely not. I’m not that petty.’

「That evening.」

Guy, who had been staying in the next room, received a new magical message.

The gathering was about to begin.

The location was beneath the ruins of the Scholar Tower in Burning City.

As instructed, Guy donned a black robe, concealing his entire face beneath its large hood. After putting on a mask, he headed to the ruins of the Scholar Tower alone.

He appeared to be alone, but in reality, Leech’s consciousness was focused on Guy. Even the Water Nymph had floated over, her curiosity piqued.

One body, three voices conversing in a single mind.

「The ruins of the Scholar Tower.」

War had destroyed the place, leaving only a pile of rubble and a single, stubbornly standing doorway.

The door was ajar.

SQUEAK SQUEAK.

A mouse stopped by Guy’s feet and looked up at him, its little paws raised.

After circling him once, the mouse ran forward.

Guy stood in place.

The mouse stopped, turned its head, and seeing Guy hadn’t followed, let out two more SQUEAKS in his direction.

Guy understood it was urging him on and followed it.

After a roundabout path, there was a hole in the ground.

The mouse squeaked at Guy a few times, then ran inside.

Below were stone steps, but there was no handrail, and no light whatsoever.

’This is nothing,’ Leech thought. He could see perfectly even without a shred of light. What surprised him was the underground space itself. The stone steps were incredibly steep and broken in many places. ’One careless slip, and you’d surely break a bone.’

Of course, such a minor danger was no problem for a Transcendent.

Chasing after the nimble mouse, he soon reached the bottom level.

Once he reached the bottom, he finally saw burning torches. The flickering flames made the shadows dance, stretching them long one moment and shrinking them short the next.

Twelve chairs, but only seven people had arrived.

Like Guy, these seven people were shrouded in black robes and wore masks, their features completely obscured.

Leech noted that the mouse scampered over to the feet of a person on the right, squeaked twice, and then departed.

’Someone can control mice.’

’An ability that would be impossible to guard against.’

’Looks like it was a good thing I decided we should operate separately before entering Burning City.’

He had Guy find an empty chair and sit. The person to his right suddenly turned their head and cackled at him, ”GA GA GA.” ’It’s probably meant to be a friendly laugh,’ Leech mused, ’though it sounds pretty unsettling.’

”Everyone should be pretty much here.”

The speaker was the Black Ball.

Although the black robe covered his body, it couldn’t conceal his burly frame.

Everyone else sat in their high-backed chairs with room to spare, making the seating seem spacious. But the Black Ball looked as if he were squatting on a tiny stool. The chair beneath his rear looked pitiful, forced to bear a weight it was never meant to hold.

”The others are too far away, they couldn’t make it,” he said.

’So it’s possible to be excused,’ Leech noted internally.

’But he himself was so curious about this gathering of Transcendents that he would have traveled a great distance to attend anyway.’

”Alright,” the Black Ball said. ”Since everyone’s here, I’ll start. I’ve obtained a fruit that can extend one’s life.”

The person with the strange cackle sitting next to Guy spoke, his voice hoarse. ”How are you sure it can extend life?”

”Because I obtained three of them,” the Black Ball said. ”I bled two men, and just as they were about to die, I fed them the fruit. They revived. I didn’t test how long they would live, however, because I killed them again.”

The man beside Guy said no more.

”I’ll take it.” The speaker was seated next to the mouse-controller, and his voice sounded pained. ”What do you need in return?”

”I have a shipment of goods—furs, silverware, and the like—that I need to turn into cash immediately,” the Black Ball said. ”At least 3,000 Jinri.”

”I can’t afford that,” the man with the pained voice said. ”But I can do one thing for you. I can even kill someone, if you need.”

”I just need the money. Sell the goods, get the cash.”

An idea struck Leech, and he had Guy speak up. ”I can help with that, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get the full 3,000 Jinri.”

The Black Ball turned toward Guy. ”The fruit is yours. What else do you need?”

”No, no,” Leech had Guy shake his head. ”I don’t need that fruit. It’s of no use to me.”

”What do you want?”

Leech had Guy turn his head to look at the others. ”They haven’t said what they have yet. I’m not sure what I need.”

’So that’s how this works,’ Leech thought. ’It’s a barter system. The value of an item is determined by the two parties trading, not its objective worth.’

The Black Ball didn’t insist, nodding. ”Fine, then let’s see what the others have.”

”I’ve obtained an ancient Magic Scroll,” said the person next to the Black Ball. ”I can’t understand Magic and have no use for it, but I need a custom-enchanted weapon.”

He looked toward another person, clearly having a specific individual in mind.

That person nodded. ”I can do that, but I need to see the Scroll first.”

The Scroll was passed over.

After looking at it, that person said, ”You’ll have to add another 100 Jinri.”

”That’s too much. 80 Jinri, tops.”

”Deal!”

’How much does an enchanted weapon cost, and what’s a Magic Scroll worth?’ Leech was very curious, but it was a shame he couldn’t get closer to ask for details.

Next, it was the turn of the man who had agreed to the custom enchantment. ”I can custom-enchant a weapon. 200 Jinri per piece.”

’So that Magic Scroll was worth 100 Jinri?’

’But after getting a glimpse of the Magic World, weren’t these prices of several hundred Jinri a bit excessive? The entire Porcupine Territory, with its 2,000 people, barely earned more than that in a month.’

’Leech was tempted. He was drawn to all things magical. Besides, he still hadn’t finished drawing all the treasures from the Cape Grotto.’

”What kind of enchantments can you do?” he asked.

”Sturdiness, Lightness, Cleaning, Repair, Defense, Counter, Deadly Poison, Water Repulsion, and more.” His tone was quite amicable, likely because he knew the person before him was connected to a major deal worth 3,000 Jinri.

”Maybe next time,” Leech said. ”For now, I haven’t found a weapon or armor that needs enchanting.”

’He didn’t have any special needs either, but if he could really enchant a full suit of armor, or a set of weapons, that would be very interesting.’

’No, what would be really interesting is enchanting the gear for the entire army of Porcupine Territory!’

’That would cost... 20,000 Jinri?’

’For 20,000 Jinri, he could just crush his opponents with money alone.’

No one else placed a custom order. The 200 Jinri price tag was simply too frightening. A typical minor noble couldn’t raise that much money even if they sold their entire domain.

It was clear the enchanter operated on a ”one big score a year” business model.

’Still, the price is negotiable,’ Leech considered. ’In the future, maybe I could place a bulk order for a wholesale price.’

The next few people presented their items for trade: curious artifacts, magical items, historical documents, and more.

Finally, it was Guy’s turn.

”I’m looking for magic that can make inanimate objects speak,” Leech announced through Guy. ”Of course, other forms of magic are also acceptable—I can never have too much magical knowledge. I’m also interested in curious artifacts. As for what I can offer, if you have something I need, we can discuss it.”

”I don’t have magic that makes inanimate objects speak,” the massive Black Ball said. ”I do have a curious artifact, but it’s not worth 3,000 Jinri.”

”As long as you have one, we can talk,” Leech said. ”You could throw in that fruit, plus a few other things.”

”Agreed. We can certainly discuss it,” the Black Ball nodded.

Leech had Guy turn to the man who had wanted the fruit earlier. ”You wanted this fruit, didn’t you? What do you have to offer?”

”I’ll kill someone for you.”

”If I want someone dead, I’ll do it myself.” Leech had Guy shake his head. ’Hiring an assassin is no fun. It’s better to kill someone yourself than to pay for it. Besides, the one thing I don’t lack is death-sworn soldiers who aren’t afraid to die.’ ”Do you know any magic?”

The man seemed to understand Leech’s implication. He shook his head and said, ”I know a little, but it’s not something I can teach to others.”

”Then something valuable.”

”A Dragon Ore Gemstone?”

”Deal!”

’He had acquired Intimidation Magic from a Dragon Ore Gemstone last time. Even though he’d never managed to get another spell from one since, that didn’t stop Leech from viewing them as skill-learning items. Besides, abilities comprehended from dragons were far more powerful than ordinary Magic.’

Leech said, ”You can get the gemstone ready. After I finish my transaction with him, we’ll complete ours.”

”No need for that,” the Black Ball interjected. ”It’s only a fruit.”

The Black Ball tossed the fruit over, and the other man handed over a palm-sized black stone.

Leech gleefully had Guy put the gemstone away. ’This trip wasn’t a waste after all.’

The meeting continued for a long time, with everyone making at least some kind of gain. Eventually, people began to leave one by one.

They departed at intervals to ensure no one was followed. But with the mouse-controller present, Leech didn’t believe for a second that they couldn’t be tracked.

In the end, only Guy and the Black Ball remained.

”Let’s go take a look at your goods,” Leech said through Guy.

”Right! Follow me.”

The two left together. After passing through a long alley, they stopped at the gate of a small estate.

There were Soldiers guarding the gate.

The Black Ball held out his hand, holding a token.

The arm was incredibly thick and corded with muscle.

’So he’s connected to a lord, just as I thought.’

They went in. Inside was piled high with goods.

Furs, leather, silverware, pottery, and more.

Several warehouses were filled to the brim, making Leech’s head spin.

”I’ve made a rough estimate,” said the Black Ball. ”It’s worth 3,000 Jinri. As long as you have the cash, all of this is yours. On top of that, I’ll owe you a favor, and I’ll bring you that curious artifact you wanted once the deal is done.”

”I’ll bring my people tomorrow,” Leech said. ”We should be able to take it all.”

’This is perfect. Deni has been worried about not being able to procure goods, since no one wants to do business with him.’

’These are all things Deni needs. The only question is whether he can handle such a large volume.’

’If not, I can contact Claude. Between the two of them, they should be able to take it all.’