Lord of Rot

Leech had Guy return to his quarters, lie down, and close his eyes, just as a normal person would.

The roundtable meeting had given him a general understanding of how it operated.

Unlike the almost playful nature of the Black Market, the roundtable consisted entirely of Transcendents, and the items they offered were far more valuable.

At the very least, he hadn’t lost out by acquiring the dragon ore gemstone. The fruit that increased Life Force, on the other hand, was useless to him. He could tell from Black Ball’s casual attitude that while the fruit had its uses, they were limited.

A mouse scurried out of a hole, its head swiveling from side to side as it sniffed the ground.

SQUEAK SQUEAK. The mouse’s gaze eventually settled on Guy’s quarters. It then turned and scurried back into its hole, its presence going unnoticed.

Leech withdrew his consciousness and let Guy rest.

Though ”rest” wasn’t quite the right word. A Corpse Ghost has no concept of it; it was simply lying on the bed, its mind empty.

Leech, meanwhile, conversed with the Water Nymph. They could essentially confirm that everyone at the gathering was a Transcendent, but none had reached a level beyond Extraordinary.

The next morning, Leech sent one of his men to contact the merchant, Deni.

As a merchant from East Gorge, Deni was extremely respectful of Leech. Being in a foreign land fostered a sense of unity, a natural affinity. ’After all, we’re both East Gorge People.’

When his man found Deni, the merchant was negotiating with a local caravan. But the moment he heard Leech wished to speak with him, he immediately broke off the conversation and departed.

Business in Burning City could wait, but opportunities from Porcupine Territory were not to be missed. He knew which side his bread was buttered on. Besides, Baron Porcupine was a hot commodity among the East Gorge nobility right now—the kind that truly made one’s mouth water.

”Good day, my lord!” When Deni arrived, he found Leech standing in a doorway, leaning on his cane and gazing at the faint outline of a distant volcano.

’To see a volcano this close... it’s truly breathtaking.’

Leech turned to Deni and smiled. ”Mr. Deni, I hope I haven’t interrupted your business.”

”Of course not,” Deni said, shaking his head quickly. Even if he had, he would have said otherwise.

”It was just some trivial business,” Deni sighed. ”The Giant’s Foot merchants prefer to do business with the desert traders. We East Gorge merchants aren’t very popular.”

Despite the war with East Gorge, the merchants here are on friendlier terms with those from the desert. When prices are comparable, the Giant’s Foot merchants will sell to the desert traders out of sheer preference.

If he raised his prices just to compete, his profit margin would be too low. Deni had no desire to be a sucker.

As a result, he’d been here for some time without closing any significant deals—only small ones.

Leech said, ”I have a business proposition for you. I wonder if you’d be interested.”

”A proposition?”

Deni looked at Leech, puzzled. If this was about those fine goods from Porcupine Territory, he was certainly interested.

But he didn’t want this trip to be a total waste, either. He had to buy *something* to take back to East Gorge. To return empty-handed after all the expense in manpower and resources... he’d be a laughingstock among his peers.

”It’s right here in Burning City,” Leech said, lightly tapping the ground with his cane. ”Furs, silverware, pottery, jewelry... They’re all specialties from Giant’s Foot. I’ve just come upon a new supply channel, and I think you’ll be very satisfied. The only issue is the quantity is quite large, and it will take a considerable sum of money to acquire.”

Deni’s eyes lit up, and he said with a grin, ”My lord, please don’t underestimate a merchant from East Gorge. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: No matter how rich you are, there’s always an East Gorge man who’s richer.”

The proverb originated in the royal capital. The treasury had been drained by war, and the King’s chancellor of the exchequer was borrowing money from all quarters. It was a group of East Gorge merchants who funded him.

Afterward, those merchants received unprecedented returns. Some were even granted noble titles.

The saying spread from the chancellor’s own lips: You think you’re wealthy? No, there’s always an East Gorge man who’s richer.

’Good that he’s confident,’ Leech thought. ’Saves me the trouble of finding other backers.’

Leech could see the value in the merchandise himself. Unfortunately, he lacked an established trade route. If he really went to the trouble of scraping together three thousand Jinri, the entire Porcupine Territory would grind to a halt. The gain wouldn’t be worth the cost.

Better to act as a middleman, skim a little profit off the top, and earn some goodwill.

’All it takes is a few words, anyway.’

”Of course, I would never underestimate any merchant from East Gorge.”

Leech instructed his man to take Deni to the manor where the goods were stored. Meanwhile, he had Guy go on ahead to inform the manor’s Soldiers to grant Deni entry.

As Deni entered the manor, his heart pounded wildly in his chest.

He was certain of one thing: Leech had dealings with the nobility of Burning City.

As a merchant, Deni was well aware of the dirty dealings common among the upper nobility. War was a struggle for resources, with the ultimate goal of exchanging benefits at the negotiating table. Anyone who mistook a war between nobles for a personal vendetta was underestimating them. In this day and age, how could there not be blood ties between noble houses? Yet, they still went to war when it suited them.

Deni also had a nagging suspicion that Leech’s presence in Burning City served a more important purpose. This shipment of goods was nothing compared to his true objective.

Otherwise, why hadn’t Leech come himself? Why did he just send a subordinate to lead the way, without even his personal retinue?

And he hadn’t mentioned taking a cut from start to finish, acting purely as a go-between.

’Who introduces someone to a 3,000 Jinri deal without mentioning their own cut? It’s impossible. Baron Porcupine must have negotiated something far more important with the other party. This business is just a small bonus.’

Deni quickly pushed aside his wild thoughts. ’It’s best not to meddle in the affairs of great men. I should just focus on making money.’

’One thing’s for sure,’ he thought. ’I’m getting a fantastic deal!’

Gazing at the mountain of goods, piled high in stack after stack, Deni’s heart swelled with excitement.

’My decision to get on Baron Porcupine’s good side was definitely the right one.’

He had tried every trick in the book, negotiating with countless small-time peddlers, but couldn’t even get a scrap from them. Yet, all he’d done was chat with Baron Porcupine, treat him to a meal, and voice a few complaints, and now this massive gift had fallen right into his lap.

Deni thought to himself, ’Baron Porcupine’s influence is even greater than I imagined. I wasn’t even stopped on my way in, which means the Soldiers already recognized me. I couldn’t buy a thing in Burning City before, probably because the nobles here forbade it... but now I can see all this so easily.’

’If it weren’t for Leech, I probably would’ve had to go back with just a few pieces of silverware, my tail between my legs.’

The Soldier who had guided him left, and a Soldier from Burning City approached to lead Deni to inspect the merchandise.

He was handed a manifest and a price quote.

”Three thousand Jinri?” Deni was astonished. After a quick look at the list, he made a rough mental calculation. He himself would have priced the lot at around 3,500 Jinri, but their asking price was below the market rate in Burning City. He was already making a 500 Jinri profit on the purchase price alone, to say nothing of the resale value.

Furs aren’t valuable in the hot south where no one wears them, but it was a different story in the north.

Winter was approaching, and everyone, from merchants to nobles, needed furs to get through it. This was especially true for the Northern Territory, a place that was cold year-round. Aside from wearing slightly lighter clothing in the summer, its people were bundled in fur coats every other day of the year.

He was confident he could recoup his entire investment, and even turn a tidy profit, from selling just a portion of the furs.

The rest—the silverware, gems, and other items—would be pure profit.

He roughly estimated he stood to make at least 2,000 Jinri.

Of course, the risk was also high. Deni had to cough up 3,000 Jinri in one go to buy the entire lot. If he couldn’t sell it, he’d be stuck with it. But was that really a risk? It was more like an opportunity to feast until he burst. Who ever heard of being unable to sell furs in winter?

As long as the profit was high enough, a merchant would sell the rope to hang himself. Deni wasn’t the least bit afraid of being overwhelmed by this opportunity.

Deni nodded, inwardly ecstatic as he accepted the price.

He suspected Burning City had deliberately offered a low price to do Baron Porcupine a favor.

’I absolutely have to thank Baron Porcupine properly for this!’

「Meanwhile.」

Leech had Guy wait quietly, and at last, his visitor arrived.

Black Ball was still completely wrapped in a black robe. But after catching a glimpse of the muscular arm within last night, Leech no longer believed the figure was a fat man. It had to be a brawny powerhouse, probably similar to how Leech himself looked when he let his own muscles swell.

Black Ball looked at Guy, who hadn’t bothered to disguise his appearance, and seemed somewhat surprised.

”You’re showing your true face?”

Leech had Guy reply, ”Don’t act like you don’t know who I am. We’re here to do business, and that requires a measure of good faith. I am Guy Marvin!”

The figure fell silent. They had clearly known his identity all along; otherwise, they never would have believed he could produce 3,000 Jinri.

”I’ve brought the artifact you wanted,” Black Ball said, producing an iron box. ”You’d best open it in an enclosed space. It’s a bit noisy, and it might try to escape.”

”It’s alive?” Leech stared at the iron box in astonishment. A living artifact.

He nodded. ”Understood.”

”One more word of warning,” the figure continued. ”A rather unsavory character has taken an interest in you. You’re safe inside Burning City, but you’ll need to be careful when you leave.”

’An unsavory character?’ Leech recalled the ”kind soul” from Guy’s memories. Comparing them carefully, he realized the man had been sitting right next to him last night.

The man’s aura had been so different that he’d nearly failed to recognize him.

He replied in a very serious tone, ”Thank you for the warning. I will be very careful.”

’In truth, Leech was hoping someone would come looking for trouble. He was just starting to worry that he didn’t have enough Corpse Ghosts.’

Seeing his reaction, Black Ball said no more, turned, and left.