Lord of Rot

”Whew!”

When Leech stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow, the entire crab had already been dismembered.

The castle had prepared a batch of charcoal at the beginning of winter, which was now perfect for a barbecue.

The Giant Crab legs, split down the middle, were placed on the charcoal. Before long, they started sizzling, releasing a fragrant aroma.

Leech stood to the side, watching the crab roast.

Meanwhile, garlic-steamed and boiled crab were also being prepared in an orderly fashion.

It was a female crab. After it was hacked apart and cleaned, quite a few live shrimp were dug out of it.

Eating it raw-marinated was out of the question. Not only had the meat been sitting for a day, but the parasites inside would be lethal.

There was also a lot of roe, but it looked somewhat grotesque, and the crab had been dead for a day. Leech didn’t dare try it, so he had someone dig all the roe out and give it to Blue Sky and Rocket as an extra meal.

When the crab meat was brought before Leech, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

The meat from a single claw was as thick as his thigh—enough to feed several people until they burst.

Gnawing on it would be a bit undignified.

He used a knife to slice off a section, then picked up a large piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

The meat was springy to the bite and had a sweet flavor.

The only pity was that because the crab was so large, the meat was a bit fibrous, not as tender as the meat from a smaller, palm-sized crab.

But the flavor of a small crab couldn’t compare to this Giant Crab.

Each had its pros and cons, but Leech preferred this kind of large crab. It was more satisfying to eat, and the flavor was better.

He dipped it in a bit of sauce. It was so delicious that his eyebrows started to twitch uncontrollably.

The sense of satisfaction was beyond words.

Suddenly, Leech felt his body grow slightly warm.

’This feeling is very similar to applying the Extraordinary salve!’

It was just that this warmth was vastly different from the burning, stinging sensation of the salve. If Leech hadn’t experienced applying the salve several times, he would have just assumed his body was warming up naturally from eating hot meat.

Sensing it carefully, he realized the heat was seeping into his limbs and bones, into every inch of his flesh, rather than just being the warmth of a full stomach after a hot meal.

Leech quickly lowered his head and took another bite of crab meat.

A faint, warm sensation once again flowed into his body.

It was hundreds of times gentler than applying the salve directly.

But the effects were also worlds apart. Eating the crab meat only invigorated Leech slightly; it was nowhere near enough to strengthen his body, let alone stimulate the appearance of Extraordinary power.

’It might also be a matter of dosage. If an ordinary person ate enough of this, could they become a Transcendent?’

Leech’s mind raced with possibilities.

That high-magic island could clearly nurture extraordinary creatures. And this method was milder than directly applying the salve. If he could catch a few more Giant Crabs and select a few people to eat the meat, he might be able to cultivate Transcendents.

Of course, it was just a thought.

Because the stingy Baron Leech planned to enjoy this delicacy all by himself.

One person relying on potions was enough. Spending his own money to cultivate a bunch of potion-chuggers was too costly and not worth the investment.

If he really wanted combat strength, he was better off getting more Soldiers and training them to use firearms.

A change in quantity could lead to a change in quality. It was low-cost and produced fast results.

’My body can still hold a lot more energy. Although the Griffin Grass is gone, I can continue to replenish my energy by eating this crab. While I’m searching for a method to advance beyond the Extraordinary realm, I can accumulate power.’

Leech always felt that advancing from Extraordinary to the realm beyond would definitely require a massive accumulation of energy. After all, power doesn’t grow from nothing. The sooner he started accumulating, the sooner he would grow.

Besides, he discovered that as he accumulated power, his body was also slowly growing stronger—a natural form of improvement.

Thinking of this, Leech said to Oakbasin, who was waiting nearby, ”Take the rest of the cooked crab meat, put it in the icehouse, and keep it chilled.”

”Yes!” Oakbasin nodded.

She was relieved that she had pleased her Lord.

”Mm, and also, please make me a cup of honey water.”

”Yes, Lord.”

The Extraordinary Honey was almost all used up.

’I need to keep catching Giant Crabs. If possible, I could also try raising some pigs and sheep on the island. They might end up having the same effects as the Giant Crab.’ Leech took a deep breath. He had eaten an entire crab leg, and his stomach was painfully full. Fortunately, the meat had a high water content, and Leech’s digestive system was very strong; otherwise, he really wouldn’t have been able to eat so much.

’I’ll have Scholar Toma properly teach Arkke first, to improve her Spiritual Power and control. This year, we can start by cultivating a batch of Extraordinary bees. I can also find some easy-to-grow, flowering Extraordinary Magic Potions. Then I’ll be able to drink Extraordinary Honey often.’

Arkke’s talent was extremely high. As long as she could improve further, controlling the Extraordinary bees shouldn’t be a problem.

It wasn’t just about the Extraordinary bees. Leech even planned to have Arkke control that swarm of giant island moths. In the future, he could establish a Silkworm Village to produce silk. That would be a major economic project for the Porcupine Territory, and one that others would have absolutely no way of competing with or stealing.

Actually, he preferred to move all the Extraordinary-related animal husbandry to the island. Although he hadn’t explored it in detail, it should be quite large.

Only a good environment could nurture sufficiently valuable products.

And for animal husbandry, he would need the abilities of the Beast Language user, Pitz. Therefore, it was essential for her to improve and grow stronger as well.

”Lord, your honey water.” Oakbasin approached, holding a steaming cup of honey water.

”Thank you.”

Leech took the cup and sipped it.

’Ram should have a way to buy the seeds for Extraordinary Magic Potions. Also, I need to send someone to pick up this month’s Lucky Potion.’

He had two bottles of Lucky Potion on hand, but so far, he hadn’t found a suitable opportunity to drink one.