Lord of Rot

Luca received a basin of meat stew and a loaf of bread, then found a random spot to squat down and eat.

He didn’t care that it was scalding hot.

He grabbed the meat with his left hand and stuffed it into his mouth, slurping as he ate.

With his other hand, he grabbed the bread, dipped it in the broth, and shoved it into his mouth.

A bite of the broth-soaked bread squeezed out savory juices, yet the bread itself remained wonderfully crisp.

The meat was also stewed until it was incredibly tender. A light bite and a chew was all it took to swallow it whole. He almost swallowed his own tongue along with it.

To an onlooker, as Luca wolfed down his food, it looked as if a large fist had suddenly been shoved down his throat.

Then, with a mighty swallow...

”GULP!”

...the ’fist’ dropped from his throat with a THUD into his stomach.

They feared he might choke to death from eating too much at once.

After making short work of the basin of meat stew, Luca picked up his basin and went for more. He still wasn’t full.

Although the others were also ravenous, most of them understood that it was best not to eat until they were stuffed.

Just this morning at breakfast, someone had gotten greedy and overeaten. During training, they’d thrown up half a loaf of bread and were disqualified on the spot, sent back to be a slave.

So, even though everyone desperately craved the food, they all restrained their impulses.

They had to make a choice: eat their fill for one meal, or be able to eat every meal from now on.

Everyone knew the right choice to make.

Luca, however, had no such concerns.

’I can finally eat until I’m full for once. Of course I’m going to eat my heart out!’

”Sir?” He saw the young ’steward’ who had spoken with him before and encouraged him to join the selection. Luca said happily, ”Sir, I made it!”

Leech nodded lightly. ”You did well.”

The Soldier serving food nearby hurriedly bowed his head. ”Good day, my Lord!”

The other new recruits who were eating watched Leech with curiosity. They knew he was someone important, but they didn’t know who he was.

Not until Lacy Sith walked over, bowed, and greeted him, ”Good day, my Lord!”

There was only one person in the entire territory who could make a nobleman bow in greeting.

The quick-witted ones, including Luca, had already figured it out.

”Y-You’re the Lord?” Luca couldn’t believe it. It was the Lord himself who had noticed something different about him.

At the same time, he was incredibly excited. ’As expected of the Lord! He could see my strengths!’

Leech’s purpose in coming this time was to meet the boy who claimed to be a descendant of the Red Dragon.

He nodded, confirming Luca’s guess.

Leading Luca to a shady spot, Leech asked, ”You’re a descendant of Furnace?”

Luca nodded quickly and asked, ”My Lord, you know of Furnace the Red Dragon?”

Leech said, ”I’ve read its story in a book before.”

He had even once argued with a certain young lady from an ivory tower over that story.

The book did indeed record that the Red Dragon had abducted a certain princess.

If the book’s record was true, the boy before him was very likely the descendant of a dragon and a princess.

Leech asked Luca a few simple questions about his life. Upon learning that the Lord had heard of his ancestor, Luca became even more excited and told him everything.

Luca and his parents, brothers, and sisters lived together in the coastal region of the Endor Plateau. They spent their days gathering shells by the sea, foraging for wild fruits in the mountains, or hunting prey. Life was hard, but it was happy enough.

At least they didn’t starve.

His entire family worshipped Furnace and firmly believed they were descendants of the Red Dragon.

However, constant warfare on the Endor Plateau led to the deaths of Luca’s parents.

The seven siblings were then sold into slavery in Gaoxue City.

”You have six other siblings?” Leech asked.

If they were truly dragon descendants, then six siblings would be a huge fortune.

A conservative estimate would be six Transcendents.

”Yes, my Lord.”

Leech said, ”I can let you take some men to Gaoxue City and buy all your siblings back.”

Whether Luca was a true descendant of Furnace or not, a family that could produce a Transcendent must have a special bloodline.

If they could produce one, they could produce a second!

”I’m afraid that will be very difficult, my Lord.” Luca’s expression fell. ”My younger brothers and sisters were bought by a bald-headed nobleman. He intended to buy all of us siblings, but because I was too skinny, he didn’t spend the money on me... If you hadn’t bought me, my Lord, I would still be in Gaoxue City.”

Leech thought to himself, ’It’s not that I wanted to buy you. Those slave traders played dumb and forced you on me.’

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Who would have thought that this scrawny, skin-and-bones boy would have the potential to become a Transcendent?

And to think, someone had snatched his dragon descendants!

Baron Leech didn’t care about ’first come, first served’. In his mind, Luca and his siblings were already his people.

For those people to have bought his people before he could was a violation of the Lord’s interests!

”Do you remember any of his features?” Leech pointed to the family crest on his chest. ”Something like this.”

”My Lord, I remember the crest on his chest was a falcon with two heads.”

’A falcon with two heads?’

Leech mentally searched his memory but couldn’t recall any family with a Double-headed Eagle crest. The most likely possibility was that this person was a self-proclaimed noble from a house not recognized by the kingdom.

There were many of this type. For example, some minor nobles had their titles revoked, but their descendants would secretly hold onto their ”honor” and claim to be nobles.

These ”nobles,” not recorded in the official peerage of the Lu Leiyi Kingdom, were a dime a dozen.

Leech patted Luca’s shoulder. ”Train hard. In the future, I will take you to rescue your brothers and sisters!”

He didn’t care what minor noble the man was. The dragon descendants had to be in his hands.

Luca was overcome with emotion. ”Yes, my Lord!”

”By the way, I remember you said you’d treat me to an egg tart,” Leech said with a smile. ”Don’t forget!”

”Yes, my Lord!” Luca grinned, baring his teeth.

After Leech and Luca finished their chat, and once everyone had finished eating, a veteran soldier came to lead them in training.

It wasn’t strenuous exercise, but if anyone had been greedy and eaten until they threw up...

...the consequences would not be pleasant.

Lacy Sith walked up to Leech and asked in a low voice, ”My Lord, regarding Luca...?”

”For now, just supply him with enough meat so he can eat his fill,” Leech said. ”You can start by adding some of the silkworm pupae and crabs to his dinner.”

The requirements for an ordinary person to become a Transcendent varied from person to person, but energy was definitely a must.

Therefore, Luca had to be given extra meals.

Lacy had no objections to Leech’s request. He was well aware of the value of a Transcendent.

The two of them walked out, chatting as they went.

Leech asked casually, ”Which family has a Double-headed Eagle as their crest?”

”My apologies, my Lord.” Lacy thought for a moment, then shook his head. ”I’ve never heard of a family with a Double-headed Eagle.”

Leech wasn’t surprised. Lacy liked reading even less than he did, so it was perfectly normal for him not to know.

’Perhaps I can go ask my cousin Bode.’