Lord of Rot

Leech listened a while longer and learned what had happened. The two slave owners’ parties had accidentally run into a pair of Wandering Knights. The knights had shouted, ”For Knightly Honor!” and tried to save the slaves. In response, the slave owners ordered the slaves to throw their lives away to overwhelm them, and they ultimately captured the pair.

In the end, the Wandering Knights didn’t manage to save a single slave. In fact, because the slaves followed their masters’ orders and attacked, the two knights killed more than thirty of them in self-defense.

For a moment, Leech couldn’t tell if the Wandering Knights were there to save people or kill them.

After eating and drinking his fill, Leech got up and returned to his room to rest.

Shooing away a lizard that had scurried into his room and listening to the shouting and cursing outside, Leech slowly closed his eyes.

The conditions were terrible, but at least he could lie down on a bed for a decent night’s sleep.

He could endure hardship, but he wouldn’t go looking for it. If he had a chance to enjoy some comfort, he would take it.

Taking advantage of the cool temperatures at the crack of dawn, Leech’s party packed up early and prepared to set out.

He had already made up his mind, however. ’From now on, I’ll just pitch a tent outside. I’m never staying at this inn again.’

Last night, Leech had thought the people in the tents were just shocked by his powerful retinue. It wasn’t until he settled the bill this morning that he realized they just saw him as a foolish rube to be fleeced. The group’s food and drink for one night had cost five Silver Moons. That was faster than if he’d robbed them himself.

’Once the trade route is established,’ Leech mused to himself, ’maybe I’ll just rob this inn blind. Or, if that’s too much trouble, I’ll have my men pretend to be desert bandits and sack the place.’

He saw the value in its location and business.

He was still wondering if there was a connection between the inn and the bandits he’d encountered in the canyon. After all, the canyon was only half a day’s journey away, and there were no other water sources in the area. They might very well be in it together.

It was a pity his current objective wasn’t here. Otherwise, Leech would have just covered his face and delivered some divine justice.

By the inn’s freshwater stream, the Soldiers and merchants were filling their waterskins. The journey to the Bonta Market was still a long one. Nearby, the two slave owners from yesterday were directing their party to depart.

There were over a hundred slaves, and at the very front of the procession were two men, stripped of their armor and locked in a cage on a wagon.

Perhaps from shouting and cursing too much last night, both men had cracked lips and looked listless.

By the time Leech’s party had finished their preparations and were ready to leave, the slave caravan had already disappeared into the desert.

Traveling through the vast, empty desert was incredibly boring.

Leech couldn’t help but think of the Horse-headed Eagle Rockets. But he knew all too well that flying on a Horse-headed Eagle over territory that wasn’t his was practically a provocation. Who knew if other places had powerful figures on the level of Prince Hoffman? He didn’t want to get his ”plane” shot down.

In the afternoon, the heat was at its peak.

But the view ahead was nothing but an endless expanse of sand.

Leech dismounted and had one of his men give the horse some water. It wasn’t a famous steed, but it was still a decent, fast horse.

”My lord, I think that’s the slave group up ahead.”

Hearing his subordinate’s report, Leech shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed into the distance.

Sure enough, a group of tiny black specks was slowly crawling over a sand dune.

”Pay them no mind. We’ll rest, have a bite to eat, and then continue on.”

”Yes, sir!”

After drinking some water, eating some simple biscuits and jerky, and feeding the horses some fodder, the party came back to life.

They were heading the same way, so they easily caught up to the slave caravan.

”My lord!” the two slave owners exclaimed when they saw Leech, rushing to greet him.

They weren’t afraid of Leech approaching. It wasn’t that they had nothing to fear, but rather that against a party composed entirely of Cavalry, they couldn’t win a fight and they couldn’t escape. Why make any moves that could be misinterpreted?

”You’re also heading to the Bonta Market?” Leech asked casually.

The slave owner nodded. ”Yes, my lord. We’re planning to sell the slaves at the Bonta Market.”

”Gaoxue City is to the south?” Leech genuinely didn’t know Gaoxue City’s exact location, only that it was in the desert.

Due to political reasons, the map Leech owned didn’t show the location of Gaoxue City. It only marked the most famous places on the Lu Leiyi Continent, like Porcupine Castle... except his map only showed Pigtail Bay. You could only find Porcupine Castle on the special edition East Canyon map.

The desert was just a small patch on the map, but in reality, it was a boundless sea of sand.

In the two years since Leech had crossed over, he had only traveled through the southeastern part of East Canyon and had only visited one place in the Giant’s Foot region, Burning City. So many places in this world were still unknown to him.

”Gaoxue City is to the northwest,” the slave owner said. ”We just happened to come across this batch of slaves while we were on a business trip to the south.”

They would deliver one batch of slaves and then bring another back.

Leech nodded to show he understood.

In the slave owners’ eyes, slaves were no different than leather goods or wine; the profit was in the resale.

”What about those two?”

Leech looked at the two Wandering Knights in the cage.

The slave owner scoffed. ”Wandering Knights who’ve abandoned their convictions.”

In this world, abandoning one’s oath was considered even more contemptible than human trafficking.

”Can they fight?” Leech asked.

”They can fight! They killed over a hundred of our men!” the slave owner said, nodding eagerly. He understood what the young nobleman was getting at—he wanted to buy them.

’Whatever the reason, as long as he pays, it’s fine.’

Besides, having these two Wandering Knights around was slowing them down.

”Ten Silver Moons...”

”Done!” the slave owner agreed instantly, nodding his head.

”...for the pair of them,” Leech finished, having deliberately paused.

He’d learned this trick from the Red Chicken Knight and his wife. He hadn’t expected it to work so well on his first try.

The slave owner’s expression changed. ”My lord, that price is just too...”

”You’re the one who said ’Done’,” Leech said, his tone hardening. ”Are you planning to go back on your word with a high noble?”

His Cavalrymen behind him understood the cue perfectly.

SHIIING! In unison, they drew the swords from their waists.

And then there was the Mercenary, Trevor, who drew all four of his weapons. Having extra hands made him doubly intimidating.

The slave owner quickly plastered on a smile. ”Of course not, my lord! Ten Silver Moons it is! The two of them are yours.”

Before the two Wandering Knights could even react, they were shooed out of the cage.

Their bare feet landed on the scorching sand, and the searing heat made their faces contort in pain. Already listless, they nearly collapsed.

”Where are their clothes and weapons?” Leech frowned. ”Don’t tell me they killed over a hundred men with their bare asses!”

Seeing that Leech’s Soldiers hadn’t sheathed their swords, the slave owner hastily ordered his men to bring back their armor and weapons.

Once the transaction was complete, Leech didn’t bother to linger and quickly led his party away.

After they had put some distance between them, Leech gave an order.

”Give them some water.”

The two Wandering Knights clutched the waterskins and drank greedily, gulping the water down. They didn’t stop until they had finished more than half a bag in one go.

”Thank you, my lord!”

Leech looked at them. A Knight had to have a lord to whom they pledged their allegiance and belonged to the noble class.

A Wandering Knight, as the name implied, was one whose lord had either died or whom they had abandoned. In any case, they had broken the oath they once swore before the Four Gods.

”Had your fill?”

”Yes, sir!”

”Yes, sir!”

Traces of noble etiquette could still be seen in their movements.

Though their plate armor was eroded by wind and sand and scuffed by blades, you could still tell how exquisite and brilliant it must have once been.

”Which noble did you once serve?”

”We served Princess Sophia!”

Leech frowned. ’Another blind spot in my knowledge.’

The Wandering Knight on the left said, ”Princess Sophia was the heir to Leon City.”

”Oh.”

Now Leech understood. Of all the places in the Desert Area, the one he was most familiar with was Leon City. It was one of the few great city-states on the Lu Leiyi Continent.

”But after that bastard, the Water Buffalo Count, married Princess Sophia, he gradually usurped her rights and authority. When the princess died a few years ago, we, the old guard who had been loyal to her, were pushed out by the Water Buffalo Count and eventually became Wandering Knights.”

Leech wasn’t interested in a family squabble and had no intention of meddling in Leon City’s affairs for the time being. He only asked, ”You’re very familiar with the desert?”

”Yes, sir! We’ve traveled the length and breadth of this desert for years. We know it like the back of our hands!”

”Good. For now, lead the way to the Bonta Market.”

He had bought these two men not only because they were Wandering Knights with some combat skill, but also because they lived in the desert.

He’d bought himself two guides, two living maps. They would save him a lot of trouble in his future endeavors.