Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

After returning to his Mage Tower, Henry briefly tended to his unfinished experiments, then began to plot.

The establishment he planned to choose was one he frequented. Both its food and service were first-class in Carolina. More importantly, he knew the owner. Whenever Henry visited, the owner would serve him a rare delicacy that guests at other tables could never hope to taste.

Sometimes it was a steak, other times offal, and occasionally a small dish like brains. Of course, the reason Henry was able to eat these things wasn’t just because he was a regular customer, but because the ingredients came from his own laboratory.

His experiments would sometimes fail or have other issues, leaving behind some leftover material. Henry Robertson was, in fact, one of the restaurant’s ingredient suppliers. As a result, in a quid pro quo, he enjoyed special treatment there.

Other patrons would sometimes covet the exquisite dishes on the Necromancer’s table and demand the owner serve them a plate as well, even offering to pay any price. Whenever this happened, the owner would smile and invite them into his kitchen to observe the entire cooking process—of course, those greedy diners were never seen again.

A disdainful smile touched Henry’s lips. ’With our long-standing relationship as accomplices, I’m confident I can persuade the owner to side with me. If those outsiders really have some unrealistic designs on me, the thugs and numerous Undead Creatures hidden in the kitchen will be more than enough to make them back down.’

’Otherwise, it won’t be long before I get to ”taste” their guts.’

’What does the flesh of a Vampire Descendant taste like, I wonder?’ Henry’s mouth subconsciously began to water, and his stomach involuntarily rumbled.

’Looks like it’s time to go have a hearty meal first. Better to deal with other matters later...’

The Necromancer didn’t keep Ron and the others waiting long. Just three days later, a perfumed letter was delivered to Ron’s door. It was signed by the Mage Henry Robertson, cordially inviting the Lord of Delusional Land and his personal guard to dine at ”Baka Restaurant” the following afternoon.

”A letter from that scumbag?” Silvia and Victoria had just returned from an outing. The Vampire Mage had barely stepped through the door when her brows knitted together tightly.

”He’s used this before?” Ron asked, waving the envelope in his hand. ”I have to admit, the guy has some uses. At least he has good taste in perfume.”

”Which shop in Rose City is it from? We could buy some next time.”

”This isn’t from Rose City,” said Constance, who was nestled deep in a plush sofa. Her nostrils flared as she frowned. ”The spices used in it are very obscure. No shop in Rose City would use these ingredients.”

”And there’s also some...”

”Animal fat?” Silvia cut in with a sneer. ”Except the source isn’t just ’animals’.”

”...Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Ron’s hand twitched. He threw the letter away and instantly cast a Flaming Arrow, turning it to ash. ”Are all Necromancers this twisted?!”

”I don’t know about others, but that old bastard certainly is. He said he wants to treat you to a meal... let me guess, ’Baka’?”

”You’ve been there?”

”It’s a place he frequents,” the Vampire Descendant said, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes, though it was quickly overwhelmed by disgust. ”I... went there occasionally too. You know my diet isn’t exactly normal.”

”Henry sends his failed experiments to Baka Restaurant. When he’d tortured me to the point of breaking, I would sneak over to ’restock’.”

”In short, if you’re not interested in their ’specialty dishes,’ I suggest you don’t eat anything there. It’s best not to even drink the wine. There’s a reason that place has so many repeat customers.”

”It seems he’s on his guard...” Victoria mused, stroking her chin. ”There are a few Orthodoxy churches in Carolina City. Why don’t we report this to them and use this opportunity to take them all down at once?”

”They’ve been here for many years and surely have eyes and ears everywhere. Acting rashly and alerting them would be a mistake,” Ron said with a wave of his hand. ”Especially the clergy. They don’t lack for money, nor do they seek fame. Bribing them won’t be easy.”

”Too bad we’re all a bit old. Otherwise, if we offered ourselves up, they’d surely be happy to help,” Quest said with a grin.

Ron rolled his eyes. ”Aren’t you a doppelganger? Since it was your idea, we’ll just send you over later.”

”You’d have to be careful. They might not acknowledge you after they’ve pulled up their pants,” said Hendrix’s butler, Sred, who happened to be nearby. He shook his head in disapproval. ”Carolina isn’t like Rose City. You can’t expect them to keep their promises.”

”However, I have found some people these past few days who might be able to help Miss Constance—and Lord Ron.”

Facing everyone’s curious gazes, the Half-Elf butler said calmly, ”When you want to open up a market and promote your products in a new place, you can’t just focus on the people at the top. The people at the bottom are just as important.”

”I have been scouting Carolina for my master these past few days and have gotten to know a group of people. Although they are mostly commoners, they all have useful skills. It’s not out of the question to make use of them...”

Sred cleared his throat. ”Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, Mr. Daniel and the young master of the Feibo family have also made progress. That Necromancer is certainly on his guard and has woven a spider’s web, waiting for Lord Ron to jump in. But what can he do if the web we weave is bigger and more complex than his?”

Hearing Sred’s words, Ron became even more certain that this old butler was not as simple as he appeared. He immediately included him in their planning. At the same time, Aive brought in Daniel and Liya, and Carlos brought his older brother.

As the group split up to act on their finalized plan, a vast and intricate net began to close in on the Necromancer, all without his knowledge.

”I will accompany you tomorrow, Benefactor,” Silvia said to Ron after the meeting, casting a fleeting glance at Aive. ”After all, we’re nominally attending a banquet. Heavy armor and a tower shield will be of no use.”

”Besides, we’ll have to pretend to eat the food there before we make our move. I can consume it, so you don’t have to put yourself at risk.”

Outside of a battlefield, Aive would likely have a hard time protecting Ron. And while Quest was certainly experienced, he couldn’t cover every possible angle.

”And me!” Delaford exclaimed, jumping onto the table. ”Don’t worry! Problems with the food? Just leave it all to me! I don’t need you for that!”

”You—” Silvia was speechless. She had almost forgotten about this guy!

’What are you doing, trying to mess things up?!’