Lord of Rot

Leech and the Alchemist walked out of Fla’s house and stood by the roadside.

He was heavyhearted.

He was helpless in the face of illness and pain.

If he could at least talk a good game about firing red bricks, then when it came to medicine, he was completely clueless.

But something had to be done. Leech hadn’t discovered any way to cure diseases with Magic; none of his subordinates knew Magic, and the scholars remained silent on the subject.

Treatment still relied on medicine.

Leech remembered a highly-rated TV drama he had watched back on Earth called *Compassionate Doctor*, which contained very detailed instructions on how to produce penicillin.

In this era, antibiotics could undoubtedly save countless lives.

He thanked his past self for being a TV show enthusiast; this was one of the few pieces of medical knowledge he possessed.

If producing penicillin was the top priority, then medical alcohol was also incredibly important. If he had the chance, he hoped to produce both to have on hand for emergencies.

To distill alcohol, one needed the right equipment and materials.

The simplest raw material was to buy alcohol from others and then purify it himself with distillation equipment.

Distillation wasn’t just needed for alcohol. The book Leech had obtained in Linta Bay also recorded a method for using Griffin Grass, but the Griffin Grass in Porcupine Territory was still immature and far from ready to be used.

A crucial step involved distillation. The method recorded in the book was rather clumsy, collecting condensation from a pot lid—wasteful and extremely inefficient.

Leech didn’t have much Griffin Grass, so he absolutely could not afford to waste any.

The equipment needed for distillation wasn’t complicated—iron, copper, bamboo, or wood would work. But the small vial the Alchemist had just shown him made him think of glass.

As for glassmaking, Leech could also talk a good game, and the raw materials weren’t hard to find.

What he lacked was skilled personnel. Having to train all the technicians from scratch was his biggest challenge at the moment.

He looked at the Alchemist, who was standing quietly beside him, not daring to speak.

The Alchemist felt Leech’s gaze and shivered.

No one in Porcupine Territory was unaware of the Lord’s relationship with the dwarf carpenter.

The carpenter had helped the Lord build the waterwheel, create the two-wheeled cart, and so on.

He was also the only person whose wedding the Lord had officiated.

The Lord’s expression was clearly off; he was in a foul mood. So the Alchemist didn’t dare to even breathe too loudly, afraid of becoming the target of his anger.

"The vials in your case, the ones for medicine, what are they made of?"

The Alchemist immediately replied, "It’s a type of natural ore. We call it Dragon Ore Gemstone."

"Dragon?"

Leech knew that in this world, the mention of a dragon wasn’t just a concept; it meant something was genuinely related to dragons.

The Alchemist said, "According to legend, Dragon Ore Gemstone is a stone found around dragons’ lairs. Some also say that after a Giant Dragon dies, its flesh and bones merge with the mountains, forming a vein of ore. That ore vein is the Dragon Ore Gemstone."

Leech clearly didn’t believe this story. He was more inclined to think that this so-called Dragon Vein Ore was a type of natural glass. Judging from the Alchemist’s expression, he too treated the story as nothing more than a legend.

"Besides being used for medicine vials, what else can this gemstone be used for?"

"They are made into ornaments, and the price is very high. Some wealthy people even have them made into wine cups. As for these small vials I have, an unprocessed piece of ore costs several Silver Moons."

’I’ve never seen any nobles use them,’ Leech thought. ’It’s probably just popular among the merchant class. True nobles usually use cups made of real gems and gold, or solid silver—exquisite and dignified.’

The price of this so-called "Dragon Ore Gemstone" certainly couldn’t compare to real gold and silver.

But the price of glass... Leech felt as if he had just spotted another path to wealth.

It could be made into luxury goods.

However, he already had too many so-called paths to wealth on his hands. The most rational approach was to monetize them one by one, rather than trying to stick a finger in every pie.

"So where can I buy it?" Leech asked.

"You can find it in some of the larger towns. I believe the merchant caravans from Haozu Ridge will have the answer you’re looking for."

"Very good."

Leech sent the Alchemist on his way and returned to his study. He recalled the method for producing penicillin from *Compassionate Doctor* and wrote it down. As for whether it would succeed, how to make it succeed, and so on... that would be up to the Alchemist to figure out in practice.

If he had a scholar who was an expert in medicine, they might be able to help him solve this problem more effectively. For now, all he could do was cast a wide net and hope for a lucky catch.

Leech then summoned Joe. Although Joe hadn’t been on any long-distance trips recently, he still traveled back and forth between the villages near Porcupine Ridge.

The milk produced in Porcupine Territory, along with the butter, cheese, some livestock, eggs, and so on, all had a decent market. However, the money earned wasn’t nearly enough to cover Porcupine Ridge’s expenses.

It was only because Leech always had some extra income. Any other lord would have been tearing their hair out and drowning in debt by now.

Not to mention, most lords liked to hoard their wealth rather than spend it on their territory and commoners. A lord like Leech, who didn’t make a profit but instead frantically poured his own money in, was unheard of.

"I’ve made a preliminary purchase of some of the Alchemy Materials you required." Joe was extremely efficient and assumed Leech had summoned him to ask about the procurement of Alchemy Materials.

Leech asked, "Are there any merchant caravans interested in coming to Porcupine Territory?"

"Some people have shown a bit of interest in Porcupine Territory, but as for the caravans..."

Caravans travel between larger villages and towns.

They carry expensive goods like pottery and leather products for sale, as well as perfumes, wines, and the like.

Some caravans specialize in selling livestock and grain.

Porcupine Ridge’s current impression on the outside world was still one of poverty. Only after the first wave of caravans, drawn by the honey, arrived could they truly attempt to open up trade routes for Porcupine Territory.

In this age, news traveled on foot. A month or two was simply not enough time to attract caravans.

"I need you to go find some more things for me," he said.

By the time he finished giving his instructions, it was already afternoon.

The carpenter, Fla, had passed away. According to the customs of the Golden Wheat Field, Fla would be cremated.

That same day, Leech also officiated the wedding of Sharp Nose and the pregnant Cao Ya. Porcupine Territory now had several carpenters, but Fla would always be the one who had left the deepest impression on him.

For the rest of the afternoon, Leech didn’t leave his study, writing and sketching until evening.

Some people guessed that the Baron wouldn’t be saddened by the death of a single carpenter.

Others speculated that the benevolent Lord was simply that sentimental and cared for every one of his commoners.

What interrupted Leech’s planning for the future of Porcupine Territory were three letters.

One letter was from Longship Castle, one was sent by Gelan, and the last, surprisingly, was from Kro Camel.