Lord of Rot

Besides the exploration of the cape’s cavern, good news also arrived from within Porcupine Territory.

The young maid Arkke had made a breakthrough in her insect control ability.

When Leech saw Arkke, a swarm of ladybugs was dancing around her hands, at times gathering into a ball, at others scattering into a misty cloud.

"How far can they fly?"

Faced with Leech’s question, Arkke’s cheeks flushed red. She thought seriously before answering, "They can fly about twenty-some paces away, my Lord!"

She looked at Leech with her pretty eyes. Leech smiled. "Well done."

Hehe! Arkke couldn’t help but grin happily. Ignoring her burning cheeks, she snuck a glance at Leech, only to find him smiling back at her, which made her cheeks burn even hotter.

"Besides ladybugs, what else can you control?" Leech didn’t pay much mind to the little maid’s reaction.

He ordered the youths still studying in the castle to go out and catch insects—the more, the better. He wanted Arkke to experiment and determine the range of creatures she could control.

It wasn’t that controlling ladybugs was bad; as the castle’s "pinhole cameras," they were quite useful. But if her effective range could be expanded, that would be even better.

Soon, the youths came running back, panting for breath, their faces and bodies covered in mud, but they were overjoyed to have completed the Lord’s command.

Although this world didn’t have self-help stories—like picking up a piece of paper on the floor during an interview to make a good impression or taking your disposable cup with you—when facing their Lord, no amount of eagerness was excessive. Only by pleasing the Lord could they secure their place.

Some had caught duplicates, others had unique finds. There were over twenty different kinds in a chaotic jumble: butterflies, moths, spiders, earthworms, ladybugs, centipedes, scorpions, bees, and so on.

Many of these weren’t insects.

Spiders are arachnids, centipedes are also arthropods, and earthworms are annelids. But the Lu Leiyi Continent hadn’t developed systematic biology. Besides, this was a Magic World, and Magic didn’t follow reason.

’The word "bug" doesn’t necessarily refer only to insects, after all.’

Arkke clutched her skirt. The wrinkles in her dress showed that she had a habit of unconsciously wringing it with her hands whenever she was nervous.

"Begin, Arkke." He didn’t pay mind to her fidgeting.

Hearing the Lord’s voice, Arkke closed her eyes to focus. The blush faded from her cheeks, a sign she had entered her state. Then... with a flick of her hands...

The forty or fifty assorted bugs on the ground actually scattered at her gesture!

Leech’s eyes lit up.

’It has a bit of a Blade Queen vibe, even if she can only control small bugs instead of Zerg like Thunder Beasts and Hydralisks.’

"Well done!"

Having received praise, Arkke’s smile grew even brighter.

Leech had already reached a conclusion. On the Lu Leiyi Continent, what they called "bugs" were simply creatures that looked like bugs at a glance. The Insect Control Remnant People should perhaps be called the Small Creature Control Remnant People.

And instantly, numerous hypotheses and conjectures about her ability flooded his mind.

On a small scale, he wouldn’t have to worry about being bothered by flies and mosquitoes in the summer and could get a comfortable night’s sleep. She could control bees to collect honey, or make the summer cicadas fall from the trees so they could have a meal of fried cicada nymphs.

On a larger scale, could she control pests to keep them away from crops, or control beneficial insects to prey on pests? Could she control earthworms to loosen the soil and create compost? If Arkke understood the concept of "parasites," could the problems of livestock health and meat consumption also be solved?

After much thought, Leech couldn’t help but sigh. Magic truly defied logic. Or rather, the common sense of a scientific world combined with the executive power of Magic was what truly defied logic!

That same day, Arkke’s brothers, Akelie and Akedo, were pulled aside. When they learned they couldn’t become squires to a Knight, disappointment was clear on the youths’ faces. However, the Lord promised them a new mission; because of their bloodline talent, they had been accepted ahead of schedule.

Then, Leech wrote a long list for the development of their insect control.

The most important step was to build an apiary first!

Sugar was an extremely precious and scarce resource—a rare preservative, medicine, and spice. The sugar commoners could obtain usually came from beets or sugarcane. Only the high nobility could taste precious honey, whose value could even be comparable to gold.

Production of the Little Pills was gradually decreasing. Although Leech wasn’t short on money for the time being, he wouldn’t refuse more ways to earn it.

Furthermore, unlike the Little Pills, there was no shame in admitting one had tasted honey, giving it a much wider market. Sugar was a necessity of life, and being able to eat honey was a symbol of status. Some merchants would even come to blows over it.

Thinking of this, Leech immediately sought out the carpenter.

Lately, the dwarven carpenter had been in high spirits, living an exceptionally good life.

The maid he had taken up with, not seen for some time, was already showing a slightly bulging belly.

"My Lord!" The carpenter saw Leech and bowed respectfully.

Leech got straight to the point. "I need you to build some... special boxes."

He tried to recall the structure of a beehive, but unfortunately, he wasn’t very knowledgeable in this area. He would need to research it with the dwarven carpenter. They had to ensure there were ventilation holes and protection against mice.

The beehives had to use movable frames, not be disposable earthen hives. Destructive harvesting was unacceptable. What he wanted was a continuous supply of honey, a continuous supply of "gold"!

After learning of Leech’s idea, the dwarven carpenter immediately began drafting a design. Meanwhile, Leech left the castle with Arkke, her two brothers, Gelan, and others. For beekeeping, the first step was to have bees, and there were bees among the insects the youths had caught.

This meant there was a beehive somewhere near Porcupine Territory.

They easily acquired a beehive the size of a human head. The source of bees was secured!

Next was selecting the Beekeeping Area.

The nectar source was crucial. Some crops, pasture grasses, and fruit trees were all excellent sources. The development of Porcupine Territory wasn’t progressing quickly. On a quiet little hillside not far from Maitian Village and Livestock Village, Leech designated the Beekeeping Area. It wasn’t too far from where the wild hive had been found, either.

Alfalfa could serve as a nectar source and also feed the livestock. The wild apple trees discovered last time seemed to be nearby as well. Plus, the area was far from the main residential centers and very quiet.

It was his first time beekeeping, but for the sake of this "Sweet Gold," Leech was exercising the utmost caution.

He had Gelan select some meticulous and obedient women from among the slaves to come and help. The Insect Control Remnant People would take the lead, with the others assisting.

He then arranged for Arkke to help her two brothers improve their insect control abilities, helping them become beekeeping masters as soon as possible.

Livestock Village was half-built and work couldn’t stop for now. Spring was also the mating season for animals. Although Leech had the Grass of Life and could make animals go into heat at any time, improving the quality of life in Porcupine Territory and ensuring everyone could eat meat was also very important. He wouldn’t rob Peter to pay Paul.

For the housing and construction in the Beekeeping Area, he could only hire villagers to do the work. Having villagers work was different from using slaves. Slaves could be paid in work-points, but villagers had to be paid money.

Leech, who wasn’t exactly short on cash at this stage, waved his hand. ’It’s just money. Spend it!’

After all, there were still bags upon bags of gold, silver, and jewels in the cavern. He wasn’t short on money.

Besides, when the villagers earned money, they would also spend it. This place was too far from other towns and villages, so the money would ultimately just be spent within Porcupine Territory. The one who profited most would still be Leech himself.

’Once the villagers have money, I can have Barrel train a few more apprentices and then open some food stalls, or sell some "Castle-Exclusive Delicacies."’ The money hadn’t even been paid out yet, and Leech was already thinking about how to get it back into his own hands.

Still, he was already much better than the other nobles in this world. At least he was thinking about circulating wealth, allowing the commoners’ lives to improve so they could eat and drink well. Other noble lords just took the money and provided no food.

Sighing at the long road of development ahead, Leech was filled with anticipation for the life to come.

This anticipation was soon converted into a delicacy. After the first beehive was put to use, that very evening, the wild honeycomb was made into a delicious dish and served at the dinner table. Leech also got to drink honey-sweetened water.

"I’m not drinking sweetened water, I’m drinking gold!"