Lord of Rot

Watching Leech’s departing figure, the young lady also turned, lifting her skirt to walk in another direction.

She went to a room and pushed open the door.

"What are you doing!"

Stacy, who was in the middle of changing, was startled. She only relaxed after seeing who it was.

"I really can’t get used to these dresses."

Stacy grumbled, as she always did.

But her friend didn’t comfort her. Instead, she sat on the bed, pouting.

"What’s wrong, our dear, lovely Miss Water Hyacinth?" Stacy walked toward her. "Did some blind fool offend our beautiful lady?"

She rarely saw her friend angry and couldn’t resist teasing her.

"I met a guy who was so unromantic and boring! He actually thought Gael Knight was an idiot and spoke well of Furnace! Furnace is an evil Giant Dragon!"

"Uh..." Stacy asked, "What story?"

Stacy had no interest in those stories. Knights? She had seen too many famous, yet incompetent, knights.

Miss Water Hyacinth had to recount the story. Her version was eighty percent about Gael Knight’s valor, ten percent about the Giant Dragon kidnapping the princess, and only the last ten percent touched on the might of the Giant Dragon, Furnace. And even then, she stressed that Gael Knight was not afraid of the Giant Dragon and bravely faced the danger.

"And what else did he say?" Stacy asked. She had a good idea who this person was.

There was only one person in Green Forest Castle who read in the courtyard every day.

"He said Furnace was skilled at population planning and management, using a mix of kindness and coercion. He selected slave captains to manage the other slaves, didn’t require the slaves to fight to the death for him, and would protect them while punishing any who fled. He even allowed them freedom in marriage! He said Furnace was a qualified lord! How can an evil Giant Dragon be a lord!" She didn’t twist his words; she disliked him simply because their ideals were incompatible. There was no need to slander him.

Stacy nodded slightly. "Indeed. If the human world had a lord like that, the commoners and slaves would go wild for him."

"He also said he was curious what kind of child Furnace and the princess would have! The princess was already pitiful enough being married off to the Giant Dragon."

Stacy blinked.

"Stacy, you’re not curious too, are you?" A bad feeling washed over her.

Stacy retorted, "Aren’t you curious?"

"I... might be a little, but that’s too cruel."

Miss Water Hyacinth stammered. Such is humanity’s morbid curiosity. She said, "The most infuriating part is, he said that even if it were a Pigman, as long as it was powerful enough, the princess would marry it."

"..."

Stacy’s renewed silence made Miss Water Hyacinth nervous. "Don’t tell me you think he’s right?"

Fami Port was younger than Stacy and was her good friend. She lived under the protection of Linta Bay, and she was so beautiful that no one would dare to harm her.

She had never witnessed the cruelty of war, living her life in an ivory tower.

"Alright," Stacy didn’t want to talk about it any further. She gently patted her friend’s head. "Help me pick out an outfit. I have a lot to do tonight, but I can’t find a suitable dress."

"By the way, you said Sir Clarence would be here?" Fami Port asked suddenly.

’Compared to that young nobleman who just reads all day, the romantic Sir Clarence would definitely be on my side.’

For a moment, Stacy didn’t know what to say. "Actually, you’ve already met him."

"What?"

’That handsome but utterly unlikable guy is the Baron Porcupine who writes all those romantic verses?’

’There must be some mistake!’

Before meeting Leech, Stacy had loathed him, while Fami Port had admired him immensely. But after they actually met him, their attitudes did a complete one-eighty—they were now the exact opposite.

Leech had no idea he had just met his pen pal. He had just returned his book and was leaving the library when he ran into Bode, who was rushing over.

Despite the sweltering noon heat, he radiated a cold aura that made one shiver.

Bode grabbed Leech’s hand and started walking.

"Cousin Bode, what’s wrong?"

"What I promised you," Bode said. "It’s about to start."

’The promise? Could it be the Sub-human dissection!’

Bode was an Extraordinary Knight, far stronger than Leech. With Bode gripping his arm, Leech couldn’t break free. Knowing he couldn’t escape, Leech could only resign himself to his fate.

After the two left Green Forest Castle, Bode’s squire was waiting outside the gate.

"Good day, my lord," the squire said, nodding to Leech.

"Where are the clothes?" Bode asked.

"This way, please."

The three of them went to a house outside Green Forest Castle. Inside were three black robes and three masks.

’It’s not a Sub-human girl?’

Leech looked at Bode in confusion. "What are we doing?"

"The Black Market."

Bode explained, "A group of nobles organized a Black Market to sell some... interesting things. As far as I know, our own King’s family is one of the key factions involved."

"The Black Market is being held in Linta Bay?" Leech was surprised.

’Linta Bay is the Crocodile Clan’s territory. Even if they’re loyal to the King, they would never let him extend his reach in here.’

"Because Wisdom collects a tax as well."

’Great, so it’s a legitimate, taxed business run by the local lord. Then why wear robes and masks? It makes it feel so unofficial.’

’Does everyone just like this sneaky feeling?’

After changing clothes and putting on masks that completely concealed their identities, they left the small house and followed a narrow path into a bustling marketplace.

Everyone here, whether merchant or customer, was cloaked in a black robe and wore a mask. Unless you knew someone extremely well, it was impossible to recognize anyone.

Slave trading is legal, but many weren’t satisfied with simply selling slaves; they wanted to go the premium route. Thus, there were many male and female members of the Sub-human Race here, chained by the neck and wearing almost no clothes. Their common features were handsome or beautiful faces and good figures, but their faces were all filled with terror.

"You want to buy one?" Seeing Leech stop in front of a stall selling cat-eared Sub-humans, Bode asked in a low voice.

"I’m more curious about where they came from and why they were captured."

"These merchants probably won’t tell you that," Bode said softly. "But from what I understand, they come from a continent south of Lu Leiyi. Only the most courageous and powerful ships can cross the vast, endless sea to reach it."

Leech gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

’He hadn’t even figured out the situation on the Lu Leiyi Continent, let alone the world beyond it.’

’That was a blind spot in his knowledge.’

"How much?" he asked.

The seller, also hidden in a black robe, spoke in a disguised voice, "30 Jinri."

"How much?" Leech was shocked.

’30 Jinri? Are you kidding me? Before this, Porcupine Castle’s entire savings were only 8,000 Silver Moon. Even at the strict official exchange rate of 1 Jinri to 100 Silver Moon, that would only convert to 80 Jinri at most.’

’A single Cat-eared Lady costs almost half of Porcupine Castle’s savings!’

’Besides, converting Silver Moon to Jinri would never happen at the strict official rate.’

"I bought a dead Sub-human before," Bode whispered from the side. "The ones on the verge of death are usually very cheap. If they’re already dead, the price is even lower, and they might even accept payment in Silver Moon."

"I don’t have that much money on me," Leech said helplessly.

’He had come to Green Forest Castle on this trip to sell honey. He could earn about 5 Jinri per barrel, for a total of 20 Jinri from four barrels.’

’Adding in the money he had on him, he had 25 Jinri at most.’

’That was the entire savings of some minor nobles. He had thought he was starting to get rich, but it turned out he couldn’t even afford a Sub-human girl.’

"Right," Leech said softly. "You said it’s possible to buy dead ones?"

Bode immediately grew excited. "I knew you had the same hobbies as me!"

’No, not at all!’

’But... a dead one isn’t unacceptable!’

’It’s a great value! The Porcupine Clan is all about value for money.’