Chapter 529: I've Never Listened to Him Since I Was a Child

The journey to the desert went off without a hitch. The round trip barely took Leech any time.

He hadn’t expected that right after his covert trip to the desert, he would return to find a raven that had flown a great distance, carrying a letter.

‘Maybe I should look into long-range communication Magic. It’d be best to add a video call feature.’

Leech had Black Dragon Du Ao return underground. The Magical Creatures breeding farm there was still in its early exploratory stages, and he needed to devote more attention to it.

As the black dragon left, it took the Grass of Life with it. Once it was fed to the Scorpion-tailed Lions, it should trigger a massive birthing boom.

He opened the letter from the desert. It contained a message from Lisu Muma.

‘Goodwill from Gaoxue City? So they want to trade slaves.’

Leech had long had his eye on Gaoxue City. A population of half a million was enough for him to grow powerful in one fell swoop. If those slave masters weren’t so focused on trafficking people to various regions and had instead raised an army, perhaps the four great Dukes would have become five.

However, from what he had gathered previously, Gaoxue City had indeed made some small moves to train Soldiers. Unfortunately, they weren’t professionals. Compounded by the slave masters’ usual exploitative habits, the resulting Soldiers were sallow and emaciated, unable to even match a militia of well-fed peasants armed with pitchforks and shovels.

He quickly penned a reply, instructing Lisu Muma to maintain friendly relations with Gaoxue City at all costs, express a strong desire to purchase slaves, and secretly investigate what kind of power the city was hiding.

He also told her to proactively contact Oasis City. After all, Oasis City’s military strength was even less than Leon City’s; overthrowing it would be a simple matter.

By linking the north and south and maintaining contact with Linta Bay, the Desert Area would be completely secured. A ring of influence spanning the Eastern Gorge and the desert would be enough to deal with any future upheaval in the kingdom.

The more Leech learned, the more he sensed the kingdom’s current instability.

The day the Duke of Radiant Sun died would inevitably be the day the Eastern Gorge descends into chaos.

Even with chaos looming, Leech had no desire to seek out some so-called life-extending treasure for the Duke. He believed the man had already given up himself.

Standing before the window, watching the raven spread its wings and vanish into the biting wind, Leech lamented internally, ‘Even without any Extraordinary power, half a million enslaved and brainwashed people are no easy foe.’

Slaughtering them all would be easy, but he had no desire to take pleasure in killing.

‘Perhaps I could consider building hot air balloons and levitating airships.’

He had the technical documents and a supply of Corpse Ghosts who didn’t fear death. He could afford endless trial and error.

Warfare was currently still confined to ground combat.

Unless Transcendents were involved, Cavalry still ruled the battlefield.

In naval warfare, Leech had easily achieved supremacy with a simple combination of cannons and wooden ships.

But air combat? That would be a complete game-changer.

“Lord, the night school is about to begin,” a male servant’s voice came from outside, accompanied by a knock on the door.

“Alright, I’ll be right there.”

Leech closed the window, picked up the cane that was leaning against the table, and walked out the door.

The male servant waiting by the door draped a cloak over his shoulders.

Leech said, “Let’s go. We’ll go listen to Tangkx Scholar’s first public lecture.”

…

The first lecture on Magic was a resounding success. After all, few of the teachers previously employed at Porcupine Castle truly understood Magic. The only one who could be considered proficient, Toma Scholar, had a habit of going off on tangents and leaving his students utterly confused.

After the class, Leech had a brief discussion with Tangkx Scholar. Although she was a bit of a money-grubber, her teaching quality was indisputable. The gaggle of young apprentices trailing after her was also a testament to her skills.

Tangkx Scholar, in turn, was amazed at Leech’s good fortune in finding a group of what could be considered passable Caster prospects.

Leech simply smiled at this. He had invested heavily to ensure these young apprentices could develop their skills.

This “pay-to-win” approach of spending lavishly, without regard for cost, was naturally worlds apart from the experience of those who never knew where their next meal was coming from.

A group of talented young apprentices with bright futures was now thriving.

Leech was extremely generous, constantly stuffing money into Tangkx Scholar’s hands. Money wasn’t an issue, so long as her principles could be swayed.

「Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the New Year of the Divine Calendar.」

A crowd gathered in the square of Porcupine Territory. A comedy troupe, invited to perform on numerous occasions, once again put on their best show.

A few young apprentice chefs who had studied cooking at the castle set up stalls selling simple and delicious food.

Other nimble-fingered young women wove beautiful little trinkets to sell. A group of children, mostly girls, crowded around their stalls, chattering away about which item was the prettiest.

Life in Porcupine Territory was busy and fast-paced, but after a year of hard work, everyone had saved a fair bit of money. Now was the perfect time for spending.

Leech walked into the Heroic Spirit Hall. It had started as a spur-of-the-moment idea to strengthen the residents’ sense of unity and honor—a promise that even in death, they would be remembered by their Lord and their fellow citizens.

But he never imagined that in what felt like the blink of an eye, an entire wall would already be filled with names.

‘It looked best when it was still clean and empty,’ Leech thought with a sigh.

He still recognized many of the names. Some belonged to Soldiers who had served under his father, Lieder, while others were from the first batch of Soldiers he had personally selected and trained.

Those familiar faces had now become silent names on a wall.

He gazed at the names on the wall for a long time before turning to leave.

“Quiet! Quiet, everyone!”

The joyous music and dancing ceased at the shouts.

The crowd gathered before the Heroic Spirit Hall.

Holding an Alchemy Megaphone, Kro Camel was excitedly delivering some opening remarks.

It would be hard to find another noble in all of Porcupine Territory as impeccably elegant as him. After all, not everyone would meticulously study the intricacies of noble etiquette and manage to turn it into their sole virtue.

“The first annual Porcupine Territory Outstanding Contribution Awards Ceremony… now officially begins!”

Leech stood to the side, watching Kro Camel on the high stage, and couldn’t help but wonder, ‘When I wrote the script for this, was I channeling an end-of-year company gala?’

His mind drifted, thinking of classic comedy skits and sappy holiday special finales. He only snapped out of it when Kro Camel called his name from the stage.

Leech was needed on stage to present the medals of honor and the prize Jinri.

Take Little Limp, for example. His journey began with the accidental discovery of limestone in the castle, led him to work with the masons’ construction team, delve into researching heating packs, and culminated in Leech recruiting him to develop soap.

Today, soap had become one of the main industrial pillars of Porcupine Territory. For noble ladies and young misses, Porcupine Brand was the only name to look for when buying soap.

It was safe to say that Little Limp had been tested and proven true, both in his innovation and his loyalty.

Little Limp wore a new set of clothes for the occasion, his hair was neatly combed, and his face was flushed with excitement.

Gazing at the young women in the crowd casting flirtatious glances his way, he stood ramrod straight, his eyes shining. Who would have ever thought he’d make something of himself like this?

He was Little Limp. His father had a limp, so even though his own legs were perfectly fine, the name stuck.

But now, he could proudly say that while a name couldn’t determine the state of his legs, his existence would bring infinite glory to the name “Little Limp.”

Leech gently patted Little Limp’s shoulder. “If you find a young woman you fancy, I can officiate the wedding for you.”

Little Limp’s cheeks flushed. “Thank you, Lord!”

‘He definitely would. A wedding officiated by the Lord himself would surely make his beloved happier and fill the ceremony with honor.’

In addition, representatives who had earned the respect of their peers were chosen from fields like sericulture, blacksmithing, carpentry, and brewing, as were teams that had made special contributions, all to receive honors.

Even if it wasn’t the same as being knighted, receiving an honor under the watchful eyes of thousands made them feel dizzy with joy. Some were so excited their legs trembled; they had never been the center of so much attention.

Leech watched as Kro Camel drank a lot of water offstage to soothe his throat before hurrying back up to continue speaking and emceeing the event.

‘Everyone has their own strengths,’ Leech thought. ‘It would be difficult to find a replacement for someone like Kro.’

‘This has the feel of a grand, happy ending. I hope that doesn’t mean trouble is just around the corner.’ He shook his head, pushing down the uneasy feeling. ‘This isn’t a novel. Things can’t be that coincidental.’

After the awards ceremony concluded, the festivities resumed.

The crowd dispersed, gathering in small groups to chat about the awards ceremony. Even though a hundred people had received awards on stage, there were still thousands in the audience.

“Did you see that fellow who got an award? That’s my wife’s brother.”

“So many people got awards. Which one are you talking about?”

“The one from the masons’ construction team!”

“There are a hundred people on that team.”

“…Well, anyway, I’ll get to touch his medal when I get home.”

“I’ll get a medal next year!”

Everyone was filled with anticipation, convinced that they too could earn one, if only they worked a little harder.

Across the entire country, Baron Porcupine’s territory must be the only one trying to eliminate slavery.

Someone else remarked with a sigh, “Our Lord is absolutely the most benevolent lord I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ve seen other lords?”

“Before I became a slave, my family worked at Marquis Rive’s mining quarry. For generations, we forged pickaxes and dug ore. My grandfather’s only wish was for someone in our family to become a Soldier and wield a family-forged sword on the battlefield.”

“So are you a Soldier now?”

“No, I work as a blacksmith in the foundry.”

“…” A moment of silence, then the man exclaimed, “Then you must earn a lot! The foundry is the most profitable business in Porcupine Territory.”

“Hehe, not that much, not that much. I just bought a house in the second phase of the residential district is all. Once my kid is a little older and more sensible, I’ll send him to the castle for night school. My wife’s aunt’s daughter’s friend works as a maid in the castle, see. She says you have to send your children to night school as early as possible. The earlier, the better.”

“You’re not going to let him become a Soldier?”

“A Soldier? What for! The Lord values knowledge above all else. A literate blacksmith earns several copper stars more than one who can’t read! And if he could become a Caster… I hear Casters don’t even have to work and just collect money every month.” He lowered his voice for the last part, afraid of being overheard.

“What about your grandfather’s dying wish?”

“It’s fine. I’ve never listened to him, even when I was a kid.”