Leech rode his horse, leisurely admiring the scenery along the way.
The trees were all the same, as was the dirt road. While his horse's hooves managed the muddy path just fine, the guards on foot and the carriage had a harder time.
The Baron even worried a few times whether his draft horse pulling the cart would drop dead from exhaustion, or if the cart would fall apart before the horse died.
But at the thought of the draft horse's price, he forced himself to calm down. Cost-effectiveness. The Porcupine Clan needed to pursue cost-effectiveness right now.
The warhorse beneath him whinnied and snorted, growing restless.
The draft horse was even more terrified.
Leech sent a man ahead to scout.
"What's going on?!"
"My lord, there's a wild boar's carcass up ahead."
Leech tugged on the reins and rode forward. In the very middle of the road lay the half-eaten carcass of a wild boar, mauled by some unknown, large beast. Shreds of fresh, red meat still clung to its white bones. The corpse was even still faintly warm to the touch, meaning the predator had left only moments ago.
The most terrifying thing was the complete lack of tracks nearby—not from any beast, not even from the boar itself. It was as if the boar had simply fallen from the sky, with a spray of snow around it indicating a high-velocity impact.
"Let's go, now!" Leech said.
Even without his order, the others had guessed there was danger nearby.
Was it a lion escaped from some fighting pit, or a giant, fire-red bear like the one before?
In any case, they had to leave quickly. They couldn't hope that the creature was full and would spare them. Thankfully, this place was far enough from Porcupine Territory that the predator was unlikely to make a special trip there.
For the rest of the journey, Leech couldn't relax. He had to constantly monitor Porcupine Territory through his raven, keeping the geon-corpses on standby to prevent anything from charging into his domain.
Fortunately, the rest of the journey was uneventful. After putting a good distance between themselves and the scene, they rested at an abandoned post station by the roadside, continuing their journey the next day.
Soon, at the end of the road, they saw the city slowly rising up from the horizon.
Some people say that the gates of Iron Stone City are like a woman's thighs: don't try to force them open violently. Instead, whisper some sweet nothings, spend a few Silver Moons, and they will open for you automatically, maybe even hook themselves around your waist.
The towering city gates, with Soldiers in leather armor patrolling the walls on either side. At the entrance, traveling merchants haggled over the entry fee. Everyone was bustling about for this great city.
'Compared to this, Porcupine Territory is practically the boondocks.'
The road from Porcupine Territory to Iron Stone City was cut off by Pig Spine Valley, forcing them to take a huge detour. This distance was enough to divide prosperity into two different worlds.
Even Baron Leech, who thought his life had been pretty good lately, couldn't help but sigh in amazement upon entering Iron Stone City. It really felt like a country baron visiting the big city.
The patrolling Soldiers wore leather armor and had fine swords at their waists. Porcupine Territory, meanwhile, only had militiamen and pitchforks.
As for city walls? Porcupine Territory had no walls at all. Its only fortification was his Porcupine Castle—that dilapidated fortress that looked like you could dig through it with a hoe.
Baron Spark's ancestors must have carefully considered how to perfect its defenses when building this castle. The barbican design had ensured that this ancient city had never been breached in countless wars.
A new noble could not compare to an old one. The gap between them was as wide as the gap between a noble and a commoner.
A servant who had been waiting at the gate saw the Baron and the Porcupine Banner and came forward.
"Honored lord, I am Master Simon's first manservant. I have been ordered to escort you to Iron Stone Castle to rest."
"My thanks," Leech said, nodding from horseback.
If he were a respected guest, they would have at least sent a steward to receive him. Many noble houses had not only a first manservant but also a second. Their main job was to do heavy lifting around the castle. In Porcupine Territory, for instance, a man named Pitchfork sometimes had to do manual labor as well, because Leech was short on staff.
It was clear Leech wasn't considered an important guest, but he wasn't angry.
Iron Stone Castle was built within Iron Stone City but was set apart from the town proper. From the city gate, you could see the top of the black castle, towering high and looking down upon all of Iron Stone City.
"This may be your first time in Iron Stone City," the manservant said, leading the way. "To save you any trouble, we'll take another, quicker route."
The man was clearly used to dealing with nobles and was very familiar with the procedures for hosting them, but his attitude was far from good—haughty and dismissive of Leech, this country baron.
Leech didn't argue. "I am at your disposal." He was just a manservant, after all.
After entering Iron Stone City, they bypassed the residential and commercial districts and soon arrived before Iron Stone Castle. The massive castle was like a small mountain, a full size larger than Porcupine Castle.
Stepping onto the stone-paved road, a middle-aged nobleman with a curled handlebar mustache was waiting for them.
"Haha, Sir Clarence, so glad you could make it."
"Sir Simon," Leech dismounted and shook the man's hand warmly, though this was their first time meeting.
"Your father was the bravest Warrior I have ever known," Baron Spark said, as if reminiscing about old days with Leech's father. But as they both well knew, the two men had never crossed paths.
Leech replied, "He also said you were the richest nobleman he'd ever met."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while longer, both wearing fake smiles.
Baron Spark instructed the manservant, "Take Sir Clarence to his room to rest. See that his guards are also given a place to rest."
"Yes, my lord!"
Leech offered his thanks and followed the manservant away.
The wealthy Simon family was not stingy when hosting guests from afar, fully displaying their ample financial resources.
'I must be one of the suitors Simon is considering,' Leech mused. 'Our territories are close, and I'm a single man with a title and land. If I marry his daughter, Baron Simon's domain would instantly expand, and with a contiguous piece of land at that. Its poverty is irrelevant; the Baron's iron mines would pave over any problem.'
'However, while I don't mind living off a wealthy woman,' Baron Leech thought, 'I am a bit of a picky eater. I've already warned myself: stay away from that "Charming" girl. I will not be cuckolded.'
The first manservant led him to his room and then bowed out gracefully, leaving him plenty of time to rest.
His valet, Pitchfork, helped Leech change into his formal attire. There would be a ball tonight, and the Baron's daughter, Becky Simon, would be the absolute star. The young nobles were all here for her.
But before that, Leech ordered his men to go to the brothels of Iron Stone City. Those Little Pills needed a market, and he really couldn't think of a more suitable place.
"Each of you is to take one pill," he had instructed. "Pay the proprietor for information, then find a way to give the pill to a client with... certain difficulties. Of course, you can't just hand it over. No one with an ounce of caution would accept it. It won't be easy, so you'll have to improvise." To that end, Leech had even given them money for the brothels, telling them to boast about the pills while they were enjoying themselves.
They had traveled hard, and now, receiving such an unconventional reward, they didn't see it as a mission at all.
'This is a bonus! Baron Leech is the most benevolent lord in the world, no doubt about it!'
As dusk fell, looking down from the castle at the town below, the lights twinkled like stars in the sky.
'Porcupine Territory will become even better than this,' Leech thought with a surge of anticipation.
'First, solve the food problem. Then, the population problem. We need more children to have enough manpower for things like planting trees. Planning and construction will have to wait. Food comes first,' he thought, pondering future development. He was also feeling more and more that he couldn't handle this all by himself. He needed capable assistants, not just valets and stewards to do everything.
A ball wasn't just about gathering to eat pastries.
Second sons without noble titles needed to target ladies with inheritance rights, or simply have a passionate fling with a widowed noblewoman who held a title.
The young ladies, in turn, hoped to find a nobleman with a fief. They loved living in the public eye, and a title and the wealth of a territory were the cornerstones that supported it all.
"You're sure to charm all the ladies present," his valet, Pitchfork, said admiringly as he finished helping Leech with his formal wear.
In the mirror, the relatively simple formal attire accentuated Leech's long legs and broad shoulders. Beneath his black hair, his face was handsome.
'Fresh and juicy?'
An adjective to describe himself popped into Leech's mind.
With the sound of noblewomen's laughter drifting in, the ball had already begun.