None of these witches are decent V1C5

Chapter 5: Masterpiece

Duchess? Territory?

Ron’s eyes involuntarily widened a bit. Although uncertain about the Norman Empire’s standing, it appeared trustworthy. And granting a piece of land? The allure was simply too strong for Ron.

Even if Madam Mercury’s “maybe” was subtle, it’s still better than continuing to roam in this unfamiliar world. But the question was, what qualifies him to seal this deal?

Before and after crossing, he’s just an ordinary person. No combat skills, decent rhetoric, and lacking exceptional charm. He had a system dedicated to making him the strongest on earth. Unfortunately, this system hadn’t demonstrated its effectiveness besides saving his life.

It’s unclear if this system can genuinely make him formidable or if it’s just a gimmick.

Moreover, he was the only one privy to this system. Madam Mercury likely had no clue about it, right?

Appearing to sense Ron’s skepticism, the system promptly displayed information, almost as if challenging him directly.

【Task System Update】

【Task Name: Become a Lord Starting Today】

[As the strongest presence on the ground in the future, how can one not have their own territory? This is the territory of Madam Mercury, and I’m sure you are determined to obtain it.] [Task content: Find the culprit of the frozen village (x).] [Completion reward: A weapon carefully prepared by the system awaits you.]

Seeing the system assigning a task, Ron couldn’t help but remark that it was exactly like the system he was familiar with. Apologies flowed from him as he realised he had underestimated the system.

If this system is authentic, then his success and fame are imminent. The fact that this task even included a weapon made Madam Mercury’s offer irresistible to Ron. Moreover, the task only required him to locate the other party. It didn’t specify engaging in actual combat.

Previously, he worried about his abilities and completing Madam Mercury’s task. Now, he was worried about nothing!

He’s a successful man backed by the system!

“As long as you wish, you can return to this place through this door at any time,” Madam Mercury assures. “You don’t need to worry too much about supplies.”

“Deal,” Ron said, finishing his cup of water and promptly standing up.

Anyway, he didn’t have much to contemplate right now. Even if he didn’t accept Madam Mercury’s deal, he still had nowhere to go.

Moluna, observing Ron stand up, instinctively followed suit. She was like a newly hatched duckling, following Ron wherever he went as if he were her guiding figure.

Suddenly, the system’s voice rings out, and red-lettered messages appear in Ron’s line of sight.

【The system kindly reminds you that once the task starts, you cannot cancel it.】

This statement confused Ron: what does it mean that the task cannot be cancelled?

【As the strongest existence on Earth in the future, how can one abandon a task midway? Although there is no punishment for failing a task, the system will appropriately administer penalties if a time traveller refuses to start a task.】

“Punishment?” Ron asked instinctively.

“Punishment includes but is not limited to deprivation of desires, compulsory actions, infliction of pain, and the duration of punishment varies depending on the task.”

Full of spirit, Ron was about to show off, but the system poured a bucket of cold water on him.

Wait a minute! Hold on!!? Why do these punishments sound so ominous!!?

“As long as you actively complete the tasks, the above punishments will not be applied to you.”

“Mr. Ron?”

The cold wind and Madam Mercury’s voice returned the dazed Ron to his senses.

“Mr. Ron?” Madam Mercury called again, “You seem to be in poor condition?”

Ron waved his hand, “I’m fine.”

But his condition was indeed not great because he had a rather ominous premonition. Suddenly, Ron felt like his sleeve had been pulled. He looked over and found that it was Moluna pulling his sleeve. And whether it was an illusion or not, Ron felt a hint of concern in Moluna’s eyes.

“What was I about to do just now?” Ron pinched his brow and asked.

“You were about to leave here,” Madam Mercury replied, frowning.

Ron’s current state really worried her. What happened in that moment just now?

Unfortunately, Ron had already passed through the door, closing it behind him. When he emerged on the other side of the door, it had vanished without a trace. In the room, only Madam Mercury remained facing a wall. The azure eyes of Madam Mercury gradually changed. Her pupils narrowed to a needle-like shape. Some light blue scales appeared on the lady’s cheek, resembling those of a lizard in a cage.

“Sincerely hope you can grow, Traveler,” she murmured, looking at the empty wall.

Even though Ron hadn’t revealed any information, Madam Mercury still knew his secrets. After all, Ron was not the first person to traverse this dual-coloured realm. Perhaps he wouldn’t be the last. Because, like the over ninety-nine traversers before him, he might meet his end in this dual-coloured realm.

It was not a very friendly place in the current dual-coloured realm, where rules no longer apply. Some traversers before him came close to achieving greatness, but others perished within a day or two.

As the traverser’s guide, Madam Mercury had long witnessed the various fates they met. The systems on the traversers did not come out of thin air. They were the masterpieces of the ten sages of the dual-coloured realm.

The sole purpose of this system was to train traversers and have them resolve the infestation afflicting the dual-coloured realm.

“Drip.” A crisp and pleasant sound rang out. The empty cup on Madam Mercury’s desktop suddenly filled with water. The small cup created a vortex, and a water dragon slowly emerged.

“Madam Mercury, you seem a bit impatient,” the water dragon said, “Even for someone from another world, there’s nothing special. You can’t force them to grow so quickly, no matter how challenging the tasks are.”

“This is already the one-hundredth traverser,” Madam Mercury said softly, “This time, I will do whatever it takes to foster their growth.”

There have been too many attempts. Continuing like this might arouse suspicion from those guys.

“If it weren’t for people completely unrelated to the dual-coloured realm, there would be no way to deal with those tumours even a bit,” she glanced at the palm-sized dragon, emphasising with a serious tone, “But we can’t just stand by quietly on the sidelines.”