Chapter 9: You are being looked down upon
Most of the structures in the town are frozen, but a few have been spared. A small inn sits next to the main road, with a thick layer of hay on its roof. A weather vane featuring a rooster spins back and forth.
The inn’s wooden doors creak in the wind. A weathered wooden sign depicting a simple beer pattern was propped up at the entrance. If the territory hadn’t been frozen, the aroma of stewed meat and the scent of wheat-flavored alcohol might have drifted from inside.
Ron picked up a glass, feeling an instant chill in his hand, and asked, “Can this temperature really freeze an entire territory?”
It’s not that Ron underestimated the power of the fantasy world. At best, this could be considered remarkable, not enough to freeze anything.
Freezing all these people would require an extremely exaggerated cold. After searching the inn and finding no useful clues, Ron regretfully left. But at this moment, he heard a delightful singing. Although there were no lyrics, the melody was ethereal and elegant, making it easy to get lost.
Ron looked towards the singing, but there was nothing there, only a beautiful white squirrel.
However, his subconscious felt that something was off, so he walked towards the white squirrel. Just as he was about to get close, the town was hit by a stronger wind. In just a moment, Ron could clearly feel his body losing consciousness. He tightened his coat around himself, helplessly watching the white squirrel disappear into the snowy landscape. Not only that, but the singing stopped, leaving Ron only with the howling of the cold wind.
After the gust of wind, Ron couldn’t stay in the town any longer. Even with the coat, it was unbearable, and he felt like he would freeze into an ice sculpture if he lingered any longer.
“So cold…” Ron complained as he walked out of the town gate.
Though not significant, the town had a similar color tone everywhere, and he had gotten lost for quite a while earlier. Upon returning, he noticed a large wooden house with no one before.
“Am I hallucinating from the cold?” He wondered, doubting his sanity.
Ron thought that this place was originally a forest if his memory was not failing.
“Mr. Ron, you’re not hallucinating,” Lilian said, pushing open the door to the wooden house with a crisp voice.
Inside was a small stove, and Moluna sat by it, resembling a delicate doll. She held a water cup in her hand but didn’t drink. Her vacant eyes stared ahead, blinking infrequently.
“What is this place?” Ron asked in amazement.
“Of course, I built a temporary camp for you,” Lilian said, pinching her skirt and kneeling. “Inside, there’s a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom—everything you need.”
“No, no, no. I want to know how you made this?” Ron was skeptical, suspecting that Lilian had some kind of house model that could be enlarged or shrunk.
“Of course, I built it with the wood from here, bit by bit,” Lilian responded matter-of-factly after lowering her skirt. “It’s a basic skill for a maid.”
Ron walked into the wooden house, looking confused, feeling like it was unreal. He had never heard of a maid building a house in hours. Just as he entered, Moluna raised the cup in her hand and splashed water directly onto Ron’s face.
“What are you doing?” Ron was shocked.
“Miss Moluna wants you to drink hot water,” Lilian explained.
“How did you know?” Ron was surprised. He couldn’t see any indication from Moluna.
“White dragons can, to some extent, understand others’ thoughts,” Lilian raised an eyebrow slightly. “Of course, I couldn’t understand before, but now, being able to understand means this witch has regained consciousness.”
To be honest, Moluna’s recovery of consciousness was unexpected. Lilian had thought Moluna would continue in a confused state.
“By the way, Mr. Ron, dinner is ready for you both,” Lilian pulled out a chair for Ron. “It’s dinner time, please sit down and enjoy.”
A few minutes later, Lilian came from the kitchen with a steaming plate of meat. Ron was hungry but wasn’t sure what kind of meat this was. After taking a bite, he found it quite tasty.
“What kind of meat is this?”
“This is dragon meat, and it’s very fresh, Mr. Ron,” Lilian said politely.
Ron dropped his fork in surprise, “Where did the dragon meat come from?”
“My tail,” Lilian said calmly.
Ron’s expression turned unpleasant.
“Don’t worry. For me, cutting off a small piece of meat is like you humans losing a bit of skin,” Lilian explained.
The recovery ability of the dragon race was much stronger than that of humans. In less than an hour, wounds of this level would heal.
“Moluna, don’t eat that…” Ron seemed to recall something and quickly advised Moluna.
But Moluna was already enjoying the meal, paying no attention to Ron.
“Miss Moluna seems to be enjoying the meal. Would you like another piece?” Lilian asked respectfully.
And whether it was an illusion or not, Moluna, who had been staring blankly, suddenly lit up. Unfortunately, she didn’t follow up with further actions, leaving everyone puzzled. Ron suspected Moluna’s instinct to eat might be at play, perhaps wanting more.
“No need,” Ron immediately dismissed Lilian’s horrifying thought. “One serving is enough.”
“By the way, Mr. Ron, you came back so early. Did you finish the investigation?” Lilian, with her eyes half-closed, stood beside Ron.
“No, it’s too cold in there, impossible to investigate,” Ron sighed.
Lilian looked at Ron with a disappointed expression, “Is Lady Mercury’s work too challenging for someone like you?”
“If you really can’t complete it, I’ll go back and report to Lady Mercury,” her polite tone gave Ron a feeling of being subtly criticized.
“No need… I’ll go again tomorrow,” Ron said. “I saw a white squirrel inside, and it must be the culprit.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll be waiting here for your good news tomorrow,” Lilian said in a cold tone, maintaining the same posture.
“Can’t you use that breath to help me?” Ron suddenly asked.
Lilian closed her eyes, “That breath can only be used within a certain range and can’t follow you. Please try to find a way to overcome it yourself.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the system’s voice sounded in Ron’s ears.
“You seem to be looked down upon by a maid. As the strongest being on Earth in the future, how can you tolerate such humiliation? You must want to regain your glory.”
Ron said there might not be anything wrong with being looked down upon by a dragon. However, the system had already issued a new task on its own.
