The bright crimson glow of the system notification bathed the dim bedroom in an ominous light, instantly drawing Raymond’s full attention.
[ Ding! ]
[ A New Mandatory System Mission is now available! ]
Raymond’s eyes lit up as he stared directly at the translucent screen floating in front of him. The detailed prompt expanded rapidly:
-----
[ Mission Type: Mandatory ]
[ Mission Title: Surviving the Winter Famine ]
[Description]: The Althoff Barony is an absolute barren wasteland. The soil is frozen and nutrient-poor, rendering traditional agriculture impossible.Currently, there is a total lack of grain reserves within the local granaries. With winter fast approaching in less than three months, a massive, catastrophic famine is imminent. If the food crisis is not resolved, over 80% of your current population will perish, resulting in a permanent failure of the territory infrastructure.]
[Objective: Establish a sustainable, high-yield food source and secure enough grain reserves to completely feed all 1,200
citizens throughout the entire four-month winter season.]
[Time Duration: Three Months (90 Days) ]
[Rewards: Based entirely on the final Mission Evaluation Rank. ]
-------
Raymond rubbed his chin as he carefully analyzed the parameters. The situation was exceptionally grim. The Althoff Barony was thoroughly poor, lacking any stable internal food production. In the past, the only way the territory survived was by purchasing overpriced grain from traveling merchant caravans.
However, the original Raymond had squandered nearly every single coin in the local treasury on cheap liquor. Luckily, the system’s recent S-rank hidden reward had just dropped a massive 50,000 gold coins into his system metrics, giving him the baseline capital he needed to maneuver.
Before he could delve deeper into his plans, he felt a soft, persistent tug on his loose silk sleeve. He looked down and saw Lily staring up at him, her large blue eyes welling with thick tears that threatened to roll down her chubby cheeks.
Raymond let out a soft sigh, his expression softening as he reached out and gently rubbed her messy brown head. "Don’t worry, Lily. I’m completely fine. Look at me, not a single scratch."
"Are you absolutely sure, Young Master?" Lily asked suspiciously. She began circling around him, using her tiny hands to pat his arms and torso aggressively to check for hidden stab wounds.
"See? I told you I’m perfectly intact," Raymond chuckled, stepping back and playfully flexing his skinny, unmuscled arms with a proud look on his face. "Those lowly mercenaries don’t stand a chance against a strong, handsome man like your Young Master."
Lily finally stopped trembling and wiped her nose with her massive sleeve. She looked at Raymond’s scrawny physique, rolled her large eyes, and let out a small huff. "Don’t be completely shameless, Young Master. You couldn’t even put down an aggressive chicken in the yard. I’m entirely sure those three massive armored guards outside were the ones who took care of the captain."
Raymond froze in place, a sudden hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. He let out a loud, dry cough to cover up his slip, lightly knocking his knuckles against Lily’s forehead. "Can’t you just allow your employer to have a brief moment of happiness, you little brat?"
Lily stuck out her pink tongue and giggled softly, rubbing her head. Her attention quickly shifted toward the doorway, where the three silent giants stood like unyielding walls of steel.
She tilted her head and whispered, "Young Master, who are those big people? I am completely certain I have never seen them inside the castle before."
Raymond smiled smoothly, weaving an instant lie. "Those guys are the elite personal guards left behind by my late father. They were stationed in secret until I explicitly called for them."
"Wow," Lily gasped, her eyes widening with sudden reverence. "I didn’t expect the late Patriarch to leave behind such incredibly strong knights for you. It looks like he truly cared about your safety after all."
Raymond’s eyes flickered with a strange, calculative glint as he recalled the original owner’s memories regarding his family, but he didn’t dwell on it.
He patted her head once more. "Go on now, Lily. I am absolutely starving. Go down to the kitchens and tell the staff to prepare a heavy meal for me."
"Understood!" Lily nodded happily. She turned and skipped out of the bedroom, her oversized, baggy uniform dragging heavily across the stone floor like a deflated parachute. As she passed the three towering knights, she stopped to stare at their massive armor for a brief moment, giggled, and then trotted down the corridor.
Raymond watched her leave, letting out a long, slow breath as the room fell quiet. The moment she disappeared from sight, his expression turned sharp. He waved his hand, summoning the system interface once more to inspect his inventory.
He skipped the summoning tickets since he already understood their function, and focused his gaze on the remaining rewards.
-----
[ Inventory Details ]
[Tier II Variant Seeds (Assorted)]
[ Description: High-grade, genetically optimized crop seeds including wheat, rice, corn, tomatoes, peppers, and various
root vegetables. These variants possess a resilience rating and yield ten times higher than ordinary medieval crops. They are
completely immune to standard plant diseases, require 30% less water, and yield crops that are substantially larger and
more nutrient-dense.]
[Time Acceleration Card (x1)]
[ Description: A consumable system artifact. Upon activation, it projects a localized temporal field over a designated
geographic area. It accelerates the natural growth cycle of vegetation within the zone, causing crops to germinate, grow,
and fully ripen within a matter of time.]
[Divine Grade Mana Heart]
[ Description: A legendary-tier Mana Heart. Upon integration, when awakened one can officially become a Knight or a Mage. It establishes a perfect, infinite mana circulation node, granting the Host
maximum magical affinity and allowing the instantaneous cultivation of advanced magical energies without physical limits.]
[Tier 1 Land Upgrade Card (x1)]
[ Description: A localized terraforming tool. Upon deployment, it permanently transforms a designated, barren land mass into incredibly rich, arable soil packed with premium agricultural nutrients.]
[ Note: Tier 1 limits the operational radius to exactly 5 square kilometers. Higher tier cards unlock vastly larger geographic
diameters and add advanced mystical properties to the soil.]
-----
Raymond’s eyes were practically oozing with pure excitement as he finished reading the descriptions. The sheer utility of these items made the terrifying winter mission look incredibly simple.
With the Land Upgrade Card, he could bypass the, useless barren soil of the barony. With the Tier II seeds, he could grow crops vastly superior to anything found in this world. And with the Time Acceleration Card, he could force a full harvest to ripen before the winter frost even touched the ground.
"This is simply too badass," Raymond grinned from ear to ear, his facial muscles stretching taut. "An absolute, complete win for the system."
After calming his racing mind, Raymond turned his eyes toward the three towering knights standing guard at the threshold. He hadn’t checked their specific statistics yet. He tapped the interface, pulling up the detailed subordinate panels for the three Silver Rank summons.
[ Summon Status Panels ]
[Knight 1 - Center]
• Name: [ Jonathan ]
• Rank: [ 5-Star Silver Rank Knight ]
• Specialization: [ Heavy Sword Mastery, Line Defense, Tactics.]
• Combat Evaluation: [ A formidable commander capable of single-
handedly slaughtering an entire army of ordinary foot soldiers.]
---
[Knight 2 - Left]
• Name: [ Garret ]
• Rank: [ 3-Star Silver Rank Knight ]
• Specialization: [ Vanguard Assault, Iron Shield Technique ]
----
[Knight 3 - Right]
• Name: [ Tristan ]
• Rank: [ 3-Star Silver Rank Knight ]
• Specialization: [ High-Speed Assassination, Wind-Step Movement.]
-----
Use code with caution.Reading through their status screens, the last lingering traces of anxiety completely vanished from Raymond’s mind. In this remote, backward borderland, a 5-Star Silver Rank Knight like Jonathan Vance was an absolute powerhouse.
Most neighboring lords only possessed low-tier Bronze soldiers or cheap mercenary captains like Boris. With these three knights guarding his life, his physical safety inside the barony was entirely guaranteed.
He closed the glowing blue menus with a flick of his wrist, leaning his head back against the wall as he let out a massive, weary sigh.
He rubbed his aching temples, his voice a low mutter in the empty room. "What an absolutely frantic day. First, I die back on Earth by suffocating on a ridiculous pile of laundry soap bubbles. Then, I wake up inside this trash, poisoned body, almost get assassinated by a bloody mercenary coup, and end up with an overpowered kingdom-building system. What a complete mess."
He stood up from the mattress, stretching his limbs thoroughly until his joints let out a series of loud pops. He let out a wide yawn, his stomach suddenly emitting a loud, rumbling growl that reminded him of his intense hunger.
"Let’s go find some food first," Raymond muttered, walking toward the exit as his knights parted to let him through. "Planning out the complete economic domination of the world can definitely wait until after lunch."
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