Oops, I became the witch's substitute

Serena nodded: "This is an opportunity. In order to improve my strength, I really want to go."

Carol snapped her fingers and said, "Then give me your weapons and equipment. I will strengthen your equipment in the next few days to enhance its resistance to magic and its killing ability. Besides that, please let me know in advance if you have any other needs."

Fili was worried about Serena at this time, but after their eyes met, Serena stopped Fili in advance: "Fili, I don't need you to take care of me all the time, because Pandora's whereabouts are uncertain, you must stay in Miriam to protect this country."

Fili exclaimed, "Yes."

At this time, Feilin stood up: "Then I will act with you."

Serena also refused: "That's not necessary, Philin, do you have other things to do in Miriam?"

Serena could vaguely guess that Filin was a spy, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he was often in contact with merchants with unclear meanings.

Felina was really worried about Serena running away like this: "It is also necessary to collect information about disasters in neighboring countries. Besides, if you want to organize the troops, you must have a logistics officer, right? I will be your adjutant."

Chapter 113: Free Use Ticket

Philin's job in Miriam was simple, which was to collect intelligence, especially to keep an eye on Hecate. As time went on, Philin also understood the direction of Count Xie's attention. Every time he wrote to the family, he would briefly mention Hecate's recent movements, and the orders from home would be simpler.

In recent months, few of the orders given by the family to Filin have been completed properly. Some are in preparation, while others are too difficult to complete. You can replace them or punish them as you like, or ask for someone else.

Considering that Filin is the only backbone force who has infiltrated the witches, the family cannot make too many excessive demands on him and should focus on monitoring Hecate.

This time Hecate asked Dorothy to discuss something, and Filin stated in the letter that it was true, and used other aliases to prove it, deliberately making it mysterious and creating confusion about what plans Hecate and Dorothy had secretly discussed.

Regarding the rumors about Pandora, Feilin did not plan to report it too early, fearing that the family would take advantage of this disaster to do something. As for whether the family would send the army of justice, it would be better to believe that Count Xie would solve their blood curse.

"Well, Scathach seems to be really interested in magic recently?" While making the letter, Filin felt Scathach's softness. The little dragon girl's body was well-trained now, and she was very flexible. She felt soft in his arms.

Of course, the touch came from Fili, and the feeling was shared by both of them. It was a little embarrassing, but from Fili's perspective, it was the gentlest way to get along.

Regarding Scathach's strange dream, Filin had no idea where to start investigating. He could only do a good job of protection first and then observe.

On the other side, Fili finished today's magic class. She was very good at the basic knowledge and had no pressure in helping Scathach get started. Scathach also enjoyed Fili's guidance.

Scathach put away today's notes. Although she couldn't understand most of the words, she could learn slowly: "Sister Fili, you have worked so hard today. You still have to teach me so late."

Fili touched Scathach's head and said, "It's not hard. Just remember the explanation first and look at the notes later. If you want to continue to delve deeper into magic knowledge, you must learn to read as soon as possible. Not only must you learn the common languages ​​of several countries, you must also learn some ancient languages."

Regarding linguistics, this world is quite terrifying. Even a language like Dragon Language, which consists of three strokes and one dot, has dialects.

Humans (referring to any humanoid race) have different languages ​​in different countries, races, geographies, and eras. Even the common language is divided into several types. The so-called common language is the language used by a great empire to unify the domestic races, rather than a unified language for the whole world.

There are few classical documents to begin with, and various natural disasters, man-made calamities, falling stars and beasts have led to the interruption of inheritance, so don't even think about understanding all the characters in the world.

Therefore, even for Filin, he only learned a few mainstream magical languages. Whenever he encounters someone he cannot communicate with in the future, he can only use spiritual magic to understand each other.

Scathach can now read and write in Miriam's local language. She goes to see Filin when Filin is free, and goes to see Nishinoka when Filin is not available. As for Carol, she usually tries to explain the professional terms of alchemy to Scathach.

Scathach felt embarrassed. After the Snow Girl moved in, she helped her carry her luggage and had a conversation with her. Only then did she realize that the value of knowledge was actually very precious. The knowledge that she could now access might be something that ordinary people would never be able to access in their entire lives.

This is indeed true. Now, several heroes have gathered in this small inn, including the Snow Girl Aislin, who is a transcendent.

Scathach didn't talk about how to repay her now. She was thinking of other ways: "Sister Fili, while everyone is in the hotel recently, I want to buy some gifts for everyone."

Fili thought for a moment and said, "Gifts? There aren't many good gifts around. If you want to thank everyone, why not make some meaningful souvenirs yourself."

Scathach sat on the bed and asked seriously: "Then what should I do? I don't know what my brothers and sisters like..."

Fili raised her finger: "Then let's rub your shoulders and back."

Scathach immediately complained: "Let's not talk about how young Brother Filin and Sister Serena are. Sister Fili, you don't want to be mistaken for an old lady, do you?"

Fili was in a dilemma: "Well, it is possible. Actually, I am not good at giving gifts, but the core must be thoughtful. It is best to be something that can be used frequently. Hehe, leave this matter to Scathach, you can think about it yourself, so that I can also have some anticipation."

Scathach made up her mind and asked Fili not to leave yet. She quickly ran to the desk, found some white paper, cut it and wrote something on it, then quickly ran back and handed it to Fili.

Fili took it and looked at it. It was a piece of paper with Scathach's crooked head drawn on it: "Free use ticket?"

Scathach put her hands behind her back and said a little embarrassedly: "I am only good at running errands in the store. Brothers and sisters, please tell me to do anything within my ability. I will complete normal tasks well."

Fili gently touched Scathach's head and said, "You have really changed a lot. When you first came here, you were a hedgehog, like a child raised by wolves in the forest legend. You were even mean to Fili. Now you have learned etiquette and dance, and your emotions have become much gentler. You are a good child."

Scathach threw herself into Fili's arms and said, "If you hadn't saved me, I would have been destroyed as a monster. Fili is really like my second mother. I really want to give the Dragon Stone to you for safekeeping."

Fili continued to pat Scathach: "The dragon stone is a symbol of your life and freedom. If it is too far away from you, it will make you weak, so you must protect it well. By the way, how did you preserve your dragon stone in the past?"

Qianxun з⒈二8⒈④壹Э㈨

Scathach frowned: "I'm not sure, it was inexplicably produced after I was turned into a dragon. My memory is vague, but I know it is a dragon stone, and it is very important to me. Ah, speaking of it, Sister Fili, there is one more thing... I don't know if I should say it."

Fili picked up Scathach and said, "Tell me, there is nothing that my sister can't solve."

Scathach said: "Actually, my hometown is Kalan. Well... I'm not saying this because I miss home. I have no feelings for my original family. It's just that after listening to Dorothy and Aunt Scathach, I feel that I might be from Kalan. The reason why I became a dragon may also be related to Kalan."

This news surprised Fili. Shouldn't Mediya be blamed for this? But that was true. Mediya was so capable that she was killed by her younger sister in a matter of minutes. She didn't seem to be someone who could mass-produce dragon beasts. Scathach might have been trafficked here, or she might have been a test subject.

What on earth has Scathach encountered recently? Fili began to be more careful and would find ways to protect the people around her.

Scathach, who threw herself into Fili's arms, was also filled with a great sense of happiness at this time. She smelled her sweet sister and hugged her soft sister, feeling at ease and satisfied.

The next morning, Filin got up to check the account books and make a summary of the hotel's business conditions, striving to save Nishinohua from worry and effort in the future. While he was working, he heard Scathach knocking on the door.

"What's the matter?" Filin was very serious and played the role of a good man as the organization minister in the hotel. Everyone would think that Filin was a gentle and warm man. He went to the same place every day and had no inappropriate behavior towards girls. Except for talking more with Nishino Hana, he didn't talk much at other times.

Scathach hesitated for two seconds and handed the Free Use Ticket to Filin: "This is to repay Brother Filin for his teachings all along. He selflessly gave me so much knowledge that I couldn't get outside. I can't think of any gift to prepare for you, so I'll use this."

Actually, Filin didn't want to take this. He didn't want to have any relationship with the girls here. Just being friends would be enough. He planned to use this scroll of free use as a joke: "Then I'll use it now. Scathach, you can be my sister. I..."

An unnatural smile appeared on Filin's face, and he mentioned on a whim that he wanted to take Scathach in as his sister because she was a blood relative in this world. When she was still alive, she once joked that it would be nice to have another lovely sister.

Thinking of this, Feilin felt depressed about his slip of the tongue, and it also brought back unpleasant memories, but he quickly put them behind him.

He also underestimated the girl's sensitivity. Scathach might not have noticed his expression, but she noticed the flash of nostalgia in Filin's eyes. Maybe there was some reason why he said that, so she immediately shook her head: "Brother Filin, if you really want me to be your stepsister, just say it. We have been together for so long, and I know what kind of person you are, so, um, I can just call you brother, is that okay? There is no need to use this service ticket for such a small matter."

Feilin sighed: "This is really difficult. Please help me clean up the room."

Scathach: "I've been cleaning it up before, so there's no need to use a service ticket, right?"

Feilin took out his wallet: "Then go buy groceries?"

"Just a little thing."

"Give me a massage of my shoulders."

"We are all big brothers now. If you just tell me, I will help you. But you have shoulder pain at such a young age. What are you going to do in the future?"

Feilin had no choice but to use his ultimate move and stretched out his hand: "Then let me mention Sese's request."

Scathach was shocked: "Huh?"

Feilin continued, "How about letting me pick you up and spin you around? It's such a difficult task, but I think it's okay to use up a summon ticket, right?"

Shaka blushed, thought for a moment, and also held out his arms: "Isn't it just a hug? There were similar movements when you taught me to dance, right? It doesn't count as consumption. Anyway, Brother Filin, think about this summons ticket first, and do something meaningful with it."

After saying that, perhaps because she was afraid that Filin would continue to make some difficult requests, Scathach ran away.

Filin was holding the funny scroll of random orders. The portrait of Scathach on it was crooked, with her tongue sticking out to look cute. It was different from the one he gave to Fili last night. It was quite interesting, so he kept it for now.

After that, Scathach gave one to everyone staying in the inn, including the new arrival Aislinn. Aislinn was so moved that she almost cried, and she made a lot of snow sugar marshmallows for Scathach.

It was not easy to enjoy a peaceful life in Miriam, but just last night they learned that a country not far away was in dire straits.

Selena planned to recruit a troop as a knight to go to the rescue, just to buy time for the refugees to escape. After completing the morning training, Selena temporarily handed over her equipment to Carol. In addition, she also bought four spare swords, three knight guns, a halberd, and even ordered four new shields for herself.

It seems that Serena's weapons are really consumables, and she is very strong and uses them very ruthlessly.

After completing my personal armament, it was already after lunch, and then I found Filin alone to discuss what to do.

"Kalan's situation is very dangerous. I plan to rescue the trapped residents and lords within my ability and destroy as many monsters as possible." Serena didn't directly say that she wanted to challenge the demons, but she definitely wanted to fight and understand the cruel world that Filin mentioned. "I want to recruit 200 infantry and 30 cavalry, that's it."

Filin immediately took out a pen and paper to do the math for Serena. With the education he received in this world, he had a good grasp of logistical knowledge. After calculating the normal military expenses for Serena, he also proposed additional expenses.

After settling the accounts, Filin raised a new question: "In such an occasion, we must recruit several strong and experienced mercenaries. At the same time, in my opinion, we must draw up a contract with every soldier and mercenary."

Serena inquired, "What kind of contract? If it's something like a pension, it will be explained clearly during recruitment."

Filin buried his head in writing at his desk. "We need to explain the dangers of the Kalan region, tell them what kind of monsters they will face, what level of demons they will face, and the specific details of the posthumous pension. We need to keep files based on each person's situation. I want to ensure that these people will not easily escape because of fear or powerful enemies. I also want to provide the most basic insurance for those in danger."

In Filin's understanding, soldiers are not disposable tools or consumables. The mercenaries and adventurers in this world can also establish good personal connections. They are a unique force, and there may be SSR characters among them.

Therefore, Film recruits personnel with favorable treatment, based on credibility, and maintains morale and combat effectiveness with faith.

As for the quality requirements such as enforcing orders and prohibiting discipline, we will not consider them for the time being because of the tight time and heavy tasks and the inability to train soldiers. Small-scale temporary forces have small-scale leadership methods.

Serena saw the preferential terms in the contract and said, "To be honest, I don't have high expectations for the quality of these temporary recruits. That... I..."

Filin expressed his understanding: "You just want to fight and help those affected by the disaster. You recruit troops to take care of refugees. Do you think you are dragging them to death? There is no need to think so."

Feilin patted the contract he had just drawn up and said, "After signing this contract, they should be prepared to die. Serena, while you acknowledge your own heart, don't underestimate those who are weaker than you. Not many people who are willing to risk their lives for survival are cowards."

In other words, Serena is not used to her noble status. If it were other noble lords, they would not care about the lives of the untouchables, and the pitchfork serfs they recruited would be nothing more than cannon fodder.

Then Filin said: "Now we should consider the problem of baggage transportation and equipment distribution."

Serena wondered, "Are we going to have to pay for arming the soldiers ourselves?"

Filin had other plans: "If these people are lucky enough to return, they will be experienced soldiers. I want them to use my contract, my weapons and equipment, and continue to cooperate with me."

Serena hesitated and said, "Then the funds..."

Wu Huo Yi Scar Ling Jiu Ling Moxibustion

Filin then showed a trace of embarrassment. Although he personally made a lot of money, the armed forces and baggage preparations were slightly insufficient. Moreover, he invested a lot in the hotel every month, so it was obvious that he could not come up with this money.

"As for funding, let Fili try to get sponsorship."

Filin opened a map.

"Kalan is separated from Miriam by two small countries. These two small countries are very fragile as barriers. Once a disaster breaks out, it will easily impact Miriam. I think it shouldn't be difficult to ask Fili to persuade the royal family to sponsor us."

It depends on the person who sponsors you. Fili is very popular recently, so it should be no problem.

Chapter 114 Military Expenditure Cannot Be Saved

Finally, Filin and Selena made a plan. An armed group of two hundred people was the foundation. Military expenses could not be saved. They would try to get sponsorship from other places for the bulk of the money, and raise a small part on their own.

Serena was full of enthusiasm at this time. She planned to go to the Adventurer's Association first to publicize Kalan's affairs and recruit people with aspirations. Filin was busy with business and went to see if the magic version of the cotton candy machine had been made.

Because of the long-term peace in King Miriam's capital, the nobles are somewhat weak. Many of them are the first generation of military nobles. They do not have the arrogance of the nobles of big countries, nor do they know how to run businesses, which leads to capital expansion. Fortunately, various strange forces have driven the circulation of capital, and all walks of life are booming. The people are prosperous, and many people go out to play on holidays. Philin plans to make money from these people.

It was impossible for him to push the machine around and sell it himself, so he first targeted other hotels, pubs, grocery stores, and candy stores. Filin traveled all over the capital with sample machines, but he did not force sales, and instead adopted two sets of sales plans.

The first is to rent the machine to the store for free, and the profits are split in half between the two parties. The second is also to rent the machine for free, and if the store finds the machine useful, they can buy it outright.

Since the cotton candy machine's manufacturing process is simple, Filin has no intention of keeping it secret. He will make as much money as he can from this business. He has a lot of opportunities to make money.

Today's promotion has resulted in a lot of pre-sales for popcorn machines. As the orders from the workshop are completed, some funds will be able to flow back, and subsequent operations will also be able to provide a steady stream of military funds.

Serena didn't understand why a cotton candy machine could make money, but when she saw the contract that Filin brought back on the first day, she was very surprised: "I don't understand. I went to the Knight Arena to fight and kill, and I signed up for the Arena today to take the intensity to the next level. I can only earn a few sets of trophies by winning the championship after three days of competition. How can I feel embarrassed that you can make money by making such a small thing?"

Feilin waved his hand. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. We are just good at different things. Just think of it as my kindness to others. Serena, knights have their own strengths, mages have their own strengths, and I am a mage."

Serena closed her eyes sullenly and took a deep breath. "I lost to a mage in the swordsmanship field. Feilin, you are also a hero, right? Why is your aura so weak and invisible like Feili's? Can your talents cover up your aura?"

Philin had to think about how to answer. The method he taught Scathach to suppress her aura was a technique. Under normal circumstances, others could observe their magic. No matter how well they hid it, it was not gone. The false cover-up was different. It was a void that even Hecate and Arius could not see. It was a void created for the purpose of deception.

Filin made no excuses: "A secret."

Serena shrugged. "I plan to go home next. I have posted a notice in the Adventurer's Association in the capital and took out the contract you drafted. I would like to recruit some soldiers from the territory. By the way, can you give your orders for those magic machines to my family in the future?"

Feilin was a little surprised: "Can you do it?"

Serena nodded. "Father will probably be very interested. We just need to post notices, recruit craftsmen, and build more workshops. Now that the drought in the territory has been resolved, the people need more job opportunities. Farmland and food are not something that can be obtained overnight. At this stage, we need to buy a lot of food, and we are short of money. If you can give these orders to us in the future, we will also offer more preferential treatment. We will only share profits and exempt taxes for ten years. Is that okay?"

Feilin was very happy: "I am planning to do business. If your family can support me, it would be no problem for me to build more factories and manors in your territory. Feili and I, well, we still have many plans to implement."

On the other hand, when Filin was busy out, Fili took over the research on the power of deception and began to try to create some new abilities.

For example, deceiving Scathach.

Fili first folded a paper crane, covered it with her hand and brought it to Scathach, describing to her a kind of bird she had never seen before. Scathach trusted Fili very much and naturally believed that there was such a bird. As a result, she conjured up a pigeon with fire on its body.

This pigeon can really set other objects on fire, which eventually attracted the admiration of Nishinoka and Carol. Then everyone understood each other tacitly and did not ask how Fili got this ability.

But after Fili created this fake object, she found that the magic power of the fake object was constantly dissipating, and if left alone, it would soon burn itself out.

It seems that like Bahamut, it needs external magic support, otherwise it will soon disappear due to lack of magic.

Fili discovered that Scathach's cognitive ability alone was enough to change the paper crane, but it was not enough to create something bigger. Fili also couldn't figure out the limit of her cognitive ability.

"But is creating fake things a use of deception? It feels a bit like putting the cart before the horse." Fili murmured again. At first, she used deception as a perfect illusion. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a mirage. It deceived the opponent's perception and won without them knowing.

Wait, since the same effect can be achieved...