Oops, I became the witch's substitute

Optimus lowered his posture. Viscount is not actually a formal title. It is a title that means one's merits are great enough and the title of baron is too low, and the title of earl is too high. Just like the title of marquis, it was originally used to make up the numbers, but it has unknowingly become a normal title.

The head of the family was very sincere because he was a normal person. In the eyes of normal people, he looked middle-aged, but compared with the witch, who knew if the witch was a grandmother? Or maybe an ancestor: "Selena, Miss Fili, can you come to the study after the banquet? The water source problem of the territory is really urgent. Please lend a hand."

Fili smiled and took Serena's arm. "That's perfect. I have a plan in mind, and I want to discuss it with the head of the family and Miss Serena. Let's talk in a quiet place as soon as possible. How about that?"

Chapter 15: Knight of the Near Moon

The territory of Deset is not a place that is naturally short of water. There is a river in a nearby area, but it dries up during the dry season and the rain comes late the following year. The people in this land rely entirely on the forest for survival, but as the number of people increases, the animals here can't stand it anymore and run away.

Population and drinking water have become the biggest problems in the territory.

During the discussion in the study this time, Lord Optimus had made up his mind that both Serena and the eldest son were here to "listen to the government", but the former was listening carefully and standing next to Fili, separating the eldest son from Fili, while the latter's mind was all on Fili, and he was angry and annoyed with Serena and had no intention of listening at all.

After the discussion, Fili first asked, “Is the rainy season normal every year?”

Optimus felt relieved. "Not too much, not too little, just enough to feed the people. But sometimes if there is less, every household will be short of water. Everyone has limited water storage, and even my castle cannot guarantee sufficient water."

Fili held up two fingers. "Oh, it's not that difficult. I have two plans for you to choose from. The first is to build drought water cellars in each village in the territory. Red soil is needed to make such water cellars. I need to survey nearby. The second method is to choose a place to build a dam in the river. The dam can also be used to build a windmill. If everything goes well, both plans will be completed. At least the residents of this territory will have enough drinking water. It's just that... it seems that there is no way to do more."

Fili's simplicity is only for her, and the corresponding technology requires knowledge, which is not something that the lords and craftsmen of small places are good at.

In fact, whether in terms of martial arts or knowledge, Fili is far superior to ordinary people in the family. This is the advantage of a time traveler who has been reborn. Because of time travel, they start learning from birth, which is not much different from practicing in the womb.

However, this kind of livelihood construction is also something that the family disdains.

Because Fili has a third plan.

Fili slapped her hands on the table, leaned forward, and looked at Lord Optimus Prime obnoxiously: "As for the last, I have a third plan. I can give you the first two plans for free. I can give you the drawings and methods, but you must sign a magic contract. It is a kind of imprint. From now on, those who know about it will be restricted by the imprint and cannot reveal the details of the technology. If someone sees and learns it, it is none of your business."

Optimus Prime understood something: "So, what is the price of this third plan?"

Fili flicked her hair, and her dashing posture made the three people present lose their minds. Serena came back to her senses first, gently holding up the raised hair and slowly letting it go, which made Fili wonder why she did that, but it didn't matter.

She continued to say to Lord Optimus Prime, "Before this, Miss Serena and I agreed that after solving the water source and the poisonous dragon, you would pay me with a piano. But for this third plan, I plan to raise the price to 200,000 silver coupons. You can pay in installments. Because this third plan combined with the previous ones will not only completely solve the drought problem in your territory, but also make it richer, get a constant supply of water, become an oasis, breed forests, and obtain superior resources again."

Raising the price sounds unfair, but water is the pain of this territory. Just having enough to drink is not enough. If we can be rich and create resources again, it is something that cannot be bought with money.

At this time, the eldest son beside him suddenly became angry. He coveted Fili's beauty, but was also blinded by money: "What a joke! This is the spirit of the witch's contract. Do you know how much 200,000 silver notes is..."

Serena stretched out her hand to interrupt her eldest son: "My Lord, this deal cannot be calculated this way. If there is an endless supply of water, the tax revenue that the territory can get in the future will be much more than just 200,000 silver coupons. But..."

Before he finished speaking, he looked at his father. Optimus Prime was the one who made the final choice.

Optimus frowned deeply, his whole face was embarrassed: "I'm very sorry, it's a very tempting condition, but I'm sorry to make you laugh. My territory is now in deficit and I can't afford the money at all."

Fili said, "We can sign a contract for installment payment. First, you can use materials to pay off your debts. In the future, you must brew wine based on the crops I provide, and it can only be circulated in your territory, except for me. In addition, you can pay less in the first year, but you must exchange Serena and let her become my guard to compensate for the unpaid part. This money will be reduced according to the employment fee. The same applies to the second year. If you can't pay, let Serena continue to be my guard. I am impressed by her strength and potential."

Serena quickly turned her head and looked at Fili, first with surprise, then with expectation, and then looked at her father: "Father, this is a good condition."

The eldest son said, "It was clearly agreed that there would only be a piano... You are really untrustworthy, father. It is enough for us to solve the drinking water problem. There is no need to accept such an exorbitant condition. Besides, Serena is an important guardian knight of the territory."

Optimus Prime glanced at his eldest son and sighed, but quickly calmed down and looked at Fili: "Then, let's start negotiating the specific contract."

The eldest son was anxious, annoyed that his opinion was not taken seriously: "Father!"

"Shut up! You have no vision and foresight! What do you think we have lost? That insignificant wealth? In your narrow vision, are the immediate benefits the only things you see? I am disappointed in you. Miss Fili gave us the future of the Desert family, do you understand!!! Get out now, or... Serena, bring me my whip!" After saying that, the eldest son fled the room in anger. Lord Optimus Prime breathed a sigh of relief, his blood pressure gradually recovered, and he gave Fili an apologetic smile.

"I've shown you an embarrassing side."

Fili expressed her understanding and made an offer that could not be refused. Given the conditions of the Desert family, it seemed that there were options, but in fact there was no choice at all.

Do you choose to maintain the status quo or look to the future? Anyone would choose the latter.

And Fili deliberately released an extremely important message, that she will keep in touch with Serena, which means that the Desette family will continue to receive the attention of a witch!

Afterwards, Fili and Optimus Prime carefully negotiated the contents of the contract, received enough compensation to renovate the inn, and began to occupy the study to draw magic blueprints. These blueprints would set up cursed contracts, and as mentioned before, anyone who had seen them could not reveal them to outsiders.

It was late at night when the candlelight gradually dimmed. In order to save time, Fili was still drawing the blueprint. While she was busy, she suddenly found a new oil lamp lit up beside her.

Serena brought some snacks: "If you need, I can go to other towns to buy delicious desserts, it won't be too slow, or go to the city to buy delicious juice."

Fili smiled softly and said, "I'm not a picky eater. Don't think that witches are all extravagant young ladies."

Serena held the lamp for Fili: "I am just providing the most basic help to those who work hard."

Fili's face lit up, and she leaned slightly against Serena. "On a boring night, having someone to chat with is the biggest help. But wait for me to finish drawing the blueprint of the dry water cellar, and then take a rest. We will go out to explore the terrain tomorrow."

Afterwards, Fili continued to draw seriously, causing Serena to watch in trance.

This is the witch, and she is different from other lonely witches. She is honest, enthusiastic, and lovely. She doesn’t even know how to describe Fili’s excellence. At this moment, she only feels that her elegance cannot be described in a painting, and her beauty cannot be compared with any flower.

This not only reminded her of the short time they had spent together at the dance, but also of how she held Fili's hand and they were like butterflies dancing in her palm, coordinating and entwining with each other while maintaining perfect dance steps and distance, their rhythm hitting every syllable of the musician.

When they looked at each other at that time, Fili put down her wine glass, her face was rosy and tender, and she was dancing charmingly. At the climax of the music, she even made pleasant sound of silver bells. They were simply the perfect partner.

Compared to those arrogant witches who are at the peak of their careers, Fili is as bright as the moon. You will not get burned if you approach such a moon, and you will feel more at ease.

I am so lucky to have met Fili.

千浔э㈠㈡㈧一Ч⒈ろ㈨

"Fili, if you don't have time to eat the hot snacks just now, I'll feed you. Even if you're a witch, staying up late will hurt your body, right?"

"Hmm...? That's fine."

Chapter 16: The Witch's Wisdom

The night was short and long. Selena might not know it, but Fili sensed that the worried old father Optimus Prime had secretly come to peek several times.

As a military noble, even if he is only a viscount, Optimus has to consider many things. In this world, family development is more important than anything else, and family inheritance is the lifelong pursuit of many people. No one wants the family business they have worked so hard for to be wiped out after a hundred years.

Therefore, the issue of succession has always been a serious topic...

At noon the next day, everyone had rested and after lunch, Optimus brought up the issue of surveying the territory. Fili readily agreed, followed by Serena. Only the eldest son expressed his desire to stay at home.

Everyone could see that he found it too hard, but Optimus Prime smiled and doted on his eldest son, saying, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. Just take good care of this home."

So, Fili, Selena, and Optimus went out, and Optimus intended to let all his followers stay at home.

The intention was very clear. Halfway through, Serena fell behind Fili and Optimus Prime, allowing her father and Fili to have a good talk.

In this special conversation, Optimus Prime first introduced the drought in the territory, then talked about the local customs and culture, and then talked about the short-lived prosperity when the territory was just being developed. There were pride, emotion, and sadness. He also mentioned his wife, the hostess of the family.

Fili met the hostess briefly. She was a capable woman. She had not seen the viscount's house very often because she had been busy with banquets. However, she kept the viscount's house in perfect order.

After talking about daily life, the three of them had already walked to a very far place. Fili began to channel magic, and then Optimus Prime's style changed.

Optimus Prime's words were filled with loneliness and reluctance, and the next words should not be discussed with outsiders: "People like me who are born as citizens, although I became a kingdom knight, have always been regarded as a country bumpkin by the central government. If I want to be respected, I have to ask Serena to marry into a big family. Only then can I be respected."

Fili was not completely ignorant of this. How could she not know about this, as she had been learning it since birth? In that family, even though he was not welcomed in the family, he was indeed a pillar of the upper class in the social circle, and no one dared to look down on him or neglect him.

Fili played dumb and said, "Knight Optimus, you relied on your own strength to establish military merits and expand the territory. Now that you are a viscount, there are still people who look down on you? In the end, you want to be respected, but not because of your outstanding achievements, but rely on Serena to marry a good family?"

Serena heard this from behind and remained silent, but she had to admit it was the fact.

Any noble has many titles, including knight, and each title represents a territory. Nobles with military merit prefer to be called knights rather than titles.

Optimus Prime then asked, "Ms. Fili, you have a long life and wisdom to match. Can you help me solve my doubts? If the second prince or other princes of the kingdom come to my territory to play, do I need to entertain them?"

Fili smiled mysteriously, as if answering a question that was not related to the question: "Sir Knight, do you think that matters of life and death can be predicted? I don't think so."

Optimus Prime was puzzled: "My Lady Witch, please stop telling riddles. I am just a warrior."

Fili explained, "Sir Knight, let me ask you, if something unfortunate happens to the First Prince, can you be sure that the one who will inherit the throne in the future will be that prince, or the prince you have neglected?"

Optimus Prime rode forward, looking into the distance. After a moment of silence, he turned back and spoke again: "Since ancient times, every tribe, country, prince, and family must have the eldest son succeed to the throne. The father's brothers and sisters, and the son's brothers and sisters have no right of inheritance. Lady Witch, you know why, right?"

Fili chuckled. "Of course, it is to completely cut off the unrealistic intentions of the collateral branches, but is it really so? Knight Optimus Prime, throughout history, have you ever seen a country that has truly eliminated fratricide? Sir Knight, do you know the history of Miriam? There was a change in the King of War, and the powerful youngest son killed all his brothers to inherit the throne."

Optimus Prime was silent, then said, "So what do you mean?"

Fili looked at Serena and said, "I sensed that you didn't want Serena to get married. Compared to your eldest son, Serena is exceptionally outstanding. You want Serena to be the sword and shield of the family, but I know what happened in another country. A certain prince was afraid of the power of the chief knight and locked him outside the city gate when defending against the enemy. In the end, this pillar of the empire was starved and cold and was shot to death by ordinary people. Knight Optimus Prime, do you think this is a good ending, or is it better for your family to have a martial king change from generation to generation?"

Serena finally couldn't help it: "Fili, I won't do that kind of thing."

Fili turned around and said, "Yes, from what I have observed, you are the knight who was shot to death by arrows, or you were eaten to death by monsters. You choose one."

Serena was speechless for a moment. Optimus rode back and sighed, "I also want to make friends with nobles from all over the Central Region. Entering the social circle means making friends with those big families, but who among those families would respect me?"

Fili rolled up her hair and played with it: "Knight Optimus Prime, I have discovered an interesting pattern in my long life. You may wish to refer to it. Even though kingdoms rise and fall, empires rise, and territories change, the royal family has changed, but the family is still the original family."

Optimus Prime smiled bitterly and said to himself, "Yes, for a citizen like me, if I want to make a name for myself, I still have to marry into a big family. The longer the history of a family, the more valuable it is. But who would look up to me? No more, no more."

Qianxun San①㈡Eight①ч⒈Three㈨

The topic ended here. Fili was relaxed and happy, Optimus was heavy-hearted, and Serena was bored.

Serena has no interest in power. If there is any interest now, it is Fili.

I'm really curious about witches.

The three men were away for three days, traveling all over the Viscount's territory and conducting a careful survey. They found red soil, which was hard and high-quality, had many small pores, and poor permeability. It was the best material for building drought water cellars.

A few days later, Fili began to direct the first group of craftsmen to mine red clay, crush it into powder, dry it in the sun and with magic, soak it in water for a day and a night, and then repeat the same process by mixing it with thin mud and adding loess.

In this project, the material ratio is a secret. Fili only told Optimus Prime and Serena that it should not be too sticky or too delicate.

After mixing, he directed the craftsmen to roll the red clay into pointed columns.

The next step is to dig a water cellar. The chosen location must be on a flat surface and then the excavation must be divided into two parts.

The first choice is to draw a circle on the ground and dig an inverted water tank pit. However, this is not used to store water, but to continue to increase the depth of the water cellar.

A huge jar-shaped pit will continue to be dug deep inside to increase water storage capacity.

In this way, the stored water will be warm in winter and cool in summer.

Since the water source of the water cellar is rainwater flowing from the ground, it is necessary to dig some small inclined pits around it and use small channels to store rainwater in the water cellar.

Serena had a question while studying: "Although this can increase the efficiency of water storage, it will be mixed with weeds and feces to a certain extent, right?"

Fili raised her finger and pointed at the red clay block prepared in the castle engineering department: "So we need to add a filtration step to the water reservoir. Don't worry, I will not only filter the water for you physically, but also purify it with magic, just like your sword. Although it has a time limit, I will always come back~."

In the next few days, Fili directed the craftsmen to go down into the water cellar and chisel many small square holes in a regular pattern on the inner wall of the water cellar, staggered in rows, and then mixed sesame water, wet the red clay nails made earlier, stuffed them into these square holes, and hit them repeatedly with hammers until the entire inner wall was covered with red clay. At this point, a water cellar with its own water purification function was built.

Finally, Fili chanted magic beside the water cellar, enchanting and purifying it, and the castle's first dry water cellar was completed.

Chapter 17 Water Spirit, Please Listen to My Song

After the first demonstration dry water cellar was completed, no one questioned the witch's wisdom.

Feilin... Feili is really happy.

Put yourself in his shoes. If it was Filin who came alone, at such a young age, it would be difficult for him to gain Optimus' trust, let alone make Selena believe him.

The witch's identity will solve all problems.

Everyone who knows about witches knows that they look young but are actually older. Along the way, Fili was even able to speak to Optimus Prime in the tone of an elder, all thanks to her identity as a witch.

No, no, don’t indulge!

Fili patted her face and cheered herself up. The witch's identity has always been an avatar and a substitute. It is "he" who is clinging to his own thigh.

Next was the issue of purifying the nearby rivers and building water dams. Fili worked overnight to draw the blueprints. There was no need to do this kind of thing herself, so she could just leave it to Optimus Prime.

The main problem lies in the third agreement of "raising the price on the spot", which not only aims to completely solve the water problem of this land, but also to make the forest flourish again.

This is a very difficult task, and ordinary magicians cannot do it even if they try their best.

So what is a general magician? Or, how is the magic power in this world divided into different levels? This is another topic. To put it simply, people divide mysterious people into two types according to their magic power: apprentices and Taoists.

During the apprentice stage, one must complete all five practices of meditation, spiritual communication, soul tempering, perception domain, and upgrading in order to be promoted to the extraordinary and have the path.

And the road is a new beginning.

Filin's true power on the road of Tao has reached the second stage level. With such strength, he is qualified to protect one side.

Of course, there are many such people in the family, and even more in the empire.

As for talent, this is the theory of everyone's original soul. Even ordinary people have different talents, such as running fast, jumping high, etc., which are all talents.