Er Mu - Release that Witch

He thought for a moment and then added, “Because this phenomenon is opposite to our common sense it is tough for us to understand. For us, it’s hard to imagine a four-dimensional space inside of the three-dimensional world. So, you don’t need to put it into your heart.”

Anna curled up her lips, clearly showing that she wasn’t satisfied with Roland’s explanation, but she quickly asked, “What is a four-dimensional space?”

“…”

When she finally no longer asked any further questions, the Prince’s had already become thirsty from all the talking. He had really underestimated Anna’s thirst for knowledge, if it went on like this, it wouldn’t be long before he didn’t have anything left that he could teach her.

Especially when Roland had asked her about her progress in math, she just replied, “Until now it was quite simple, and now that I’ve come to the topic of equations and matrices, they seem to be fascinating.

Simple and fascinating… Roland suddenly felt that the gap between person-to-person was too great, how long has it been? One week from learning simple elementary math until she came to equations and matrices and next it would be differentiation and integration. Back at his school, Anna would definitely have been an intimidating top student.

Moreover… a beautiful bookworm.

Roland looked at the woman who was reading the book, getting spellbound by what he saw. She had carefully arranged her hair over her forehead, but other hair strands had fallen over her cheek. Seeing this Roland could not stop himself from stretching out his index finger, gently stroking the hair behind her ear.

Feeling his finger, Anna turned her head, looking at Roland, with a smile all over her face. Her lake like pupils had no longer their peaceful expression. Instead, they were full of ripples. Staying so close to each other, until Anna opened her mouth trying to say something, but she was only able to move her lips, no sound could be heard. But Roland was still able to read her lips.

“Right now Nightingale isn’t here.”

The meaning of the sentence was very clear and Roland thought that it was stupid to pretend that he didn’t understand her. The whole room was silent, letting him faintly hear her breathing and the speeding up of her heartbeat.

Roland could no longer stop himself, he got became drawn towards her lips, Anna instead closed her eyes, and her cheeks gained a rosy touch. Being so near to her, Roland could smell the fragrance of her body and then finally their lips gently kissed.

Getting lost in the soft touch, the time seemed to stand still, making it impossible for him to tell how long it was until they separated.

Not giving him a chance to say anything, Anna stood on her tiptoe, joining their lips once more.

***

“Hey, hey!” Mystery Moon sat cross-legged on her bed, deep in meditation with her eyes clothed, her hands held high, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger.

“Have you turned mad?” Lily who was wrapping a towel around her wet hairs asked as she frowned.

“I’m thinking of myself as a particle,” she said, opening her eyes. “I’m a particle,” and she then pointed at Lily. “You’re a particle!”

The latter gave her a supercilious look and got into the soft bed.

“Oh, no again,” Mystery Moon sighed, “I truly think of everything as a particle, so why can’t I evolve like Anna?”

“But you don’t believe it,” Lily explained.

“I do believe it!”

“You do not believe,” she shook her head, “you can deceive others, but you can’t fool yourself… even so it isn’t an excellent reason, but I think that regardless of what the Prince says Anna believes everything he says, without questioning it. Of course, there is also the point that she is much smarter than you. This is the main reason why she was able to evolve her magic and gain access to new abilities.”

“…”

“In other words, don’t think any further about it, instead give your mind some peace and quiet.” Lily said and patting the place beside herself.

“Don’t you want to get stronger powers?” Mystery Moon asked disbelievingly, “Furthermore, I also want to do something for the Prince, ah.”

“I should evolve my magic so that I can let my food preservation last longer?” She yawned, “No, thank you. Besides, why do you want to do more work for him? Men are fickle and ruthless people; you only have to take Echo as an example.”

“Even so you say you aren’t interested, but with the exception of Leaves, you are the most attentive and serious one during class,” Mystery Moon muttered.

Lily took her pillow and threw it against Mystery Moon’s face, “Let, me, sleep!”

Since the day he had conquered the Longsong Stronghold a half month had already passed, and the five noble families of Longsong Stronghold had by now all already delivered the needed people and supplies to Border Town.

After the creation of the Ministry of Agriculture was completed, the new spring had finally begun, which was the first step for Roland’s farming revolution. The serfs who already saw the dawn to their life as free people started to work filled with motivation. The scene where someone had to use the whip to encourage the serfs to work basically disappeared in the area South of the Redwater River. The serfs who were lazy discovered that even though no one came to ‘encourage’ their speed, the officers of the Town Hall still came to control their work with their strange measuring tools. It was clear that the Lord didn’t care about the harvest of one or two fields, the only one who should care for their crops were the serfs who were working for their own future.

Even so, the quality of the officers of the Ministry of Agriculture wasn’t so outstanding, they had already thoroughly comprehended the distribution according to work principle, so Roland requested of them that they unceasing repeated these content to the serfs. To strengthen the indoctrination effect, as well as to satisfy the Prince’s own feeling, the shore at the Redwater River was filled with red banners. Which read “Labor is the only way to get rich,” “Working hard brings honor and glory,” “Change your destiny by working hard” and so forth.

Of course, these measures weren’t possible without taking any objections, for example, Barov was the first to stand up and complain about it.

“Your Royal Highness, something like this is meaningless, the vast majority of the serfs aren’t even able to read. Even if they could, they don’t care about the text written on the banners. These people are just uneducated and ignorant, for some even the whip doesn’t work, so what can you expect of some unfathomable and mystery text.”

Roland ‘s answer, however, was quite simple: “Those banners are not meant for them.”

“So why do you want to set up these banners?” Hearing this answer, the assistant minister showed a very confused expression.

“To create a living example.”

He had never thought that serfs were stupid and unchangeable. It was true that they were uneducated, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t think. Greed and interest will drive even a stupid person, that’s was simply human nature. So, if the implementation of the Ministry of Agriculture seemed to have little effect in the beginning, it would still leave a primer in their hearts, just like a seed, it would eventually begin to grow. When the first of the serfs were promoted to freemen, and when they used the harvested crops as an exchange for money to buy beautiful clothing, fine food, and even robust and warm brick houses, the often time repeated slogan would soon come back to their mind and become a reality which would burn itself deep into their hearts.

As for the banner at the shore, it was for the time that the universal education system would bear its first fruits.

By only relying on their own hands to get rid of poverty, becoming an official member of Border Town, even more than the native inhabitants, this was the power of hard work.

By comparing it they could all feel the gap between them, and their only chance to close it is by taking the intuitive to pursue him, like this the individual efficiency would rise to its highest level.

***

Iron Head stood at the tunnel entrance of the mine, waiting for the delivery of a new ore.

Since the Months of Demons after he was nearly cooked by the high temperature of the steam, he never dared to stand so near to the black machine ever again.

Fortunately, there was the angelic like Miss Nana in Border Town. Whenever Iron Head touched his healed cheeks, his heart was filled with warm emotions. During his deluded and panic-stricken moments, he had even suspected that Miss Nana was one of the devil’s minions, but that was clearly a desecration of herself. So, after the winter, he deliberately raised two salted fish and a wild boar leg and delivered them to the Pine Family.

To his surprise, Titus Pine was a Viscount, but unlike the other aristocrats who always held their nose high in the air, he openly accepted his apology. This was the first time that Iron Head felt that not all of the nobles were all ruthless people.

“Old Iron,” shouted a miner who was covered in dust while he came running out from the tunnel, “the rope has already been fastened.”

“All right,” he exclaimed and turned in the direction of the steam engine, “Everyone clear the area! Frank, first you have to lift up the green lever, then you press the red lever! If you make a mistake, I’m going to twist off your head!”

“Rest assured, Old Iron, I know what I’m doing!” Frank shouted back.

After Nils was accepted into the First Army, it was now Iron Head who was in charge of the operation of the steam engine. During the first few days Frank had often made mistakes with the order, which had even caused one of the pipes to burst, so every time he made a new mistake he would get beaten up. Fortunately, His Royal Highness did not care about this matter, not only did he immediately send people to replace the damaged part, he didn’t even make them pay for the destroyed part. Originally, Iron Head had already formed a plan to confiscate their monthly payment in case of something happening.

With the opening of the intake valve, the steam engine released a majestic white cloud of gas and the main wheel began to slowly turn, moving the capstan and stretching the hemp rope straight.

“Don’t let your spirits wander! Look at the hemp rope, look at it carefully!” Old Iron shouted.

Now, in addition to the steam engine, the transportation of the ore in the mine tunnel had also changed.

His Royal Highness had ordered artisans to create many wooden railroad ties, which then were laid along the whole of the mine’s tunnel. Afterward two long wooden sticks were also placed on the wooden railroad ties, which at first glance it looked like a wooden ladder.

His Royal Highness had called it a wooden rail transportation system, which is a very convoluted name. Even so, it doesn’t seem to be too complicated, but together with the wooden ladder, it also came with a special miner’s cart! That cart is really something. Usually, we needed three to four days to transport the ore, but the steam engine can pull several carts out in just a moment’s breath.

Iron Head had precisely observed this four-wheel miner’s cart. It could run on the wooden tracks and was made from top to bottom completely out of iron. Using so much iron should have cost a lot of money. The key reason that it could move on those thin sticks of wood without falling laid in the way of its construction. The inside edge of the wheel was larger than the rest, fixing it firmly on the rail. On top of the wheels there stood a boxy iron pot, which had on its end and beginning each a small hole where they could be tied together with a hemp rope.

He couldn’t help himself from admiring His Royal Highness’ wisdom, with such a simple design, he had made the transporting of the ore so much easier. Before his invention, it was the transportation of the ore, which was the most time-consuming labor.

However, this system also wasn’t perfect, for example, just after five days of usage, there were already two wooden rails which had been crushed under the weight, and it didn’t take much time until others followed after them. Later, His Royal Highness had wrapped all the rails in a thin layer of iron, somewhat improving the durability of the rails.