Morning light spread across the Ardent estate.
Adrian stood by the window, looking out over the fields.
Compared to the Count's territory, this place felt…
"…Rough."
Not poor.
But unrefined.
Uneven fields.
Unorganized movement.
Too much noise for simple work.
"…Yeah," he muttered,
"…this won't run itself."
A Brief Talk
A knock came.
"…Come in."
The girl stepped in quietly.
She looked better now.
Clean clothes.
Still cautious.
"…You said your name was Lina, right?"
A small nod.
"…You can stay here for now," Adrian said.
"…No one's going to throw you out."
She hesitated.
"…Why?"
Adrian didn't even turn.
"…Because I allowed it."
A pause.
"…That's enough reason."
She didn't reply.
But she didn't look like she would run either.
"…Rest," Adrian added.
Then he left.
Outside – The Estate
The air outside was busier.
Voices overlapped.
Workers moving in different directions.
But something felt off.
Not chaos—
Mismanagement.
"…What's happening over there?"
Near the fields, a group had gathered.
Voices raised.
"…We can't keep working like this!"
"Our side hasn't had proper water in two days!"
Adrian walked closer.
A narrow water channel ran along the field.
One side—
Wet soil.
The other—
Dry.
Cracked.
"…Explain," Adrian said calmly.
The workers froze.
"…Young Master…"
One of them stepped forward.
"…The water flow isn't reaching our side properly."
Another worker interrupted:
"They keep diverting it to their fields!"
A supervisor quickly stepped in.
"…That's not true. We're following the usual distribution."
Insight at Work
[Basic Insight Lv.1 Active]
Adrian watched quietly.
The supervisor spoke confidently.
Too confidently.
The workers—
Frustrated.
But consistent.
Adrian crouched slightly near the channel.
Water flowed—
But weaker than expected.
He followed it with his eyes.
"…It's not being diverted."
Everyone paused.
The supervisor looked relieved.
But—
"…It's being blocked."
Silence.
Adrian stood.
"…There."
He pointed further down.
A section of the channel—
Narrowed.
Mud buildup.
Small stones.
Not fully blocked—
But enough.
"…Water loses force before reaching the end," Adrian said.
"…So only the first fields benefit."
The workers looked at each other.
"…That's…"
"…We didn't notice…"
The supervisor frowned.
"…It's just a small blockage—"
"…That you ignored," Adrian cut in.
A pause.
"…When was the last time this was cleared?"
No answer.
"…Exactly."
Solution
Adrian straightened.
"…Clear the entire channel."
"…Widen this section."
"…And check flow daily."
The workers nodded quickly.
"…Yes, Young Master!"
The supervisor lowered his head.
"…Understood."
Result
The tension disappeared.
Not instantly—
But enough.
People moved again.
With direction this time.
[+7 Reputation]
[+5 Reputation]
Adrian exhaled lightly.
"…Simple problem."
"…Ignored solution."
The Moment
[Reputation Increasing…]
→ 93 → 97 → 100
A brief pause.
[Milestone Reached: 100 Reputation]
Reward Granted:
👉 Basic Engineering Knowledge
Adrian blinked.
"…Huh?"
Suddenly—
Thoughts connected.
Flow.
Pressure.
Structure.
Not detailed—
But clear.
"…So that's why…"
He looked back at the channel.
"…This could be improved further."
Not just clearing.
Reshaping.
Directing.
A faint smile appeared.
"…Now this is useful."
Ending
Adrian looked over the land again.
This time—
Not as a burden.
But a system.
Something that could be fixed.
Improved.
"…Alright," he said quietly.
"…let's see how far this goes."