Morning came with noise.
Not chaotic—
But different.
Voices carried across the fields.
Workers moving with more purpose than before.
Adrian stood near the edge of the irrigation channel, arms crossed.
Water flowed.
Better than yesterday.
But still—
"…Uneven."
One side of the field was properly soaked.
The other—
Still catching up.
"…Fixing the blockage wasn't enough."
Thinking It Through
[Basic Engineering Knowledge Active]
Adrian crouched near the channel.
The flow was clear now.
No obstruction.
So why—
"…Loss of force."
The water spread too early.
Too wide.
Wasting pressure before reaching the far end.
"…It's not about more water."
"…It's about direction."
Calling Them Over
"Hey!"
A few workers turned.
"…Yes, Young Master?"
Adrian pointed at the channel.
"…Who designed this?"
They exchanged looks.
"…It's always been like this…"
"…Exactly," Adrian muttered.
The Idea
Adrian stood up.
"…You're letting the water spread randomly."
"…So it weakens before reaching the end."
One worker frowned.
"…But that's how it flows naturally…"
Adrian shook his head.
"…Natural doesn't mean efficient."
Silence.
Resistance
The supervisor stepped forward.
"…Changing the channel will take time."
"…And effort."
"…And it might not even work."
Adrian looked at him calmly.
"…And leaving it like this definitely won't."
A pause.
"…We're not rebuilding everything," Adrian continued.
"…Just adjusting it."
The Plan
He pointed along the channel.
"…Narrow this section."
"…Then split it here."
He marked a point with his foot.
"…Two controlled paths."
"…Not one wide waste."
The workers hesitated.
"…That'll change the flow…"
"…That's the point."
Getting to Work
After a moment—
They moved.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
Digging.
Adjusting.
Clearing edges.
Adrian didn't interfere much.
Just watched.
Corrected when needed.
"…Not too wide," he said once.
"…You're losing pressure again."
Time passed.
Sweat.
Effort.
Murmurs.
The Test
"Let the water through!"
The channel opened.
Water rushed in.
Flowing through the narrowed path—
Faster.
Stronger.
Then—
Split.
Two streams.
Controlled.
Directed.
The far end—
Received it.
Properly.
Evenly.
Silence.
Then—
"…It's reaching…"
"…It's actually reaching!"
Workers stepped closer.
Watching the water spread evenly across both sides.
No dry patches.
No overflow.
Reaction
"…We've never seen it like this…"
"…It's faster too…"
"…Less waste…"
The supervisor stood still.
Staring.
"…This…"
"…is more efficient."
Adrian exhaled lightly.
"…Obviously."
Reputation Gain
[+10 Reputation]
[+8 Reputation]
Adrian turned slightly.
"…Maintain it."
"…Don't let it fall apart again."
"Yes, Young Master!"
This time—
No hesitation.
A Quiet Observation
From a distance—
Kael watched.
"…Not bad," he muttered.
"…You're improving."
Adrian didn't respond.
Just looked at the flowing water.
Later
The estate felt… different.
Less noisy.
More organized.
Not perfect.
But moving.
A servant approached carefully.
"…Young Master."
"…What?"
"…The Baron… has heard."
A pause.
Adrian sighed.
"…Of course he has."
Ending
Adrian glanced back at the fields one last time.
Water flowed smoothly now.
Controlled.
Efficient.
"…One step at a time."
He turned.
"…Let's see what the next problem is."