That morning, Rian stood in the middle of the farm, watching his workers water the crops. Some were dragging long hoses from one section to another, while others kept going back and forth to get more water. It was something they were already used to, but the larger the farm became, the more obvious it was to Rian that the whole process wasn't very efficient. It wasn't because his workers were slow. It was because too much time and energy were being wasted on something that could be made much simpler. Rian folded his arms across his chest. “If the farm keeps growing, are we really going to keep hiring more people just to water plants?” Jojo, who was lying under a tree, opened one eye. “Meow?” Rian pointed toward the workers. “Imagine if the farm becomes twice as big. Then three times bigger. They'll spend half their day just walking around with hoses.” Jojo yawned. Rian ignored him. His mind was already working. What if all the water was collected in one large storage tank and then distributed through pipes across the entire farm? One storage tank. One pipe network. One button. Press it, and the water flows. Press it again, and it stops. The workers wouldn't have to stand around watering plants for hours anymore. Once the system was running, they could move on to harvesting, cleaning the fields, checking the crops, or handling other tasks. A slow smile spread across Rian's face. “Now that's more like it.” Jojo lifted his head. “Meow.” “I'm not just trying to save them some effort.” Rian glanced at the small bottle of magical liquid he always kept carefully stored. “I want to save this too.” The serum. Rian had always been careful with it. The stuff was far too valuable to waste, especially now that the farm was expanding and he was starting to experiment with other things. If all the water for the crops came from one storage tank, he wouldn't need to add serum to dozens of different places. He could simply put a few drops into the main tank and let the water carry it throughout the farm. Rian immediately went looking for Pak Supri. “Pak Supri, I've got another job for Pak Joko.” Pak Supri, who was checking the latest harvest, turned around. “Pak Joko again, Boss?” Rian laughed. “He hasn't had a chance to retire yet.” Pak Supri chuckled. “What are you having him build?” “A big water storage tank. I also want a pipe system that can distribute the water to the crops automatically. Put in a button so the workers can turn it on and off.” Pak Supri immediately looked interested. “So the workers won't have to walk around with hoses all the time.” “Exactly. That's the point.” Rian explained that the tank needed to be large enough for the farm's needs, easy to refill, and simple to maintain. He didn't need anything overly complicated for now. It just had to be sturdy, safe, and capable of reducing manual work. “If possible,” Rian added, “make several separate lines too. That way, we can water different sections depending on what they need.” Pak Supri nodded. “Should be doable, Boss.” “Call Pak Joko.” “Got it.” --- That afternoon, Pak Joko came to inspect the area. After a long discussion, they chose a spot along the side of the farm where the storage tank would have easy access to the water supply. Pak Joko measured the area and calculated what kind of support structure would be needed. Rian didn't interfere with the technical details. He just made sure the final result matched what he needed. “Just make sure the foundation is strong, Pak. I don't want the tank collapsing.” Pak Joko laughed. “If it collapses, I'll be embarrassed myself.” “Not just embarrassed. My farm might turn into a swimming pool.” Pak Joko burst out laughing. “Don't worry, Boss. I won't make fish swimming between your tomatoes.” Rian laughed along with him. Construction began. A few days later, the massive storage tank was standing in place. The pipe network had also been extended toward several sections of the farm, complete with a simple control panel and a button to activate the water flow. Rian stood in front of it and nodded with satisfaction. “If this works, their workload will be a lot lighter.” Pak Supri, standing beside him, nodded. “And once the watering is done, they can immediately move on to other tasks.” “That's exactly what I want.” Rian looked across the farm. The bigger the business became, the more he realized that efficiency wasn't just about saving money. His workers' time and energy mattered too. But there was another benefit that made Rian even happier. The serum. He pulled the little bottle from his pocket. “If I had to add serum to all these different areas separately, it'd be a pain.” Rian raised the bottle. “But if all the water passes through here...” He smiled. “Only a few drops.” Once he was sure the system was ready, Rian added three drops of serum to the storage tank. Drip. Drip. Drip. The glowing liquid disappeared as soon as it touched the water. Rian closed the bottle and put it back in his pocket. “Three drops for the whole farm. If the results are good, that might be all we need.” He then ran the numbers through his head again. If the tank was refilled every three days, he could manage the serum much more easily without having to use it every day. The remaining supply could be saved for other things. Especially... The gourami. Rian smiled. “Two drops a week for the fish pond.” Jojo, who had been watching from nearby, immediately meowed. “Meow.” Rian turned toward him. “What?” Jojo pointed at himself, then toward the gourami pond. Rian immediately understood. “You're already thinking about your food allowance?” Jojo nodded without the slightest shame. Rian laughed. “If the gourami experiment works, you'll get some.” Jojo immediately looked satisfied. “But only a little.” Jojo protested. “Two pieces.” Jojo continued staring at him. Rian sighed. “Three.” Jojo immediately went silent. Rian shook his head. “You're ridiculously easy to bribe.” Jojo sat there looking completely satisfied, as if he'd just won a business negotiation. A little later, Pak Supri pressed the button. The machine started humming. Water began flowing through the pipes. A few moments later, water came out through the outlets installed between the crops. The flow was even and much faster than watering everything by hand. The workers, who normally spent their time holding hoses, now only needed to monitor the system. After a while, Pak Supri pressed the button again. The water stopped. Done. One of the workers smiled in relief. “Wow. With this, we can move on to other work.” Rian nodded with satisfaction. “That's what it's for.” He looked across the farm, now being watered far more efficiently. Three drops of serum. One storage tank. One automated system. And a lot of manpower freed up for other tasks. For Rian, this wasn't just about making everyone's lives easier. It was a way to let the business grow without every increase in farmland requiring more workers and more serum. Rian patted the pocket where he kept the serum bottle. “Not bad.” Jojo looked at him. “Meow.” Rian nodded. “Yeah, yeah. You get three pieces of gourami.” Jojo happily meowed. But Rian had only taken a few steps when another thought crossed his mind. If watering could be automated... Maybe other tasks could be handled the same way. A slow smile appeared on Rian's face. Jojo saw it. He immediately fell silent. He knew that smile. It was the smile of a man who had just gotten another business idea. Jojo stared at Rian with a look of resignation. “Meow...” Rian turned toward him. “What?” Jojo sighed. He already knew. This man was never going to actually relax.

Chapter 30 — One Tank, Three Drops