Ethan was standing in the recently renovated city hall, which was very different from the dilapidated ruin that had existed only a few weeks before. Maps and sketches of the town hung neatly where old mold had once eaten through damp stone, the floors no longer sagged, and the walls were now held up by clean plaster. Today, however, he was more concerned with water than beauty.
Because of his efforts with the filtration beds close to the eastern spring and the use of straightforward but efficient sand and gravel systems, clean water had already started to flow. However, that was just the start.
He tapped the town map and said, "Access is still limited." "There are only two public water points and four major neighborhoods."
Now his unofficial assistant and frequently his sane voice, Lina looked over the layout. The lower fields, the market square, and the area close to the tannery. More stone piping is not yet within our budget.
"After that, we strategically build," Ethan stated. "We prioritize effective placement. tanks fed by gravity. basic basins made of clay or stone. Before discussing private access, make the water accessible.
Over the course of the next week, they dug distribution channels, reusing clay piping from nearby abandoned ruins and, where practical, hand-dug ditches. Under Ethan's direction, a group of young apprentices mostly teenagers learned how to line trenches, compact soil, and slope a channel.
Although the work was hard, everyone was in a good mood. This was more than just building. Ownership was the issue. They were creating something for themselves.
Ethan, however, wasn't finished.
He started coordinating sanitation initiatives concurrently, setting up workshops that taught basic hygiene, composting latrines close to common areas, and public wash areas away from drinking faucets. He even had the phrase "Clean hands" carved on a signpost. a robust town.
One of the main areas of attention shifted to the market. Water had to be kept in sealed clay jars by vendors. To prevent standing water from pooling, which is one of the primary causes of disease, a drainage slope was excavated.
"The cleaner we stay, the more time we spend living and the less time we spend sick," Ethan said to the assembled townspeople.
It wasn't flashy. It wasn't glamorous. But it was working.
One evening, as the sun dipped over the forested ridges, Ethan walked through the lower fields where the last of the day's water work had wrapped up. A small stone fountain that was supplied by the distribution trench was constructed by the villagers; it was an open basin where anyone could gather water or wash their hands.
Lina showed up next to him and gave him a mug. "It comes from the recently installed fountain."
He sipped. Clear, crisp, and cool.
"This water tastes better than anything else," she remarked.
That's because it's more than just water now," Ethan said with a smile. "It is evidence that we are progressing."
Silently, the two listened to the gentle trickle of advancement.
Others were keeping a cautious eye on the town's development far beyond the fields' edge, invisible but never far away.