The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 968: Gaining Orlan’s Recognition (2)

"Talk to me? What do you mean?"

Orlan gave him a wry smile.

"I need your advice. If you don’t mind, of course."

Nolan fell silent. He hadn’t expected Orlan to ask him for advice.

Still, he didn’t refuse. This was a good chance to earn Orlan’s respect and recognition.

If things went well, he might even have a chance to get closer to Elina in the future.

"I’ll help, but don’t get your hopes up too high. After all, I’m just an uneducated person."

His humility only made Orlan admire him even more.

"It’s fine. Just take it easy. I only need someone to talk things over with."

Orlan straightened up before continuing.

"The cities of Valmiris and Lunaris are currently facing a drought."

"A drought?" Nolan was surprised.

Orlan nodded.

"This month was supposed to be harvest season, with winter coming in just three months. But the farmers are suffering huge losses, and we’ve already run out of commodities to sell to the merchants."

Thinking about the protests that would likely break out soon, Orlan felt uneasy. Calming people who had suffered such heavy losses wouldn’t be easy.

He’d already been thinking of ways to deal with the problem, but he couldn’t come up with a good solution.

He was truly backed into a corner.

Nolan didn’t give his opinion right away. Instead, he fell silent and thought about the situation.

"The drought, huh?"

Something about it felt strange.

Rainfall should have increased as winter approached. This was the first time Nolan had ever seen anything like this.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Can you tell me what crops the farmers are growing?"

"Most of them grow wheat, corn, and rice. About twenty percent grow potatoes, tomatoes, and various other supplementary crops," Orlan replied, furrowing her brow.

Those crops were highly vulnerable to drought, so it was only natural for the farmers to suffer heavy losses.

Nolan fell silent, rubbing his chin.

"Do the farmers rely on river water?"

Orlan took a sip of his coffee and nodded.

"That’s right. Most of their water comes from the river near Tonitas Hill."

Tonitas Hill was located near the ice-capped mountains, the highest peaks in the southern region.

The glaciers provide fresh water to the rivers throughout the southern region and serve as the main source of water for both agriculture and the daily needs of the local communities.

"Since the river has dried up, the problem must be with the glaciers. They’ve probably melted away," Nolan said, folding his arms across his chest. "What about using groundwater instead?"

"Groundwater?"

Orlan looked surprised.

Nolan was surprised, too. A moment later, he realized just how foolish his suggestion had been.

The Great Velmora Empire had never used groundwater. Instead, they relied solely on rivers and lakes as their sources of water.

So, it was no wonder Orlan didn’t know that there was an abundance of water underground that could be used to irrigate the community’s rice fields and gardens.

Nolan then explained the method to Orlan.

As soon as he heard that, Orlan couldn’t stay calm anymore.

"N-Nolan, are you serious? There’s really a lot of water underground?"

Nolan gave a slight nod.

"Ask the soldiers to dig in the mansion’s backyard. You’ll see—there’s bound to be plenty of water gushing out."

"I’ll do it right now!"

Orlan hurried out of his office, leaving Nolan sitting there with a calm expression.

...

"That’s right. Dig right here."

Orlan pointed to the spot he had chosen and directed the soldiers.

The soldiers grabbed their shovels and started digging.

Syra, Alicia, and Nolan stood a short distance away, watching them.

"Is there really water underground, Nolan?" Syra asked hesitantly.

Nolan nodded.

"Rainfall in the southern region is extremely high. Just think about it—where do you think all that water goes?"

Syra gasped as she realized what he meant.

"So that’s how it is... I get it. But why hasn’t anyone tried using groundwater? Not even the other nobles?"

"Using groundwater can be risky. One of the biggest problems is land subsidence. It can weaken the ground, causing foundations to sink. It can even lead to landslides and other problems."

"Wow! Brother Nolan, you’re really smart!" Alicia said with admiration.

Nolan simply smiled and patted her head.

Syra couldn’t hide her admiration.

she murmured in awe.

She was growing fonder of Nolan and wanted to bring him into the Caltheron family. Of course, that would require Orlan’s approval.

Still, she was confident that her husband would agree.

"Water’s coming out!"

A soldier’s shout startled all three of them.

Seeing water gushing from the ground, Orlan couldn’t contain his excitement.

He had thought Nolan’s suggestion would fail, but it actually worked.

"Nolan, come here," Orlan called.

Nolan approached, but Orlan suddenly pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known how to solve this drought problem."

Nolan was stunned for a moment, but soon smiled.

"You’re welcome, Marquis. It’s good to see you smiling again."

After expressing his joy, Orlan released him and patted Nolan on the shoulder.

"Nolan, how about you take care of irrigating the rice fields with groundwater?"

"Huh? Me?"

"That’s right. You understand this much better than I do. And I’m sure you have a way to handle it, don’t you?"

Nolan didn’t accept the offer right away. He thought it over carefully.

To be honest, he didn’t want to do it. After all, it was a bit of a hassle.

But given his current situation, he needed to earn Orlan’s trust even further.

His goal was to return to Elina’s side with a new status and help her win the battle for the throne.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded and replied firmly, "All right. I’ll do it."

...

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The long and sudden drought had caused the farmers to suffer huge crop losses.

Fortunately, Nolan’s plan to use groundwater came just in time.

He formed his own team and had them install long pipes that led directly to the people’s plantations and rice fields.

The work went surprisingly fast, thanks to the knowledge Nolan had gained from his previous life on Earth.

The farmers, who had initially been planning to protest, were overjoyed.

Although they had already suffered some losses, they still had enough time to plant new crops thanks to the abundant groundwater.

"Nolan, thank you!"

Orlan bowed his head to Nolan.

"If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me and my family."

His voice was filled with helplessness.

When people’s livelihoods and food were at stake, public anger could easily turn into a rebellion.

"You’re welcome, Marquis. Please, lift your head," Nolan said calmly.

Orlan took a deep breath before straightening up.

"Since you’ve helped me, I’ll grant you one wish."

Nolan kept a calm expression, but deep down, he was laughing.

This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for.

"In that case..."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"May I meet Princess Elina Lorian, Marquis Caltheron?"