Work

Arthur stood at the center of the half-finished plaza. Surrounding him, boxes filled with various supplies lay across the earth, waiting to be used.

Koko was deep in the throes of her playful destruction, tearing into cardboard and bubble wrap without a care in the world.

Now was the time to start things.

With her distracted, he focused on the first task at hand: inspection of the walkways and paving. He activated his Tamashii and his chakra-enhanced strength to rip open and crack the uneven surfaces.

Then he marked the spots on and began the repairs. He shifted stones and packed in new gravel where it was needed.

As the last stone fell into place, Koko bounded to his side. She had worked her way through half the pile of boxes, opting to be his little helper.

His next task was to assess the lighting. He inspected each light fixture scattered around the plaza. Minimal tools were required; his hands maneuvered through the maze of wires and circuit boards, as well as through the nearby trees.

Thankfully, the entire plaza was already halfway finished, so he didn't need to rewire anything. The entire process still took him roughly thirty hours. That was truly fast for one man.

After finally finishing, he surveyed his work. All the wires were carefully hidden. It was time to see if his efforts had paid off.

"Do it," he ordered Koko.

"Okay!" she happily responded.

Using her little fingers, she flicked on one of the light switches.

Yet nothing happened. No flash, no flicker—nothing.

She did it again before looking at the ceiling, only to see the unlit lightbulbs. With her cheeks puffing, she repeatedly flicked the switch on and off several times.

Still nothing.

This was bad, but Arthur wasn't one to panic. No, he always remained calm no matter the situation.

Considering what was wrong, he closed his eyes, only to slowly reopen them to reveal their red glow: 'Tamashii…'

It took him less than a second to find the problem. The main power lever had been turned off. Walking over to the panel, he flipped the lever to "on," and in an instant, the entire plaza burst into light.

Koko bounced up and down, excited at how cozy and inviting things looked.

However, illumination wasn't everything; he still had to work on earthy stuff.

Arthur moved to the nearest flower bed and began manually planting new blossoms. He knelt down, carefully selecting each flower and placing it in the soil. Each plant was positioned perfectly.

As he worked, he planned the arrangement of the flowers across the entire plaza. He began by planting the tallest flowers, using them as anchor points to define the overall shape and structure of the outside gardens. Then, he filled in the gaps with shorter, more colorful blooms, creating a visually appealing display.

To ensure that the flowers received adequate sunlight and water, he avoided overcrowding and ensured that there was sufficient space for the flowers to grow.

Since some of them were already grown, he had to prune away any dead stems, replacing them with blossoms that he'd purchased in bulk.

Koko had eaten one of them, so he couldn't use her help in the event she was tempted to do it again. As such, it took him roughly six hours to transfer hundreds of dozens of flowers.

Things truly started looking very beautiful on the outside.

Next came the aesthetic improvements inside.

After going through some remaining boxes, he retrieved hundreds of mosaics and laid them out accordingly.

The fountain, while not necessary, required multiple power sources to let water flow through. But who needed to worry about that when one was a ninja?

'Water style: raging waves…'

A flowing stream of water spiraled around the pumps and plunged into the fountain's basin, filling it completely. It was a very basic c-rank water technique, used by a character named Yahiko.

Next came the most important part: the waterwheel to help power things.

He gathered the necessary materials: sturdy wooden planks, strong metal rods, and a water-resistant sealant. He then began constructing the waterwheel's frame, ensuring that each piece was securely fastened. Afterwards, he attached the metal rods, creating a series of spokes that would support the paddles.

Had it not been for his chakra-enhanced strength, this would have been darn near impossible for one man. That was because this waterwheel was approximately fifteen feet (four and a half meters).

Finally, he carefully shaped and attached the paddles, ensuring that they were evenly spaced and angled correctly to optimize water flow. Once the structure was complete, he applied a generous coat of sealant to protect the wood from the elements.

Some moments later, the gently spinning waterwheel was in place; a river that had been dug by hands now rushed beneath the fountain's surface to power it.

Because of its design, it only required water instead of wind to whisk through the area, generating hydro energy.

Yet this was only one source of power; he needed a lot more to run this gigantic place.

As such, he shifted his attention to the next thing: harnessing the wind's energy to truly power the plaza's lighting.

Right now, he was using an expensive generator. But that was hardly bringing out his plaza's maximum potential.

He began by selecting a suitable location, a high point where the wind would be strongest. After finding it, he used the materials he bought and erected a towering structure made of sturdy metal. He then attached the turbine blades, aligning them carefully to capture the wind's force.

Wind turbines harness the kinetic energy of the wind to generate electricity. The wind strikes the turbine blades, causing them to rotate.

After verifying the rotational motion, Arthur had to create the shaft that connected all the way to his generator. The generator itself would convert the mechanical energy from the spinning shaft into electrical energy through electromagnetic induction.

It was a good thing he knew all this; otherwise, he would have never even attempted something as complex as building wind turbines.

But the work still wasn't even close to being finished.

He channeled the cables to the transformer to ensure proper transmission to increase the voltage for efficient long-distance transmission. The substation he bought was fully functional, allowing the high-voltage electricity coming through to further transform and be distributed to every corner of the plaza.

With all things connected, he flipped the switch to the turbines. However, to his disappointment, they remained motionless.

He checked the connections, ensuring that the wiring was secure. Then he inspected the blades, making sure they were free of any obstructions. Flipping the switch again, they still refused to turn on.

He calmed himself. Now was not the time to get frustrated.

'What's wrong…' he thought to himself.

When he looked yonder, he saw the issue: the surrounding trees were blocking the wind!

He quickly devised a solution: he would extend the height of the turbines, raising them above the trees' level. The process took a little longer, but he was determined.

Finally, with the turbines towering above the trees, he flipped the switch once more. This time, the blades began to turn, slowly at first, then with increasing speed.

Not a single smile spread on his face; he was merely content as he watched the wind turbines harness the power of nature.

A sustainable source of energy for the plaza had been successfully created.

Now that this was functioning smoothly, he turned his attention to the task he had Koko doing.

It was a bit risky giving her one, but surely a little girl like her couldn't mess up integrating winding paths with stepping stones to help facilitate movement while amplifying the serene ambiance.

'Shoot…'

Upon seeing her work, it wasn't bad, but it was far from perfect.

"Look how smooth this rock is, daddy!"

Arthur patted her on the head for at least trying, causing her to giggle.

He then picked up where she left off and began placing the stones to create a more pleasing, curve-like pattern to meander through the area. He adjusted the terrain subtly, brushing away unearthed rocks and smoothing lumps with a sweep of his hand.

With Koko dancing around him, seemingly keeping pace with his movements, he molded the earth to fit around the stones, ensuring their permanence.

When all was said and done, the two paused, standing atop the newly paved route they had carved.

The sun began to set once more, reminding him that he had to dot the spaces with canopies and pergolas to help shade the plaza from harsh sunlight.

He was truly tired, having only slept for a few hours at a time. But his mind was bent on finishing things.

As such, he set about planting sturdy saplings within the flower beds. One day, they would grow into large trees.

As the last of the trees was nourished into place, the night came, and things became silent. It was only broken by Koko's excited splashes in the bubbling water of the fountain.

There was one more task to complete before he could call it in for now; security measures had to be discreetly installed.

With the camera he bought, he camouflaged them within trees and corners—both inside and out. They blended quite nicely with the natural aesthetics, ensuring they were unnoticeable while still being effective.

The next morning, Arthur dedicated time to crafting clear, aesthetically pleasing signage that would prevent him from getting lost. They were really meant for Koko.

The plaza was a jumble of similar structures. Rows of identical shops lined the walkways, each being similar in design. Koko was easily distracted by the colorful displays and interesting sights that she wound up getting lost one day.

Even with her sensing abilities, she simply couldn't tell which direction to go in without bumping into a wall. She had become so frightened that she was ready to punch holes through walls if Arthur hadn't used his Tamashii to detect her in time.

The average Joe would have found it very difficult to track her due to the repetitive architecture. And to be frank, because of the maze-like environment, it was quite easy for any child to become disoriented and lost here.

To prevent that from happening again, building signs was apparent.

He used a combination of wood and stone and marked each sign with a script that illustrated nearby features and directions. Then he placed them at points throughout the area—the fountain, gardens, etc.

Speaking of gardens, he still hadn't worked on the main garden where he would grow all sorts of herbs and poisons for medical purposes.

Arthur stepped into the grand garden. It was quite a breathtaking expanse bathed in natural light filtering through the glass dome.

The irrigation system was already in place, ready to nurture the garden's growth.

He began his task by scattering the rich, fertile soil across the prepared beds. Armed with a variety of gardening tools, he carefully planted the seeds.

Once the seeds were planted, he turned his attention to the irrigation system. He flipped the switch, and to his disappointment, the system remained silent.

Undeterred, he calmly assessed the situation. The problem was clear: there was no water.

Going to the reservoir, he performed a water style technique and filled it with gallons upon gallons of water. In total, he measured it at about twenty thousand gallons. That was just for today's usage!

As the water level rose, he turned the switch once more. This time, a gentle spray of water emerged from the sprinklers, nourishing the newly planted seeds.

While satisfying to see, there was nothing to be relieved about. Eventually, he would have to create a canal of sorts to help filter natural water from the nearby lakes and rivers. Otherwise, it wouldn't be his water bill going up; it would be his chakra going down.

Almost everything seemed to be up and running. The last thing he needed to work on, and the most important thing, was his laboratory.