Meanwhile, Saito and Ariel had returned to their Peristylium as well.
"You recall how we integrated butterflies and beneficial insects into our Planting Schemes don't you Ariel?" Saito asked.
Ariel nodded.
"We should probably extend the capabilities of our current Planting Schemes by integrating Ornamental Plants into our scheme. To be specific, Flowering Plants. Brightly Coloured Plants, Sweet Smelling Plants and the like would be the best. Insects that aid in pollination mostly approach Flowering Plants. The reason behind this is the Nectar they produce which the insects love very much. Bees also utilize Nectar to produce Honey. So by integrating Flowering Plants into our Planting Schemes, we could also extend our current capabilities by integrating Honey Producing Facilities. The Honey of course would be harvested from the Bees we rear. To top it off, the fact that Bees And Butterflies aid in Pollination also imply that they play a very important role in the Fruiting Process and by implication can determine the size of a Harvest as well as the general preservation of the Forest" Saito explained.
"I see. Instead of hunting for these insects, we can lure them to us by cultivating Ornamental Plants right? That would also potentially increase the size of our Harvests and we could also harvest Honey from the Bees that partake of the Nectar. That's positively killing three birds with one stone" Ariel said with a laugh.
"Exactly" Saito nodded.
Meanwhile, Keiran began to tutor Concordia in the Elemental Balance.
"Your current Elemental Affinities are Water, Wind and Earth so I'll focus on those three" Keiran said.
"Current? Are you implying that one can attain an affinity one was not born with?" Concordia asked.
"Yes, that is possible. That to a large extent is dependent on both effort and experience. It is even possible to attain a greater mastery over an acquired Elemental Affinity than a Hereditary one but it will require tremendous effort and vast experience" Keiran said.
"Whoa! That's pretty cool! I've always been a prodigy when it comes to channeling my affinities into my Sigil and I understand the basics of the Elemental Balance however I'm not so good with the subtleties of application" Concordia said.
"Well I'll begin now. Water is dominant over Fire. Water can basically quench Fire. It can also to an extent exert dominance over Earth. This can be achieved in two ways. The First Way is exhibited when something solid blocks the flow of Streams. In cases like that, the flow of the Stream is altered. That trait connotes Flexibility. Water users are thus very adept at finding alternate means to overcoming obstacles or problems. The Second Property is exhibited when Water flows about a solid object for a very long time. In cases like that, the top layer or surface impurities of the solid object are weathered away and the object is refined. There's the myth about how Pearls are formed from a Grain Of Sand in a Clam for instance. This trait thus connotes Refinement. However, Water is weak against Lightning since it is a very good conductor of electricity. Reverse the logic and Water can actually be used to generate Hydroelectricity. This is a case of a Natural Limitation being transformed into a Strength. Water is also very useful in Medicine. It can drain venom via Osmosis and its great ability to dissolve a wide variety of substances makes it an excellent base for the development of Healing Potions. The Rain Cycle predominantly revolves around the Evaporation, Diffusion and Condensation Of Water. Water has multiple states so people of this affinity are very versatile and possess great adaptability. They also possess the ability to bring Tranquility to Explosive Situations" Keiran explained.
Concordia smiled.
"Next, I'll describe the characteristics of Wind. Wind can act as a catalyst in the presence of Heat to transform a calm situation into a Stormy one. You can already see why you and San are such rivals from this trait however your Wind Abilities can amplify his Fire Abilities in combat so you'd work pretty well as a Team. That's why though you're rivals, you're also friends. Wind is necessary to sustain both a Flame and a Storm so San would ordinarily be at a disadvantage in battle against you" Keiran said.
"Ordinarily?" Concordia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"San also possesses an affinity for Water and both Water and Heat can generate Storms. Water can be converted to Wind so San can easily break through this limitation. Anyway, Wind is also applicable in the generation of Terrains that amplify Stealth like the Mist for instance. This connotes Mystery. You've already seen its ability to cause Flotation in other objects. It can also be utilized in a debilitating way to damage an opponent's internal organs through the use of Debilitating Gases but I wouldn't recommend you utilize such a technique. These things tend to balance themselves out and you might one day find yourself facing a similar scenario. It can also be used to heal through the utilization of Medicinal Gases. Since it's very difficult to restrict gas, you can already see how versatile people of this affinity are. The fact that you possess an affinity for both Wind and Water should already tell you that you're a very adaptable person. Not many people possess sigils that can take on more than three forms" Keiran explained.
"Finally, we'll come to Earth. Earth Element Users like Fire Element Users and Water Element Users can refine ordinary Earth into high quality Earthen Materials such as Metal. So here there is another connotation for Refinement. Usually, Earth is thought of by most people to be rigid and people mistakenly think of it as an inflexible element however it can take on the form of dust which is about as light as Wind and it comes in as many forms as there are minerals in the Earth so it is actually a very flexible and adaptable material. You can see how varieties of mineral ores can be fused to form alloys. Earth, Wind and Water are also very vital to Life. We need Water to survive as well as Air. Earth is also where all the food we need grows from. Depending on how it is utilized, it can enhance or deteriorate Plant Growth. What affects Plants affects Animals and ultimately Humans since all the food we eat comes first from Plants. Even if we predominantly eat a meaty diet, the animal food we depend on ultimately derives its sustenance from a Plant Diet which in turn derives sustenance from the Sun which is a fiery source of energy so your abilities to an extent are also dependent on Fire which is San's dominant ability so you can see how you're evenly matched. Earth Element Users have been known to awaken Extra-Sensory Perception via channeling their Psyche through Trees to enhance their Vision. They possess the greatest Physical Strength amongst all element users and can alter the pathways of flexible elements like Wind and Water. Then there is Magnetism which is another trait of Earth. Magnetism possesses the unique trait of Polarity for both Attraction and Repulsion. This to an extent explains why you possess Antithetical Sigils. Earth also possesses the unique trait of Gravity in contrast to Flotation caused by Wind so you and San are actually more alike than you think" Keiran said.
Concordia paid close attention.
"To top it off, the fact that there are durable, brittle, malleable and rigid Earthen Materials makes Earth Element Users excellent at both Improvision and Planning so they're excellent Strategists. However, Earth has a weakness against Fire which can easily alter its form. Fire can refine Earth into materials like Metal but it could also deteriorate Earth by melting it into forms like Magma. Another weakness of Earth is Water which can both rust Metal and wear away solid Earth over Time. Magnetism can enhance the mobility of Earth Element Users" Keiran explained.
"I see, so some of my affinities are superior to San's, some are inferior and there are some cases where we're evenly matched. Interesting, so in order for me to possess an advantage in battle, I'll need to understand my own affinities as well as my limitations right?" Concordia realized.
"That's the reason for the common saying amongst Strategists that goes 'brute strength cannot win every battle'" Keiran explained.
"That's true" Concordia admitted.