We listened closely to my Aunt Ai and Aileen I, Arlene's grandmother.
"The next thing you need to know is how to find Water. There are numerous methods to finding Water on Earth. The easiest way perhaps is to locate the Sea. Most Rivers eventually connect to the Sea thus finding the Sea is also the easiest way to locate freshwater sources. Rivers typically flow from Highlands to the Lowlands as they head towards the Sea. Most Rivers originate from Springs which are pockets of Water trapped beneath the Earth's surface. At times they burst forth from Mountains and Rocks where they begin to flow towards the Sea. At times, Rain causes a rise in the level of Water trapped beneath the Earth causing underground pockets of Water to rise to the surface. Rivers that flow towards the Sea may sometimes be obstructed by obstacles such as highlands, rocks, silt and the like. When that happens, the River stops flowing and becomes stagnant at the point where it was cut off by the obstacle, leading to the birth of a Lake or Lagoon.
In arid lands, it is important to follow this simple rule when seeking out Water. 'Follow the Signs Of Life'. Where there is Water, the leaves of Plants are usually fresh and green. They turn brown or gold in places with minimal Water as with the Autumn Season. Thus in arid lands, to seek out Water, one needs to follow the paths along which fresh foliage is visible. Another way is to track animals and especially birds. Water is important to the survival of all Life and animals will eventually need to locate a Water Source to avoid dying of thirst. By tracking them, one may be led to a Water Source. When flocks of birds are seen heading towards the same location in an arid region, there may be a source of Water nearby since birds use Water Sources as transit points to feed before continuing their journey. It is also important to follow this other rule when dealing with Water Sources, 'Safer to drink from upstream than downstream'. River Water is purer as it approaches its Source. As it journeys towards the Sea, it may pick up various impurities when various forms of Wildlife utilize it. Distillation is one of the best methods of purifying Water one has located" Aunt Ai explained.
"Among the many forms of Wildlife that are capable of locating Water Sources, Elephants are especially worthy of note. Some ancient legends believe that their ability to locate Water lies in their Tusks which they utilize for Dowsing. Dowsing is an ancient Water-Seeking Method that utilizes a pair of special rods that usually converge as one approaches a Water Source" Aileen I added.
"It's more like a tug is exerted on the rods" Aunt Ai said with a laugh.
"In a sense, it's quite similar to Concordia's ability to sense her surroundings via her Sigil" Aileen I pointed out.
"Aside from harvesting Water from Rivers, Lakes and more obvious forms of Water, another way to acquire Water is to harvest rainfall. However, Water harvested from Rainfall must first be filtered at the very least before drinking. Another means is to harvest atmospheric Vapour and condense it which is quite similar to harvesting Rain Water" Aunt Ai said.
"One other method is to harvest Snow, melt and then distill it. In arid regions, one could harvest clumps of moist earth and extract Water from it by heating the clumps of earth within a container. The Water present in the clumps of earth will vapourize leaving dry earth behind. By redirecting the Vapour to a second container for cooling and condensation, one could harvest the moisture that was contained within the moist clumps of earth" Aileen I explained.