Keiran and Concordia activated the Sagittarius System and finally made contact with Zachary the Alchemist and Aera the Archer respectively. Zachary being an alchemist and having a deep fascination with the forces of Nature found the experience puzzling at first, then fascinating. It wasn't very difficult for him to adjust to his new reality. He was thus willing to bond with Keiran provided Keiran helped him uncover some of Nature's puzzling mysteries.
Aera on the other hand was a practical person and didn't really believe in anything that could not be proven as fact without a shred of doubt. She as such found the sudden appearance of Concordia to be a strange supernatural event and associated it with a slight feeling of dread. However, as Concordia gradually explained things to her, she gradually came to terms with her new reality.
Zachary and Aera met with the Village's Chief Daniel VIII and his elders. They explained the situation to the Chief and his elders and the Chief in turn informed them that their current experience with the Guardians was indeed verified by Historical Records and that the founders of the Village had in fact had similar experiences.
After hearing that, Zachary and Aera were finally willing to let go of their reservations. Keiran questioned Chief Daniel VIII about the current state of the Village and the Chief explained it to him and Concordia.
"I see, so you've been forced to become Nomads in search of Food and Water and these you find on multiple Oases scattered across the Desert. Once you've found an Oasis, you're able to settle down and thrive for as long as its resources are not depleted. However once those resources are depleted, you are forced to become Nomads once again" Keiran assessed the situation.
"Exactly" Daniel VIII confirmed the situation.
Keiran told the Chief and his elders about the Mountain Of Olympus at the Coast and how it would serve as a strategically more defensible position than the Desert.
"How do we make it to the Coast? It's been cut off by the monsters" Daniel VIII voiced his concerns.
"Everything in phases. To make it to the Coast, we'll need enough food to survive. We won't be able to make it at a single go. We'll need to use the Oases as Transit Points" Keiran explained.
"I see what you mean but discovering an Oasis is quite tasking in itself. You could almost say it was down to luck that we ever discovered one" Daniel VIII noted.
"You don't need to worry about that anymore. I've got a plan. Your current priorities are Mobility and Scout Range. We need Mobility to venture across the Desert, covering as many miles as possible in as little time as possible and for that the rearing of your Camels is especially a priority" Keiran explained.
"We have more than enough Camels per Villager. You don't need to worry about our Mobility. Rather, I'm more interested in what you mean by Scout Range" Daniel VIII enquired.
"We need a means to Scout for Water within this arid Region. For that purpose, I've come up with a plan. Migratory Birds usually migrate during the Winter from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres towards the Equator in search of Food since lands in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are usually depleted of Food during the Winter. During their journeys, they utilize the Oases in the Deserts as Transit Points. I suggest we intercept some of these Migratory Birds during their next Winter Migration and rear them. If we are kind to them, they may be willing to scout the Desert in search of Oases for our journey" Keiran stated the plan.
Daniel VIII and his elders agreed and began to work on a Calendar counting down to the next Winter. During that time, they also bred freshwater fish within the Oasis since it was the preferred food of choice for most migratory birds. When Winter arrived, a flock of Swans arrived in the Oasis in search of Food. They were happy to find the freshwater fish and feasted on them to their hearts' content. Keiran marked the Swans with the Scorpio System so that they could now be tracked. From then on, the Village began to plan their next migration.