EPISODE 32: LEVEL FOUR: TAURUS! THE PLANTING SCHEMES PHASE COMMENCES! PART I: ALIGNING PLANTING AND HARVESTING PERIODS

While our crops grew, we continued to Hunt And Gather in order to sustain our HP and MP as well as avoid potential stat debuffs. There were times we had to split roles. While one person tended to the crops, another would hunt for food.

In time, we received a new notification.

"Congratulations on completing the Subsistence Farming Phase. The Fourth Level commences now. To protect the cattle, you must become the cattle! Who said all bullies are cowards?! A bull is never a coward, likewise, a coward can never be referred to as a bull! Time to hammer those swords into ploughshares! The Fourth Level commences now. Can you guess what it is?! Indeed, it is the Planting Schemes Phase!" my Dad's voice sounded.

"Really Dad? PSP?!" I exclaimed in horror.

"Indeed! It is time to go Old School kids!" my Dad's voice was heard saying with a sinister laugh.

"Keiran…your Dad is a demon" Concordia said with a funny expression on her face.

"That's the whole point he was making Concordia. It takes a demon to beat a demon…with a little variation. Who attempts to fight a battle without taking into account his opponent's battle style?" Keiran said seriously.

"What are you trying to say Keiran?" Concordia asked.

"I can pretty much guess what the next skill we're about to learn is" Keiran said and opened his menu.

When they saw their next skill, Keiran sighed heavily.

"Figures" he said for the next skill read 'Taurus'.

"Taurus? Another one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac represented by the Bull" Concordia said.

"Talk about an armoured tank" Keiran said with a weird expression on his face.

"Concordia, you are a wielder of earth. People of this affinity are said to possess the greatest amount of brute strength. At the same time, you are a wielder of wind to which people of like affinity are believed to possess one of the greatest, if not the greatest amount of precision so you should understand what this skill is all about" Keiran said.

Concordia recalled our first battle.

"I see. So you were the one that downed the armoured tank. As expected of the Nightbane Family, your physical skills are superb. But that's a cheap trick any Dream Knight with enough experience can pull off. Now I'll introduce myself. Can't be rude to the guy I'm about to beat to a pulp can I? I am Concordia Kenyah, daughter of Boniface Kenyah and Victoria Pendragon Arthur and as you may have already guessed…" Concordia recalled the moment she clenched her fist.

"My Dad's elemental affinity is earth and you know which category of element users possess the greatest brute strength now don't you?" she recalled her smirk.

She recalled my laugh as I stood up.

"Impressive of you to counter my attack. But whoever heard of an archer who specializes in close range combat?" she recalled my words as I dusted my cape.

"Th-That's a pretty bogus argument! The fact that archers specialize in attacking from a distance doesn't mean that they can't learn other skills!" she recalled her reaction.

"The brute force of close quarters combat and the precision of archery. By that…you're referring to stratagems aren't you?" Concordia realized.

"Precisely, the Planting Schemes Phase aka PSP. In the ancient world, bulls symbolized strength yet at the same time they were considered one of the lowliest animals. A common term used to refer to them was the term 'beasts of burden'. Not only were they used for various farming schemes but also for transportation plus they also provided tons of support in terms of meat and dairy products. An animal with tremendous strength, disguised as a beast of burden to be used for the lowliest tasks and possessing the ability to provide tremendous support. That's what the Taurus Constellation symbolizes" Keiran explained. "In short, stratagems, Planting Schemes Phase…or PSP!" Keiran said with a smirk.

"You're right. That there…is indeed an armoured tank" Concordia said.

"Originally, the study of the stars revolved around the study of unique clusters of stars that appeared to possess some semblance to that of a creature on earth. A name would be assigned to those clusters and along with that name was an idea or ideal. They weren't really meant to be worshipped and they were most certainly not meant to predict the future. However, by studying ideas associated with certain animals or phenomena on earth related to these clusters of stars, one could come to understand ideas associated with a particular culture or nation and that is why the study of stars was important when it came to designing stratagems. Astronomy as the name implies was thus the study of the 'names' of the stars. Astrology was the study of the 'logic' of the stars. Both were rooted in science, not superstition. The moment that got all twisted up was the moment the stars themselves became enemies to the ones who studied them hence…the Libra System. In my culture though, 'Stars' or 'Luminaries' is also the term used to refer to 'Heavenly Bodies' or 'Angels'. But to be honest…even I have never heard of an angel that demanded worship. They usually direct the ones to whom they are sent to worship the one who sent them. They are kinda like messengers or heralds and even God who created everything doesn't 'demand' worship. If he did, no human would have free will. But still…to every action, there is an implication…as well as a consequence hence…the Libra System" Keiran explained.

"The law of Karma huh?" Concordia said.

"Exactly, the principle of being paid in your own coin. That's the entire idea behind the Libra System. That was the original definition for 'Justice'. The only exception to that System was the state of one's heart. There are times when an action performed with good intent brings bad results either due to misunderstandings, bad timing, misinterpretations or something beyond the control of the performer of that action. In cases like that, the one who performed the action cannot exactly be considered guilty so in the end, a subconscious counterbalance would kick into effect. That there is the principle behind the Leo System and the reason for the saying 'cats always land on their feet'" Keiran explained.

"I see…a graceful dancer never falls…and even when they do…it's most likely a part of their dance" Concordia realized.

"Now, let's study the Taurus System" Keiran said and opened his menu.

Within the menu, he accessed the Taurus System. Within the System's menu were two sets of readings. One set of readings was depicted within an image of the Sky. Another set was depicted within an image of the Ground.

Within our location in the Tropics, I showed Ciella the Taurus System.

"Now isn't that an interesting System?" I asked with a laugh after explaining to her what Keiran had just explained to Concordia.

Ciella laughed.

"Looks just like our names" she said.

"Doesn't it?" I said with a laugh.

Within the image depicted of the Sky were readings for Sunshine Intensity, Temperature, Humidity and Air. Within the image depicted of the Ground were readings for Soil Water, Acidity, Mineral Salt Content and Soil Nutrients as well as a few readings for Pests and Soil Types.

"These appear to be affinity readings. Leaving pests aside, when they are generally high, that should imply that the selected breed of crop is most likely to thrive in its environment. Fortunately, I managed to find lots of good crop breeds recently" I said as I analyzed various varieties of seeds via the Taurus System.

"What do you intend to do now?" Ciella asked curiously.

"Next, I'll measure all the seeds I've already analyzed with the Libra and Taurus Systems by utilizing the Leo System. That should help me determine the average period between Planting and Harvesting of each crop type. By aligning the average harvesting period of all the crops till they match, we can determine when to plant them taking into consideration the differences amongst the periods between Planting And Harvesting of each crop type. Our goal should be to shorten the period of harvest by taking into consideration our storage facilities and storage capabilities" I explained to Ciella.

"I think I get it" she realized the point I was trying to make.

"So while the crops we cultivate are growing, we must now work on constructing storage facilities right?" she asked.

I nodded. From then on, we began to cultivate the land as planned.

"I see. So with crops that can bear fruit almost indefinitely, once we get past the first harvesting season, we won't need to worry about food anymore" Ciella realized.

I nodded.

"Breeds like that usually take a very long time to bear their first harvest so we'll need to plant other breeds of crops like annuals and biennials to make up for the time it will take for perennials to begin to bear fruit. Aside from your inexperience, it's another reason I called dibs on the Tropics. The closer we are to the Equator…the less we'll have to worry about unfavourable seasons like Winter" I explained to Ciella.