Learning in Apium

Sha was a bit busy, when I walked over. I decided not to disturb her, and ask another Atol inside the building. I walked over to the Atol that seemed the least busy, and asked "Can you tell me, where did you get that Thermalmeter from? It would be very useful to me". She nodded, and said "We get them specially made, so buying them at markets and such, is rather impossible. If you want, we can sell you one, as we always have replacements".

I asked "How much would you like for it?". She said "We pay 10 Black Hals for each, so I will sell it to you, for the same price". I thought about it for a while, then said "I will take it then". I was quite low on money. I could still afford the 10 Black Hals, but it was almost everything I had. She nodded her head, and went somewhere to get that Thermalmeter for me. 'I have 8 Black and 43 Red Hals left. This is even worse, than what Crow has' I thought. Soon, the Atol returned with my Thermalmeter, and handed it to me. I gave her the 10 Black Hals, and thanked her.

I asked my other question next "Can you tell me, how can I get a lot of Chlorine?". She looked at me weirdly, and asked "Why would you need a lot of it?". I replied "To study it, I want to know the exact effects, it has when used in greater quantities". She shook her head, and said "The only way I know, would be to filter loads of water, and get it like this. It would take some time though, as the amount of it, is closely monitored, and we make sure that not too much is in the lake".

I asked a different question "Where does it come from? Is there a source?". She shook her head, and said "No. The plants, as well as the environment produces it. If not taken care of properly, the level of Chlorine can increase inside the lake. To get raw Chlorine? I never heard of it. I may be wrong, but I never seen it, nor has anyone here I guess".

I nodded my head, and said "That is a shame. Either way, I have another question". She nodded, and said "Go ahead. If I can answer it, I will". I asked "The Serelis. Is there something you may know of, that will extend its lifespan, or perhaps condense it?". She shook her head, and said "We already tried. The mind calming effect would be great to have. Not only could we use it ourselves, we could also sell it. Yet, we found no solution to extending its life. I'm not sure, what you mean by "condense" it".

I explained "To make the Serelis more concentrated. In other words, make it so that it has greater effect, in smaller quantities". She realised what I meant, and replied "Ah that! No, we haven't tried doing such things. It has too short of a lifespan, in order to concentrate it as you called it. We would need more time, and process the Serelis even more".

I had another question "This should be the last one. Do you know the reason, behind Serelis' short lifespan?". She nodded her head, and said "Yes, as soon as it makes contact with air, it will start dissipating. The air is not only present here, meaning outside. It also exists inside the lake, albeit in smaller quantities. That is why, Serelis disintegrates inside the lake too".

I followed up with additional question "You said that Serelis disintegrates, into what exactly? Water?" She shook her head, and said "We don't know. We couldn't find out, and are still trying to. The problem is, we cannot locate anything new, when it dissipates. It doesn't turn into water, that is for sure". I nodded my head, and said "That will be all. Thanks for helping me out". She smiled, and said "Not a problem, it's nice to talk with someone else about these things. We usually don't get guests here, so your presence, is already a nice thing".

I then said goodbye to her and others inside the building, then left. 'I will need to figure out, how to extend the lifespan of Serelis, or even better, make an extract from it. I will come here often. That way, I may be able to figure more things out' I thought. I then went towards the craftsmen area. I wanted to check out, how they built those houses, and what materials they used. 'When I return to the Great Forest. I may need to build something. Learning from them, should be very beneficial' I thought.

When I arrived to the craftsmen area, I took a look around, and found the female Atol called Ama. She was working on the planks, that were supposed to be used for build the roof. When she saw me coming over, she said "So you decided to visit after all. If you want to watch, you are welcomed to. I'm currently sanding the roof planks. If you want to ask about something, just do so. I can answer as I do this". I replied "Sure", and watched her, as she sanded the planks.

After a while, she started applying some kind of stuff onto them. I was about to ask, when she said "This is a special oil. It prevents water from entering the planks. It's not very useful in the North, as we don't have any weather. But it will give a nice shine to the planks as well. A lot of customers like the shine, so Master Olis ordered us to always apply it". I nodded, and asked "How do you procure that oil?". She replied "It's made from plants. To be more specific, from the seeds of those plants. We call them Yalin Seeds, and when grinded for a long time, they will produce oil. We extract that oil, and use it to cover the planks. The oil can be also coloured, with special pigments. We can make a coloured oil, per client's request".

'So this thing, acts like the sap thing I used before, to cover the holes. This one is better though, not only can it be coloured, it will leave a nice finish while protecting the wood too' I thought.

I watched her build the house for quite a while, and learned a bit through the process. I learned how to make planks properly, I learned about the oil, and about the specific pattern of laying down the roof. I then left, and went back to my room. 'I will need to go back to my field tomorrow, and check it out. After a few more waterings, the field should be ready, and then I can finally work on my herbs' I thought. I was curious, what type of herbs did they grow, and what kind of medicine, I would be able to make from them.