"Well I'll be. Yer actually workin' for once, haha!", A voice called out to Lloyd. "Already had enough of the Boss breathin' down yer neck?"
After realizing his Crude Hoe broke, Lloyd knew he couldn't continue working on his plot. Wanting to learn how his Inventory worked, Lloyd wandered for a little while and soon found himself in front of his communal shed. This shed was but one of many on this gigantic thousand acre piece of land. The farmland stretched so far that the blistering heat made it seem he was staring right into an illusion. Wiping more sweat off his forehead, he turned around, and saw a rather scruffy yet muscular man approach Lloyd. It looks like he had seen better days.
"Well if it isn't Frank. You already finished your assignment?", Lloyd said, and greeted the man with a smile.
"Haha! At least ya know how to respond to yer seniors. 'Fraid not. About halfway there. Ya know how the Boss can be if he doesn't expect results the way he likes 'em.", The man said with a laugh. Apparently his name was Frank. Lloyd found him familiar. He had probably gotten acquainted with this fellow some time ago while working on this farm. Gaia did craft this body for Lloyd but it wasn't like he was suddenly plopped into this world out of nowhere. Every character has their own story to tell. That includes Lloyd. That did beg the question, did Lloyd have family here, or was he all alone?
"Heh. You're making good progress. I'm only a quarter of the way there myself. One of my tools broke so I came back to get a replacement. It might be the heat getting to me, but did that Boss of ours give us a deadline? I'm having a little trouble trying to remember.", Lloyd decided to ask. He feigned ignorance, acting as if he had forgotten. While his second Quest didn't give him a deadline, that didn't mean the Boss would say no otherwise. He didn't want to get yelled at or worse, lose this one and only job he presently had. He wanted to continue farming so he could explore the Harvester Log.
"Perhaps the heat's really gone over yer head. Heatstroke is common workin' out here in the fields. Do be careful out there, yea?", Frank replied. Lloyd saw genuine worry in Frank's eyes. Maybe Lloyd really had some friends here? Perhaps this world of Solaris wasn't as cutthroat as other eastern-style stories were? "And to answer yer question, it's the start of the week on Monday. We need all the land tilled by Friday. It hadn't been long since ya joined this farm with the other greenhorns. There's a couple hundred of us preparin' the season for the Lord. All greenhorns start out as Rank 1 Farmers. Do yer job, and ya rank up. Sounds easy, right?"
"I take it some time needs to pass to rank up?", Lloyd asked, intrigued.
"Not necessarily. Curry favor with the Boss, and provide him with excellent results, and in return, he will rank ya up instantly. Higher rank means more responsibility and more land. Honestly, it just means it's more work. It ain't like we actually own this land. Ya would need to get acquainted with the Lord himself to do that. And that ain't easy.", Frank said with a sigh. "Even I'm just Rank 2. Ya would need at least Rank 5 for that."
"I see. Sounds like we both have a long road ahead. I take it there's pay involved?", Lloyd asked.
"There sure is. Ya should have already registered with the Hall and presented them with yer Item Box. The system knows to only take yer registered crops. Any extra belongs to ya, should ya decide to head into the market and sell them to the other folks. It's set up that way.", Frank explained, causing Lloyd to raise his eyebrows.
'Item Box...Automatic transfer?', Lloyd thought. He had access to Inventory. Was that called an Item Box here? He wasn't sure, but this sounds like the real deal. There's a system in place where it can read parts of Lloyd's Inventory, transfer its crops out to its designated area, then get paid for it. 'This definitely wasn't part of Farming Is Life...'
Was this Gaia's doing?
Lloyd wasn't sure. But Frank already gave him a bunch of new information he wasn't expecting just to be thrown at him. Sure, there was individual person-to-person trading and selling that took place outside of the primary Farmer's Market, but to think there would be private businesses to do something similar. Lloyd didn't even need to take his crops out of his Inventory. He would just need to present it to whoever was in charge!
It wasn't just that information either. Sure enough, there was a classification system. Occupations had Ranks. If one increased their Rank high enough, they'd be able to meet with whoever was in charge here. And perhaps, that would lead to more Quests down the line. Or perhaps, territory management? Lloyd wasn't sure. The latter wasn't part of a Farming Is Life. This aspect was entirely new to him. Imagine building his own territory, or gaining other kinds of rewards!
'So you didn't just add Cultivation to Solaris. There's a bunch of different interesting layers added in. So much potential that's ripe for exploring.', Lloyd continued to think. He mused at this new information he obtained. He hadn't even touched upon Cultivation yet. It felt so far out of reach!
To Lloyd's surprise, he saw a prompt appear before his eyes. This made him raise his eyebrows again.
[Ding! You have reached a small understanding of the world of Solaris. Your Harvester Log has been updated with a new record.]
[Ding! Current Occupation: Farmer has now been assigned a Rank. You are currently Rank 1. Completing the Hall's Tasks and/or Quests related to your Occupation can increase your Rank.]
[Ding! Due to your new understanding, you have received 10 EXP.]
[Ding! Points*2 has been activated. 20 EXP has been obtained.]
[Ding! You have Leveled Up! Level 2 -> 3.]
[Ding! Points*2 has been activated. Your Stats have increased by 2!]
[Ding! Next LV EXP: 30.]
[Ding! Your Harvester Log has been updated. It is now available to view.]
Just like before, Lloyd felt himself a little stronger. It's progress! He knew he didn't have a constant need to review his Harvester Log with every little change. Once he finishes his business here in the shed, he may look at it once again. Seeing Lloyd turn silent all of a sudden, Frank chuckled.
"Heh it looks like the Earth Mother has graced ya. Amongst the greenhorns I've seen arrive on this farm, yer a promising one. Keep up the good work.", Frank continued. This time, Lloyd was shocked to hear that.
"So you know about Levels?", Lloyd inquired, not expecting Frank to bring up such a thing with him.
"Sure do. All of us here on Solaris are blessed by the gods and goddesses. Each to their own affiliation. The continent we're currently on is pious toward the Earth Mother. She has another name. Earth Goddess, Gaia. She doesn't have a particular title she fancies. Other continents bless the other elements. The one we're on is known for the element Earth. Lots of towns and even cities have farmland, such as the one yer standing on. Ya should probably get acquainted with all of the crops we manage!", Frank happily said.
"That's...quite a lot to take in. I didn't know the land we're on stretched that far. I came here quite abruptly. Do you happen to know the name of the town we're in?", Lloyd decided to press further.
"Yer a studious one, arent'cha? Not a lot of greenhorns learn the land they reside on until much later. All they care about is proving their worth to someone of a higher Rank to their own. We are in a dog-eat-dog kind of world after all. Yer too trustin'. "And this is me sayin' this to ya as yer senior. Don't trust no one. Not even Carl from yonder. He's also in our block. Each block holds a few of us, rangin' from one to one hundred. We all work on these plots one way or another. The number of acres ya get increase when ya go into the deeper plots. Greenhorns such as yerself only get one with no extra help.", Frank continued. "And to answer ya, we're in the Rooting Plains. The town and likewise, its marketplace, is beyond the farms. We're out here in the fields all day, it's quite a walk to reach it."
"The Rooting Plains...Got it. I'll be on my own for a while then. Thanks. I truly mean it. Information like this doesn't come cheap so tell you what. Once we're all done and ready to plant our respective crops, how about I treat you to some drinks this weekend?", Lloyd suggested. Frank's eyes lit up, and suddenly approached Lloyd. Smacking one of his shoulders with his hand, he let out a loud laugh.
"Ya just moved in, but yer already wantin' to spend yer pay on someone like me? I like ya, hahaha! Keep yer schedule open, and ya might see something interestin'.", Frank said while letting out a loud laugh.
"Something interesting?", Lloyd responded, unsure of what Frank meant by that. All Lloyd saw Frank do was reach his head in, and reach for one of his ears. He began to whisper.
"Ya didn't hear this from me. Somethin' about an unregistered Labyrinth croppin' up beyond the town. It's callin' all sorts of Adventurers and Cultivators, makin' it a tiger's den. I'd be careful if we do head into town over the weekend. I even hear Senior Shanshan is formin' a party to tackle it.", Frank whispered.
"Senior Shanshan?", Lloyd asked. He wasn't familiar with such a person.
"Rank 3 Cultivator. Got lucky with a passing senior. All it took was pointin' them in the right direction and got rewarded with a pill. Lucky bastard.", Frank said, clicking his tongue. "That pill opened up his veins, allowin' him to start the path of Cultivation. Rank 3 is still a newbie compared to others if ya head further into the continent."
As if responding to Frank's whispers just now, the two were greeted with a large blast of wind. It came from the skies, causing the two to look up. Woooosh!
All of a sudden, a rapid shadow flew above them. It seemed to be a robed person...riding on a sword?
"Speak of the devil.", Frank continued, and laughed again.
Lloyd, on the other hand, felt his mind stir. It stirred in excitement. That was a bonafide Cultivator! The figure flew rapidly, and quickly vanished from sight. It only lasted for a brief moment, and the man riding atop the sword didn't even bat an eye to the farmers beneath him.
Sure enough, this really wasn't Farming Is Life. This was a whole new world waiting for him to explore. The world of Solaris!