Farming Boxes

Ever since the influence of Elements on the crops have been found out, people tried to find the best way to artificially influence their growth to be able to create specific Elemental Crops, which wouldn't normally grow in the area. While the more primitive ways to affect fields have been used for over 5 years, it was the 7th year of Awakening when the farming boxes were first invented.
Thanks to the newest technologies used, farming boxes can both detect and regulate the concentrations of Elements in both air and soil to match those introduced to their system.

Construction

From the outside, farming boxes look just like wooden (or metal) crates with a panel on their top. On one of their sides, there is a lid, which, when open, reveals 10 slots. Each slot is marked with a symbol of Element, and shows where each type of Elemental Crystals needs to be placed for the machine to work correctly.
The panel, with which the machine is equipped, lets one analyze the Elemental composition of the air and soil in the area, choose and check the specific Elemental Crop found in the database and the requirements needed for its growth.

How exactly it works

The box has an in-built mechanism that activates the release of Elements by the Crystals and shutters that regulate said release. The top and the bottom side of the box are covered with samplers which compare the composition of the air with model samples of Elements.

Use

Once one checks the requirements of the Elemental Crop they want to grow, they need to fill the box with adequate Elemental Crystals. At this point, pressing the "GO" button will start the machine. For the next few months, the machine will regulate and dose the release of Elements until someone stops it. Farmers still need to care for the growing plants and watch out for any weeds which growth was induced by increased concentration of Elements.

Parent Technologies

• Elemental Crops

Access & Availability

Right now, 8 years after their first creation, farming boxes are available to buy in most bigger settlements. The real problem is an access to the steady supply of Elemental Crystals, which, in most cases, is available only to those settlements.

What it won't work for

No matter how strong the farming box and the Crystals stored within it are, they cannot negate the Elements that are already in the air, just balance the concentration. This means that if there is an area with high enough natural concentration of one or two Elements, the box will use up the Crystals very quick trying to achieve its set goal. This can also lead to dangerous situations where the area gets contaminated with very large amounts of Elements, possibly leading to Elemental Sickness.
As such, it is advised to use farming boxes in places with low natural concentrations of Elements.