"Oh, you could make some kind of magic teleporty thing or boat-improving songs or something?"

"Boat-improving songs yes, trivially. Teleportation is not the sort of thing our magic could normally do, all its effects are very localized, but - maybe? There's nothing I am inclined to say is impossible for my father."

"That would be really great. Flattening out the economy isn't as dramatic on an individual person level as inventing baby-rescuing storks but it still really matters how cheap stuff is, and the easier it can get places the cheaper it can get."

"And the easier people can move the safer I'd expect them to be, if some places to live are much nicer than others."

"Yeah, that too, making emigration easier would be big."

"I like the idea of separately governed city-states, it provides excellent incentives to rules. But only if anyone can come and leave."

"Most places you can, or at least they don't try very effectively to stop you; some places won't let people in unless they meet certain conditions or don't plan to stay long, some places won't let you out unless you meet certain conditions..."

"The latter is the only one I find objectionable. Not too strict conditions, hopefully."

"Often it's 'not currently detained for a crime, below the age of majority, enslaved, etcetera' but I think some places are more complicated."

"Enslaved."

"Some places."

"Are economic and inventive avenues really the fastest way to end that."

"I mean I suppose you could storm in and kill a bunch of people but this option has drawbacks even when you have a really good reason."

"We aren't likely to do that. But - Eru. The Enemy is the only one in Arda's history to -"

"Arda's a pretty nice place sans Enemy," shrugs Kib.

"Oh, I mean, he's rehabilitated and back. Arda's - pretty nice. But slavery is really evil."

"Yes, I know it is. ...I don't think anybody had told me he was rehabilitated and back."

"We're not really supposed to discuss it? Part of rehabilitated is 'forgiven'. You might run into him sometime. It caused a stir when it happened but that was Years ago."

"...Okay."

"You're skeptical?"

"I have not previously encountered this model of justice system," shrugs Kib. "I never met the guy, I don't know why he was Enemying it up before or why he stopped, perhaps he is in fact fine now."

"It made me uneasy mostly because I don't trust the Valar's judgment in general but I'm not okay with imprisoning someone for all eternity without a really good reason. And it was a very long sentence."

"That's about where I'm at, dubious about Valar but pro-mercy as a general policy."

"It's implied there were also good reasons for pardon which we don't know."

"Why don't we know?"