"Thanks!"

"You're quite welcome. If you're still looking for books about spirits, you might ask Eliko if she still has hers."

"Ooh, I'll do that if I see her! Thanks!"

"Anything else I can help you with?"

"Is there anything else you'd say a foreigner ought to know?"

"Hmm. If you're going to swear, do it by Agni, not Tui and La or Oma and Shu. Don't mock the Fire Lord, or anyone in the army. And if you see anyone with their hair in a high tail, do your best to avoid their attention."

"- and don't wear my hair like that, I guess?"

"That'd be wise."

"Okay, thanks!"

He nods farewell and shuffles off.

She looks around for other work. She prefers shorter-term stuff than the factory, especially anything paid by output that assumes baseline human strength and so on.

Ships down at the dock need loading and unloading. The harbormaster is skeptical she can perform the work.

"I'm stronger than I look, sir!"

"Prove it." He indicates a tall stack of crates.

She scoops up a crate. She doesn't one-hand it, that might be a bit much.

...She's hired.

She will haul crates.

She'll get some money for every ship that gets unloaded or packed up.

She will haul crates real fast.

Sometimes the captain of the ship will give her a tip, as well.

Convenient!

Based on the dictionary and looking around, she keeps an eye out for things she can easily "invent" given this starting capital. And... food and places to stay where cat spirits won't accost her paring down that starting capital.

There doesn't seem to be much, if any, automation. There's probably lots of room for innovation.

There's a bunkhouse right by the docks that does meals as well. It doesn't seem the sort of place one stays long-term, but it is cheap.

Cheap is good. Location's good. She'll need inventing space in the long run, her own room and space for tools, but this will do while she hauls crates.

By the middle of the afternoon, she has enough money for a few days of food and lodging.

That is great. She breaks for a meal - this is probably a good time to get banned from an all-you-can-eat, if there are any, or alternately win a prize by eating an entire enormous food? - and goes back to work.