Probably the practical one! He doubts he'd understand the theoretical one and it probably wouldn't be particularly useful right now – he could get a book or something, though.

Well, maybe Felix or Fernando would be willing to sell metaphysics book to Itaruko if he is really curious.

(This set doesn't know about Bar's infinite supply of books.)

If everyone in Itaruko's world counts as having a natural gift and if it works like it would in the triplets' universe, then everyone is a relatively versatile spellcaster with a talent for light-related magic. At minimum it would be trivial to replace light-sources with magical ones that cost way less and require little maintenance, and likely possible to develop magical energy sources that can replace non-magical ones in a couple of decades. Pretty much all fields could be benefited by magic – healing for medicine, transmutation for industry, divination for science. Pollution and environmental damage? There are wards for that.

That sounds like it would be extremely useful if it counts, then!

Martin explains about Bar and the fact she can sell books. Even books that have now gone out of print, so long as they were actually published.

Magic is useful even if you don't have natural gifts around, you just have to be way more careful.

And Bar sells books? And also other stuff as long it isn't dangerous and fits in the counter top?  This is the best place ever! Thor quizzes the bar and starts listing various things to bar, books, technology, herbs, crystals, an industrial-magic grade human skull.

Ew. But yeah, ask her for information if necessary.

Is magic obscure rituals, then, or does it somehow spread between worlds…? Martin isn't sure how people wouldn't have discovered it before, if it is in fact already in his world, unless it's just really difficult to do.

Ew? This skull never belonged to anybody. Would Martin prefer a typically sourced human skull? Thor wouldn't. Plus, they can make the obvious Shakespeare reference in front of a confused Itaruko.

Magic is hard to do properly - many failed and many died trying - and it's possible there is some underlying difference between the worlds for no one Martin's world to have discovered at all. Still, would either of them like some ebooks so they have any hope of figuring metaphysics out in their own worlds?

Yes! Martin would like those if possible, though the tech might not match up. He can probably get some money by, like, buying dollar bills with money from his bank account, and then hand that over if it matches up, or ask Bar if she can do interworld bank transfers.

Itaruko would also like some ebooks, if possible.

Bar in fact can do interworld bank transfers. They can also run up a tab.

Luckily, the ebooks are free. Like any proud and patriotic Brazilian citizen Thor pirates the hell out of everything.

Ooh! Well, that's– you know, fortunate for Itaruko, and he won't judge audibly.

Martin does not plan on judging either! (Maybe possibly because he does the same himself.) Instead, he thanks Thor for the ebooks.

Well, that is what Thor is here for, to give pirated gifts to half-dressed cute guys.

Well.

That's a pretty good purpose, thinks Martin.

It truly is!

And well, they still have to wait until Felix and Fernando finish casting. What they can do in the mean time?

Well, Itaruko could show them what his planet looks like! Maybe also conjure up some pictures of the other species, some of his friends, outline some of the differences between them all, and show off his ability to make the diagrams appear to act like people! (It's quite an impressive ability, actually, since most people can't do illusions of people to that level of detail.)

After that he could show some of the animals, like before with the other triplets?

Thor would be delighted to.

Cool! So they can do that while the others finish casting.

They sure can.

And finally: "Okay, done. The magic won't trigger until we say the magic word and is better if we sit still while it is active. Want to find some place comfy?"

"It turns out this place offers rooms. We can rent one of those! What do you two think? Want to get a room with a set of triplets wearing little clothing?"

"– I guess?"

"Your lack of enthusiasm wounds me."

At any rate a room is acquired and the two cast the spell... so what does Lumen looks like under magic-analyzing divination?

It seems– shy. It seems very deeply embedded in itself, and has small connections to nearby people, and it seems as though it's clinging to Itaruko quite tightly, tentatively reaching out to Martin, and the triplets might get the impression that it's studying them, giving them a quite dubious look and quite unwilling to reveal information about itself to them as freely as they seem to want it.

And they comment on this.