"...I suspect based on the exact nature of my confusion at that sentence that it's the second thing."

"Do you know about, uh, computers? Nukes? The steam engine? The printing press?"

"No."

"...well, this is going to be a headache. I think there's a pamphlet online somewhere. Care to go back into the police building given that you've decided you can't do magic anyway? --Also, you're free to go whenever you want. I don't think this is a good idea, because you don't know anything about how this world works, but if you want to I can't stop you."

"As you say I do not know anything about how the world works and am willing to return with you, ideally as soon as possible to speak to the department that can whitelist my goddess. - if they do that is there any chance of me getting my holy book back."

"You're going to object to me ensuring it is lost from the evidence locker, right?"

"Probably but I might pray about it a lot first. Once I'm allowed to do that. I've only read it all the way through once."

"You are difficult to build rapport with. Normally I build rapport with sorc-- illegal magic users by breaking rules for them."

"Oh, if you want to build rapport with me we should play chess. I guess I don't know if you have it here."

"Not only do we have chess, we have computer chess. It's great. You'll love it. Let's head back to the police station and I'll show you."

"Is that a variant?" Blai follows agreeably.

"We are, uh, better at causing the universe to do things, but not in the magic way, in the engineering way? And one of the things we can do is make metal think-- nonmagically-- and then sometimes we can get the thinking metal to play chess."

"Is that how the constructs work?"

"You mean the cars?"

"Yes, those."

"The cars normally don't think-- well, most of them do now, sort of, but-- we're very good at getting metal to do things nonmagically. Like thinking or going very fast."

"I don't think I can render down 'nonmagically' here into anything other than 'won't show up to a Detect Magic spell', which is traditionally achieved with more magic. I'm willing to take your word for it, but it's not - explanatory."

"Sorry, I was very bad at school. I don't know how they work either, and I don't know what kind of technology to expect you to have. Um. You have... forges? Because of the armor?"

"Yes."

"It's like making something in a forge. Except... really complicated somethings, with a lot of pieces, that do cool stuff."

"Like a watch?"

"Yes! Like a very complicated watch."

"I will bear in mind that things here that look magic are probably more like complicated watches though I don't think this will change all that much about how I relate to them, at least not before I'd be allowed to cast Detect Magic."

And they arrive at the police station, where Dr. Aarons is arguing loudly with a receptionist. 

"Under Section 425 of the Yith Accords I am entitled to interview all off-planet visitors from novel planets within 48 hours of confirmation of their extraplanetary status--"