Then she will workshop with this guy a percentage of her take for the week that will get him to help her compose a sign explaining her services, with a footnote about the risks and her calibration at them, and a price sheet that will get her somewhere to sleep and dinner before nightfall. And she will also answer some questions about other planes if people want to find her in the park about it, but she will charge more than one ring per and might elect not to answer some.

Shortly she can have an ad.

She posts it and goes to sit under the verified non-evil tree she sat under before.

And shortly a different belul comes and finds her and says that actually the imperial government would like to talk to her tomorrow in Mar Geru. They'll pay fairly well for going to talk for a day. They've already booked a flight.

Is this optional?

"The imperial government is not at this time inclined to attempt to enslave you. Is it the time that doesn’t work for you or the price?"

Would the imperial government consider itself entitled to attempt to enslave me if I go on following the law but not taking meetings with them?

"That would really surprise me. ...I guess there’s the school of political philosophy that holds that everyone belongs to the government and adherents thereto would think so? But not really."

I do not wish to take a meeting with the imperial government at this time but an agent thereof may come to me during my appointment hours and ask me questions at my normal rate and tell me anything they or their employer would care for me to know.

"Your ability to provide privacy for a meeting while homeless in a park is probably worse than the government’s ability to do so in Mar Geru."

That seems probable.

"The government may be able to pay more than your normal rate."

Yeah, governments are good at that.

"Is there something that would convince you to take this meeting?"

Yeah, there is! The government could ban all forms of torture forever.

"...It is illegal to torture any free person or anyone else’s slave without permission."

I said all forms! You just expressed several caveats which prevent the thing you describe from being a ban on all forms. I could flex on it being okay if the person being tortured themselves gives permission.

"...The imperial government actually doesn’t have the authority to do that."

That's interesting!

"Are you worried you’re going to be tortured?"

Yes, but I am also from a culture foreign to you where we sometimes care if other people get tortured, too.

"Oh. Hmm. I don’t know if the government is torturing any slaves right now but if they are then maybe you could take payment in tortured slaves and then not torture them yourself."

Elegant but not responsive to the material realities of my situation. Also if I ever end up owning anyone for any reason it will be hard to explain to my friends.

"I don’t know if this is feasible but would you want to be paid in the creation of a financial incentive program to not torture slaves?"

Yeah, I'd consider that.