"I'll have to think about it. New idea, this is. Maybe depends on how well you can keep up."

"Of course. Hey, have we been keeping you from getting breakfast? We have human blood if you want something."

"Oh, have you been keeping some on hand for me? I don't need three meals a day anymore but I won't say no, if it's not too stale. Oh, hey, you think tourist trips to the Moon would sell? I made a capsule that keeps air in a while ago to have some force mages put up the satellites."

"Yes I think that would sell! I want to go! And the blood's been warded since just after it was drawn - the wards will break when you open a bottle. It's in the kitchen cabinet, I can show you the way."

"By all means. I'd want to make a bigger, upgraded capsule for moon trips - maybe also have sun and structure mages along who can clean the air in the unlikely case my machines fail. The one I have now would sustain a dozen full grown humans or caralendri for twenty-ish hours. Less agerah, more essi or beluli or whatever. And, like, I'd put in plumbing and private rooms. The moon would be a day trip, seems pleasanter all around."

"...Someone's going to want to found a state on the moon just because it might not get them killed."

"Maybe I can sell them a lot of oxygen recycling gear and the like. It's probably still pretty easy to die on the moon if you're not careful, I'd advise someone to have at least three copies of anything important and test them often."

"Yeah, personally if I wanted a state I'd just have an island raised from the sea for it, it'd be a lot safer that way."

And here's the kitchen. Some of the family is there eating breakfast at the moment.

Nik socializes, acting perfectly pleasant while slowly getting more irritated and tired of it. Eventually, he goes to have business meetings elsewhere on the mainland.

His big think-tank plan will start taking shape later. He sets up meetings with lawyers to hammer out the legalities of his e-bank. Seli is welcome to come to Ira Sani and tour his factory and workshop. He should probably learn the basics of all Nik's various projects but choose one or two to focus on after that.

Back in Ira Sani, while the talking heads of New Dover continue to build automata and infrastructure and the school and the hospital and so on, and debate on whether to ban nudity, pornography, and prostitution within city borders, a bespectacled man finds the office of the woman who's been advertising security and bug-catching services. He has a shielded briefcase with him.

"Hello, what brings you to me today?"

"Well, ma'am, I'm new in New Dover, and detection equipment is something of a skill of mine. It seems like the devices I can make may be of use to you, and to that end I'd like to demonstrate them."

"I see. Here or somewhere hidden?"

"The devices themselves are warded. If you want me to demonstrate them and show how to use them, here is fine. If I am to explain how they work, I'll want you to buy the knowledge and to do it somewhere warded."

"Let's start with the demonstration and I'll think about whether I want the explanation."

"Sure! Okay, so, I have a wall ultrasound that can help detect cavities or other anomalies, I have an electronic noise listener that should detect most things using electricity, I have a radio noise monitor and a frequency penetration testing tool - see if any wavelengths of light are leaking - laser mapping tool, uh, camera finder..."

"Can you show me that they actually work?"

"I am honestly doubtful that you have any hidden cameras or listening devices in this room that I could conveniently suss out as a demonstration. I can scan your walls and show you where the support beams are and if there's any secret doors or the like. Should work even on knowledge-warded structures, too."

"That would be something."

There is a secret door. The room behind it doesn't allow any sound out.

If the seams of the door, or whatever lock or latch mechanism there is, aren't also silenced, they'll interfere with the sound pattern and he'll see it.

Even if that doesn't happen, the sound-absorbing room creates a dead zone that changes the infrasonic rebound a bit and will let him tell that something is off about that particular wall, even if he can't find the door.

"You could maybe have figured that out just by scrying at the right times but I think I want the explanation. How much?"

"Well, I'm not a knowledge mage. Hmm, let's say twelve for an overview of the principles? Blueprints are not on offer unless you make a really good offer."

"This way, then."

She shows him to a different shielded room. The door to this one is visible.

He follows.

He explains ultrasonic imaging! It's a really cool thing, isn't it? If something has different feedback based on conditions, any kind of different feedback, you can use it as a detection method. It works best if you use some kind of contact gel but he didn't think she'd appreciate him smearing gooey oil all over her walls and it worked well enough didn't it?

"A ring if you'll tell me how you learned about this?"