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Hank wakes up.
Of all the usual results of a blow to the head, this one probably isn’t even in the top four. One minute a misunderstanding with a crowbar and a man called Hercules—in retrospect that should have been a warning sign—the next…something else.
This isn’t the Colt Arms Factory, and it isn’t even Hartford. He’s in the middle of a ravine he’s never seen before. Must be a practical joke by someone who’s about to be unemployed. He groans, pushes himself to his feet, and works his way up the nearest slope. On second thought, this is less of a practical joke and more of a dream. The half-clockwork dog would be decidedly impractical to fake, and the enormous bipedal beetle is far too well-dressed.
At the top there’s a fence, with signs facing the other side. No gate is in evidence, but the fence isn’t too much of an obstacle. From the other side, the signs can be read as saying variations on “beware of the magic.” Huh.
From atop the slope, there’s at least a clearly visible destination. A nearby city, it may not be any city that was nearby when he was last conscious, but it’s better than here. He heads toward it.
connecticut_yankee
namesthesky
"That depends on how frugally you're willing to live and whether you're trying to support me on the amount too."
connecticut_yankee
"Yes to both.
I ask because, while I'm not averse to getting an ordinary job in the meantime, it'd be a bit of a waste of time better spent on railways and telegraphs if I were rich and didn't know it."
I ask because, while I'm not averse to getting an ordinary job in the meantime, it'd be a bit of a waste of time better spent on railways and telegraphs if I were rich and didn't know it."
namesthesky
"On eight hundred seventy-five you are not rich but you will not be out of money in a week. For maximum frugality, we can sleep in a church attic as charity cases, eat mostly rice at whatever hours the clergy aren't using their stove, and not replace your bizarre outfit. We could probably coast for a year like that if necessary, which it probably isn't. We could also rent either one or two rooms in a boarding house, try not to develop rabbit starvation, and get you normal clothes and me a pair of shoes that cover the heels, and we're probably covered for two to four months."
connecticut_yankee
"I like the second option better.
I could have a machine built in that time; do you think land owners would buy them before seeing the results? There are also other marketable things to start with that could go quick enough."
I could have a machine built in that time; do you think land owners would buy them before seeing the results? There are also other marketable things to start with that could go quick enough."
connecticut_yankee
"Yes, but not so impressively as if it brings in wide swaths of the harvest before their eyes.
Other possibilities are things like communication faster than any messenger can travel, light with no need for burning, or rendering buildings immune to lightning strikes. No way to prove that last one works, though."
Other possibilities are things like communication faster than any messenger can travel, light with no need for burning, or rendering buildings immune to lightning strikes. No way to prove that last one works, though."
namesthesky
"Probably better to have something else propping up your reputation before you try that. The others could be extremely popular, though."
connecticut_yankee
"It's a plan, then. Light bulbs, then telegraphs or combines depending on timing...the next question is where. If there are less terrible countries, I have to think twice before making this one rich."
namesthesky
"Tsopix forbids slavery but I don't speak the language. It would be a reasonable choice for panicked escape but more difficult for economic overhaul on a budget unless the magic taught you Tsopixi. I know less about the other neighboring countries."
connecticut_yankee
"Come to think of it I don't know what language I'm speaking now, since it probably isn't English. Probably shouldn't count on getting an extra one.
But we're not in much of a hurry, so maybe once we have rooms you look into nearby countries and I'll start inventing electricity?
But we're not in much of a hurry, so maybe once we have rooms you look into nearby countries and I'll start inventing electricity?
namesthesky
"...We're speaking Esevi. You speak perfect unaccented Esevi, and have since you first addressed me. And since you knew my name I assume you also read it. Yenda dan Sudre?"
connecticut_yankee
"We're speaking Esevi. A language I've never heard of. Perfectly.
And no, Ancient Sudre is no more intelligible than it should be.
If this is any more surprising than the rest of everything, maybe try a pun? If Esevi and English happen to have the same sets of coincidentally-similar words then something is even more up than it seemed."
And no, Ancient Sudre is no more intelligible than it should be.
If this is any more surprising than the rest of everything, maybe try a pun? If Esevi and English happen to have the same sets of coincidentally-similar words then something is even more up than it seemed."
connecticut_yankee
"That would require me to make one..."
He grits his teeth, and pronounces "why was six afraid of seven? Because seven ate nine."
He grits his teeth, and pronounces "why was six afraid of seven? Because seven ate nine."
connecticut_yankee
"So it's definitely two different languages, and they just sound intelligible because...because of the magic, I suppose. Maybe when there aren't any more important things to do I'll turn some linguists loose on it."
namesthesky
"I'm sure you'd entertain linguists to no end. I'm curious myself, but there are other priorities and now that you are no longer in a magic you can probably expect to keep all your embroidery until a time of greater leisure."
connecticut_yankee
The needlework thing-that-was-probably-a-pun made no sense, but context was clear.
"Right. Priorities. There's a world to upgrade."
"Right. Priorities. There's a world to upgrade."
namesthesky
"I don't know of a specific boardinghouse to recommend, but there's a few of them on the Sunrise Row which I imagine fall within our price range."
namesthesky
Ayabel leads the way. Occasionally she pats the location where she stashed the papers to make sure they're still there.