"That answers my question. Parallel world would be, like, you going to a different Earth that happens to have Hogwarts on it. Emulation is a term for- In computery contexts, imitation, sort of. So, they're imitations, emulations, of the media, not some... Bizarre reach through possibility space for a place where Harry Potter actually fought Voldemort or whatever."

"That is right. You can go find Voldemort but he was not already there when the books were written; you go meet the author's idea."

"Makes it a lot less appealing but Arcadia's still fine."

"Alrighty. Now where were we?"

"Me not having a clear idea of what life looks like in five years with any given set of choices?"

"Well, what do you want out of the life?"

"I wanna be safe. I want to be... Relaxed, without looming stress and problems and obligations. I want to learn things wanna feel smart and accomplished. I want to feel like a good person, which means helping people as I can. I want a bigass gallery of shiny things to charge off, because having a freakin' treasure vault just sounds awesome in addition to useful."

"Perhaps drop the monster bait, to be safe. Five ranks of alchemy is good for money - five ranks of anything is - but needs ingredients, the fancier your potion the rarer, so you will want your Arcadian days to be meeting people to send on the dangerous fetch quests for you to brew things with at home and to bring you problems to be a good person at, and you will want something else good for defending yourself from a cold start punched up a bit, mayhap an elementalism. Network with more luxals to share charging loot while you amass hoards of your own, and make friends for oread charging too."

"...Friends should probably feature in there somewhere too, yeah... Point about monster bait but I kinda want to keep all of my 30 long-term points and I've forgotten what other drawbacks I was considering... I can boost fire up if there's anything left, or find something to reduce if not."

"Dropping monster bait lets you keep your thirty long term points. If you do that, you can afford Firecalling up to rank three and that sorts all your spending for until you do practice and get mighty."

"Cool. Let's call that a tentative plan then... I'm almost tempted to start over and go in a new direction entirely to see how an alternate plan feels, but that seems a tad disrespectful of your time, but also this is big time important..."

"This is my job! If the door does not go ting-tong-new-customer I am all at your disposal."

"Hold on, let me go allllll the way back to species....."

She consults notes.

"...I don't know why I'm stuck on Luxal-Oread. It just... Hmm. Wulong has a nice resurrection method, I could spread myself all over given some time. Whereas the gem heart or whatever's left of me for Oread method could be completely routed... Mimi might work if I do good works I bet I have enough goodwill but - aesthetics - seems kind of stupid to hang up on those but it's also forever-"

"Wulong is popular among those with it as an option! Does mean you are advised not to go to China without prep work."

"Oh shit, what, grabby proprietary sects going hmm you have disrespected us by not bowing correctly? Oh, idea, would having rank five potions a Nymph made in a show-offy spot where you could buy them charge a Nymph? Or would they still have to get all salesy and be personally involved?"

"Some not bowing correctly, some wanting to capture all the wulong genomes and marry you off to a suitable wulong boy. And personal involvement essential, sorry."

"It is what it is. Eugh. Does Japan have this problem? Mundane China?"

"Mundane China is in the same place as magic China! I have not heard the thing about Japan but if I were a wulong I would not risk it."

"Way to turn people off the entire bloodline with fucked up incentives, wulong sects. Though a certain kind of person might like that kind of... Arranged structure, its not me at all."

"Depends if you wished to go to China. The immortality method is top flight and the charge is not bad either."

"I'll be unable to go to China effectively for good. Maybe Japan and Korea or Mongolia or southeast Asia too. I do have a wistfulness for Japan in particular."

She shakes her head.

"But... Maybe maybe."

"Not forever, just, till you know what it is you are doing. Ask more wulongs."

She makes a vague, frustrated gesture.

"-Sure okay. Moving on."

"Onward. Mimis can charge each other, you know, quid pro quo. Can also self-charge but it is reportedly so depressing."

".....Cuddle excuse does sound nice."