"There is one weapon, along with ammunition for it, but it's safe so long as it's handled with appropriate precautions. The rest is entirely mundane and in fact is mostly my camping gear; I think you'll find it interesting nonetheless."

She smiles, amused. "Let's see your camping gear, then, and leave the weapon for later."

"Well, first things first. The exception to the mostly."

She unzips her pack, pulls out two cylindrical black velvet bags, and lays them on the counter with the distinct chunk of metal on metal. Undoing the drawstrings, she tips out a gold coin that would fill the space in a ring made between her thumb and forefinger. It's inscribed with a hexagonal pattern and the three letters "OTC". 

"My travelling purse. Twenty coins identical to this one." she says.

"...hmm," says Shara, leaning forward for a better look at the coin. "I don't believe I've seen that mark before. Who makes it?"

"The trading company I'm affiliated with, the Oifilei Trade Consortium. They're from very, very far away." 

She pulls out her camping tent, which is a tightly folded bundle of nylon and plastic. "This is a collapsible tent. I'd set it up for you, but there isn't space. I don't believe these materials exist here." 

She holds out her hand across the desk. "Can I have a closer look?"

She passes the tent. "Certainly."

She studies it with close attention, running her fingers over the unfamiliar textures, poking gently at the finely stitched seams.

"I'd have to check with Archives to see if we have a record of anything like this, but I've never seen it before and until today I would've said I've seen most things that anyone is trading anywhere on this continent." She hands it back. "Just how far did you travel to get here?"

"Well," she says. "I'm not from this world at all. World-spanning magic is real, and lets the trading company I work for buy and sell things from across many worlds. You're a newly-found world; I've been sent to establish relations."

"What led you to Silversea Tower in particular, out of all the places you could have started?"

"Luck and authority. I was placed somewhat at random due to the limits of our transport magic, but you seem to have control of this region, judging by the spellbuilt tower, my being asked for my business with the Tower, and now your comments regarding having seen many trade goods but nothing like my tent. I was a thrown dart that was smart enough to find "someone in charge." Often that's all we can hope for; we don't have the capacity to rapidly scout whole continents, only the ability to place our agents into the world. I've had to travel for months before finding civilization before."

"I'm sure if you went a few miles down the coast to Kingsport they'd disagree with you about who has control of this region," she says, smiling slightly. "But if you're looking to trade in very strange things, I think you came to exactly the right place. Research and Archives are going to be all over you, if your story about being from another world bears out."

"That I can prove. With your permission, I can place a beacon that'll allow the Archivist to open an interdimensional door here." 

She runs a hand through her hair. "It's quite safe and well-tested magic, though if you'd like me to take it somewhere else I'm happy to."

"Perhaps not right in the middle of the Treasury office," she says. "I'd send you to Research for that sort of thing. Even if the door is only temporary I'm sure they'll want five people staring at you when you do it."

"If you'd like to send me off to Research then that's fine. I do have more things to show, but it sounds like you're convinced enough at this point."

"I'm convinced enough to let Research have a look at you, at least."

"That's fair enough. Would you care to guide me?" 

"I shouldn't abandon the desk for too long; I'll call someone."

She flips open a wooden flap on the wall, revealing a row of pull-chains, each with a different object hanging at the end. The one she pulls has a faceted sphere of glass or crystal; there's also a tongueless brass bell, a wooden carving of a book, a simple iron ring, and a few other things less instantly recognizable that vanish from sight again as she lets the flap fall.

"Shouldn't be a minute, Research girls are the most curious of them all."

"Interesting system you've got there. Magical, mechanical, or both?"

"Both. The chains run through linked rings to wherever they're needed. I'm told installing them is an enormous pain, but once they're in place, all the offices can call each other as necessary."

"Sounds convenient. For me my magic is carried in my tattoo; it's a complex system designed to let me cast spells in worlds that might not even have any mana."

"Research is going to be all over you," she predicts.

The office door opens, and a woman a decade or two older than Shara walks in, greying black hair bound up in an elaborate coiled braid. "What's the emergency?" she asks cheerfully.

"This is Thorn," says Shara. "She claims to be from another world and wants to open a door there to prove it."

"Oh, that is an emergency," says the newcomer, lighting up with obvious excitement. "Come with me, Thorn, I need to introduce you to all my friends immediately."

Thorn laughs. "I like you already. Lead the way!"

"I'm Senafia," she mentions as she leads Thorn out of the Treasury office. "Delighted to meet you."

"So, Research handles all the strange cases, I take it? You might want to take a look at my arm, the tattoo is a spell matrix."