"Would this process have involved me being set on fire, at some point?"

"I have no idea what happens to you when you die, since you're from another world, but they wouldn't have killed you, that's stupid, and they don't light living people on fire, because that's stupid. They do hurt them, sometimes, as a punishment or a lesson, but you can avoid punishments by not being stupid and learning lessons is better than not learning them and continuing to be wrong."

Assuming they're teaching useful things, sure, but they think that they should do whatever a magic alien says, so. "Mm."

Sigh. "Sorry."

He shrugs. She didn't actually do it and if she had it'd just be her duty to her country even if her country is stupidly in the thrall of a magic alien who didn't even use to be a person.

"Much safer to just be glad we're here, but -

- it's so unfair to want me to learn something they're not even willing to teach me -"

"You could probably ask them, I don't think they'd say no," he says.

"Maybe." She looks dubious. 

"That seems to be one of the things the old men are for. Though also they're apparently for - complaining to if you don't like your conditions - I asked if that came up a lot and they said Iomedae wouldn't choose people who'd do that, but." It seemed like a sort of evasive answer.

"...that doesn't make any sense to me. Does it make more sense to you?"

"No, not really."

"Good," she mutters, irritably. "They are presumably treating me...however they want to be treating me...what would they even get out of baiting me into complaining about it?"

"I don't know! If they have policy on how to treat you they can just treat you that way, it isn't your job to try to keep them in line with their own rules, and if they don't have policy on it I've no idea what they're driving at."

"Exactly! Maybe it's some kind of test? Only I am not even sure what it'd be testing for because I cannot think of any combination of traits I would have that would make it seem helpful to complain."

"Maybe they like to use it as a way to segue into their conversion thing?" he hazards. "You say, ah, it's too hot, and they say, have you heard in Hell you get set on fire."

"Oh, maybe. Or, there's not enough food? I could get you better food if I told the kitchen that you were reading your holy book all the time...only, there is enough food, so far, but the general shape of that -"

"The food's pretty good," he agrees. "Though I don't know if you get the same."

"Bread and stew. I'd eat better at home but Cheliax is richer than Lastwall, I think it's got to be pretty generous for what they're capable of. I bet there's some Good thing about feeding prisoners the same thing you eat yourself, that's exactly the kind of thing there'd be a Good thing about."

"Mostly bread and stew upstairs too. Cheliax is better for farming? Warmer?"

"Richer. Hell gives us what they produce. Most countries only rich children can study to be wizards or tradespeople but in Cheliax every child can. Most countries most people can't read and certainly they can't own books but an average family in Cheliax owns books. A collection, even, if they happen to be into books. And compared to most countries we have much better rule of law, no bandits and pickpockets and beggars, but Lastwall's actually probably fine on that front."

"...how do they farm in Hell if it's on fire, or do they just write a lot of books there?"

"There are nine layers of Hell. The only part that's on fire is the first level, which is constantly being invaded from Heaven and from the Abyss. Devils can't be injured by fire, but angels and demons can, so it's defensive. But mostly they do books and tools and textiles - people in Cheliax get to own several sets of clothes, people most places don't -- and train warriors, and outfit our army, and advise our leaders."

"That makes sense."

"So you wanted to go - make textiles? Write books?"