Well, good. And they tentatively think that video is fine if you're not using it as a replacement for actually learning or experiencing things.

What do they think of reading aloud?

...They'd have to try it and see.

An Amentan could read them a story?

They should tell them a few stories and not say which one was written down.

Sure, okay, it can be a science experiment. This green will tell some stories and pretend to be looking at her everything for all of them and be actually reading one of them. To make sure there isn't an obvious style difference the one she reads is auto-transcribed from a spoken anecdote.

The Dwellin who stayed to listen feel a little bit uncomfortable about all the stories but it might just be general anxiousness? They wouldn't have been able to read something that length that wasn't clearly a warning sign or something.

Wouldn't have been able?

"No, no. That was saying something more than is true. If I needed to read a book to save my friend's life, I could. But it would feel very wrong and I'm not sure how much of it I would actually remember."

Well, maybe Amentans can have readers-aloud available for any written down stuff Dwellin want to know, as long as they're going to be setting up science stations.

"Maybe. I don't know what your visiting means for us in the long term yet, but you are certainly interesting!" The chief declares. "Hopefully we have enough to trade to be worth the trouble, I think this could be very good, but it's very very strange."

"There are a lot more of us than of you, so even if only some Amentans want souvenirs from here, or want to visit, I think there will be enough trade to be worth it for you," says a green.

"Visitors sound fun! More fun than new neighbors."

"Oh? Why more fun?"

"We'll get to show off what's special about our place again and again! And always meet interesting new people!"

"Okay! I'm glad you're excited about tourists. They'll want to see all the interesting places, and watch entertainment - some people might even want to watch the war, if they can sit out of the way somewhere -"

"We have festivals and plays and sports and whores and interesting places! You'd have to talk to someone closer to the Teeth Mountains about the war but it does not sound impossible, there are referees."

Cool. The Amentans are still disappointed that they can't just move in en masse but they can at least have science outposts and trade and tourism.

The Dwellin wish them luck finding other places!

If they do, will any Dwellin want to move away? If they can transplant the trees, presumably.

The city looked pretty overwhelming... And whoever tests the tree working somewhere else would have to be very brave.

Well, they could test the tree with a visiting Dwellin who'd go right home if it didn't work, presumably.

The best sign it works would be if a kid is successfully ensouled and you have to trust your kid to the experiment, then.

They thought it also felt like something?

Yes, but it's not a real test of a thing unless you test all its functions?