"It would at least be interesting to discover if the local variety," what is "modern" supposed to mean, Blai was issued new boots just three years ago, "is much superior."

Francis nods.

This was an oddly urgently put together conversation if he doesn't have much to say. "Is there anything else we should discuss?"

"It would be lovely to have a broader sense of politics in your world. Are constitutional monarchies typical?"

"No, the word 'constitution' was new to me when I read it on the invitation to the convention. Monarchy of various flavors is typical but the flavors do not typically include 'constitutional'." He can answer questions like that for the rest of the duration if that is what the fellow wants.

He would like to know what the popular trade goods are and who is allied with whom and how reliable countries are about keeping to agreements and what the largest business enterprises are and what Blai knows about weapons in warfare and how many people can read and what pretexts for wars aside from his former government being overthrown are and whether there are any democracies and how common teleportation is. As well as other topics.

Blai is mostly acquainted with fortress supply and not trade per se. He has... heard... rumors about... fabric getting suddenly cheaper because the Republican-minded archmage did something... to? with?... fabric. They sometimes imported wands and scrolls from other countries and sometimes bought goods for overland delivery from Mendev like paper and arrows? The Worldwound treaty is, again, most of what Blai knows about the state of international alliance, and he can rattle off every signatory, and list at least some of the countries that were hostile generally to Cheliax because of Cheliax being evil. The Worldwound treaty has held; generally there are more and less Lawful countries and their reliability at treaty-keeping tracks that. Does the Bank of Abadar count as a business enterprise, he doesn't really have a next best guess. Things Blai knows about weapons and warfare are (surprise!) appropriate to a Worldwound guy, cold iron and massed bowfire and which enchantments help against demons and how to manage a strike team that comes in to help you with a massive breach. In Cheliax most people can read, though some do not do it well or willingly, but Cheliax is the only country with that comprehensive a school system; most people in most countries cannot read. He knows about... wars mentioned in the Acts? "The other guy is Evil" is a pretty good pretext really. The River Kingdoms are forever having little wars that are probably not about that but he doesn't have details. The Osirian independence declaration might or might not have been a war, he isn't sure, but if it was it wasn't because the other guys were evil? He thinks Andoran might be a democracy. Galt tried but he thinks they... stopped? Voted to stop? Were couped from within? He's not sure. Teleportation is possible for wizards beginning at fifth circle and there are... napkin math... in Cheliax so many of those per capita but fewer elsewhere because they find and train fewer potential wizards without the school system...

Is currency precious metal, or is it paper, and how much do fortress supplies cost in it? About how many different kinds of intelligent people are there, and do any of them want weird things that it wouldn't make sense for humans to want? Are any governments not particularly integrated with religions?

Cheliax had paper currency with a reasonably stable relationship to coinage and Blai can rattle off prices for a bunch of things in both, but they are phasing out the paper money, because it was Evil. He knows of some dozens of kinds of intelligent people but many of them only by rumor and there are probably tremendous numbers he has not heard of; he is not aware of them wanting out of distribution weird things, though it's possible that maybe humans who are not in routine contact with the Lower Planes never actually want people to be tortured for eternity or something, he wouldn't know? Religion and government synergize pretty well as powerful interests that both differently command the attention and obedience of a people but, say, Taldor is not particularly civically religious at least since Aroden died? Rahadoum is outright antireligious, again since Aroden died? Who knows what the elves are doing? He's heard there's a particular chaotic neutral deity who has a substantial following among elves as well as certain segments of the human population but he doesn't see how you could run a country on Her theology but he may just not be very imaginative.

…why was the paper money Evil?

"It was backed by souls in Hell and trade in souls is Evil. If you have paper money backed by something else it's probably fine."

Chris exhales with relief.

"Our paper currency is not backed by souls and we do not know anyone else's to be."

"That's good. It is more convenient. I actually arrived with no money on me at all because I handed off my paper money to an Abadaran and didn't have any coins."

It kind of sounds like Francis has another question but it is no longer clear what that question is.

"I'm out of Comprehend Languages, we can continue to talk but will need translation in both directions now," he says to Chris.

Chris says something which presumably constitutes relaying this.

Francis replies.

"We could ask you a few questions for getting a document to officially let you visit the United States now if you like or we could call it a night."

"Do I count at the moment as officially visiting the territory of the United States? If so I'd like that regularized promptly."

"You're in our jurisdiction but not our territory. It can wait, especially if you want to pick a spelling of your name with Comprehend up, and Ambassador Geary doesn't need to be involved, he's just offering."

"I cannot very well pick a spelling without it."

Francis says something else and waves to the camera.

"Oh, and he's done with the call unless you want to continue it."

"I'm willing to do another one tomorrow but I think we have concluded the important elements of this one."