"whoops, sorry, I didn't think of that." He replies, covering his meal with a wing. "Somewhat related question Princess Amariah; do you or people in this universe in general have a particular aversion to psychic communication or are particularly susceptible to psychic shock? I would prefer to not abuse Verdigris' kindness in translating for me, but also do not want to hurt anyone accidentally."

"No active attention is required and a solution that works independently will be ready in twenty minutes. But I am also interested in hearing details about the psychic communication."

“I have never heard of anyone having problems with psychic communication… beyond, like… powerful cultivators with the right power set intentionally using it to devour minds or something… I wouldn’t expect someone intending to communicate to cause unintended damage.”

"Good to know. It's somewhat uncomfortable sending to someone without the ability, rather like a person on a ship trying to yell to someone on a different ship half a mile away, but good to know I've got the option if necessary. Though it sounds like Verdigris is in the process of solving the problem entirely?" He says as he continues with his fulfilling, though somewhat unappetizing, meal. Raising an eye above his wing somewhat inquisitively in Verdigris' direction towards the end.

"I'm printing a speaker, I didn't have a spare on me. I haven't designed this kind of receiver before so it might need iteration. Or I could just correct the poor resolution in software, do you have preference?"

So this one has "psychic communication" that works on people "without the ability". Ultrasound suggests these people don't have mesh implants, so if it works, there has to be something handling the neural interface. Evidence for this just being a sim. Unless he's going to vibrate the inner ear directly or something? Maybe that explains the difficulty, and it's still much easier than inserting coherent sense data without training a system to the individual brain.

"Maybe both if that's not too much of a bother? It'd be helpful to have an easy way to talk that doesn't require being relatively near you, or you being near whomever I'm trying to speak to, but at the same time, it's rather difficult to talk to someone vocally when you're half a mile apart and a couple thousand feet in the air. Near as the scholars of my world have figured that's why we developed innate psychic magic rather than vocal cords capable of complex speech."

Given that Tore's magic seems to be carried by and give off sneutrinos, which Verdigris' sensors can detect, further investigation may reveal that Tore's psychic magic seems to emminate from a small structure in his brain, which seems to look for a similar structure, whether physical or magical, in the brain (or mind/consciousness in the case of the latter) of the person or people he is trying to communicate with. In people who do not have that structure though, Tore's psychic magic seems to resonate against the walls of that person's mind/consciousness, like an induction speaker through a metal wall.

That sure sounds (/looks to various scanners) like either nonsense or magic. Not evidence in either direction. Both fake magic and real magic would look weird on scanners. Well, probably time to gauge how much plot there's going to be.

She nods, and turns back to the human.

"Well then. You're the local, would you tell us about yourself? As cultural context, you see."

“Well, I may have mentioned I am one of the daughters of the emperor?” If Amariah can convince these dragons to take her home, she will have a much better chance of finding a way to gain power IN the emperor’s court. There has GOT to be some kind of cultivation tutor dear ol daddy will hire for her, right? And besides, maybe she can learn something from these dragons on the way? “I was taken from his court when I was a child, and would VERY much like to go home. I understand you do too? I may have mentioned that the emperor has many powerful cultivators who may be able to undo the demon lord’s work? I remember my father as a generous man, especially to those who return one of his beloved daughters to him…” 

Oh please don’t let this shamefully obvious bribery attempt offend a dragon and get her eaten… 

"The implied plan sounds potentially efficient. I cannot speak for these others, but I might benefit from some additional civilization. Are there laws one is expected to abide by, within this empire? How long are the fastest routes into and out of this empire?"

Tore finishes his meal, placing the bones aside in a third pile and sits watching the conversation. He has his own opinion and questions on the subject, but wants to wait and see how things play out for the moment.

“One can get out of the empire in a day’s journey on foot, provided that one is willing to go into rank 4 wilderness. I’m not entirely sure where the capitol is from here, or I probably would have tried to go home myself, but the soldiers say the nearest city is four days away. One assumes that is also on foot. There are indeed laws one is expected to abide by, though of course this far out there isn’t really anyone to enforce them aside from maybe the occasional army patrol. Um… I don’t exactly have the entire law book memorized, but, you know, the standard stuff I guess? Don’t murder anyone unless they’re weaker than you and you can convincingly claim they insulted you. Don’t steal unless they’re weaker than you and you can convincingly claim they owe you. Don’t desecrate the spiritual landscape. Don’t resist arrest. Don’t resist conscription in times of crisis. Don’t insult your betters- though I suppose that one mostly uh… sorts itself out. Just… you know, what you would expect.”

"How common is it for a citizen to be charged and punished for one of these crimes? For a non-citizen? Is it a time of crisis, for conscription purposes? Is there also civil law, or law regulating contracts or businesses? ...Are limited liability corporations a thing?"

“Limited liability corporations? What are those?” Amy thinks for a second. “Uh… I would imagine citizens and non-citizens are charged with crimes at approximately the same rate? We don’t really get any non-citizens out here… uh… maybe once a year? Mostly the elders take care of it and where needed the shepherds enforce their will. We don’t often need to make use of the authorities. Supposedly the cities are more dangerous, but I don’t know how much of that is just them having more people versus those people being worse?” 

"I grow tired of these discussions," Kirveneren dismisses. "Let us bring the girl to her family and see if any riches of this realm can impress me. So far, I have found it wanting." She looks distastefully at the rock sheep.

"I would suggest that we do not stray far from this place until we are reasonably certain that the magic will not simply send us back on it's own, lest location is a factor." He says to the other dragons.

Turning back to Amariah, "A further question, mostly for curiosity's sake, but pertinent if we do end up stuck here; how are dragons viewed in this... place?" he asks while gesturing at the spectacle above. "It's obvious that they are seen as powerful, and from your repeated, and frankly annoying, groveling, likely vain and possibly short-tempered at that; but how are they viewed by the general populace and by the more powerful beings of this place? Good? Evil? Feared? Respected? Etc.?"

“I don’t understand the question? You observe that dragons are seen as vain, short tempered, and powerful, and then ask how you are seen? Is that not the answer to your question?” 

Being respectful so she doesn’t get eaten is annoying? Well if she’s going to annoy anyway… Oh tree she’s going to get herself eaten. No conquering for poor little Amy. 

"I like the groveling," Kirveneren growls. "It shows the proper amount of reverence and respect!"

Well, that's confirmation of the vain and short-tempered aspects of the local dragons. He thinks to himself rather disheartened.

"Let me reiterate." He says. "Those are the aspects that have already been inferred from both your and big and spiky's words and actions. I am asking how the common people and those with power see dragons beyond those traits. If they hear a dragon is in the area do they run for the hills? Go pay homage? Grunt and go about their day?...

Marta has carefully made her way around the group so that the sheep remains are out of sight, but the dragons are within it.

"Well then, if we need questions that meet her highness's exacting standards: how intelligent would you say lions are by comparison to humans here? And this is actually vitally important, Kirveneren."

"To a lesser dragon perhaps," Kirveneren sniffs in Marta's direction, attention wandering to the hills. Her sharp eyes rakes over the cave systems, searching for the movement of the shepards the princess had mentioned. 

The legal limits of liability transfer are deeply important to anyone who plans to do anything that matters, she doesn't say.

"As I said it is a temporary situation. I intend to return to being far grander than you as soon as I find a sufficiently intelligent lion!"

"Alright, I'm curious, just why are you so fixated on intelligent lions?"

Is this a good rock? Over here, away from the squabbling dragons? Nice, thick rock, big enough for a concerned Amy to be behind? Suitably fire-resistant? Yes, this is a very good rock over here… 

"I am not explaining that to the flying eel."