Feanorians are rarely moved by such trivial considerations as morality but they're quite good at responding to incentives.

And "hey, you know your pet theory, surprise! someone based a society around it" is a pretty good incentive.

Unless he disagrees with them about economics, which would just be funny.

Please have this conversation, I really want to hear about it.

I'd probably be going through Maitimo, and Feanorians in general don't—at least recently didn't—know about Earth. The bit about the Dwarves doesn't have that problem.

Fair enough. Where are you claiming to them your tech came from, then?

Maybe nowhere, like the language I was speaking the first time around.

Well, it's not like there's not a lot they're just blatantly pretending didn't happen.

Getting it to Fëanáro without him being curious would be harder than Feanorians in general, too. But it does have to explicitly come from me, can't say it was the Dwarves, because they might go to Tumunzahar.

Oh, Feanáro's going to interrogate you if he gets half a chance and it'll be really hard to keep up the masquerade. Just refuse to talk to him. Seriously.

That sounds so inefficient. It's too bad you're probably right.

Oh, it's a stupid waste of the brightest mind of the Noldor that it was assigned to our most reckless asshole, no question. 

Worst-case it's just handing Maitimo some blueprints to pass on, but there's got to be some way to safely do more communication than that.

You could ask Maitimo for suggestions, if you trust him to share your goals that far.

Not on this.
I'm more worried he'd engineer me letting something slip in front of people, so suddenly he can safely tell them more....

Fair point.

I might trust an idea he suggested. Just not easily.

The united Noldor would have been quite the force to reckon with.

If only.

The flight back is boring and uneventful, but that just means they're still the only ones in the sky. Good news for Doriath. They'll eventually arrive back to install the agricultural upgrade and report to the King.

I expect Doriath's offer of shelter for civilians if things go wrong will expire when they hear of Alqualonde. 

Very likely.

I was hoping the Queen would do the demesne ritual on the spot, then she'd have a motive to stay in contact with us even after and maybe that would extend to protecting civilians, but I couldn't think of any sense where it's urgent.

The Maiar do not tend to make grave decisions quickly. Perhaps in a few Years, if Alqualonde does not become known for that long.

Then it's no longer true that there's no reason for the second delegation not to volunteer it.

Doriath might learn about Alqualondë from the Valar, or the Enemy if he knows. I guess it could happen in the right order.

Or from some members of this host who think we are permitting my brother and his followers to get away with too much.

Melian with the strength to contest the Enemy is a great good, regardless.

I'm almost more concerned about the Valar having found out about magic. She's not in regular contact with them, but she told Elwe after very little consideration and that probably generalizes.

She could hardly have kept it from him. But yes, it is plausible that she'll inform them. What effects will that have? Will the laws associated with magic change more rapidly than anticipated if the Valar take part?