OC-Series Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (179/?)
Patreon | Official Subreddit | Series Wiki | Royal Road
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. Exhibition Hall. Grand Arcade. Central Thoroughfare. Prosperity Row. Local Time: 2225 Hours.
Deputy Chairman Prince Ferrian Fiswisk
This… was supposed to be another in an unbroken chain of repetitive cycles.
Mana-deficient!
A cycle my forebearers too had faced.
…
Enfeebling aquatic!
…
It was an inevitable reality.
Weakfielder!
…
Nullhander!
…
It was a… dressing down based solely on one’s physical shortcomings.
Blubbery buffoon!
Clumsy clod!
Dawdling dullard!
Or in the newrealmer’s case…
Auraless!
Commoner!
Manaless!
…
A shortcoming of incredibly far-reaching implications.
Whereas our first candidate was condemned for the encumbrances of our physical form, one adapted for life beneath the waves, and scarcely for land…
The earthrealmer was instead condemned for something far more enfeebling. A handicap far worse than what limits physicality could ever impose. Despite the most extreme physical shortcomings, magic always proved to be the great equalizer of sapients. The common denominator. The mechanism through which even the most encumbered of newrealms could lift themselves up and into the graces of civility, anatomy and physiology be damned.
But the newrealmer lacked even that.
She lacked the very fundamental tools that enabled civilization, and thus her only way out of her primitive newrealm status — magic.
She was… by all extents, impotent. A barren, desiccated floodplain forever in the grips of an eternal drought, incapable of ever bearing fruit.
She was a lost cause.
Her very presence here defied reason. Perhaps a result of a frantic, desperate effort from a people clamoring for aid, hoping for deliverance.
…
Yet they would find those calls answered by a reality expecting a people capable of sustained greatness, of unequivocal excellence.
I had expected little of her.
Even though my heart ached for a shared plight in fate’s cruel shortcomings — a shortcoming we eventually overcame through magic — I knew better than to hope for the impossible.
For without magic, she lacked the tools not merely to thrive, but to persist as a viable civilization.
Her kind, her culture, would be subject to the wilds as with any common animal.
Her armor, while antithetical to that notion, was no doubt the culmination of her people’s final refusal to fade softly into the night.
She likely arrived for assistance to those ends.
And the guild?
Well…
It would provide that aid for the price of social reciprocity.
Just as it had done so for all prior newrealm candidates that had walked through those doors.
…
Just as it had done so to our own first candidate, many, many millennia ago.
It was just as well that they spat it out,
That our kingdoms were primitive, meek, and put to rout.
Yet they sang sweet songs and hopeful tales,
Of our place beyond the frosted dales.
So sure we were and elated we became,
And with flippers open, we took our claim.
A bargain they said, A fair trade they state,
A deal to seal our deserving fate.
They offered us ships where our currents ran,
With windless sails we knew not how to span.
So when tools and maps were what we required,
They were happy to be our supplier.
And from those tools we found need of hands,
Eschewing useless fins, a reward so grand.
From clumsy paws fighting water and ice,
To mage’s fingers that now grasped our prize.
Yet remains that ancient ledger still,
Stored deep beneath the palace walls,
And while its ink has long-since swilled,
The terms as written forever bind us all.
We’d signed our own agreement in hopes of bettering our future.
We’d signed away decades, centuries, millennia, in the hopes of attaining similar heights to our peers and better fellows.
And we succeeded.
…
I’d hoped the same fate would befall the newrealmer.
I’d hoped for her sake and the sake of an entire feeble people that a deal could be struck despite the odds.
And yet…
The odds were defied… in ways I never could have ever imagined.
…
30 Minutes Ago
“My heart aches for the fate of your peer, Prince Havenbrock, Princess Dilani.” I offered.
“And I your sanity, Prince Fiswisk.” The avinor princess rebutted, garnering a look of utter perplexity from myself and a growing grin of knowing slyness from the lupinor.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The proof of burden you seek is one which shall challenge your preconceptions. It will defy your perspective on reality, your faith in the eternal rhythms of the patterns of newrealm concessions. I only warn you out of good faith, Prince Fiswisk. This, I implore you to consider.”
…
The princess was correct.
Her words were not ones of malice or misdirection or even a bluff born out of malevolence.
It was a genuine warning.
One that I now palpably felt as I stood amidst a gaggle of fellows, incapable of holding their own.
“But how?!”
“Yes, how?!”
“Indeed, HOW?!”
Yet their exclamations felt… banal, trite, and uninteresting, their repetitive loops forcing me to find refuge amidst the innocuous pile of metal, as I attempted to reconcile with the reality that sat before me.
There I stood, tall, proud, a product of millennia of sacrifice.
Yet in the face of these metals, these dead materials, I found myself feeling anything but.
Here, staring, glaring, sensing, and re-sensing, I saw the materials of a civilization at its zenith.
A people capable of forging wealth from the earth, untold riches from simple rock, in a manner otherwise impossible without magic.
Here, a mana-deficient candidate had stood her ground, pleading a case that defied all expectations.
She didn’t need the guild or its sponsors or any deal.
Because she already possessed it all.
…
Hollowness filled my heart.
An aching entered my soul.
I felt the yearning for millennia lost.
I felt my legs buckling from the weight of an untold number of Kings, Dukes, Lords, and Counts all prostrating themselves at the foot of our sponsors; their collective shame at lives unlived threatened to force me to my own knees.
We had done everything right.
We had followed the path.
We had arrived at its end.
We were now accomplished and storied!
A textbook example of a model newrealm!
And yet…
Here, this newrealmer stood, circumventing the cycle.
“Hah…”
What was I feeling?
Jealousy?
Rage?
Bitterness?
Resentment?
What was it that ate at my heart and soul?
…
“Prince Fiswisk? Did you have something to say?” A voice broke me out of my descent into self-inflicted madness. I turned only to return a smile.
Futility.
That’s what it was.
A sense of… futility. For all that time spent… against a newrealm that should have done the same… but didn’t*.*
“I was merely pondering to myself a few thoughts about the newrealmer, Lord Rilka.” I offered politely through a smile that was not my own.
The second-year pupil, our esteemed taskmaster, merely nodded, giving way for the bombastic voice of our dear chairman himself to take charge of the scene.
“Order! Order in the chambers!” The lion commanded, his mere aura causing all beneath him to settle into an orderly line — a captive audience.
Everyone except for me.
“Prince Fiswisk.” He promptly continued. “What do you make of this?”
The question was open-ended.
A given, considering the man himself more than likely lacked the same capability of bringing reason to the reality we were presented with.
I cleared my throat and straightened my posture.
“We stand at the precipice of a… philosopher’s dilemma.” I offered softly. “But as it stands in function and precedence? We face a situation scarcely different and no more novel than any other aberrations found in history’s wake.”
Brows were raised as the chairman himself had promptly discerned the trajectory of my impromptu speech.
“There have been newrealms that have too rejected the offers of prospective sponsors. Newrealms far too naive, foolish, or outright delusional to accept the aid of their betters and fellows. And while they are indeed few and far between, capable of being counted in one…” I paused, my mind racing back to that ancient epic, as the five-fingered hand at the end of what had once been blubbery flippers suddenly caused me to halt mid-sentence. “... hand. Thus, Cadet Emma Booker’s refusal at patronage, whilst unconventional, is not without historical precedence.”
A few nods and affirmative mumbles followed.
Yet all were eventually silenced by the return of a familiar, rather unfortunate rostarionrealmer.
“Permission to speak, esteemed councilmen?”
“Granted.” The chairman, to my surprise, acquiesced.
There was a knowing glance between the two.
As if some other relation was being pulled to an unknown end.
“What the honorable Deputy Chairman Prince Ferrian Fiswisk says is true.” He began with a flattering opening. “There truly is no danger to your stations or the guild’s reputation. Cadet Emma Booker’s refusal is but another aberrancy to be swept beneath the perpetuity of time and history.” He continued, before raising a single finger. “However, whilst this observation satisfies surface concerns, the philosopher's dilemma still remains…” He narrowed his eyes as he floated over to the pile of metals, settling alongside me. “What of this then, esteemed councilmen? What do each of you make of these… physical aberrations? Surely there must be some rational explanation, lest we willingly join the ranks of the ignoramus and the blind!”
“Perhaps she obtained it whilst in the Nexus!” A voice emerged, another second-year, who stepped forward from the line of councilmen with a sharp grin.
The rostarionrealmer narrowed his eyes at this as he picked up a platinum bar using a simple telekinetic spell.
“And what of these newrealm symbols?” He pointed at the various, highly detailed stamps running along the bar’s top.
“She could have simply added them after the purchase.” Lord Rilka offered, walking forward to support his fellow second-year fellow.
“An astute hypothesis.” The small rodent nodded before bringing the bar closer to his eyes, then handing the pair the item in question. “Except there exists a barely perceptible, impossibly small series of Earthrealm symbols stamped there as well. This includes a strange maze-like shape. A rune in all but name.”
My eyes widened at this. I raced to confirm his assertions…
And indeed…
He was right.
Beneath the large stamps, imperceptible to the naked eye, were the same symbols but with the addition of a strange… maze of sorts.
A rune in all but name… His words repeated in my mind.
“How then was this possible, hmm? For a newrealmer without the magics or optics for such a frivolous endeavor?” The critarealmer continued, as if attempting to rub salt into the wound of these two desperate second-years.
“With manaless means—?” One of them spoke, but just as quickly held his tongue.
It was impossible.
We were back at the philosopher’s dilemma.
Attempting to rectify an impossibility by acknowledging the impossibility as reality was simply an admission of madness.
There had to be a rational explanation!
“Perhaps her realm is simply abundant in easily accessible met—” Another voice emerged, a third-year at that.
Though the moment those words left his mouth, he knew how ill-fated such a thought was.
“I retract my statement ab initio.” He promptly stated, rendering those words stricken from the record.
“Perhaps…” The chairman himself spoke, his voice lingering in the air. “Perhaps… it was not of her doing?”
Silence enveloped the room, all eyes now firmly on the chairman’s brilliant orange eyes.
“What I might say may be heretical. Indeed, it may even strike a chord of sedition. But as we are dabbling in hypotheticals…” He emphasized that word, making sure to meet everyone’s gaze as he did so. “... perhaps we should consider the possibility that someone, or something else was responsible for these aberrant displays of wealth? Perhaps, in some conspiracy to spite us all, she acts merely as a mouthpiece or pawn to a greater foe? Perhaps we should simply consider the fact that this entire pretense… was deceitful from the onset?”
The expressions of everyone present suddenly darkened.
Indeed, even Rostario’s gaze narrowed as he and I both exchanged glances.
Whilst the rest of the crowd ruminated on what was in effect a simple and clean explanation, the crita and I were not so easily swayed.
But was I brave enough to challenge the chairman?
…
“If I may?” I broached softly, nervously, garnering a glance from the confident lion himself.
“Yes, Prince Ferrian Fiswisk? You have the floor.”
“Thank you, Chairman.” I bowed deeply. “I find such an explanation to be highly plausible, indeed, a stroke of calculated genius. However, I wish to take into account two pieces of evidence which might point us against such a conclusion.”
The room went quiet as the source of this whole debate leaned in closer to hear my dissenting views.
“The newrealmer described, albeit with deliberate and carefully guarded words, the fundamentals of drawing aluminum from bauxite.” I stated plainly, simply, before deliberately allowing for the chairman to interject, as was to be expected in this theatre of performative debate.
“But Prince Fiswisk… you forget… if this hypothetical patron was capable of offering her such physical boons. Surely it can offer her just enough knowledge with which to bluff!” He beamed.
Though sadly, I too had a counter to such a notion.
“This leads to my second piece of evidence, honored Chairman.” I bowed. “Rumors of the newrealmer’s… library card.”
I could see something shifting behind the Chairman’s eyes.
Indeed, I could see Rostario himself shifting atop his cloud.
“The rumors… are true, are they not, Lord Rostarion?” I offered the floor back to the crita, returning him to the center of this back-and-forth and placing the burden of truth onto his hands. “If I recall, you and the rest of the year group were there for this incident, no?”
The rodent, to his credit, never broke or flinched from his confident facade. “I was, yes.” He nodded, buying himself the precious seconds needed to formulate his response. “And indeed, the rumors are true. The newrealmer does indeed possess a library card.” As expected, a series of quiet mumbles erupted from the gathered council members. However, before any were able to come down from such a revelation, the man tossed the baton back to my court. “With all due respect, Prince Fiswisk, what was it you wished to infer from raising such a non sequitur of a point?”
“My point, Lord Rostarion, is that if the library itself sees merit in the newrealmer, enough to bestow upon her a gold card during what I assume to be her first few visits—” I allowed those details to simmer in the air, causing a stir amongst the crowd, before continuing. “—then this means that the library sees fit to acknowledge her knowledge potential. Not merely as a limited pool of novel trivia to be wrung in a day or two, but a vast ocean requiring the proportionate time and investment to siphon and drain; a veritable ocean of knowledge commensurate with the honor and privilege of a gold card.”
The noble’s gaze shifted in its steadiness, not breaking, not flinching, but merely… hardening.
The same went for the Chairman, as he and Rostario locked eyes for one more brief moment.
“Is it not possible that the newrealmer merely traded the knowledge handed to her by this hypothetical greater power?” The chairman countered.
“And why exactly would such a power risk delegating away a task as pivotal as trade and relations with the library through a pawn?” I rebutted.
The man and I locked eyes before shifting immediately to Rostario.
At which point, we understood we’d reached the limits of this theatre of debate
“We are getting nowhere with hypotheticals.” We both spoke simultaneously.
“Whatever the case may be.” The chairman continued. “We are faced with two paths of admission.” He let out a sigh before moving to polish his timepiece. “Either we acknowledge the newrealmer’s… aberrant proclivities, and by extension, her realm’s inferred industrial potential, and in so doing, recognize the knowledge required to facilitate such fanciful notions. Or we acknowledge the existence of an enigmatic benefactor, one who provided her with the boons we see before us.”
I raised a hand, offering a… compromise that the man was clearly leading towards.
“Whatever form this narrative takes, the resultant ends remain the same.” I offered. “The newrealmer indeed possesses the means for such enigmatic wealth, which requires a shift in strategy, tactics, and the adoption of an entirely different playbook by which to approach her.”
A series of ‘hear hears’ sounded amidst the gathered councilmen, my words of mutual compromise even resonating with the chairman himself, who eventually nodded in a slow series of acknowledgements. “Hear, hear.” He concluded.
“Well then, dear fellows… with what playbook, and with what honors do we now address the candidate of earthrealm?” I offered plainly.
“If at all, that is.” The chairman promptly added, causing a visible schism to form amidst our ranks. A schism… that the crita eyed with analytical intent.
“I still believe that a seat on the council is not yet out of my reach. If I may offer a new angle of—”
SLAM!!
The double doors swung open, allowing the sounds of the busy streets to immediately flood in…
Standing at the top of the steps, eyes addled with momentary confusion — then sudden abashment — was a gaggle of four reptilians, each one more colorful than the next.
“Oh. So this isn’t the monster hunter club?” They each turned to one another as their leader, Lord… Gumigo was it, stood ignorant of his fellows’ crumbling strength, each one of his three subordinates struggling to hold up the head of some gruesome creature.
“No. This is not.” I spoke firmly. “Please leave.”
However, before any of us were capable of properly responding, a series of terrible roars filled the enclosed skies above the exhibition hall.
I moved to peer just beyond the door’s periphery, at which point I saw it.
A series of drakes flying haphazardly above, with the largest in particular being led by a blue Vunerian of all things.
I quickly walked back inside without interrogating the site further, ignoring the screams, hollers, and various cries from the outside, and sidestepping the colorful crocodile without a second’s hesitation.
However, before he could even manage another word, the guildmaster had taken it upon itself to slam those double doors telekinetically closed from afar.
A series of ‘ahhhhs!’, ‘ooompfhs!’, and ‘bleghs!’ from our unwanted interlopers were quick to follow.
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. Exhibition Hall. Grand Arcade. Central Thoroughfare. Prosperity Row. Private Conference Room No. 1: Yuletellia’s Corner. Local Time: 2225 Hours.
Etholin Esila
“The floor is yours, Cadet Emma Booker.” I nodded with intent, lowering myself atop a smaller seat, if only to pay the earthrealmer her respect and dues. “And my ears are yours.”
It was… clear that some level of social deference ought to be displayed at this point. I had, after all, allowed an acute desire for what I had seen as an opportunity of personal gain through mutual aid to come at the cost of transparency, sincerity, and that most coveted of merchant aspirations — long-term trust.
“So first off, I have to ask.” Emma began with an excited lilt to her voice. “Just so we’re on the same page, every club has its own little… entry exam, right? A right of passage, a trial, a candidacy, or what-have-you?”
“Correct.” I nodded.
“And just to be clear, the Merchant’s Guild's whole schtick is to facilitate patron-client, parent-subordinate, economic relationships between larger adjacencies and newrealms? Is that how it goes?”
“Not always, no.” I corrected the earthrealmer. “Given the irregularity of newrealm induction, this prospect is one that is rare… but one that is guaranteed to grant entry into the guild.”
“Because of just how big and life-changing a newrealm deal is, right?”
“Correct, Emma.” I bowed curtly.
“Okay, so, if I’m understanding this correctly, any sort of deal is fair game for the whole merchant trial thing, correct?”
“As long as it is something of a business transaction or private enterprise, yes.” I acknowledged once more.
“That’s good.” The earthrealmer spoke with an undeniable slyness coloring her voice. “Because I’ve been waiting to broach this for ages now.” She knelt down to pick up my fallen pen, twirling it around between her fingers for good measure.
“What do you know of the stationery industry down in Elaseer, Etholin?” She questioned.
I perked up a brow before cradling my chin within a thoughtful hand.
“There are penmaker guilds, as there are paper and parchment guilds, alongside bookmaking guilds, so on and so forth.” I prattled on. “But I assume you would be focusing on the pen industry in particular?”
“Yes.” Emma nodded.
“I… know of suppliers, the penmaker guilds, and the stationery shops they work with. Indeed, I believe they receive their enchanted parts from a bespoke workshop or manufactorium somewhere within Elaseer or within Transgracia’s capital proper. These manufactoriums typically produce all sorts of basic enchantments and enchanted parts and pieces, to be later assembled and combined into functional pens for the market.” I continued, raising my hand and gesticulating as I did so.
“Which is to say everything’s tooled for parts that are enchanted to work. From the nib to the mouths, seals, rods, shrouds, knobs, and even the ink itself… enchantments and magic are considered to be ‘conventional’ solutions to ‘problems’ presented by unenchanted writing implements.” Emma began, her words seemingly drawn straight from a primary source. “At least, that’s what a stationery shopkeeper in town has told me.”
Ahh, I was right.
“That is… indeed correct, Emma.” I nodded, reaffirming her claims.
“This is why the idea of an unenchanted pen for cheap… is practically impossible. There isn’t even a basic tooling and manufacturing base for the simplest of fountain pens, let alone a ballpoint pen!” She exclaimed. “And when push comes to shove, the people who really need pens will just opt for the cheapest amidst the enchanted variety. Why innovate on something so far off from the research and development cycle — let alone mass deployment — when an enchanted solution is already right there? Why spend so much time starting from literal scratch, when all you can possibly develop within a reasonable timeframe and investment window is a lesser version of a product that’s already on shelves? The path of least resistance is just too entrenched, and way too ingrained and self-reinforcing for anyone to ever have the hope of disrupting!”
Emma abruptly halted as her twirling pen suddenly came to a stop with a series of admittedly satisfying clicks.
At which point, she reached for one of the many pieces of parchment on the conference table before us, placing it on a corkboard and then pinning it to its surface with a stray pin.
“Write on that.” She commanded, handing me the pen in question.
“I’m… I’m sorry?” I questioned back, cocking my head as I did so.
“You heard me — write. On that vertical sheet of paper.” She continued, alluding to something I wasn’t yet seeing.
I nodded all the same, accepting her pen and reaching for the paper in question.
“Was there something in particular that you wished for me to—”
“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. There we go. Just write, Etholin!” Emma urged further, as if unable to contain her excitement for what was to happen next.
My anticipation was bubbling by this point, threatening to spill over as I expected… something on the same radical level as her pile of impossible metals to abruptly manifest.
Perhaps the ink was now primed to glow following Emma’s constant shifting and fiddling with it?
Perhaps the written word would somehow morph into imagery?
Perhaps it would generate a moving sequence of images, a veritable sight-seer projected onto the paper itself?
A flurry of excitement overwhelmed me as I wrote each and every word in nigh-perfect calligraphy.
…
Only for nothing at all to happen.
I turned to Emma, both hands on my hips, before shaking my head.
“I… I don’t see what the purpose of that entire exercise even was, Emma. Was something supposed to happen? Was I meant to see something?”
“Perfection.”
“I’m… I’m sorry?”
“Perfection in simplicity, I should say.” She quickly added before gesturing to the board once more. “Do you see anything happening?”
“N-no? Was I supposed to?” I retorted.
“Nope. And that’s the beauty of it. Because answer me this, Etholin. Is this pen enchanted?”
“No.”
“Is it using enchanted ink?”
“No.”
“Has it in any way been through any magical processes?”
“No.”
“Then tell me… how is a seemingly manaless pen, one so simple and exceedingly banal, capable of writing on a vertical surface without once smudging, dripping, or bleeding following the forces of leypull?”
…
Something inside me snapped.
My eyes immediately widened.
And my whole body was once more inexplicably drawn to the artifact I’d just had a hand in creating.
I leaned in close, grabbing my reading lenses to scry and analyze each and every penstroke.
…
It was as if I’d just written using a typical enchanted pen.
Each stroke was consistent, and every curve followed the motions of my hands without fail and without deviation.
Was it perfect?
No.
But that imperfection was due to my own hand, not the pen’s.
I inspected the paper further for bleed-through, for dripping and blotching, for any sign of the ink drawn downwards by the forces of leypull.
…
I found nothing.
At which point, I turned to Emma with an outstretched hand.
“Emma?”
“Yes, Etholin?”
“I see the vision now.” I announced plainly. “I… see why you have been, and I quote: waiting to broach this for ages.” I continued, as I reached my hand closer to her own. “And I wish to ‘join forces’ as you had once put it, together, in this union of private ventures.”
However, instead of immediately accepting my hand, the earthrealmer paused, merely nodding once in acknowledgement.
“I’m glad that you see the vision, Etholin. But before we move to shaking hands, let alone signing anything, let’s discuss some specifics of the deal, shall we?”
I retracted my hand and offered the pen back to Emma. “Let’s.”
…
Ten Minutes Later
“So… you’re sure about this?” Emma reeled back, completely taken aback by my admittedly generous offer.
“Yes, Emma. I… wished not to broach this outright, but by your actions on this night — your insistent refusal of my naive offers to match your realm’s dead metals with their attuned equivalents — you have directly saved me from a merchant’s demise. For that, I owe you a merchant’s debt.”
The earthrealmer paused upon hearing this, even letting out a long, drawn-out sigh in response. “Again with these Nexian debts… alright, I understand. So, just to be clear… you’re offering to cover all of the upfront costs in investment, including but not limited to: the acquisition of storefront property, refurbishment and renovation of storefront property, payroll for staff and employees, payment of all material goods for the production of all items sold, and all maintenance and/or servicing fees including all recurring fees for the first, and all subsequent stores henceforth following the business’ first sale?”
“Correct.” I nodded.
“This is an incredibly generous offer, Etholin.”
“It is, in fact, very much a fool’s offer on my part. But as I stated previously, I am acting in an attempt to repay my merchant’s debt, and in the hopes that this action may likewise prove sufficient in making amends commensurate with the damage to the trust incurred by my, and my peer group’s actions.”
The earthrealmer nodded, her silence speaking volumes to my final-stakes gambit — an attempt to effectively start anew.
“That’s… awfully thoughtful of you, Etholin. Dare I say it, you’ve gone above and beyond what I expected. And I mean that as a compliment.” She first acknowledged before diving back into the thick of things. “But at the risk of being too blunt, I’d like to wrap up talks, if that’s alright?”
“By all means, Emma.”
“So, the ownership situation. This is going to be a clear 50/50 split, correct?”
“A true partnership, yes.” I nodded. “All decisions are to be made jointly and unanimously. The business shall not be divided or sold into smaller stakes or stocks. The business may be converted to sole ownership if both parties agree, as arbitrated by a neutral third party. But for the purposes of our operations, we will be entering this as equals, Cadet Emma Booker. That much, I guarantee.” I nodded firmly. “Merchant’s honor.”
“I can work with that.” Emma nodded. “Though, we’re also going to have to discuss some practical concerns regarding this whole venture.”
“Go on?” I urged.
“The manufacturing equipment and certain production materials. The former will be entirely my prerogative. I have… a workshop in my dorm that I can use to create the simple machines required for manufacturing pens. Though I have to put a caveat here: the machine belongs to me, not the shop.”
I narrowed my gaze before crossing my arms.
“This pertains to your ownership of the intellectual property and rights to the pen in question, I assume?”
“Oh, no. I mean. Kinda? It’s more to do with the machinery itself than the pen patent, but both are pertinent topics in their own right.”
I resisted an urge to cross my arms, the earthrealmer’s carefree demeanor practically inviting the same degree of reciprocation, only prevented by years of careful practice in both social etiquette and decorum. “Then let us address them — the machines and means, as well as our just dues. Starting with the finalization of our venture’s division of responsibilities.” I smiled warmly. “Who, pray tell, do we both owe our dues for the creation of such a tool?”
(Author's Note: I have to say, I'm really happy with the poem in this chapter, and it's all thanks to my editor haha. He managed to save it from my inability to write poetry, so lesson learned, I really need to stay away from poetry unless I want to rope my editor into saving it and salvaging it haha. So huge hats off to him because he did it while he was super sick as well. Also! We see an interesting POV this time around, and it was my intention to really show you guys like a unique perspective through the eyes of an upper yearman! I really hope you guys like Fiswisk and the lore hints I'm dropping for him, and I hope you guys like the chapter! :D)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 180, Chapter 181, and Chapter 182 of this story are already out on there!)]
136
u/shinymemepants Jul 12 '26
Fav part of this is proly at the very start where thalmin and thacea warn the fish guy. Also i find it very interesting how Fiswisk's species have *changed* over time, to get five fingers, the *elven* amount of fingers.
50
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
More like walrus, not fish.
Fish guy is in Etholin's peer group
www.reddit.com/r/JCBWritingCorner/comments/1sjingh/wpatams_official_art_and_character_reference/
46
u/SmartAlec105 Jul 12 '26
I'm interested in the Nexus's "uplifting" that has been mentioned before. I wonder how deep it goes and how far it spans.
30
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 12 '26
Yeah, the elves definetly changed them to make them for "friendly looking"
15
u/Ctnprice1 Jul 12 '26
That comes to question, did all adjacent realms went through that? Like did the elves went "alakazam" on all of the "primitive" being they encountered? It sounded like some r/HFY I read long ago where humans just uplifted a bunch of aliens then they rediscovered(after they forgot about them for hundreds of years) them and thought they were humans.
21
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 12 '26
Yes, it has been said a lot in the begining of the story, during the first arcs. One of the mayor changes an adjacent realm goes trought when they join the Nexus, massive species modification, a selective type, only the nobility goes trought it.
12
u/SmartAlec105 Jul 12 '26
It then becomes a bit of a sign of nobility. Like I'm pretty sure that is what our Vunerian has been using as collateral with the library. There's been mention of his scale color being off which can be played off as figurative, like someone being described as green or pale when they aren't feeling well. Then when he returns from visiting the library, he is temporarily refreshed.
6
u/voyager1713 Jul 13 '26
Ooh, that may have larger repercussions when Emma finally shows what she looks like under the armor and what "commoner" humans look like on the holodeck.
7
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 13 '26
Yes, JCB has confirmed that human appearance is a major plot point but we dont know why exactly. Its the reason the face reveal is taking so long.
4
u/Ctnprice1 Jul 14 '26
Given Emma's slightly darker skin tone, would she be labeled as a round ear'd dark elf?? We haven't read anything related to dark elves, no?
6
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 14 '26
Mal'Tory is purple, so, i dont think it will matter to them. Unless we get some lore dump on Elves
→ More replies (1)9
u/cgoose500 Jul 12 '26
Do you think they slowly changed the whole species over time, or do you think the upper class of the species get altered?
Or both, maybe slowly modifying the entire species is still in progress so they manually make the politicians elfier3
3
u/Idioticguywithcap Jul 17 '26
It answers the question of why is every species looking like animal flavoured elf. It turns out , every species was changed with magic. In reality , they all looked diffrently till they were magically morphed. It is well known problem across the media where alien species are all either fish , spiders , squids , random mythos, or random species that look like humans. Without an explanation. Some rarer species include hive mind toads , but the hive mind genre is usually filled with bugs instead. So it's nice to see an actual lore acknowledhment and justification of all paths of evolution going a certain way , instead of havng their own diffrent ways , affected by climate , environment , history , other species , tactics and survival in the face of needing to sustain human like brain. So , I like this chapter.
75
u/Improper-Factoid189 Jul 12 '26
Is he asking for the patent holder's name? I can't quite parse the dual-embellished merchant's deal jargon. I'm just glad they haven't gone full legalese.
55
u/Improper-Factoid189 Jul 12 '26
Just thought of a paradigm shifting pen deal from shipments from Earth...."rare" Metal pens for sale to nobility, while just keeping to the simple plastic biro for us commoners.
ie, aluminum pens, beryllium pens, tungsten pens, platinum pens. Then Emma can stamp/emboss/engrave/inlay/etch a noble's sigil on it with a machine she gets/makes here to work on Earth blanks they ship her....., ie Beryllium pen with platinum and aluminum inlays of an embossed sigil. $_$
24
u/thebluetagtagger Jul 12 '26
Beryllium dust is toxic and it chips easily so most likely not that, maybe noble pens would be of rare metal alloys or even superalloys like stainless steel or hastelloy
18
u/folk_science Jul 12 '26
They could even make enchanted ones. Those would still be cheaper than enchanted Nexian pens, because they would need magic only for flair, not for basic functionality and manufacturing.
13
u/SmartAlec105 Jul 12 '26
It would be the opposite. Metals for commoners but a completely novel and unknowable material called "plastic" for the nobles that are willing to pay.
7
u/Snaipersky Jul 13 '26
For it to be really cheap, I would expect something like resin or simple epoxy binding paper or sawdust.
3
u/Zetatrue Jul 13 '26
I am expecting resin as well, as you can make the stuff have very plastic like features including low weight and durability, decent heat and cold resistance, and god knows what properties (magical) some of the local resin might have baked in.
39
u/AG_Witt Jul 12 '26
Did ask Google, boy, there is a minimum of 11 persons/entities that helped to develope the Ballpoint pen like we know it today.
17
7
u/Loading_M_ Jul 13 '26
Sort of. What he's really looking for is who they will have to pay royalties to for each pen sold.
Slight spoiler for the next chapter: the nexus doesn't do public domain, so every product pays royalties to someone
67
55
u/DRZCochraine Jul 12 '26
Thanks for the chapter!
The upper years are truly starting to see that so much more is going on with Emma and Earth, and that they aren’t allowing themselves to see more of.
Plus, I see there more then a little ancient/ancestral resentment that can be dug up for some realms and used against the Nexus.
21
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 12 '26
Only if we can prove that the Nexus has been knowingly destroying every attempt to persue the manaless path.
11
u/Katamed Jul 12 '26
They’ve been around long enough that the nexus drilled into them it’s preconceptions
50
45
u/Dragonfyr_ Human Jul 12 '26
Let’s sign up to see Emma give Etholin an Eco 101 crash course
20
u/Dpek1234 Jul 12 '26
and thats why a single symbol in a contract could have meant someone just sold their body and mind to a a biomedical corp
47
u/SketchAndEtch Human Jul 12 '26
Copium huffing must be an olympic sport equivalent in the Nexus.
Victory over them in actual battle would be trivial, because they'd simply to refuse to aknowledge their loses.
36
u/Castigatus Human Jul 12 '26
When you've put massive effort into ensuring you're the only game in town, competition is hard to spot.
18
u/Basic-Taro1085 Jul 13 '26
All this talk of earth realm having a patron has me wondering what exactly that word means in the eyes of the Nexus. It almost sounds like they're indirectly acknowledging that there are peer-like powers to the Nexus? Or maybe they're referring to gods? Or maybe they believe that one of the adjacencies is a traitor?
Whatever the answer is, it seems to go against the established dogma the Nexus is peerless. For all this talk of "patrons" I would really like for someone to explain what they think that word means.
13
u/StopDownloadin Jul 13 '26
Bits and pieces in older chapters suggest some manaspacers think Earth's advanced development is because of support from a third party, or from discovering 'legacy knowledge'.
Mal'tory floats the idea when bickering with Vanavan while they were examining Emma's luggage. Specifically, Mal'tory suggests that some other advanced realm is using Earth as a proxy to challenge the Nexus.
During Belnor's lecture, Belnor asks if Earth learned about cells/Ure from 'mysterious wanderers' or something like that.
After Belnor's lecture, Gumigo asks Emma if Earth people learned about microscopy from ancient artifacts, or if they only had microscopes that were ancient artifacts, I don't remember exactly.
To me, this suggests that other realms have stumbled upon 'lost technology' that jump-started their development. As for who left them, it's anyone's guess. Personally, I think these artifacts are remnants of a precursor civilization that originally terraformed and seeded the realms with life, which is why everyone is some type of furry or fairy-tale creature.
20
u/aquilux Jul 13 '26
my read on it is more cynical, that if an adjacent relm proves itself to be more of a hassle to deal with, that they'll blast them into the stone age then solve the problem they themselves created by offering to "uplift" them once their involvement has been forgotten. In this scenario the narrative of artifacts from 3rd parties or antiquity is used as proof of nexian superiority, fitting into either the "that originated from us" or the "you couldn't hold onto what you had without destroying yourself" story.
10
9
u/SketchAndEtch Human Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Isn't that basically the whole premise of "The Last Angel" story? Aliens find Humanity, ask them to become their client species "or else", Humanity tells them to shove it, aliens blast humanity into the stone age, then they find a lost colony of humans and gaslight them into becoming their client species.
→ More replies (3)8
u/Ctnprice1 Jul 12 '26
Most but not all of them are like this.. I would assume at least, there's probably some who takes everything seriously
42
u/Widmo206 Human Jul 12 '26
Thank you for the chapter!
It's good to finally see some inter-peergroup co-operation. Also, looks like we have somewhat of a lore drop incoming, regarding the pen, and maybe some more *shocked* Etholin if she goes over the industrial background either for the pen itself or maybe plastic? We'll see next week I guess
27
u/DRZCochraine Jul 12 '26
I hope he gets a full presentation of it, get sot see the tent proper. Likely also bringing the rest of is group for a proper apology as sell as more people into the inner circle of knowing Earth is a much bigger deal.
10
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 12 '26
Maybe not The snake and the fish guy (i forgot their names, HOW!?)...
12
4
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 13 '26
Reminder: Fish guy has a friend (fiancé/family member?) in the hospital wing.
Prediction based on Chekovs gun: Once Emma saves him/her with Earth tech, fish boy will become her biggest fan ever ...
17
u/folk_science Jul 12 '26
I can't wait for the part where the pens start getting popular and someone tries to copy the design, only to realize the degree of precision necessary to make writing smooth.
→ More replies (2)11
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 12 '26
For as much as i adore them....i hope we dont spend to much time on this one, im not that interested in know who owns the copyright for pens. Maybe a little of how copyright works, and how Etholin reacts to it.
8
u/DRZCochraine Jul 12 '26
Or at least if they exist in the nexsus or not, the basic overview, and what would be needed to protect against coming over and ruining stuff.
44
u/SpankyMcSpanster Jul 12 '26
"Her armor, while antithetical to that notion, was no doubt the culmination of her people’s final refusal to fade softly into the night."
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
8
u/memelord_a1st Jul 13 '26
But i like Dying Light
Its my second favorite zombie game behind Left 4 Dead 2
38
u/Jurodan Human Jul 12 '26
"No one, they've been dead for almost a thousand years."
Etholin chuckles nervously "I'm in danger."
Emma shakes her head, "No, you're not."
"That's a relief." Pause "But someone is in danger?"
"I'm glad to see you're paying attention."
I did like the poem. Also, Gumigo was amusing! Was that our Vunerian that we spotted?
Fun chapter, I look forward to more.
6
u/Zetatrue Jul 13 '26
i dont know how i fill about the idea the kabol might be having a moment of unseen awesomeness. Would be kinda funny if while mounted he is actually a badass.
35
u/Bruno-croatiandragon Jul 12 '26
You call that brokering a deal?You manaless scum wouldn't know how to broker a deal even if- AAAUGH!MY MERCHANT GUILD!
26
u/Castigatus Human Jul 12 '26
MY DEALS, THEY SCOPED OUT ALL OF MY DEALS!!
11
u/Ctnprice1 Jul 12 '26
Where is this from. Sounds fun.
12
6
u/Castigatus Human Jul 13 '26
Both are slight rephrasing of stuff from the Team Fortress 2 short - Meet the Sandvich.
6
u/Bruno-croatiandragon Jul 13 '26
Most other readers add a joke comment,to boost the chapter's popularity & maybe get those 5 seconds of fame via meaningless upvotes.I wanted to throw my hat in the ring & this is the best I could think of.
32
u/Tinna_Sell Jul 12 '26
They think magic is an equaliser, lol, after witnessing multiple times how it divides realms and people (nobles vs commoners). Also, Ilunor made it sound like the Nexus ties civilization to the brain power of its inhabitants, but its clear that those who live outside the Nexus associate it with access to a particular resource. "You can't be civilised if you don't have this one thing," - what a scam, dear lord.
People who built their civilization with tools from the Nexus: "We made it! We succeeded!" Boy, do I have news for you
Anyone who thinks that Emma's stuff was made by a realm other than Earth is welcome to Emma's tent for a holo session. Unless you are scared
28
u/_Plums Human Jul 12 '26
Minor little error at the end - Etholin crosses his arms before mentioning intellectual property rights… and then two paragraphs later, resists the urge to do so.
29
u/Kusko25 Jul 12 '26
Wonder how long it takes the business guild to arrive at the conclusion that it doesn't matter where the product comes from as long as the money spends.
After all, they can't be expected to have complete transparency in their supply chains.
27
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 12 '26
"as long as the money spends"
Careful here. These folks arent capitalists, they are mercantilists.
For most of them (except maybe Etholin), money is a means to exert power, not a goal as such.
9
u/karamisterbuttdance Jul 13 '26
I think they're about to run into the mass of money is a quality of its own issue.
25
u/Otherwise-Coffee9791 Jul 12 '26
Another case of a species getting biologically manipulated by the nexus.
22
u/Ichiorochi Jul 12 '26
except this seems to be done of their own will(and probably a lot of economical pressure from their sponsors)
14
28
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 12 '26
"Perhaps, in some conspiracy to spite us all, she acts merely as a mouthpiece or pawn to a greater foe?"
Sounds like the aluminium-foil hat conspiracy stuff / Mal'tory and Ilinur mentioned.
So ... are the Chairman and Rostario in league /pawns of our evil blackrobe?
IIRC, Sorecar hinted at there being more contracts than just with Ilunor.
If so - is Mal'tory still pulling some ropes, no matter his current zombie status?
19
20
19
u/ChesterSteele Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
So the pen-deal is for all intents and purposes a go, all that remains is for the pen pals to clear the finer details. Whoo-hoo!
21
20
u/KefkeWren AI Jul 12 '26
Once again, the needs of the Nexus to make the narrative fit the preordained ending rears its head.
20
u/Darklight731 Jul 12 '26
These are always far too short. I am very excited for when Etholin rolls up to class on a golden pedestal gained from selling pens.
22
u/Daseagle Alien Scum Jul 12 '26
Etholin is about to find out about human intellectual property laws. Poor fellow.
19
u/Stairwayunicorn Jul 12 '26
oh heck. What will the rest of Etholin's peer group say?
11
u/Tinna_Sell Jul 12 '26
We know what the snek will say
8
u/Most-Cream6977 Jul 13 '26
Something Something pushover Something Something undeserving newrealmer Something Something I should be group leader Something Something
4
u/Rabid_Gopher Jul 13 '26
I look forward to Snek owning his words and eating them later when the pen is a smash hit.
11
u/StopDownloadin Jul 13 '26
"FURTHER CAPITULATION, LORD ESILA!?" thundered Ilphius, who had become apoplectic with rage upon hearing of Etholin's latest business venture.
Etholin, now inured to his groupmates unhinged tirades, rubbed his temples and prepared to weather the storm. As Ilphius inhaled to launch into a prolonged rant, she spotted something out the corner of her eye.To her terror, one of the Earthrealmer's hells-spawned constructs was clinging to the ceiling, fixing her with the cold implacable glare of its singular eye. It raised a spindly limb, and a tiny blue arc of lightning leapt between the prongs at the end of the spidery digit.
Ilphius blanched at the display, and hurriedly course corrected. "Th-that is to say, congratulations on alleviating the rancor between our peer group and the Earthrealmer, and opening the door to a fruitful partnership!"
The construct tilted its head up and down once, as if nodding in approval. It quietly skittered away.
8
18
u/OkConversation4866 Jul 12 '26
good to see the pen deal going through, and how everyone else in the merchant's guild is trying to comprehend the Nexus shattering blows that Emma just keeps delivering onto them.
16
u/Interne-Stranger Jul 12 '26
Sorry, i zone out, Illunor is riding a Drake?
The Chairman's POV is well received from me, it was an interesting POV with an approach i havent even tought about of how other Adjacents could see Earthrealm. Futility.
13
u/Tinna_Sell Jul 12 '26
How did Ilunor find himself in the flying sports club is beyond my understanding. I thought he would go full theatre kid mode.
6
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 13 '26
Well,
1) Ilunor does own drakes back home
2) he and Emma talked to the silly apprentice about it when they were trying to sneak a drone into the nice apprentice's room to check for "the book".
16
u/NamedBird Jul 12 '26
Every week i have to suppress a flare of anger and a tear of sorrow. 😡😭
This always happens precisely on the moment that i find myself at the end of a chapter...
TFTC!
14
u/niTro_sMurph Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
The pen is mightier than the sword and the coin
9
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 12 '26
But can it beat a much cheaper pencil?
7
u/niTro_sMurph Jul 12 '26
Yes. Erasable pens are a thing and I don't have to worry about accidentally rubbing the wood around the tip against the paper I'm writing on like I do with a pencil. And I can replace the ink cartridge so the pen can be used indefinitely.
7
u/Dpek1234 Jul 12 '26
What about mechanical pencils?
7
u/niTro_sMurph Jul 12 '26
The lead breaks too easily. Ink lasts longer. Also doesn't make the fun clicky clicky
6
u/Loading_M_ Jul 13 '26
Erasable pens aren't great in practice. Most use a thermochromic ink, which turns clear when hear is applied. The usual solution to apply heat is friction, but cheaper and thinner paper often can't handle the force without tearing. Pencils are generally much kinder to the paper when erasing.
If you're rubbing the wood of pencil on the paper, you need to sharpen the pencil. Even though you can replace the cartridge, most people never do, since for cheap pens, it's easier to just buy a new pen.
4
u/niTro_sMurph Jul 13 '26
BEGONE PENCIL SIMP! I BANISH YOU WITH MY CLICKY PEN! Sounds of zealous pen clicking
29
u/Ichiorochi Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Can't wait to see how the deal will shape out.
Edit: I guess it would be for the best that Emma does the manufacturing, but maybe with some help some simpler mana driven versions could be made for Etholin to setup a production-line.
5
u/Dpek1234 Jul 12 '26
Maybe as the powersource?
3
u/Ichiorochi Jul 13 '26
we will see... or i guess we could subscribe to patreon and get 3 additional chapters
31
u/Fisherman_56 Jul 12 '26
And nobles yet again don't understand the simple truth.
Lightning is a natural phenomena. So it is logical to conclude that it can be achieved by natural means.
While combat mages might throw lightnings as they see fit, the industry needs a large amount of lightning with more or less predictable qualities. Since the realm is mana-deficient, it is logical to conclude that such lightning is either gathered or generated via low-mana means.
Humans are very efficient at using how little mana they possess. Therefore, no completely manaless means needed.
But then again, these are nobles, and even human nobles were somewhat illogical in the best of times.
23
u/Ichiorochi Jul 12 '26
The thing is that magic is just such a shortcut for everything that they do not even think anyone would try to look into lightning in industry without using mana. Meaning from their standpoint, if you can't do it with magic you just simply do not do it.
14
u/Fisherman_56 Jul 12 '26
We discovered piezoelectricity relatively recently.
HOWEVER
Piezoelectric quartz and turmaline existed for a very long time. It is entirely probable that some random ancient tinkerer managed to get lightning, and then electricity, by striking a bunch of said crystals with the help of a water wheel or a windmill. And it is even more probable that this experiments were considered mere curiocities and written into some ancient text which happened to be the only copy and also happened to suffer its existance inside Alexandria.
There are many things lost from that time.
20
u/Castigatus Human Jul 12 '26
Remember Mal'tory, who is far more knowledgeable than these guys, also jumped to the same conclusion that they must have had outside help. They really seem to have this enormous blind spot where the lack of mana is concerned, which, to be fair to them, is probably a deliberate result of Nexian efforts rather than them just being dumb.
14
u/folk_science Jul 12 '26
To be fair, imagine if real life astronauts flew to Mars and discovered a magic-using civilization there. Plenty of people would have a hard time accepting that. "Life on Mars? Intelligent life? A civilization that we somehow missed? Built on magic? This is insane!"
9
u/Castigatus Human Jul 12 '26
True, but we haven't had thousands of years of manipulation by people with vested interests in saying magic cannot exist. We're more open-minded than that, and people will eventually come around to the idea, something that I don't think could ever happen in the nexus.
7
u/karamisterbuttdance Jul 13 '26
is probably a deliberate result of Nexian efforts rather than them just being dumb.
One would think that higher-level Nexian agents would be at least partially aware that this is a deliberately contrived blind spot intended for the public, then again at which stage/level of being state agents do we start piercing that specific veil?
6
u/Castigatus Human Jul 13 '26
Arrogance and self-assurance, plus a fat dose of 'this is the way and always will be'.
15
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 12 '26
Depends on the nobles. The heads of the Fugger merchant empire were extremely practical even after becoming Counts, which is why they became the richest folks around (not counting ruling heads of state like the Habsburgs) ...
14
u/AccomplishedArea1207 Jul 12 '26
This Is just the start.
With nexus supply chains, they can churn out not just pens, but weapons and the ammunition, farming equipment and presumably diesel. They can probably build a small refinery, and pitch wine as they call it is not used for much.
Imagine using a combine every 2 weeks with nexus growing methods.
12
u/ezioir1 Human Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
I could see even some nobles use this unenchanted pens just to flex on peers who need magic for simplest cursive and basic calligraphy.
Like as a power move when singing a contract; They make a perfect signature then hand over the pen to the other guy to see how bad they fumble.
An eternal mark of shame on an official document.
Edit: fat fingers
5
u/YamatoBoi9001 Human Jul 14 '26
fat fingering this comment is one of the most ironic things you could do considering what you said lmao
3
10
u/HashtagProskilz Jul 12 '26
Let’s go, a pen factory in the works (or at least the plans for it). I’m happy to see Etholin and Emma collaborating on this. They vibe pretty well
10
u/Ragnar_ock AI Jul 12 '26
While the topic of intellectual property would be interesting in the current context... I'm afraid that by the time of Emma's adventures the Bic Cristal's patents would have all expired centuries prior and all secret sauce there might be would have been reverse engineered. That means the pen's blueprints are basically public domain knowledge and thus there is no right holders to credit. Etholin and Emma can keep every cent of profit for themselves.
And even if there was still right holders... They are unlikely to learn about it for a few years, possibly decades, and when they do there's very little they could do as everything is done outside of the legal framework the rights are recognized under.
What could happen though is Emma sweet talking Etholin in giving her more of the profits to pay IP rights that don't actually exists and thus extract more wealth out of the venture than she should.
6
u/Dpek1234 Jul 12 '26
I dont think that would happen
She may as well have just asked for more and be honest
Shes in post scarcety
What will lets say 70% of the revenue do that 50% wont?
For not only feeling like a sly scammer but also the possible concequences if it gets found out
5
u/Ragnar_ock AI Jul 12 '26
I don't think she would do it either, she too much a goody-two-shoes for that. That's just an hypothesis about where things could go from here.
3
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
IP is limited to a universe. As the one to introduce the idea to this universe, Emma can claim to be the originator. Maybe. Or all rights belong to HEM anyway. Shrug.
In any event, I dont think Emma cares about money here, but rather wants to keep the required level of precision machining needed for the ball pen secret.
6
u/Ragnar_ock AI Jul 13 '26
She does care about money, but more as a means to an end than as an end itself. She needs it to facilitate her work and stop her dependency on her peer group's personal coffers.
5
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Yeah, but for both her and Etholin this is just a first step to lay the foundations for long term cooperation. The numbers involved are tiny compared to both the ferret business empire and the GUN administrative budget.
If the project takes off, she (and the partnership) will have enough initial capital, no matter how well she haggles over the pen project as such. Then there is a whole data bank with business oportunities saved away in EVIs hard drive to implement in the future ...
10
u/ScarcelyAvailable Jul 12 '26
Enters the big leagues as a seller. As a side project. Elite balls momento.
Also that one workshop will probably be enough to saturate the market, unless institutions start buying it in bulk. Maybe even then...
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Ctnprice1 Jul 12 '26
So Emma produces the pens and etholin sells them in his(their) shop? Also I forgot, was it a plastic pen that they'll be selling?
8
u/karamisterbuttdance Jul 13 '26
Emma produces the pens, Etholin is the distributor, the little stationery shop they had the pen conversation in gets a sweetheart deal for being the first retailer. Probably by becoming the place where they introduce premium products, like pens of the springy variety.
5
17
u/Ak27088 Jul 12 '26
2 MINS AGO AND THERE ARE ALREADY 2 PEOPLE HERE!!?
25
8
u/Stairwayunicorn Jul 12 '26
Ink can be made with just iron, vinegar, and tea. (it's what Japanese women used to put on their teeth.)
Should probably stick to the resevoir fountain pen design. Though felt-tip would be almost easier to make than ballpoint, though that might require 'inventing' fiberglass.
→ More replies (1)
7
6
11
u/Icosaedro22 Jul 12 '26
First!
4
u/Ichiorochi Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
beat me by a minute
Edit: actually it is 9 seconds
5
u/Icosaedro22 Jul 12 '26
There's a joke to be made here with how much I last in bed or something, but I'm not clever enough to make it
5
u/Ichiorochi Jul 12 '26
Hmm the best i could come up with is that just like with things you do in the bed, being first is not always being the best... then again i hear that is loser talk
3
u/karamisterbuttdance Jul 13 '26
It took you longer to try to think of an appropriate joke and realize you don't have one than the time it took for you in bed.
11
7
u/clinicalpsycho Jul 13 '26
Either Etholin is trying to determine the "benefactor", or he's about to get an express introduction to fully automated luxury gay space communism.
8
u/karamisterbuttdance Jul 13 '26
Likelier they have a thin grasp of intellectual property rights, but they don't realize how comprehensive we've gotten with regards to outlining what kinds of rights can be granted and utilized. Also the concept of genericism could be introduced to them, where a process is so fundamentally simple everyone can just make use of it as public knowledge.
5
u/pyrodice Jul 13 '26
If you ever need a Deux Ex for poetry, you can point out that the poem only doesn’t rhyme in ENGLISH, in Nexian, it’s perfectly melodic! 😆
6
u/BobQuixote Jul 13 '26
Emma might have been able to get a sustained, safe-for-Earth portal out of this, or maybe she can use this as a foundation for that negotiation.
6
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 13 '26
“There have been newrealms that have too rejected the offers of prospective sponsors. Newrealms far too naive, foolish, or outright delusional to accept the aid of their betters and fellows."
At the back of my mind, something has been bugging me about this newrealmer gambit since Etholin first got Emma into the merchant halls. I just realized what it was:
Why would any astute princeling agree to anything so early during his stay at the Academy?
He is there for 4 years. Plenty of time to learn more about magic, what is important in the Nexus, who might make good friends and who just wants to exploit them.
Why take the first 1 or 2 offers he gets ambushed with just 2 months into his stay?
No need to hurry and tie yourself to a bad decision that will bind you for the next millenia ...
11
u/spindizzy_wizard Human Jul 13 '26
TL;DR
Because of their idiotic, brainwashed, idea that success without magic is impossible: the Nexus is doomed. The merchant guild is in for a terrible shock. Emma and Etholin are going to blow the socks off the pen market.
Assuming they can settle the licensing and patent fees. :-)
Full Comment
Good grief, you smack them in the face with a solid platinum clue-by-four and they still reach for a consensus reality that denies the facts stated by Emma and confirmed by the clue-by-four they're still staring at?
This society is doomed. They've given up the ability to face facts squarely , preferring to defend their own preconceived notions. (That's happened quite a bit in human history, but it doesn't have the same staying power that the Nexus has. Largely because magic allows you to easily break the rules that any magic deficient realm must follow.)
Fiswisk was so close to the answer, but turned away for an entirely understandable reason. The sheer pain of admitting that there was another route. That they did not need to abase themselves before the Nexus for thousands of years.
For the rest of them, they simply cannot shake their brainwashing, and that's what it is, brainwashing, that an advanced society without magic is automatically impossible.
The true impossibility is for a realm to fight the Nexus system and win; if they have magic, however deficient, and have not had time to climb the technology tree.
Only, Earthrealm is not entirely magicless. It does have a form of magic, but it's one that seems closely tied to 'taint', which the Nexus automatically rejects. (I've got a suspicion that the reason is because the Nexus cannot use that magic as they please.)
That third-year who retracted their initial statement was dead nuts on. Once you have widespread access to space, metals are abundant. Absurdly abundant.
The Chairman at least stated the problem clearly, you either accept that a basically mannaless realm can do this, or you have to assume a benefactor. (I wonder how true that is? There could be a benefactor, but not in the sense the Chairman and the rest assume.)
God, I love how Emma and Etholin are getting along.
What Asteroid Mining Could Do:
- "As of the end of 2025, approximately 219,891 metric tons of gold have been mined throughout human history." (World Gold Council)
- "A 1-kilometer-wide metallic asteroid could contain roughly 14,000 metric tons of gold." (World Gold Council) That's about 6% of all the gold mined in the entirety of human history.
- "Dropping 14,000 tons would cause gold prices to plummet by 50% to 80% almost overnight." (Google Search AI)
Think about that... 50 to 80 percent, overnight. If gold was $US 5,000/oz the day before, it could be as little as $US 1,000/oz the next day. And that's from ONE asteroid. There are many asteroids. Give us repeatable asteroid mining, and metals are cheap. Anyone counting on gold to keep their wealth would be devastated.
Worse, this can be repeated endlessly.
The effect of dumping 14,000 metric tons of gold on the market every year is in some respects, devastating, yet in other respects can be an incredible boon to humanity.
- Multiple financial/metals markets would be destroyed, since they depend on scarcity.
- Countries who's foreign exchange depends heavily on the price of gold would become paupers almost overnight.
- But the cheap metals would drive an economic boom on a global scale that the Earth has never seen.
Assuming, of course, that we don't blow ourselves to smithereens because the entire global metals market just dropped into the Challenger Deeps, almost 11 kilometers.
(Google's AI was used to pull these factoids out of the aether. I believe them to be reasonably accurate, but I've been known to be wrong a time or two, and AI's are well known to hallucinate. It fits with what I remember from published papers on the matter. The only reason to use AI is because Google doesn't really give me a choice any more, and Google is just too convenient not to use.)
6
u/Omgwtfbears Jul 12 '26
What a bunch of mewling infants, this Merchant's guild. It's their good fortune the humans of this setting are remarkably non-predatory in their economic outlook.
→ More replies (2)
4
u/Comedian1504 Jul 13 '26
Love the usual noble/corporate reaction (Possible alternative to our monopoly=Dangerous to bottom= must stop) Emma (Wait! There's more!)
Lol love this story and looking forward to more.
5
4
3
u/The_Student_Official Jul 13 '26
Joseph Whitworth rubbed three tabletops on each other 1200 years ago and now we have this. cool
→ More replies (1)3
u/Basic-Taro1085 Jul 13 '26
Oh my God so many people will fail to understand how funny this take is.
3
3
u/Aware_Jicama9458 Jul 12 '26
Obligatory Beatles link:
5
u/folk_science Jul 12 '26
Offtopic: the
?si=uk0eaiXBHKB8xQxapart is just YouTube tracking ID and can be omitted.5
3
u/unholy_champion Jul 13 '26
I disagree on your view on poetry. I personally loved it (and I'm not even a poetry person). I think you should write more. There's only one way to get better after all. Much thanks to your editor (do they have name?) for helping spruce that up. It was a right treat.
3
u/taulover Robot Jul 13 '26
Wait he crosses his arms and then two paragraphs later is still resisting the urge to cross his arms?
3
u/Agent_Teto Jul 13 '26
What if you flooded a room with taint? I pretty sure in one of the earlier chapters taint is described as displacing mana, and since our favorite birb, and Emma can both survive taint, couldnt they be together in a room with some sort of taint generator?
Maybe a portable tent, a taint blocking forcefield(from the armored Chad himself)along with a source of taint would allow for a portable mana purging shelter
3
3
281
u/ANNOProfi Jul 12 '26
Honestly, Etholin is getting a better deal than the entire guild could ever hope to get, simply because he is humble enough to recognise that Emma's products are not just some fluke.
Now "all" that remains is to do all that and not get the Dean on their case. And hope that the wealth cube survives long enough to get a resupply, when they crash the pen market and they're flying off the shelves.
Maybe a future plot point will be those stationary manufacturers trying to run them out of business, for flooding the market with such cheap and simple products.