Arthur slid off his Reki slowly and stared at the young man, just out of boyhood. To presume to throw that kind of accusation indicated a spoilt young master of the nobles who thought his parents were all powerful. Or a total buffoon.
Then again, Arthur had investigated Landar before coming and rumours didn't place any sort of noble who had been attached to her.
On the other hand, Corbin had tried to kill them, so... hm.
Arthur backed up for a moment and took another angle. Why did Corbin want to kill or capture the alchemist? Clearly they had insulted or threatened her somehow, Landar's arbitration request had said they turned down a business arrangement with Corbin.
Or was it that Corbin simply had to have an arrangement with them or kill them? She was not known for such bloodthirstiness, even in the cutthroat arena of business.
The young man conferred with the alchemist in hushed whispers, with occasional glances his way. As if they were considering whether to trust Arthur.
"I can assure you that the Chancellor has no intention of detaining you. It is simply a friendly invitation to an associate," Arthur said, "Besides, could you tell me what you think Corbin is after?"
The young man talked more quickly then seemed to break off the conversation, "Sir Arthur, I believe in honesty when seeking to make allies. My best guess is that Mayor Corbin wished to detain us for our contribution to the various inventions you have heard happening in Corbin town. She seemed anxious to stop us from working with anyone else. Perhaps to the point that she would rather kill us instead when I refused. "
So unless that woman staring angrily at him was just an act, that was probably as close to plainly stated as anything Arthur would be able to get. But if Corbin thought they were worth more dead than alive and not working with her, meant that she thought these two would help her enemies more than they would help her.
And her perpetual obsession was always Minmay. Hopeless in Arthur's view, but perhaps she did not know that. So, Arthur could infer that these two had some ability to help Minmay, as judged by Corbin. Provided of course that this young man was telling the truth.
"What is your name?" Arthur asked, patting the Reki, "and are you claiming that you are responsible for the iron bricks, tin food and the new cast iron?"
"I am Cato Lois, and I do claim so," Cato said.
A First artifact then, one large enough to yield the knowledge of iron this man was spreading around.
"It's not a cache of First knowledge," Cato said, almost as if he was reading Arthur's mind.
The situation was rapidly getting beyond what Arthur was allowed to handle, delegated power or no. But before Corbin could kill this pair, Arthur was sure Minmay wanted to see them and if there was any possibility of helping the Minmay household, Arthur was going to take it. After all, if Cato turned out to be lying, Minmay could always throw them back to Corbin's clutches.
"Very well, as Minmay's representative, I will have to ask you to back down," Arthur turned around and said to the adventurers gathered around the ruined house, "Minmay requests for a delay in the arbitration case. "
The lead adventurer bowed to Arthur, "Yes, Arthur sir, we hear you. "
With that, the ring of adventurers began to disperse, still whispering among each other about Cato. One group in particular was obviously hanging around to eavesdrop, but they wouldn't interfere any more. They didn't really have a choice, not with a Chancellor's political clout for a case involving his own vassal.
So it was down to Minmay and the Iris man now.
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"Minmay appears honest," Landar nodded, "Arthur sir's word is almost as good as Minmay's himself. "
"So how are we going to tell Chakim that we're not going to follow him?"
Landar responded by walking up to Chakim and pressing the small green stone into his palm. The circle of shields around her remained though, as they would until they ran out of stored power.
"Please tell my father that I will not be returning," Landar said, "not if he's going to send someone to pressure me into doing so. I am doing work too large and too good to stop. "
"Your father will not be happy-"
"My father should worry about his place in the Iris clan than about one rogue daughter who can't live up to the Iris name," Landar snapped back, "he'll see, in ten years my name will be bigger than the Iris clan itself!"
Cato sighed and pulled Landar back. He was noticing that whenever her father was mentioned, Landar morphed into a rebellious teenaged kid. Cato didn't know what her circumstances were but her perpetual chip on her shoulder was too much like trying to burn a bridge that Cato wasn't willing to give up yet.
"I don't know her father," Cato said, Chakim paying attention to him now, "but surely he can see how much good Landar can do outside of Iris? Allow us to take the chance, we can improve Inath and Iris will benefit from her connection. "
"That will not be for me to decide, my orders was to make sure Landar is safe and bring her back," Chakim said.
"I don't want to return! I get that you are here to protect me but I don't need that!" Landar stamped her foot, splashing rainwater over their shoes. "Or are you going to fight me? With Minmay watching us?"
Cato had to pull her shoulder again. This was getting a bit repetitive.
Chakim seemed to think so also, instead of shooting back he just stared at Landar's snarl for a long moment. "Then I will accompany you to Minmay's household," Chakim stated flatly, "the nobles are not easily trusted. "
Arthur stepped up at that, "so I presume you will allow me to guide you to Minmay? I have a carriage at the outskirts of Corbin, let us leave now before the news of this night reaches the ears of others. "
That was as close to an acknowledgement of Corbin's guilt as Cato was going to get from him, hm? Cato nodded, "but first, I need to talk to a friend of mine. "
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"I see, so that's why you're in a hurry to leave," Kalny said, rocking backwards in his chair, "well, I wouldn't want to keep Chancellor Minmay waiting. "
"Thank you for understanding," Cato said and turned to Danine sitting next to the table, "so it is up to you then, Danine. You can choose to stay here in Corbin with Kalny, the mayor won't target you. Or you can follow us to Minmay. "
"I'll follow you!" Danine said instantly.
"This is not the same as Wendy's Fort," Cato reminded her, "will you leave Tam behind? What of those Fukas you are training in magic? You can decide to do so, but you must know what will happen to them. "
She opened her mouth to reply again then paused. "I- I don't know," Danine muttered, "I didn't think about them. I just wanted to follow you, like I thought before. "
"If you leave the Fukas, all the work you have done so far will likely be lost," Cato said, "they may even dislike you for leaving them, although you probably won't see them again. "
"But if I don't follow you, how will I learn about magic?" Danine complained, "and I can't teach them what I don't know. "
Cato smiled, "I don't want to bias your decision but Landar made this for you in case you decided to stay in Corbin. " He took out a slim paper book.
"I still don't believe this will work," Landar said beside him, "the idea that you can teach someone through a book is preposterous. I'll grant that you can teach a few ideas or things but an entire field of practice? Why, she won't ever learn magic properly!"
"So you have it," Cato turned back to Danine, "it's something of an experiment, but I believe it will work. Landar and I worked to write down the steps to using magic from the very beginning exercises. You will have to decide which ones you need more of, and you will have to observe how magic works to figure out how to use it. "
The book in Danine's hands made the decision for her. "Then I will stay here," Danine said, getting up to bow formally to Cato, "the Fukas here are in your debt, Cato. Here and at Wendy's Fort. Thank you for everything you have done for me. "
"Not at all," Cato bowed back, "your village took me in when I didn't know anything about this world, when I am a human under whom you have experienced prejudice and hardship. I hope you succeed in helping the Fukas here, and hope you remember your grace when you finally win. "
Danine drew herself up and nodded eagerly. So that was one thing settled.
"Kalny," Cato turned to him, "the tin food carries a metal taste because I think the iron is leaking into the water in the food. In my world, we coated the tins with a waxy layer that I forgot to mention. I think it was meant to prevent this but I haven't come across any suitable material in Inath except the wax of your candles. I don't think those are very edible. "
"So you want me to look for this material?"
"Indeed, it will make sealing the tins easier too," Cato said, "in my world we grew rubber trees for the material but here in Inath, I'm not sure whether it exists or if it will be a tree. "
Kalny nodded, "I understand. What are we looking for?"
"The sap of the tree is a milky thick fluid, almost like boiled glue. When dried, it hardens into a tough material that can be stretched without damage and repels water. Of course, you may not find it in the sap, and the fluid might not appear milky white, in my world, we had red rubber that came from a vine too," Cato said, "I suggest you send people to collect samples of every type of fluid from plants, including from pressing or grinding them, then send them to me in bottles with and without heating. I would also appreciate it if your people could note any observations of the fluids and a drawing of the plant itself. Samples would be best if you can manage it. "
"What sort of plant?"
"Any sort. Everything," Cato said, "I know it is a lot to ask, but I think it is best to cast a wide net. "
"I see," Kalny rocked back again, counting costs. Then he smiled and nodded, "I will arrange this. "
With that settled, they got up to leave and Cato stuck out his hand. Kalny stared down at it then looked back up at Cato in confusion.
"It's a gesture from my world, of welcome," Cato explained, "we shake hands to say we understand each other. "
Kalny grinned and clasped his hand in a large sweaty palm. "Then let us shake hands," Kalny said, "to better food and better profit. "
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The carriage was not any more comfortable than Kalny's delivery cart, Cato still felt like he was rattling around like a pea in a pod.
That was why he was sitting outside on the roof, staring up at the night sky. A sky that glittered with stars, free of the light pollution of Earth that obscured it.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Landar said, sitting next to him.
Arthur had declined to join them, sleeping inside the carriage instead. How he managed to sleep when the carriage went up and down all the time was beyond Cato.
"It may be," Cato said, after a pause.
"Do you not find it beautiful?" Landar said, pointing up at the sea of glittering stars, fading into the black night next to the bright red orb of Selna. It might be worth a picture or two back on Earth, an otherworldly night sky, but Cato didn't feel that.
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Cato replied at length, "that sky is a mystery to me. You've looked at it for all this time you've grown up here but I didn't. Selna and its Little Nights always reminds me of how little I know this world. It's a miracle that I'm even alive, that I can eat your food and speak your language. Among so many other things that had to be the same between our worlds. "
"That makes no sense. You're talking about..." Landar waved a hand as she tried to search for a word, "about how the world works? I mean, not like how the nobles work in your world or whether we bow or shake hands. Facts like people have to eat food is just..."
"You got that right, I am talking about how the world works. Basic things like physics and chemistry," Cato said, "out of all possible ways that worlds could work, how is your world so different from mine and yet still the same?"
"I don't know what physics and chemistry are but how is our worlds different?"
"You have magic," Cato said instantly.
"Maybe you just haven't learnt how to use it?" Landar said, "Or your people are all like you, unable to use magic at all. "
"It's not just like that," Cato said, thinking for a moment, "in my world, the study of physics of the very small scales can be described in simple rules. Of things called atoms and forces. I wrote one of my books on that, and even performed simple experiments, but they aren't conclusive. Two things told me that your physics is the same as mine, the carbon content in your iron to make steel and the making of soap from ashes and fat. "
"But that doesn't mean you can't have magic that you haven't noticed. "
"You don't understand just how much we knew of how our world worked," Cato said, looking down from the stars, "take the biggest ideas, like Newtonian mechanics. It explains why things fall down, how fast and how far an arrow can fly, and even the motions of stars in the sky. I've tried all the easy experiments and they all say that my world's understanding is the same here in Inath. " Cato paused, "only I'm not so sure of the last one now, a moon like Selna is impossible in my world. It's too big. "
"How does that mean anything for magic?" Landar said. A small burst of magic and a clod of dirt flew up from the ground beside the road, floating in the air. She plucked a pebble out and threw it. "Without magic, pebbles fall down. Just because pebbles fall in your world in the same way doesn't mean your world doesn't have magic. "
"We would have noticed," Cato said, "just not through Newtonian mechanics. I'm thinking of the way living things die here if you disrupt their lifeforce. Lifeforce doesn't exist on Earth. I'm not supposed to have one. And if everything here has lifeforce, then surely your biology is different, the chemistry of living things will be different. So why can I eat your food and get everything I need to stay alive? Are your animals and plants similar to ours except with lifeforce? But our plants stay alive without lifeforce, so how come everything here dies without one? Or perhaps, I am the one who is different. Maybe when I appeared here, I changed and now I have a lifeforce. "
"Do you need lifeforce to survive?" Landar asked curiously, "if you don't, then maybe you haven't changed and your world just hasn't noticed because nothing there needs one. "
Cato smiled at the observation. Even if she missed the finer points of scientific inquiry, Landar was clearly smart enough to ask the difficult questions. "Somehow, I don't want to test that," Cato remarked dryly, "that makes finding out a little more difficult. "
They shared a quiet laugh. But it died quickly and the quiet night resumed.
The two people rode on in silence for a long while, with only the swaying of the driver's lamplight and the creak and bump of wooden wheels on rough dirt to accompany them.
"I never did ask about your time in your world," Landar said, "on Earth. "
"What do you want to know?" Cato asked.
"I asked about what your world looked like before, but I also want to know about you. What did you do? Besides studying to be a materials engineer?"
"About me?" Cato leaned back against the rumbling roof and returned to looking at the strange stars. Where to begin?
"What were your parents like? I never hear you talk about them, do you miss seeing them?"
"You assume I have parents, perhaps babies in my world pop fully formed out of the fruit of a peach," Cato couldn't resist laughing at the incredulous look on her face, "no, of course not. I have parents, yes. "
"That was quite too much for a joke," Landar rubbed her head ruefully, but she chuckled all the same.
"I don't miss them as much I thought I would," Cato said simply, "if you think it's cold of me, I think so too. It's not like I was beaten by my father, or abused. I grew up in a normal family. That means we get fed properly and go to school to get taught, by the way. "
"That's normal?" Landar asked, "well, I suppose your world is rich enough that all the nobles could go to the Academy. Or you just have many Academies. "
"School isn't like your Academy here," Cato said, "the closest equivalent we have is a university, where I was studying to be a materials engineer. Its certainly not a place where you send small children. I've attended school since I was six years old and I am almost twenty five now. This is normal for us, in fact, it is by law that everyone has to attend school until they are eighteen. "
"By law?"
"And we don't have nobles, except in a very limited form. I'm not a noble either," Cato added belatedly, "when I said everyone, I meant everyone. There are some differences in the quality of schools you go to if you have money, but even if you can't afford to pay, school can be free. Of course, the free schools tend to be the worst but still. "
"Free?!" Landar sputtered.
"Yes, free. And we do have a huge number of schools. Every town and village has at least one. Larger cities can have hundreds. But enough of my world, you wanted to hear about me. "
Landar muttered furiously but inaudibly, then she visibly controlled herself. "Yes. So about how you don't miss your parents?"
"I don't really know why," Cato said, "but I've known this for a long time, that I wouldn't miss anyone. My university is outside the country I grew up in and I saw my parents only once a year. I didn't feel anything either, then or now. "
"Was there anyone you might want to see again?" Landar asked, "a brother or sister, maybe?"
"I don't have siblings, my mother lost the ability to have children when she had me. Sometimes I think that's what went wrong with me, why I don't feel very much," Cato said, without a trace of the sadness one might have expected, "it's silly I know. But the fact is that I never did care much about other people. "
"Then why did you help the Fukas?" Landar asked.
"It would be a lie to say that I did that to help myself survive," Cato admitted, "but I still don't know why. "
"Or you don't know what you yourself are feeling. "
Cato shrugged, "maybe. "
Silence descended but Landar didn't let it stay long. "Then do you ever think about going back to your world?" Landar asked.
"I used to think that, back when we were at Wendy's Fort. Inath is hot and uncomfortable. I could kill for a good bottle of Coke," Cato snorted his own joke that Landar couldn't possibly understand. "But no, I think I do like it here," Cato said finally, "if I had a choice, I don't think I'd go back. "
"But your world has so much more than we do!" Landar cried, "you don't have monsters and you even grew up there! Do you not miss it or maybe you really do feel nothing. "
"It's not that, I do miss the comforts of Earth. But I saw you making one of your specials, the aiming bowguns actually, and I thought that was what I was missing all my life. " The look of single-minded concentration on Landar's face as she aimed and calibrated her spells on the bowgun turrets had been like a light bulb. As if something had filled a void that Cato hadn't known was there. Her cheer when she tested the complete setup and it promptly shot her in the chest, the blazing glow in her eyes when she had dragged him over to take a look. That was like seeing the quiet sense of accomplishment during his long weeks of working on the blast furnace compressed into a single moment, a spark of pure creation.
And Cato had been jealous. A biting envy where for one instant, he wanted nothing more than to take Landar's place.
"I think what I always wanted to do was to make something," Cato said finally, "something useful. I want to change the world for the better, to make an impact and to help do something great. On Earth, that's impossible. "
"Why not?" Landar waved a hand nonchalantly, "it's not like it's difficult. You just have to get up and do something. "
"How many people are there in Inath? A million? Ten million?" Cato shrugged, "there are seven billion people on Earth. A billion is a thousand million by the way," he explained to Landar's skeptical face. "So you think you're smart, yes? And maybe you think I'm smart too," Cato got a vigorous nod from Landar, "maybe even the smartest people through all of Minmay's region. On Earth, the number of people smarter than us outnumber the population of Ektal, perhaps even all of Inath. And I don't think I'm that intelligent, I was only average on Earth. For a doctorate student anyway. "
He sighed, "so you tell me how people like us have any hope of doing anything truly useful? I've talked to mathematics professors who make me feel stupid and slow. They find answers to problems I can't even imagine, perhaps the best way for me to help is to polish his boots. Or those who can lead tens of thousands in a multinational company, engineers who design spacecraft or build skyscrapers, or famous film writers who are watched by millions. If there are ten thousand such people in the world, of seven billion others, what chance is there for me to be one of them?"
There was a harsh scoff next to him. Landar hopped up onto the carriage roof and stared down at him, her head framed by the red light of Selna. "You just do it," Landar said angrily, "it's not difficult to make something, why even you had new ideas the moment you saw elemental magic for the first time. And don't tell me you didn't feel a little bit inspired when you first learnt of magic. "
"Easier said than done. "
"That shouldn't stop you from trying," Landar cried, "I made a robot. Maybe it's not the most useful thing but it is something new. You made the blast furnace, are you telling me that's not useful?"
"That blast furnace is nothing to us on Earth," Cato shot back, "there are thousands of them and they pour tons of iron every day. What I did is not special. "
"It is special here in Inath," Landar glared, "and I won't let you think otherwise. "
"And that's why I don't think I'll go back," Cato concluded, "here in Inath, I have a chance to do something. Here, my knowledge is useful and meaningful. On Earth, I'm no one. "
She had no reply to that, there was nothing she could say that wasn't already said. They shared a long look before Landar settled back down. Above them, the stars went by silently, uncaring for the troubles of little humans.
Below the thin wooden roof, Arthur smiled and nodded to himself, lying awake on the carriage bench.