[hr][center][h3]Neir Slums — Dilapidated Shack[/h3] [img]https://i.imgur.com/JhorTIT.png[/img] 《 Level 1 Pessimist 》 [@ERode][@TheMushroomLord][@PKMNB0Y][/center][hr] Connor had barely begun to rest when the elf guy's message appeared--behind his eyelids, even! He blinked and shook his head. He wondered if there were any "settings" he could access within this Status System to make it a little less...intrusive. However... [i]Of course. A tall, glass-jawed, pointy eared bishonen bats his eyes and the catgirl tells him everything he wants to know! And makes me look stupid for wanting to be cautious and not approach anyone who could probably kill us![/i] He inwardly malded. [i]I bet if [b]I'd[/b] been the one to go talk to her, she wouldn't have given [b]me[/b] the time of day! Probably call me a creeper or just laugh at me--or hell, throw me in jail for vagrancy![/i] But, despite already feeling angry at the personality of someone he didn't know that he'd made up in his head, Connor had to admit that this information was exactly what they needed. Neir of Cethaim, ruled by King Selm. Was there a text to speech function within the Chat he could use to figure out how these words were pronounced? Also, was this a constitutional monarchy or just a feudal pyramid system? The latter might actually be easier to deal with, piecemeal, because in that system while the monarch might hold more dictatorial power, the local nobles would command more loyalty from the populace under them, being "kings" of their own in miniature. Or at least, that's what Connor had read when doing research for his own fantasy novels. If they needed some kind of paperwork or permission from the lord in order to travel freely, or buy property, and other things like that, it would be easier to get if the guy with the wax stamps didn't also have to get it stamped by a succession of other people with slightly more authority. No wars? Awesome, but then if they'd been deposited onto this world for a purpose, what was it? Either that, or [i]their arrival itself[/i] was the flag for shit to start popping off. In which case they probably needed to get the hell out of this city as soon as they could, because this was now their official "Doomed Hometown" the Demon King or Dark Lord would waste no time torching to the ground in the opening cinematics. Catgirl was an Adventurer, but no mention of things like "Classes," "Jobs," "Parties," or "Ranks." Maybe that was too much gamification to ask for--Connor's own status didn't list anything like "Mage," or "Otherworlder," and especially not something like "Hero," so he probably couldn't expect it to be as straightforward as the usual conventions of Isekai trash. Still, signing up at the Guild was basically mandatory in these stories in order to get fast cash. Even if a "modern" education could net them a job in the city, Connor assumed people here would be just as unwilling to hire someone who didn't have connections or a reputation as the corporate assholes back on Earth. Hell, in a culture like this where values like "family tradition" and "honor" were probably still being used, if you weren't the son-of-so-and-so being apprenticed to a master of such-and-such guild, or some other such "who ya know" status, any attempt at getting a job would probably be suspect to first impressions at best. So just like the situation with the catgirl, the elf would probably have no trouble while a loser like him and a non-humanoid like the slime would be booted out. He shook his head again. He was getting himself too worked up over strawmen. What else had the elf figured out? Teleportation magic existed. That was a [i]lot[/i] to consider. Was it highly expensive and intensely resource draining to make use of? If it wasn't, this medieval world shouldn't have looked so...medieval, right? Being able to teleport goods, raw materials, and most especially [i]armies[/i] would have [i][b]ENORMOUS[/b][/i] implications on communication, industry, mercantilism, and just about any other facet of world-building. Then again, Connor felt like he'd almost blacked himself out casting...what, five or six spells? That were probably considered basic, level 1 shit by any real mage in this world? Depending on what the actual level cap of this world was and how long it took to get there, it was probably a safe bet that something like Teleportation could not be used on a wide scale or by a large number of people within the world. However...could Teleportation, or some other similar magic, possibly get them back home? In a manner in which they'd survive? Maybe even with their new abilities (but hopefully not their new bodies, in the poor slime's case) intact? Connor sighed and rubbed his head, which had begun to hurt again. He closed his eyes once more--but once more, his rest was interrupted, this time by the slime. He read their message in the blackness behind his eyelids. He sniffed a bit--he'd already thought of a lot of this stuff, so shouldn't it have been kind of obvious? Then again, after all, he had to keep in mind that his companion couldn't see or hear much, and probably wasn't familiar with all the tropes or even the subject matter... [quote][code]Contacts: Slime Ye, keepin u hidden was what I meant when I talked about diggin ur way out or gettin under the floor if needed. For carry-on, I guess we could make a sack of sorts outta that tarp u were under b4? I'm definitely taxed. Casted like a half dozen times rapid-fire. I think it gets easier once u have the mental image of ur spell, but I feel like I just had to run a mile while hungover. Like I said b4, when I'm better I'll see about getting us some wa-- Waitaminnit, I'll get that bastard to do it, since he didn't just abandon us after all.[/code][/quote] As his head pounded, he nonetheless managed to concentrate and send another message zipping Cassius's way. Oddly enough, the contact list had already changed the elf-man's name. [i]Cassius? Like famous draft dodger Cassius Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali? Did he come up with that on his own or was that his actual name on Earth?[/i] [quote][code]Contacts: Cassius On ur way back, look for a well? We think slime can use their ability to filter it so we have H20. Next goals are fire and food. I can use magic now but not a lot, so we still need to avoid conflict amap.[/code][/quote] [hider=CONNOR'S DISCOVERIES][list][*]"Caliboard, the Holy 2x4." [*]Learned "Push!" [*]Learned "Cut!"[/list][/hider]