The Chained Watcher

Sketches?

~~~

Now he could just be reading a bit too much into things, but he's pretty sure the people in charge of strategizing have started to dread whenever he comes back from a solo scouting expedition. Just a hunch.

Either way, he told them about his overheard conversation about the entire continent essentially getting teleported somewhere it isn't supposed to be, which is why there are wyverns and planes in the same place. They were understandably concerned, but since the wizards of the misplaced continent were having so much trouble getting their spells to work they were of the opinion that the tech civilization would win in the end.

Of course, setting up a stasis chamber before leaving base was mandatory even without a war going on, but now they're reminding everyone about the necessity of having one. Just the usual 'don't assume somewhere will be safe' and 'stay in signal range', but worth repeating nonetheless.

Although, if some of the hacker group have anything to say about it, 'in signal range' will soon cover more than expected. They're working on piggybacking off of the internet of the civilization here to boost the signal range to cover a ton more. It's not an impossible task, and Grian is rooting for them.

He, uh, might have 'accidentally' neglected to mention snagging some of the fancy tea they've got over on the magic side of things. It's not like he needs tea, but he's just curious to see what the difference is between it and normal tea. If the only difference is it's a little foggy, he's going to be mildly disappointed in their lack of creativity.

On his way back, he'd spotted a tourist trap/city that he was considering suggesting as a fun thing to experience for the rest of the Hermits. Tourist traps are usually pretty expensive to buy stuff at, so he'll have to figure out how to sell stuff first, but they at least know how to handle entertainment.

Maybe some of the Hermits would have an idea what they could sell.

~~~

"I have no earthly idea."

You know, you'd think that some of the Hermits would be able to think of something to sell, considering how many shops pop up on Hermitcraft, but apparently none of them can off the top of their head come up with something a tech civilization would buy. But much like asking someone to list five things in a certain category, he's managed to remove any and all thoughts of relevant marketable products just by asking.

"C'mon, anything? They don't use redstone, so not that, and we don't want to stand out too much... though that's a bit difficult considering their lack of hybrids, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Maybe get some suspicious trench coats or something."

A vague idea was proffered for debate. "What about just resources? Everyone needs more resources."

"Ah, but here's the problem. When we buy and sell resources, like logs, we measure in stacks and type. The people who live here would measure by length, width, weight, and all sorts of other more resource-specific statistics to calculate the value instead. Whatever we sell is gonna have to be either rare or in bulk, and rare is definitely gonna be easier."

Several more ideas were batted around before getting shot down, with most of the logic either being 'too hard for us to get' or 'too easy for them to get'. This crossed out stuff like stone, logs, beacons, and more that they agreed neither side would value all that much. The chances of dirt being a valuable commodity are next to zero.

Flipping an invis pot into her hand, False holds it up while speaking. "What about potions? Those aren't too hard to make while also being something people without magic shouldn't be able to get on their own."

"Maybe, but they're gonna be aware that they can't make the potions themselves. What would stop them from assuming that they could just capture whoever makes the potions to get more? Obviously there's no guarantee that they'll try that, but..."

Tango's musings break the silence. "What if we say we just looted them from the wizards?" Several people stare at him. "Hey, it's not a bad idea. They're already fighting, and neither knows the full extent of what the other side is capable of. It's perfectly reasonable for people who grew up with science to believe that the wizards have magic potions to go with their magic spells."

Grian let his own thoughts on that suggestion be known. "That's actually a pretty good idea, so long as we play it right. There's a not-insignificant chance that the magic continent actually does have some form of potions, even if they're not widespread. We can't sell too many too often, since suspicions will naturally be directed towards how we managed to get so many, but potions always sell well when the locals can't make any themselves."

Oh, he almost forgot. In his idle thinking, he'd almost failed to mention something they'd have to be really careful about. "No inventory." They look at him with clear confusion. "Inventory is magic, so we can't use it in front of them. You can still pull stuff out if you pull a cartoon-style 'eleven-foot-pole-up-the-sleeve' trick with a trenchcoat, but blatant inventory usage where you can be seen is a no-go."

Now they get it, nodding along to his points. He's going to have to keep this in mind too, though revealing his inventory isn't gonna be the problem if he loses the trenchcoat. He could technically wear a hooded cloak to serve the same functions, but that would run the risk of freaking out a Listener if they saw his wings. Watchers tend to all wear some style of cloak and mask, after all, and purple feathered wings aren't exactly a common trait.

Yes, trenchcoats look inherently suspicious, but the association between Watchers and cloaks is a bit too strong. He may be willing to reduce his wings down to a single pair, but to remove them completely, even if it's only temporary, would grate on his nerves. Walking is fun when it's a choice, not a necessity.

The others are bantering over which potions would sell best, though he's pretty sure he could get some good prices for any of them if offered to some scientists. He's seen it in the past. Scientists find some new thing to study, and go absolutely feral over it trying to be the first to figure something out.

Shaking a health potion lightly in his hand, he watched the bubbles rise. Yes, this should do nicely.

~~~

My brain is refusing to focus on what I want it to. Inspiration is fickle, and I am so easily distracted... Shouldn't be too bad, since I've got several scenes almost ready, and I just need to write the how-did-they-get-there bits.

As a side note, my phone's camera is better than my chromebook's, so I'm using that to take pictures of my sketches.