I hadn’t said anything incredible so far. This was all within the realm of common sense, and Angin nodded lightly.
“According to you, our region should have the necessary conditions for technological advancement. And yet, it didn’t happen, or at least not as quickly as inside the domes. Are you implying that we missed that catalyst?”
I shrugged.
“Maybe. I’m still not familiar enough with your history to say for certain. If anything, I’m the one who’d like to ask about it instead.”
“Then, what would we need to do to be able to build selnic items on our own?”
I noticed she didn’t answer my query, but didn’t press on that.
“There are many reasons why you can’t build them now, but I believe two of them are particularly important. First is precision.”
“That sounds like magic teaching.”
“In a way, it’s indeed the same. To produce a higher level of technology, one needs better tools. And to produce those tools, one needs higher precision tools and processes. Better tools are needed to create even better tools, and that’s how a virtuous circle is created.”
She nodded as I continued.
“The other element is miniaturization.”
“Miniaturization, as in making smaller things?”
“That’s right. I won’t go into the details, but it’s necessary to create products that do the same as the previous ones while being much smaller. It’s a way to compact great features and power efficiently.”
“Hmm, this is a bit hard to imagine. I’m surprised you know about all these things. Aren’t you a merchant?”
“It’s because I’m a merchant that I need to know this. How can I sell a product if I don’t have a basic understanding of its creation process?”
“That’s a compelling point of view. Are you fine giving me so much information? Aren’t you trying to sell those very selnic items? Don’t you think that could help us replicate them?”
I shook my head while smiling.
“I’m not worried at all. Whatever I say, it’s just words in the end. No matter what you do, I don’t believe it’ll be possible to reproduce them anytime soon. And by the time you do, I’d have made so much money from selling them that it wouldn’t matter much. Plus, the technology inside the domes is progressing too. And I’ll start other businesses in the meantime. In fact, I’d welcome Geola becoming much more advanced in terms of technology. I could use the comfort that’d come together with it very much.”
“A good way of thinking. So, what have you been doing while Geola is quarantined?”
The sudden change of topic forced me to realign my thoughts for a moment. It might be that she had gotten bored with talking about technology already.
“This and that in the domes. I’m mostly waiting for Geola to reopen.”
“The war is going to end soon, too, so trade will resume. You can also travel in the meantime. It should be easy with your affinity, shouldn’t it?”
She spoke of it as if the war ending was a given. Considering her experience, I had no plans of doubting her.
“Well, yes. Is there any place you’d recommend? You must have traveled a lot yourself.”
“You can visit Taifau or Makji. I’d wait to visit Thuk for a while since they’re going to sulk for a long time after losing the war and their rank 7. Taende is also an interesting place, but the one I truly recommend is Laut.”
“Laut is the country beyond the mountains south of here, right?”
“Yes. It’s a beautiful oceanic country. It’s very scenic, and since they’re so isolated, they’re mostly living in peace. It’s a perfect place for a vacation.”
“Thank you for your recommendation. I have one question. You said Thuk is going to “sulk”? Won’t Makji and Taifau take over Thuk after winning the war?”
She sent a meaningful smile my way.
“They won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want them to.”
Her absolute confidence told me more about her. This confirmed she was at least rank 9, because only with such a large difference in rank could she affirm such domination over her neighbors. At rank 9, she could probably destroy the three countries by herself, even though it would take some time.
“…I see. That’s very smart of you.”
“It’s something obvious. There’s no point in having an advantage if I’m not using it fully.”
“Well said.”
She turned her head away, and I could tell she was growing weary of the conversation.
“Then, my Lady, I’ll leave you to your rest and see you tomorrow.”
She nodded but didn’t respond, her book already back in her hand. I left the tent, went to fetch my carriage as usual, and left for the bunnies' village.
**********
Kuini had been a little troubled the last few days. After witnessing Tila’s tool, she recognized that there was an issue. There was no way something that big would fit inside her pussy. She had pondered on what to do and finally reached an answer. Her mother didn’t have any experience with something that large, and neither did Liv. Plus, Liv was an idiot, and she didn’t want to consult her again on the topic. However, she remembered there was someone in the village who could be of help.
She knocked on the door of a specific house, which soon opened to reveal a woman, together with a nice smell of food being cooked.
“Hi, Kuini. What can I do for you?”
“Hello, Mrs. Fitak. I came here because there’s something I want your advice on.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Have you eaten yet? I’m preparing food for myself and Tila together.”
“Yes, I’ve eaten already. It’s the food Tila is selling, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Come in.”
She entered the house and was made to wait on a sofa in the living room.
“Wait a moment. Let me finish my cooking, and we can talk.”
“Please take your time, I’m not in a hurry.”
Mrs. Fitak was one of the bunnies who didn’t discriminate against her due to her eyes. They weren’t close, though, but still knew one another due to living in the same village for a long time. A few minutes later, she was back after packing a large quantity of food in containers, probably to give to Tila the next morning.
“So, what is bothering you, Kuini?”