D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

Chapter 1960: Chapter 1960 Afternoon of Info

--- Kat ---

After lunch they spent some time wandering around the city with Steel pointing out some notable landmarks. Some interesting things Kat made not of was that there didn’t really seem to be any malls or big market areas. Instead, you had market streets with the shops on the bottom floor of a two or three story house. It was an interesting way of doing things and Kat supposed when you had the choice to work from ’home’ it was best to do so.

There were a few exceptions of course. Steel showed off some of their farms and it really hammered home just how big the place had to be despite the dome. On the edge of the city was a big ring of farmland with an aqueduct setup that kept the whole thing watered. Apparently they pumped the water from the underground river up into the aqueduct at a few points where it could then just use gravity to water everything.

They also grew less light sensitive plants such as mushrooms and certain kinds of edible moss underground. According to Steel the main source of these was just under the farmland. Deep enough that things had a proper root system of course. Then there were other smaller operations. For underground foods usually that was a basement but some people grew things on their balcony or if they had more space in the backyard. Kat had to ask about that, ”What lets people even have extra space?”

”It’s a matter of service,” explained Steel. ”Land is obviously always going to be a premium so we don’t simply give it away for money. Instead, you can get more land for major services... though occasionally families merge their property together. We’re not always fond of that and officially the deeds aren’t altered... but it does provide them with more space.”

”Ah... is that a problem?” asked Kat.

”Yes actually. It can be difficult. We don’t want to just take someone’s land obviously, but there are plenty of times where a family ’suddenly’ wants to split up and as such would be entitled to more land. We watch that carefully and try to ensure the process is spaced out. Plus, there have been issues in the past where someone is forced to marry into another family so that the second one can basically steal the land of the first. Quite illegal, but hard to prove if the victims don’t want to speak out about it,” sighed Steel.

”Surely that should be easy to stop though?” asked Hedera.

Steel shook his head. ”Not at all. People don’t appreciate us investigating their business and there’s only a law against forcing someone into marriage with some additional charges if it’s for land. If there’s no proof anything was forced we can’t really do anything without annoying the populous. That means that when it happens, we NEED someone to tell us about it.”

”I suppose that’s fair...” mumbled Hedera.

Kat shrugged, ”I think it’s quite fair. Though it does mean if two people marry just to merge their land together and then barely interact it’s not illegal.”

”That’s correct,” agreed Steel. ”I think the most famous case of something like this happening was a woman named Rosely. She married like three men and incorporated their land into her own. She basically owned the whole street... and she was a lesbian. Never liked any of them men, she just wanted the land. Most of them were perfectly happy to go along with it, annoyingly enough. She didn’t lie about anything. Just told them straight up and they let her do it. Which wasn’t, and annoyingly, still isn’t, illegal.”

”So... what she just took their land and moved on?” asked Kat. ”Surely that part is illegal...”

Steel shook his head. ”No she went specifically for old bachelors so they just died of old age. My father investigated it thoroughly. Part of it is that Rosely was an elf so even though she was similar in age to them all, looks wise she was doing quite well.”

”Was?” asked Hedera. ”Surely she would still be alive if she looked young at all and this happened after the lockdown went into effect.”

Steel nodded, ”Yes it would except she was also a fan of mushrooms despite being allergic. She could get around this by being a somewhat skilled alchemist and created potions to help alleviate the symptoms. The issue, is that when she was running low on ingredients instead of doing the smart thing and waiting to buy more she just went about her day like normal and had a big meal of them for dinner.”

”That... that seems suspicious...” mumbled Hedera.

Steel nodded, ”Oh it surely was... but she was quite well known for liking mushrooms despite her issues and there are eyewitness reports of at least three people warning her that she should really stock up on her potion ingredients. One of these people was the person she normally buys ingredients off of, but that doesn’t diminish the fact it was necessary.”

”I struggle to imagine anyone that stupid,” sighed Hedera.

Steel shrugged, ”I never met her personally so I can’t really say,”

”But... but she came up with that whole scheme to get more land. Surely she had at least some intelligence!” insisted Hedera, not wanting to let the point drop.

Kat shrugged not really bothered. Some people were just shortsighted like that sometimes when it came to something they were used to doing. *Though I wonder if she’s based on a real person?*

[What do you mean?]

*Well, obviously time built this place and these guys are actors...*

[Shit I’d forgotten about that...]

*Right well these are all actors and I’m wondering if someone else did something similar, or at least died in the same way and Thyme used that as a basis for the character.*

[I’d like to say that’s too stupid... but I could see it. Plus, land can be valuable even if not quite as much here so the whole story might have been ’true’]

*Indeed. My truth sense seems to be accepting all of this but we established that when people say things ’in character’ it doesn’t tend to go off even if technically it’s wrong.*

[Seems like an easy way to get around such a theoretically powerful ability. Just pretend not to be yourself.]

*Maybe if I was better at using it, or could even use it more directly I’d be able to tell. Maybe at a higher Rank I can... or maybe it’s all down to how elaborate the setup is. Context could be mattering here.* Lily had no good answer for Kat.

This was how at lot of conversations went as they moved throughout town. Steel would show them something notable, this would prompt a question about the area, which would usually lead into Steel talking about old relevant investigations that either he was involved in personally or his father was.

Another notable one was when they stopped by a park that looked rathe beat up. ”What’s with this parks... everything?” asked Kat.

Steel sighed. ”This is the duelling park. Thankfully nobody is using it right now...”

”Wait, what? Why?” asked Kat.

”Well I’m really not a big fan of duelling,” began Steel.

”No I agree with you,” Kat cut him off. ”I meant why have one?”

”Oh... oh,” intoned Steel. ”Right well... it’s somewhat to blow off steam... but a big reason is that nobody is allowed to leave so it helps settle issues that can’t be settled any other way as well. Sure there are more casual duels that are basically just young hotheads slapping each other around or the occasional bout between the guards are practice...

”But what people consider the ’main’ use is for irreconcilable difference. It’s very strictly monitored and you have to apply like a month in advanced with both contestants signing up and being allowed to back out at any time or accuse the other of trying to force them into it. But... death is allowed. Legally. I’m not happy about that fact,”

”Why?” asked Kat, once again.

Steel sighed. ”Personally, I don’t understand it. The argument was that we avert a lot of murders this way... but...” Steel trailed off not willing to finish the sentence.

Hedera was though, ”But it ’reduced’ them by simply making it legal and thus technically not murder.”

Steel nodded. ”It’s perhaps not quite as bad as that... and there is some evidence to suggest that forcing people to wait a month and both sign a length document before it goes down prevents a lot of ’heat of the moment’ fights but at the same time... I’m still really not a fan.”

”Understandable, it can be the same outside sometimes,” agreed Hedera.

”Oh? How?” asked Steel.

”For us, we usually agree quietly to duel some place remote. Then we leave the town in separate direction and at separate times. Meet back up... and nothing could ever be proved. Suspected maybe, and if the other person was important enough there might still be trouble but... usually not.”

Steel shook his head, not happy to hear that but not saying anything else.