Garnedell stood quickly, embarrassed panic showing on his face as he quickly bowed towards the man, "Please forgive my mast…"
The cleric waved away Garnedell's concerns even as Joe stood to offer greetings, not seeming too concerned, "There is nothing to forgive. Your master is correct, but there are small n who are unable to accept such statents or assessnts." The man then turned to Joe and inclined his head in apology. "I do apologize, however. I had no intention to 'take my sweet ti.' Such an interesting turn of phrase; so fascinating! But we do live a goodly distance from the sacristies. We also wish to take so asure of the knowledge seekers before we enter."
"Ah. I can understand. I was simply offering my frustrations. In my world, seekers of knowledge often are capable of finding their knowledge in matter of seconds. I am simply still… easily frustrated by the slow pace and lack of knowledge here. Please forgive my impatience. I still must learn to curb it carefully."
The cleric nodded his acceptance of Joe's apology but showed deep interest in Joe's comnts, "You have temples of knowledge capable of offering knowledge so quickly?"
"My land has no temples of knowledge. We do not bel… have such, but we have libraries open to all. However, the libraries are becoming… obsolete in so ways. We have found ways to store our knowledge digitally… um… on machines and all people can… connect to the machine almost anywhere through radio waves…" Joe sighed at this point, struggling to explain the hundreds of advanced twenty-second century technologies needed to capture the essence of the internet and finally decided that magic was really the only viable explanation. "We have a storage of almost all our people's knowledge. This storage can be accessed by anyone anywhere at almost any ti. Seekers of knowledge can ask questions of the storage and gain answers very quickly, although the seeker is often still required to carefully sift the valid information from the insane."
"Truly! This is fascinating! This access and storage is free and available to all?"
"Uh. The access to the internet costs, and one can have slow or fast access, although even the slowest of access is enough for most to gain access to everything they could desire for quite a reasonable cost. An average connection speed for a day costs less than half of any al, and this connection is valid for an entire month, although most ISPs… uh… most services that offer connections ask that you pay for a month or promise to have access for a year and pay each month."
It was now the cleric's turn to goggle, eyes wide in shock, "How can any afford to offer such great knowledge for so little! Such access would only cost twenty or thirty tin, yes?"
Joe took a mont, eye's rolling upward in thought as face tightened in concentration before nodding carefully, "I believe so. Garnedell, how much do we pay for our als from the inn?"
"Inns are much more expensive, Joe."
"Ah, true. Then how much would street food cost?"
"Street food would cost about ten or twenty tin, sir."
Joe nodded quickly. That seems about right. A supersized set is about five bucks. A forty dollar broadband internet service would wind up being a little over a buck… um… Ha! A buck thirty three… gotta love dividing by threes. "Actually, cleric, it would be closer to three or four tin."
"Impossible!" the cleric interjected quickly, "No service could survive off such ager profits, the process would be ridiculous! You must be making a mistake of such values!"
Ti to introduce the idea of the economy of scale. "How many people live on this planet?"
"Planet?"
"Ah… sorry. I believe you call it a plane?"
"Ah, plane. Yes. What a strange word. Planet?"
"Yes, planet."
"Huh… curious. Planet," the man murmured to himself, seeming to take a keen interest in the new word, and Joe found himself trying to control an eye roll. He really takes his whole role as a cleric of knowledge seriously. The man continued to murmur to himself for several more monts before Joe decided to interject but found that he had no need to, as the man ca back to the conversation of his own accord, "Yes… planet. You were asking how many people were on this plane. I believe that there were approximately a million on this plane."
"A million!?" Well, crap… that makes the economy of scale a bit worthless…
"Yes, a million. Truly an astounding amount of people, yes?"
"Does that count all sapient people? Or just human."
"Oh, you an sapients. Then there close to a hundred million sapients."
"Would all these desire to have access to almost all knowledge known to sapients?"
"I believe yes. Most would."
"Then if each sapient paid for access, even at only the most basic of services, such a rchant would make a half a copper each month for doing little more than allowing access. That is only for this plane. I believe this plane and cradle has few sapients, yes?"
The cleric blinked with a bit of surprise before nodding, "Yes, our cradle is a small and weak cradle."
"How many sapients are living in the greatest of cradles?"
"I believe such cradles host trillions, even more."
"I would not be surprised if such cradles hosted quadrillions. If each sapient of such a cradle desired access, the rchant would receive," Joe quickly fiddled the numbers in his head, spending more ti trying to figure out the currency exchange than the actual math, "Uh… I believe I am correct, but the rchant would receive half an iron. Or five hundred brass."
"That truly is a sizeable amount. Most rchants I know do well to reach a hundred brass in their business," the cleric offered his reply with a slight smile, obviously unimpressed but politely hiding it.
"Each year?"
"Oh, no… in a lifeti."
Joe chuckled a bit, responding with a smile, "If the rchant offered this at these prices, he would receive five hundred brass each month!"
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At this, the clerics eyes boggled, now overwheld, "That… cannot be!"
"And if this rchant were to offer his service to hundreds of cradles?"
"He would rival the clans themselves!"
"He could easily rival the clans," Joe nodded in reply. Sa thing happened back on Earth when the rchant classes over took the nobility in Europe and the East.
"Although I believe the values are representative, it seems that the distribution of wealth on this planet… plane is much more skewed."
"How so?"
"The wealthy here are incredibly wealthy. And the poor are incredibly poor. In my country… uh land, the wealthy and poor are not so much apart, although on my entire plane, there are so incredibly poor people as well. So maybe it's not so different after all."
"Truly fascinating. So with this access, one can access this knowledge?"
"One can access the knowledge, communicate with any other who also has access, interact with any rchant or bank who also has access, see or watch any other who as access and shares their videos… uh… shares their images. There are many things one can do once one has access."
The cleric sat astounded, uncertain how to reply; truly speechless. Joe smiled with so satisfaction. The internet is pretty freakin' cool if you really think about it… although most of us spend stupid amounts of ti just looking at cats and stupid humans… Joe stifled his sigh at the last comnt before turning the conversation to his purpose, "I'm sorry, cleric. I would love to talk more, if you wish, but we're busy today and I really want to get back into the dungeons. Can we ask our questions?"
"Ah, yes. Of course, sir… uh? May I have your na? I seem to have beco quite distracted by our conversation."
"Ha! Of course. I did not catch your na, either. I am Joe. What's your na?"
"You may speak to as Kukurnal."
"It is nice to et you, Kukurnal."
"A pleasure, Joe. How may I guide you to seek knowledge today, Joe?"
"I seek knowledge on four things. I want to know how to gain the combat jobs. I want to know the best job or group of jobs to gain a lot of learning stat. And I want to know about any jobs that could teach about jobs, reveal information about jobs, or learn about jobs. Finally, I would like to know about any job that might help grow myself, or my jobs."
The cleric showed surprise once again but waited until Joe's litany of questions were finished, "Quite an intriguing set of questions. They seem quite contradictory. A scholar, a fighter, and an extremist. It's quite a strange set of questions."
Joe said nothing, shrugging, "It is what I seek." An extremist? What does that an?
The cleric thought deeply for so ti, seeming to beco quiet distracted, but Joe offered nothing in return, simply waiting without response as well until the cleric finally responded, "Well, your questions originally necessitated two clerics, but the first cleric was quite unhappy with your observation of our tardiness and refused to answer your questions. A truly excellent example of small minded n. Of course, as your apprentice noticed, you have lost his help because of your words."
"Truly such a horrible fate," Joe's responded with sarcasm.
The cleric raised an eyebrow in subtle shock, "You seem unconcerned. You have been denied help solely because of your actions."
"In so ways, yes. But if he was so shallow as to offer help only on the basis of those he likes or dislikes, then he would be insincere enough to offer misleading information out of spite or anger. I would rather receive no advice from such a sapient than take my chance that the being's advice was credible and beneficial instead of a possible attempt to sabotage ."
"That is … a way."
Joe shrugged and replied, "I've lost nothing from his rejection. I am simply where I was before so I have lost nothing while gaining possible safety from a petty being."
"But he has no reason to act in such a petty way towards you."
"That I know of, true. But I have no way to know if I have not accidently offended him unknowingly, either."
The cleric blinked a few tis, "Interesting philosophy."
Joe replied, "Well, I don't make my life choices on annoying people to see how they respond. I had no intention of offending, although my words were quite blunt and offensive. My friend was right in this case. My big mouth got in a lot of trouble."
"You still seem unconcerned."
"Like I said, I am simply where I originally was. I have neither gained nor lost."
"Well, as I said, my knowledge of combat is … limited, but I can give you what I am able to. Combat jobs beco available through the scout job."
"OK, but still worthless for . What opens the scout job?"
"I believe the explorer job. It can be seen that a scout would be a specialized explorer."
"OK. Sounds cool. What opens the explorer job?"
"You do realize that each question requires its own paynt?"
"Except that you have not answer my question. I wished to open the combat jobs."
"And I told you, you must have the scout job."
Joe grimaced but then nodded, "OK. Then tell , what opens the explorer job."
"I do not know, sir."
Joe grimaced, unhappy with the result, but at least he had a starting point. Gotta find explorer, if I can. "OK. What of my other questions?"
"Little is known of stats, although there are so esoteric scholars who claim to have understood and examined the stats. There are only a few that are known. The first two seem to be related to one's health and magic. The next four seem to deal with a person's combat capabilities. Other than these, the rest are a mystery. Can you explain to what you an by learning stat?"
"You don't know what… never mind. Of course you don't. You don't know how to read!"
"What is… read?"
Joe shook his head and dismissed the question before a smirk rose on his face, "You know, each question requires its own paynt!"
The cleric's eyes rose in shock, "You would blackmail the god of knowledge! You would demand paynt for what is due him?"
"If he already knows it, then he can tell you. If he doesn't know it, then it must not be his due. If you do not know it, your god must not wish you to know it. I do not wish to incur his wrath teaching you that which he does not wish you to know."
The man simply stared at him, shock settling on his face.
"Besides, if selling knowledge to seekers is good enough for the god of knowledge, then I can also sell my knowledge. I only seek to emulate the god of knowledge, yes?"
The man's irritation flickered to admiration before he guffawed loudly, "I do not know to take your words as wisdom or sacrilege! But yes, if it is good enough for my god, then it must be good enough for his followers. Are you a follower of knowledge?"
"I seek to learn knowledge everywhere I may."
The man nodded firmly, "Then you are as I, a follower of Mimir."
Joe didn't wish to disabuse the man of his view and simply accepted Kukurnal's assumption. The man seed to enjoy the mont of levity before ending his laughter and leaned forward with so excitent. "Then, I shall pay. What do you wish for paynt of this knowledge?"
"I do not believe knowledge should be horded or charged for. It should be easily accessed by all. Teaching that knowledge in easy to learn formats; that should be charged. But, knowledge itself should be free."
"So you will not charge , then?" the priest smiled with so cunning.
Joe smiled in return, "And you will not charge ?"
The priest's smile took a hit, a bit of cunning dissatisfaction flickering through his eyes, "I'm uncertain that my superior would be satisfied with this arrangent."
"Equal exchange of knowledge is only equal if I give my knowledge for free but I must pay for yours?"
"It seems unfair."
"It is more than unfair. I am able to gain your knowledge from any temple of Mimir and any cleric or priest at temples all over this cradle, yes? But my knowledge is truly mine alone. You will never hear of this knowledge from any but ."
The cleric blinked in surprise, realization coming to him quickly followed by desperation, "How do you an?"
"To the best of my knowledge, I am the only being of my plane here. You will find no other of my kind."
"Then, what do you seek?"
"As I said before, I seek the knowledge. I am willing to give you equal exchange for my knowledge."
"How would we do such an exchange."
"A question for a question?"
The priest smiled, laughter and good cheer returning, "You are truly a priest of Mimir. Good. A question for a question it will be."
"You have already asked five or six questions of , yes?"
The priest frowned then grimaced in chagrin, "You are a follower of Mimir wrapped in the ways of Plutus, the god of money, rchants, and calculation."
Joe only smiled and replied, "I believe I asked you three questions, yes?"
The priest nodded, "Yes, but I only asked you five. You have two more from ."
"Excellent. Then I ask the next question. You cannot help with the learning stat, but then what is the job that may help learn, understand, explore, or see other jobs? This is not a job that helps know about its own job, but one that teaches to know about other jobs, even those I have never or cannot currently take. It is a job that reveals the truth of other jobs."
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