"Hello in there. Might I bother you for a moment?" Dominic called at the door of the closest Techno Wizard’s shop.
"Of course. What can I do for you today, My Lord?" The young specialist asked.
"I am looking for a specific magitech item. One to create coal for the steam tractors I just obtained. I could also use one that simply creates fire, but then I’d need someone qualified to use it operating the tractor." Dominic explained.
"Oh, let me ask next door. That is more his thing. He did a lot of work with the steam fitters and practical sorts. Most of my work was with the Mages, so I’ve got more esoteric sorts of spells in stock." He explained.
The Techno Wizard who had moved in next door stuck his head out the window with a smile.
"See, I told you that there was a good reason to stick with the practical magic." He joked.
Then he held up a small black gem. "I don’t have it as a Magitech Orb, but I have [Create Coal] as a spell gem. If we need more, it’s within my abilities to make them in both forms, but they take all day."
And a full day of a Techno Wizard’s time was valuable.
"How much do you need for it?" Dominic asked.
"Think of it as a welcoming gift, My Lord. Spell Gems cost nothing but time to make, and I’m glad to be here. Not as happy as I will be when we get some guards in town, but much better here than anywhere else that we might have ended up." He replied.
Dominic chuckled. "Yes, we do need some guards. There are Royal Guards at the manor if things get bad. They’re not lawmen, but they’ll watch out for the village when the Duchess comes out."
The Techno Wizard nodded. "And might I ask, who is your wife?"
"Princess Alexis Cygnus. The younger Twin Princess, and Royal Paladin."
The sound of crashing let Dominic know that the man behind him had dropped whatever he was holding, which made him smile at the shocked Techno Wizard.
"Yeah, that is the usual response. I married way above my weight class, but don’t tell her that."
The two men shook their heads in unison. "That’s not it, Your Grace. We just didn’t expect that we would end up at a Royal Estate. Perhaps this is fate, leading us to the perfect spot to start over after the war?
If anyone can build a true home for Techno Mages and other magic users, it would be yourself and a Princess of Cygnia."
Dominic nodded. "It must have been hard the last decade. Or were they at least pretending to get along with other magic users so that they could advance their magitech?"
The two men both shook their heads. "No, the Dagos Nobles treated us like some sort of criminals on a work program. The people are still the same as they always were, at least in private, but the penalties for being seen to support unlawful magic users and nonhumans were so stiff that nobody dared to speak up for any sort of magic.
Why risk the local Lord accusing the Techno Witch you hired of being a demihuman using banned magic, and having him execute your whole family for harbouring fugitives?
The Merchant’s Guild knows who we are, but for the most part, Techno Wizards have just been claiming to be Artificers, or secondhand goods dealers.
Everyone loves Magitech, so if you just claim you bought it for resale, it’s all good."
Dominic sighed. "I know that the King intends to replace the upper Nobles that survived the war, but I can’t say for sure whether they will try to grant some sort of amnesty for the Barons and Knights.
Some might get leniency, but I am hoping that most are evicted back to Dagos territories, so that the Stansia Province can recover."
The Techno Wizard who had given him the [Create Coal] spell gem chuckled.
"Well, it has already recovered to some degree. There used to be a curse on this area so strong that refugees trying to get to Cygnia would more often end up in Mitfield than Cygnia. Hundreds of kilometres off course.
We were expecting the same, but we made it all the way to the border without anything strange happening, or our people losing their minds in terror."
Dominic shrugged. "Cygnia sent soldiers through here, and it wasn’t an issue. So, I can’t claim that it was my doing. But there was magic on this estate that had to be remedied before anyone else could move in."
The Techno Wizard shrugged. "Cygnia sent through units led by Paladins. They can just cast a spell and cleanse the taint from their soldiers. That’s how they made it to Causter and Lympsbury.
Let me tell you, the Nobles were shocked to see them coming, too. For ten years, nobody came across this portion of the border.
Dominic chuckled. "Well, that explains the condition of the roads on our way up. I knew that the area was abandoned, but I didn’t think that it was going to be this well-preserved. The dishes were still on the table in most of the houses when my team arrived and started to clean up."
The Techno Wizard shrugged. "I can’t say that I mind. The place might need a very thorough cleaning, but I can see where you patched the bad mortar on the walls. It’s solid, it’s warm, with a magical stove. Not much more a refugee could ask for.
Plus, it came with a full set of housewares, and even the mattress won’t be bad once I beat the dust out of it. A bit funny smelling, but I’ve got a spell for that."
Dominic laughed. "Well, if you’ve got a spell for cleaning houses, you could make a small fortune in favours owed when the rest of the town starts showing up. Or I could hire you to clean, but I can’t afford to pay more than a cleaner’s wage at the moment."
The Techno Wizard shook his head. "Nothing so grand. Just one to nullify scents. But that will help with the sleeping situation, and a day’s worth of airing out will do even more.
I just wish that we’d thought to bring along a family with daughters. Teen daughters are always willing to clean houses for a day wage, and then I wouldn’t have to do it myself."