[NR] Town Crier - Chapter 797 (Patreon)

Rosha claps her hands, “Well, we’re far enough into town that people will start to notice us as something besides a traveler. So we should probably shut up. I doubt they’d be happy hearing how you’re dissecting, well, you know.”

Courtney nods, “Besides, there is nothing we can do about the city. It is the closest one to our place in the Deep Wilds. While we can’t go back there yet, I’m sure we’ll get a sign when the time is right. We don’t want to go too far or our connection to our stead might fray.”

Jason, “Good point. Right now we would be better served finding a place to stay. I’m thinking a place directly connected to the Guild. They won’t be free of the divine politicking. They’ll just be more mercenary about it without going as far as those who worship deities of trade.”

Courtney, “What does that mean for us?”

Jason, “It means they won’t badger us as long as we pay. They also won’t prevent others from badgering us as long as they pay. Though they will keep some boundaries. Bad for business, otherwise.”

Rosha, “Well, good thing we are heading towards the Guild already.”

Courtney, “But that’s just because we wanted to see if they had extra information on the demons. Well, that or if they would buy what we knew. While they might know more about the general, we might have some specific information they don’t.”

Jason, “They’ll likely pay us some no matter what. After all, we are firsthand accounts, while they’ll only have secondhand at best. It might not change the information, but it will upgrade the value if we allow them to use a truth effect on us.”

Rosha shrugs, “Not like we didn’t already go through the light of Truth. Which thinking of, why would the information they get be any less verified if they can use stuff like that to confirm it at every link of the chain?”

Courtney shakes her head, “You’re a little wrong about how trustworthy that is.”

Rosha frowns, “How? If you use truth spells at each step, it should be trustworthy?”

Courtney, “But what if a truth spell wasn’t used at each step? Or someone strong enough or skilled enough inserts themselves into the chain and passes on false info? Nevermind the fact that like with the telephone game, a message can be passed on where everyone believes they’ve passed in the correct message, but it isn’t? Nevermind the fact that truth spells don’t work at a remove. Us having seen it all firsthand? Now that’s easy to confirm!”

Rosha, “Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

Jason shrugs, “Besides, the System wouldn’t allow easy transfer of information like that. Or rather, it wouldn’t allow information that can be perfectly confirmed as true to travel like that. Either a person who experienced it is shuttled around, swearing the truth at every step or you just consider something as if it was from before people got a handle on false information online. Not that you can trust everything online now, but there are ways to confirm things with no need to be a researcher yourself.”

Rosha frowns, “That was a dark time. Though from a certain viewpoint, it was kind of funny that for about a decade or so, the job of town crier came back into fashion. They’d travel to important events like leaders making speeches and when new laws are passed, all to go back to their town and announce it publicly so people could trust it.”

Courtney, “Strictly speaking, that’s more like a reporter.”

Rosha shrugs, “They would literally cry out the news in a town’s square. They’re a town crier.”

Jason, “I wonder if the System modeled things slightly off of that?”

Courtney shakes her head, “This is just the reality of communication pre-tech. At least they have truth spells to help sift out the chaff. Irl, this sort of civilization didn’t really communicate. Not in the way we understand it.”

Rosha, “Meh, even with telegraphs and such didn’t really fix things. At least, going by history and how many conmen could basically just go to the next town over and ply their trades all over again says something.”

Courtney, “You can’t really judge it by how quickly such news spreads. People don’t like talking about when they’ve been scammed. Beyond that, small-town news tends to be inherently insular. Even if a chat can technically be read by anyone in the world, a local chat likely will only have local people and those who used to be local.

“I mean, before being a cop required a national license, they’d do the same thing. It was really horrible, nevermind the statistics of how many cops were also abusers.”

Jason frowned, “Positions like that always attract those sorts. It’s like catnip for them. Same with how middle management attracts micromanagers. Though not to the same degree.

“I won’t say sects were better about it as a whole, but with our internalization of the Dao, demonic cultivators, and other such things made the consequences of allowing people like that into enforcement positions obvious. While some places still allowed that kind of enforcer, it was done with knowledge of the consequences by people who had lived long enough to see those consequences play out hundreds of times.”

Rosha frowns, “Why would they still allow it then?”

Jason laughs, “Why does anyone allow bullies power? Because they benefit from it or can’t stop it. And since we’re talking about people who individually count as entire armies? It certainly isn’t the second one.

“As for the benefit? Well, some are like that themselves and the cultivation technique works best for those types. Others use such pettiness to try and sift out the rough gems. Then you get into those sects that aren’t ‘technically’ demonic sects.

“So, yeah, there are a lot of reasons. Just as many as irl has for similar situations over the centuries. I wouldn’t even say we’re completely free of it. Though now instead of the government employing them, its corps filling their security forces.”