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Foreign Jewel - Research into Unconventional Alchemy XI

Journal of Conrad Azohi - Day 714 after embarking

All the huts in this back-alley part of Tikak seem to house families, which I find odd, as these huts don't seem large enough to house an entire family. I feel cramped even with it being only me living in my hut. Though, it seems that most people in this city only use these huts to sleep, instead milling about in the street or wandering out across town during the day. They clearly find me odd, as I stay inside my hut for a good portion of time, fiddling with my alchemy equipment (most of my time has been dedicated to creating new implements, as my originals have all become worn down and damaged).

I've managed to find a tutor: a young woman of the family living in the hut next to mine. She has been attempting to teach me the local language. My progress is slow, but, after a couple of weeks, I have begun to pick up some of the finer details. For example, there are many more words for colors than in the imperial tongue. For example, for the color brown, there is the word "Urtek," which refers to the color of mud, "Jertek," which is the color of the muddy river, "Urzim," which is the brown of tree bark, "Urok," which refers to the color of the copper amalgam they use in their currency, "Jerzim," which is brown combined with a reflective quality, and many more besides.

Different colors are associated to different social or environmental traits, too. Different types of green are thought to indicate the health or 'wellness' of a person or location. Purple is connected to luck, with bright purple being lucky and dark, reddish purple being unlucky. Back to the topic of brown, Jerzim and Urok are colors associated with wealth, while Urtek and Jertek are colors associated with poverty. These color words are also used in common conversation. For example, pale green is referred to as "Rept," and is associated with a lack of sleep or exhaustion. In conversation, it is fine to say "Ugi-in Rept ot," which means "I am tired," but literally translates to "I am pale green."

With my increasing knowledge of the culture and trends of Tikak, I have managed to secure fairly solid income. I was able to use some tin-amalgam coins and some stabilized earth to create a simple jewel which is very "Jerzim." Back home, this stone would be completely worthless, but here, even with a relatively small gem, I was given a generous sum of money for it, enough that I will be able to last through the winter and into spring just on the coinage alone.

I feel odd about making two entries in a row about my manipulation of the local economy, but over the last few weeks, my time has been almost entirely centered on ensuring my security and survival. Now that I have achieved this, future entries should be more focused on interesting devices or materials I encounter in Tikak.