[cautiously, Hiccup inches into view. He's talked to a few people through the magic book by now, and...well, so far they don't seem to have been cursed to a horrible and painful doom by it. Not that it's too late for that...]

Are you sure about that? Technology is...you know, pulley systems, catapults, better ways of reigning down fire and destruction upon your enemies, etcera ectera.. This is a book with moving pictures. How could you make something like this without magic?

[he glances off to the side, where Toothless is presumably stashed out of view]

Toothless...Toothless isn't really a pet. He's my friend.