In the grand hall of the Royal Magic Academy, Aoko stood at the podium, lecturing the academy's sorcerers. Among the audience were mages of all ages, including Seluvis, Thops, and even the Full Moon Queen herself, who had found a seat in the corner of the classroom, listening with great interest. It seemed that little Ranni had been temporarily entrusted to someone else's care.
"My sister and I arrived in this Crystal Wall System from another through special magical means," Aoko explained. "Crystal Wall Systems vary in size—some are as small as a single star system, while others are vast, containing countless stars within a supermassive universe."
"Excuse me, but what is a star?" An elderly Glintstone Mage with a long white beard asked.
"The definition of a star differs between Crystal Wall Systems," Aoko thought for a moment before explaining. "In my Crystal Wall System, the Sun is a type of star. Stars are enormous, continuously burning spheres of nuclear fire that provide light and heat to the planets orbiting them."
After speaking, Aoko waved her hand, and an illusory projection materialized in the center of the hall, displaying a model of the Solar System, with multiple planets revolving around the Sun.
"My world is here," Aoko pointed at the third blue planet in the Solar System with her staff. "A planet we call 'Earth'."
The sorcerers below began murmuring among themselves—some dismissed Aoko's theory with skepticism, while others furrowed their brows, scribbling notes as they pondered. Some, seemingly enlightened by her words, looked visibly excited.
"Multiple planetary worlds orbiting a star form a stellar system," Aoko continued. She then zoomed the perspective outward, shrinking the Solar System into a mere speck of light amidst a sea of countless other glowing dots. "And approximately 200 billion stars make up the Milky Way Galaxy."
The revelation of the Milky Way, coupled with Aoko's explanation, sent shockwaves through the Glintstone Mages present. Their prior astronomical knowledge evidently could not support such an immense celestial system, and the number 200 billion was beyond anything they had ever comprehended.
Aoko, noticing their astonishment, decided to push their minds even further. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she lightly waved her staff again.
The entire Milky Way Galaxy shrank once more, now reduced to an insignificant speck. In its place appeared a golden, root-like structure of staggering proportions, resembling the vascular system of some colossal cosmic entity. The murmurs in the hall ceased at once.
"This is the Laniakea Supercluster," Aoko explained in an awe-filled tone. "The supermassive cosmic structure in which the Milky Way resides. It contains over 100,000 galaxies, each similar in scale to the Milky Way. You can imagine how many stars exist within."
At this astronomical scale, the impact on these ancient scholars, who had spent their lifetimes studying astronomy, was no longer just a shift in worldview—it was existential dread.
Some scholars, grasping the sheer insignificance of their existence in such a vast cosmos, began to feel as though their lives held no meaning at this scale. A few of the older professors even fainted from shock. However, Aoko wasn't particularly worried about their well-being. After all, these scholars bore the blessing of the Erdtree—dying so easily wasn't an option for them.
Meanwhile, scholars like Seluvis and Thops, who were more open-minded and not bound by past knowledge structures, were thrilled. They eagerly compared Aoko's teachings with their prior knowledge, analyzing discrepancies and attempting to revise their existing academic frameworks.
The one with the most unusual reaction, however, was the Full Moon Queen, Rennala. She was neither shocked by Aoko's explanations nor fearful of the Laniakea Supercluster's magnitude. Instead, she simply stared at the golden, root-like celestial structure, seemingly lost in thought—as if recalling something from long ago.
Aoko did not attempt to disturb her. She suspected that Rennala may have once communed with Radagon, the vessel of the Elden Ring, and might have learned deeper cosmic truths from him.
Aoko herself had her suspicions. After all, the Laniakea Supercluster's structure bore an uncanny resemblance to certain internal features of the Elden Beast. It was difficult not to wonder whether the Greater Will, in creating the Elden Beast, had drawn inspiration from such colossal cosmic formations.
"However, these structures exist only in my universe, my Crystal Wall System," Aoko said, attempting to ease the tension in the room. "The star, the star system, the galaxy, and even the universe where the Lands Between reside may follow entirely different rules. Therefore, I encourage you all to conduct your research. My knowledge serves only as a reference."
She was speaking truthfully. Since arriving in the Lands Between, Aoko had observed and studied various records, and all evidence pointed to stark contradictions between the astronomy of this world and her universe.
Even the very planet on which the Lands Between existed might not be spherical at all—a fundamental question that remained unanswered. Let alone the structure of the broader cosmos.
Furthermore, the fact that Aoko had traveled here using interdimensional teleportation magic implied that she had not simply moved faster than light across countless light-years within the Type-Moon Universe to reach an alien planet. Rather, she had entered an entirely different Crystal Wall System, an alternate reality.
The reason she continued to support the Crystal Wall System and Phlogiston Sea theoretical models was that her internal Arcane Weave Fragment still functioned, allowing her to tap into the complete Arcane Weave. If this world were entirely disconnected from the Crystal Wall System framework, then—even with a fragment—she should not have been able to access the Arcane Weave for spellcasting.
Of course, ultimately, all of this was theoretical—hypotheses derived from existing evidence. It did not necessarily mean this was the absolute truth of the world.
Aoko had chosen to share these concepts with the Royal Carian Academy's Glintstone Mages today because she had been invited by Queen Rennala as part of her efforts to reform the academy's stagnant academic culture—a culture that had degenerated into dogmatic, regressive thinking after Rennala's house arrest at the hands of the traitors.
By introducing new paradigms from foreign spellcasters like Aoko and her sister, the academy's scholars were forced to confront radically different perspectives. Those who had witnessed the vastness of the cosmos would be less willing to return to their stagnant and decayed academic traditions.
...
Returning to her research chamber, Aoko received a magical message from sorcerers of the Holy War Expeditionary Force.
Not all of them had followed Rellana to Mt. Gelmir—some had accompanied General Gaius to Caelid, searching for the remaining half of the Dectus Grand Lift Medallion.
"The medallion has been found," the message read. "But General Gaius has decided to participate in the Combat Festival and is requesting additional support."
Aoko frowned as she read the message.
Its contents confirmed her earlier suspicions—General Gaius had indeed become entangled in his mentor Radahn's affairs.
And since the request had been sent directly to her, it meant that they were specifically calling for Aoko's participation in the Combat Festival's battle.
It seemed that some troubles simply could not be avoided—no matter how much she wished to stay out of them.