"I told you I don't know much about Dreamland. I've just been hearing that name lately," Mithra said.
"A starting point? Not bad. Sun City is quite famous in Dreamland," Matsuri replied, understanding.
Mithra looked at the information about Sun City and the Xyrin Empire on her screen.
During the era of the Forty-Four Pillars, a devastating calamity had occurred in the region of the Xyrin Empire, a disaster so large even the Sanctuary didn't fully record it. It spread across Dreamland.
A legendary figure had led various tribes in a fight against it, creating "the Sun."
Using this artificial sun, they successfully repelled the calamity.
Afterward, the place where the sun was created became known as "Sun City."
Towards the end of the era of the Forty-Four Pillars, humans seized Sun City during their rebellion, establishing their early kingdom, the Xyrin Empire.
Sun City was once the capital of the Xyrin Empire, going through periods of prosperity and decline. After various destructions and rebuilds, the capital was moved.
Even so, Sun City remained a well-known city in the Xyrin Empire, even in all of Dreamland.
Planet Blue also established a cooperative relationship with the Xyrin Empire. While not a full diplomatic relationship, the Xyrin Empire allowed Planet Blue citizens to engage in various activities within the city.
Strengthening diplomatic ties with Sun City was a goal of Planet Blue's Hong'a Region Administration.
Through sustained efforts, it had become a major hub for Planet Blue citizens.
"I couldn't find any detailed information about that calamity. There are barely any records, and even the nature of that artificial sun isn't explained. The descriptions are vague and speculative, more like myths than historical records," Mithra said, her fingers tapping the table.
"In a world with gods, what can you do?" Matsuri shrugged.
Mithra nodded. "Right. If gods are involved, calling it a myth isn't unreasonable."
"But I do have some descriptions you might find interesting," Matsuri suddenly said.
Mithra turned, meeting her golden eyes.
Their mutual search for information was palpable.
"Regarding the calamity, I vaguely remember some descriptions," Matsuri whispered. "A black curtain fell upon the world, and the world plunged into an unknown future. Until a cold sun appeared, dispelling the darkness, and restoring order."
Silence fell over the library.
Mithra tilted her head, propping her face up with her hand.
Eternal Night?
Mithra remembered the Eternal Night Crystal she was keeping as a resource.
The dark elf, Anderet.
This entity had brought about Eternal Night during the era of the Forty-Four Pillars. After Eternal Night's end, the remaining power had formed the Eternal Night Crystals.
Regardless of whether it was one of the Forty-Four Pillars, the audacity and power to bring about its own era was extraordinary.
"A black curtain fell upon the world." Could this be referring to Eternal Night?
If so, it wasn't another powerful being that ended Eternal Night, but a group of crafters who created an artificial sun.
What kind of device was that artificial sun?
Mithra's mind raced.
"Curious?" Matsuri smiled.
Mithra nodded. "Yes."
Researching the Forty-Four Pillars was one of Mithra's goals. After all, they were probably the entities behind her.
She wanted to get to know her benefactors.
"Want to take a look? The clothes I made for you are ready, but you haven't had time to wear them," Matsuri mimicked Mithra's head tilt.
"We'll take a look later. No need to rush," Mithra replied.
She had a General Education class soon. She wanted to focus on those classes for now.
...
A few days later, Mithra finished the required general education courses.
As long as she answered the questions like a normal person, the general knowledge questions would be easy. The more esoteric questions could only be answered through memorization.
Mithra decided to visit Sun City as a break from her intense studies.
Before leaving, she reported her plans to Chén Shào and then found Matsuri.
"Oh, Mithra actively seeking me out is rare," Matsuri said with a smile.
Mithra held out her hand. "Clothes."
"Want new clothes? These are my masterpieces..." Before Matsuri finished speaking, Mithra turned to leave, forcing Matsuri to hurriedly pull her back.
Mithra was led into Matsuri's room. A set of clothes was displayed on a shelf.
A simple, dark leather long coat, a dark grey undershirt, matching pants with leggings, and grey shoes. A small pouch was placed beside them.
Mithra hadn't expected much, but these clothes were surprisingly excellent.
In fact...
[Regenerative Clothing: Simple, ordinary fabric made into clothes using incredible technology. Don't think too much about it. Thanks to a specific miracle, the fabric will regenerate from even small remnants if torn, but the wearer might subconsciously ignore their injuries.]
[Dimensional Pouch: A simple pouch made using incredible technology. Thanks to a specific miracle, it contains a larger internal space; it could even fit an elephant. The wearer's sense of space will slightly decrease.]
Mithra was silent for a moment, looking at Matsuri's confident expression.
Matsuri smiled. "Don't you want to try them on?"
"How did you do this?" Mithra asked.
Understanding that Mithra had noticed something, Matsuri held up her hands, mimicking the action of cutting and sewing with scissors. "Sewing miracle?"
Without saying anything further, Mithra went into Matsuri's bathroom to change. She put the clothes back in the bag and, as she left, removed her glasses and put them in the pouch.
"How is it?"
"They fit perfectly... You didn't even take my measurements," Mithra said, slightly surprised.
"A professional seamstress possesses excellent vision and calculation skills," Matsuri replied cryptically.
Are you related to Phaselos? Mithra thought.
Aloud, she said, "Thank you. These clothes are worth more than the needles I gave you."
"I gained more than just needles. I also got a good coat rack," Matsuri surveyed the room, satisfied.
"You could sell that coat rack and make some money," Mithra suggested.
Matsuri shook her head, sitting on a chair. "It's just a hobby for now. I don't want to get involved in those things. It'll make it meaningless."
Without commenting on Matsuri's philosophy, Mithra thanked her again and left.
After tying her long hair back with a hair tie she had borrowed from Matsuri, Mithra headed towards the familiar teleportation point in the square.
Touching the point, a vague map appeared in her mind. Following her planned route, she initiated the teleportation.
With a blink, Mithra arrived back in Dreamland.
But she didn't appear in Sun City as planned.
Instead, she was outside the city walls.
And this seemed to be a relatively obscure teleportation point. There was no one around.
A few cloaked figures were whispering. When they noticed Mithra, they turned to look at her.
Confused faces stared at her in confusion.
"We just opened this point! Sun City has so many points; no one should notice this one!"
"Our plans were discovered?"
"...I think she might have gotten the location wrong?"
Mithra listened to their conversation, then glanced at the small pouch at her hip.
The information had mentioned that the sense of space might have been affected?
She hadn't been able to see the map clearly during teleportation, so she had just roughly chosen a location. It seemed she had stumbled upon something strange...