The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 52, Section 49: The Starry Sky, the Evil Sorcerer, and a Distant Land

For some reason, Guter felt:

For some inexplicable reason, he couldn't join in the conversation between Elian and Ain.

"Never mind, he's just a high-level mage from out of town."

"It's only because they come from human settlements outside of Eldoron that they seem so unusual."

"Ignore her and get back to my own research."

Gute no longer wanted to waste any more time on the lady, so he said a brief goodbye and turned to leave.

On his way back to his lab, several subordinates suddenly rushed up to report:

"Lord Gut, Lord Gut."

Something happened on the surface.

"An elven mage is causing trouble in the town below the floating city!"

"He vandalized the road, killed the zombies who were working, and it looks like he's going to smash up the magic school!"

"Several teams of battle mages have already gone to check the situation..."

what?
Elf mage?

"A pointy-eared demon has actually come to Eldoron? And dares to cause trouble right under our feet?"

Guter's expression turned angry.

Although it's unclear why elves would appear on human land.

But Guterres could not tolerate this provocative behavior!
Now, compared to when he fought Elian ten years ago, his magical power has increased significantly, making him almost a legend.

Furthermore, thanks to the occasional guidance from Elian, Gutt's understanding and application of Evocation magic has undergone a qualitative change, making him far more than the magic-wielding brute he once was. Even when encountering weaker [Elementary Legendary] level enemies, he can hold his own for a while.

"It's right below the floating city, isn't it? I'll go check it out myself."

"If it is truly a matter of great importance, then we will ask His Majesty El-Erian to intervene!"

……

at the same time.

Elion brought Ain to his arcane laboratory.

"Your Majesty Elion, what knowledge do you wish to share with me?"

Ain's eyes were full of anticipation.

She did not expect this mortal to tell her, the goddess of knowledge, what she did not know.

What Ain was really curious about was the extent of the knowledge of this mage who was able to establish such a great nation that respected knowledge.
Elian clapped his hands gently.

The laboratory ceiling and walls suddenly transformed into a dazzling starry sky pattern.

It was as if the two of them were in the vast, dark space.

"I've been observing the night sky and studying the trajectories of celestial bodies lately, and I've made some interesting discoveries."

“By the way, I haven’t asked yet, Ms. Aenelia, how much do you know about astronomy?” Elion asked.

“It can be considered quite proficient,” Ain smiled, “though it certainly cannot compare to Your Majesty’s knowledge.”

“I have visited the library of the Elven Royal Court and seen the scrolls left behind by the Dragon Empire, and thus I know the secrets of celestial movements.”

“I know that the stars in the sky are essentially the same as the world beneath our feet; they are all ellipsoidal planets and part of the material plane.”

"They move under the influence of each other's gravity."

“A few other planets may also have life—such as fire elementals and sun dragons living on the sun. Although these planets may have many powerful individuals, the population is small and the level of civilization is not high.”

Ayn attempted to articulate knowledge that she estimated far exceeded the current level of human civilization's understanding.

I wanted to see Elian's reaction—whether she would express doubt and refute it, or be pleasantly surprised and eager to hear more from her.

“Very true, madam. Your knowledge is far greater than I imagined.”

Elian casually uttered a word of praise, completely ignoring the fleeting look of surprise in Ain's eyes.

In fact, Elian knows more than Ian.

For example, the living beings on this land have not yet named the planet beneath their feet.

In the distant future, as spellcasters invented magic that could traverse the stars, as creatures from other planets multiplied, and as the gods scattered mortal races to different planets, more and more planets would have prosperous civilizations.

Each planet can be considered an independent world, and a god may be worshipped on multiple planets.

At that time, this planet that gave birth to the earliest civilization would be called the "First World." (Note: The relationships between the worlds of Toril, Greyhawk, and Klein in the original D&D setting are roughly like this.)
Gathering his thoughts, Erian manipulated the image of the starry sky in the room:
"Madam, I have discovered that some celestial bodies seem to be more special than others."

“A few stars seem to contain unimaginable power and danger. If observed for a long time, they may even have a reverse effect on the observer’s mind, causing nightmares and mild hallucinations.”

"Based on my speculation, these stars may not be a product of our universe."

"Or rather, these celestial bodies were originally a normal part of the material plane, but they were contaminated by other dimensions, so they became strange and distorted."

Stars contaminated by other dimensions?
Ain raised her eyebrows slightly.

A completely new way of saying it that has never been heard before!
Which stars?

She asked curiously.

El-Erian extended his right hand in a loose grasp, and then gently twisted his wrist.

One star after another is magnified in the starry sky projection.

Elian's finger pointed to one problematic star after another:
"Hadar, the thirst of darkness, the embers of an extinguished star hidden in the Iba Nebula."

"It symbolizes darkness, destruction, and endless thirst."

"Caiphon, the Dreamer, is a purple star that usually lies on the horizon. It disguises itself as a useful navigational star, but sometimes betrays those who trust it."

"Ulban, this star continuously emits a cold, blue-white light that seems to undermine the observer's perception and ability to sense danger."

“Gibbeth…Zhudun…”

El-Erian introduced each star in turn, each one concealing pollution from distant lands.

As he spoke, his thoughts seemed to drift back to his past life, to the apocalyptic scenes he had personally experienced—

When the outer gods from a distant land opened the gate connecting the two universes, and sounded the horn of the final war with whispers among the stars, the gods, including Elion, finally discovered:
It turns out that the erosion and corruption of the giant universe by distant lands began at the very beginning of creation.

Long before the beginning of time, when the two serpents of order created the planes from chaos, the power of distant lands had already quietly infiltrated.

Over an incredibly long period of time, through millennia upon millennia, the Outer Gods have relentlessly eroded reality, using the celestial bodies of the Prime Material Plane as their mediums for interfering with other universes.

Until the end of the world, when everything was destroyed, no one could have predicted that this distant land would become so powerful!

Perhaps some scholars have become aware of the existence of distant lands.

However, they believed that it was just another, more hidden dimension, similar to the bottomless abyss, Heaven Mountain, or the ninefold hell.

If someone were to claim that the power of a distant land surpasses the combined power of all the gods in the vast universe…

That would only be considered the ramblings of some drunken madman.

Or perhaps, it's an opening piece hastily made up by some bored novelist to grab attention and create a sense of crisis.

Until that war that destroyed all mortals and gods, the arrogance of scholars and gods was proven...

Elian knew that in the future, the profession of "Evil Sorcerer" would be born, relying on the power of contracts.

Most sorcerers seek to make a pact with a great devil or demon lord.

However, a few sorcerers choose to make a pact with the whispering stars.

For millennia, sorcerers have wielded powers not of this world, naming their spells after the stars:
"The Desire of Hada", "The Arm of Hada", "The Leap of Kaifeng", "The Light of Urban"...

Until the Muggles, who knew nothing about magic, became numb to the names of these spells from hearing them so often, and mistakenly believed that the so-called "Hada" and "Kaifeng" were just the names of the inventors of the corresponding spells.

Unbeknownst to them, the power of these spells originates from pollution outside the world, and each time they are used, they erode their universe and shake the framework of reality.

When the final war arrived, the stars suddenly grew eyes and mouths. The Outer Gods used these stars as bridges to knock on the door connecting the two universes. Relying on their centuries-long, persistent pollution of the Great Wheel Universe, they instantly suppressed the plane wills of the Great Wheel's various planes and destroyed one pantheon after another at an astonishing speed...

It's too late.

Fortunately, none of this has happened yet...

Elian pulled his wandering thoughts back and introduced each of the dangerous stars to Ain one by one.

Even in his brief remarks, he revealed a conclusion that he had only reached after becoming the God of Magic ten thousand years later—describing it as "his own conjecture."

Elion wanted to alert the goddess of knowledge beside him to the threat from beyond the world!
"That's it, so I believe these stars are exceptionally dangerous."

"When developing and performing magical rituals, one should avoid involving these celestial bodies as much as possible, and should not arbitrarily manipulate the symbols corresponding to these celestial bodies..."

Ian listened to these statements and fell into thought.

Others may not be able to verify Elian's claims, but she is a true god skilled in prophecy and divination!
She was considering whether to use her divine power to directly investigate these celestial bodies!

To verify whether El-Erian's hypothesis is just wild speculation.

(The Demon Star, which I think is the coolest design in the D&D 4 version)
(End of this chapter)