On the first floor of the Woodland Association, clear sunlight streamed through the branches beside the windows and into the hall. A few students came and went, taking care of their business.
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting earlier, Miss Sylutia." The woman who had assisted her apologized before continuing to explain what came with advancing to the Second Order.
"Do you know how the Woodland Association first came to be, Miss Sylutia?"
"I know a little." She understood that the Silver Radiance Church had been the first to explore the World of Shadows.
"Entering the World of Shadows beneath the continent was extremely dangerous in the beginning. A Lighthouse had to be established here to keep the coordinates from shifting."
"The original purpose was to address the World of Shadows' interference with the Surface World. The principles behind it involve a rather complicated theory of mirror symmetry."
"Essentially, when an area in the World of Shadows undergoes a Distortion, something strange can happen in the corresponding area of the Surface World, too."
"To stop these Distortions from spreading, organizations on the surface had no choice but to send members into the World of Shadows to eliminate their source."
"Back then, traveling to and from the World of Shadows was extremely difficult, so many members who came here found it hard to return."
"As a result, most people were unwilling to go to the World of Shadows."
"To change that and compensate for the forced deployment of personnel, the various organizations agreed to provide members willing to go to the World of Shadows with supplies of daily necessities and resources for advancement. That was how the situation gradually stabilized."
"Although the World of Shadows isn't as dangerous or harsh as it was back then, the supply system has continued."
"When