Karla was looking for her lover among the crowd.
Since this was the common training ground for all first year students he should also be in here. She was aware that because of the large number of students there was a high chance of being on a separate side of this massive training ground but she still kept a faint hope in her heart.
"Who are you looking for?"
A melodious voice came from behind her which instantly put a happy smile on her face. She turned around and sure enough found the sight of her beloved gazing at her with a playful smile. She decided to reply to his question with her lips as she pecked him.
"Be mindful now. The teacher might get a bit angry."
He whispered in her ears as he put his hand around her waist while standing right beside her. Karla smiled and rested her head on his broad shoulder.
Thus the two lovebirds waited quietly.
°°°°
Blue found Karla within a minute thanks to many of his previous arrangements on her and joined her as he waited for the history teacher on their side of this training ground.
Shortly afterwards a man in his mind twenties arrived and quieted down the crowd before starting,
"Nice to meet you all, my name is Edward. I will be the history teacher for this group of first year students. There will be someone else tomorrow to replace me but every week on this day this will be my schedule. Now, let's start the lesson. The history subject is divided into two parts so it takes a lot to cover it all."
Edward noticed that some students had a look of disinterest so he couldn't help but warn them,
"Be patient now, not knowing the history of the place you live in is beyond foolishness as it not only reflects your character as a boorish person but also will get you into trouble for speaking wrong things at the wrong place. Just like your class lessons that are very important for your progress on the path of a player, equally the history lessons determine the sociability and awareness you have as a player."
The previously bored students finally straightened up after hearing that. Edward continued,
"I will ask a question to all of you. Do feel free to answer it together. Students, what is the name of your universe?"
""Endless Void!""
All the students answered instantly. Blue also did so since he wasn't the type to make a bad first impression on this history teacher who seemed to have an eagle eye for catching slackers.
"That's right. The void is endless. It is ever expanding. The place all of your worlds were in is called Outer Area. This place is the part of the universe that is expanding outwards thus its fitting name. You might think isn't everywhere out there is part of the universe? False! Universe is the place where existence could form but there naturally exists an 'outside' of it where no existence could ever form nor exist."
All the students had baffled faces but they kept quiet since the topic piqued their interest.
"It is called the Sea of Nothingness which is also limitless. This place is constantly getting assimilated bit by bit by the Endless Void where existence could form and exist. By learning this all of you finally gained some enlightenment about the place we called our universe."
Edward observed their reactions and was inwardly satisfied that he managed to hook all of their attention on his teaching so he got to the first part of this lesson,
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"Alright. We will now discuss the history of the place this Outer Area is in. All of you need to forget the name of the world you came from earlier because what really matters is knowing the place where all of these worlds congregated. The name of our empire is Tri Domain Union. Inside this union we live in the domain for players known as the Jester's Domain. Before we continue further you might be curious why I called it an empire while the name has union on it right?"
To his question most of the students replied affirmatively while some nodded. Blue was however inwardly alarmed at the sudden turn of events,
"Why did my Premonition ability activate again? Hmm… the truth of the place I am in will be revealed today? Isn't this on Jester's Domain?"
His previous half-hearted attention was now replaced by an acute focus as he strained his auditory and visual senses to the limit so as not to miss even a single bit of Edward's expression when he talked lest he overlooked some important clues. Memory Palace ability be damned as he wouldn't feel at ease without shading the passive side of him right now.
"The Tri Domain Union is called an empire because in the entire universe it is one of the four cosmic empires. We will talk about the other three empires in the next part, but let's talk about why the Tri Domain Union is actually considered an empire. There are not only players of Jester's Domain that live in this union but the other two domains have their own civilizations who are equally powerful like ours."
"It is more of a title when it is called a cosmic empire instead of the stereotypical reasoning of an imperial family and an emperor ruling over it. At present there are no beings who had taken the moniker of the emperor in the union. In today's lesson on empire's history we will focus on Jester's Domain of player civilization where we are a part of."
Blue listened till here but still found no discrepancy from his knowledge compared to Edward's revelations. Just as he frowned a little while pondering if he missed any clue, the Premonition ability became stronger and responsive as Edward continued,
"Earlier I said that there is no emperor in the union but that doesn't mean that the second highest position is also empty. In all three domains there are three individuals who's the highest figure in their respective domain, ruling over it since eons ago. The two Grand Duchess and one Grand Duke. Our Jester's Domain is ruled by the esteemed Grand Duke Arthur. He is renowned throughout the Endless Void as the Laughing Swordsman. This title of his was the reason behind why our domain is named the Jester's Domain. He is also the founder of the path of player and a near invincible existence throughout the void."
Edward continued with a fervent expression as he kept recounting the legends of Grand Duke Arthur. The new students were in awe of his speech. They were all thinking how lucky they would be if they ever got the chance to meet the very first player of the entire universe. Just being graced by his presence could be counted as the most glorious achievement in their life.
Blue however had a dumbfounded expression as he exclaimed inwardly,
"Who the fuck is Arthur!?"
He had finally confirmed why his Premonition ability had been going off. In his memory there was no Arthur who ruled over Jester's Domain but—
"Shouldn't it be Artemis? The Grand Duchess of Jester's Domain, The Smiling Archer? She was the first player of the universe and the one who founded the path of the player. Where did a guy named Arthur come from? Is this teacher feeding us false information? No, that can't be possible if he valued his life. Slandering one of the rulers of the empire just to deceive some first year students, a situation like that is not even funny. That means… he is telling the truth…"
Blue looked at Edward deeply who was going on a tangent about the life history of Arthur the "Grand Duke". There were also other dissimilarities he found earlier.
"As one of the strongest beings in the universe, conclusions like her position being usurped and replaced was beyond absurd. Other two rulers wouldn't just sit by while such an uprising was happening. They would surely join forces to eat up the domain and absorb it onto their territory. Speaking of those two, there should be two Grand Dukes but according to Edward it is now two Grand Duchesses.
"Naturally they all weren't replaced by someone. Such an event would have shaken the entire universe and set off a bloody storm when the remaining three empires and two void-kin races joined in on the fun. The most likely ending for the union would have been either being divided by them or utterly annihilated by them. There are no in-betweens."
He thus confirmed with 100% certainty that Edward wasn't courting death by spouting nonsense about them in public. Then the question remained,
"This is still the Jester's Domain but something happened during my transmigration? Only if this system would come out clean but unfortunately it only looks after its own benefits, chasing after women, just like me. Tsk! Tsk! There isn't enough information yet. I have to wait for the next part on void history's topic. My Premonition ability still hasn't deactivated."
So an abyss spawn intently listened to a human's teaching.