if a way back to earth was found, what would be consequences of such a thing? such as whether or not some people would stay or the landers flipping out because the adventurers are bailing out on them.
Thanks for your patience! Work bled outside of work hours this week.
So! Wild Mass Guessing time! IMO, the consequences would depend on what type of a “way back to earth” is discovered, and there are three options: 1) mass reversal of the Catastrophe; 2) individual one-way street back to earth; 3) individual two-way street back to earth. Most of these are also predicated on all parties knowing the terms involved (which is unlikely, but who knows). Let’s explore!
1) Mass Reversal of the Catastrophe. Essentially, someone slams the reset button or smashes the applied phlebotinum, and voila! All the Adventurers are back on earth, and no one gets a choice. The Lander reaction here is simple - either they think all the Adventurers are bailing out and there will be no more (and so flip out and try to stop it, with a smaller portion saying “good riddance”) or the effect reversal is known AND explained and they’ll go back to normal operations as a video game. In which case (probably unsaid to the Landers), they won’t care anymore, because from both Lander and Adventurer perspective the other party is now back to being mindless. Now it’s POSSIBLE that things won’t work out like that, but if things don’t just go back how they were, it’s also possible that the Adventurers are getting shoved back into dead bodies or comatose bodies.
The Adventurer reaction is much more interesting here, because it will either be one or the other - and given it’s not an SAO type situation here (to our knowledge), most Adventurers would resent someone taking that choice from them. There are already indications that a number of Adventurers have much better lives in Theldesia than on Earth (Touya, Nureha, Akatsuki, etc). These people are not going to want to leave, and some may violently oppose it if aware. IMO, this is Nureha’s purpose is in controlling Plant Hwyden to “find the way back.” We’ve been explicitly told that her life on Earth sucked, so it’s likely that she’s plotting for her worst case scenario (this one) in order to put herself in control of that reset button, so no one else can press it. Of course, those with strong feelings for family members left behind or traumatized by Theldesia may fight equally hard for the way home. The more violence and “death” there is over this, however, the fewer motivating memories people have to return for...
2) Individual One-way Street. They find a portal or ritual that can return an Adventurer back to earth. They will never be able to come back. Adventurers first this time. Where is it? Depending on the cost involved and scarcity (high-level quests, rare materials, etc), there may be both competition and cooperation to get people back to earth. Those who want to stay might monetize their aid; those who want to leave may band together to achieve the goal. If an individual Adventurer has left significant loved ones or goals and projects behind on earth, they’re going to choose to go back, even if, like Kanami, they really enjoy the world of Theldesia. Adventurers who had shitty lives will stay. Adventurers who have died too many times in Theldesia and have forgotten details that would make them care about earth will stay. Adventurers who don’t particularly care either way will stay, due to effort. If enough people from one guild leave, the whole guild will return to earth, or it will break down and integrate with those who are staying. The reverse is true too - I imagine if the bulk of Log Horizon chose to stay, so would Shiroe and Naotsugu, even if they have loved ones at home.
This one makes Lander response a bit more nuanced! The Adventurer population now turns into a finite resource that will decrease as time passes (unless Adventurers can have children, which has been… somewhat hinted at?). And hey! That’s our protection from the monsters who go bump in the night! Some very short-sighted and stupid Landers may try and threaten or force individual Adventurers to stay, or control the method of return (if known). Smarter ones will compete to sweeten the deal (and relationships) enough to tie Adventurer cities, guilds, or just individuals to the Lander population, so they’re willing to stay. Some nobles might try to take Adventurers on as part of their retained military force; others may try to build relationships to entice them to stay (Demikaas and his Lander wife, though likely not intended in this manner). It might also increase competition between Lander societies with regards to the location of Adventurers on a server (like the cities that bid for Amazon to host their headquarters there).
3) Individual Two-way Street. This is the most ideal outcome, but also raises the most questions. Where is it? How many? Who has access? Adventurers AND Landers? Is it expensive (in terms of materials or difficultly)? Can people from Earth cross to Theldesia? Will they be Adventurers too, or Landers? Do Adventurer’s abilities go away when they return to Earth? Can you carry *stuff* over too? Creatures?
For Adventurers, there’s no real dilemma outside how much it costs, who controls it, and whether people from Earth can come to Theldesia (Kanami’s kid). That last is a big one, because it potentially opens up Theldesia for exploitation and greedy capitalism, depending on who’s in the Know. Shiroe would probably be immediately planning for some kind of customs control or limitations on who comes and goes and for what reasons. But the two-way street removes the finality of the choice.
For Landers, the biggest consideration is how that entry point is managed, who wants to exploit it (if trade of some kind can be managed) and the passage of knowledge. Knowledge is the big one, really; exposure to more detailed Earth technologies would likely springboard them forward quite a bit. They aren’t so worried about the Adventurers abandoning them (though there still may be some bribery), but the Nobles may worry about the commoners running away to earth, and also money on their own parts. They may have mixed feelings about the spread of ideas (the commoners are getting Uppity).
Thanks for the ask! If you or anyone else has additional thoughts, please feel free to add!
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