The Great Fall Research Institute

The Only Joint Institution

The only joint institution established by agreement between the Canopy Council and the Root Realm Federation 100 years after the First Bridge. An academic and research institution conducting research on The Great Fall's cause and prevention, with headquarters in Rakuen and branch offices near the Fwarei Archives and Nenoka, Holy City of the Root.

The Institute Charter and Political Independence

Members are scholars and technicians dispatched from both sides, with information sharing beyond political position institutionally guaranteed. This guarantee is explicitly stated in the "Institute Charter" signed by both governments — neither government can recall researchers for political purposes. This is what creates the one space in all of Aetheria where people from both sides work as equals.

Primary Research Themes

The primary research themes are precision measurement of the Law of Aether Buoyancy, reproduction experiments for the First Equilibrium Collapse, and estimation of current remaining Aether Crystal reserves. When the Institute published a report stating "if the current pace of Aether Crystal consumption continues, a Second Great Fall will occur within 150 years," serious tension ran between both governments.

The Canopy Council attempted to suppress this report, but when Institute scholars published it through the Root Realm Federation, it became a major diplomatic incident. Since then, the Institute has gathered public trust as an "institution that speaks truth," while becoming a difficult entity for both governments to deal with.

The Three-Faction Internal Conflict

The Great Fall Research Institute is by no means monolithic internally. The "Prevention Faction" argues that Aether Crystal mining should be restricted immediately to avoid a Second Great Fall. The "Observation Faction" argues that an intervention method should be decided only after collecting accurate data. The "Acceptance Faction" argues that The Great Fall is unavoidable and preparation should be made for both civilizations to coexist in a post-fall world. This three-faction conflict complicates the Institute's decision-making, and important reports can be delayed for years in committee deliberation.

The Institute's younger researchers are exploring "a fourth path." Not preventing or accepting The Great Fall, but the idea of "causing The Great Fall in a controlled form." Rather than dropping The Canopy Isles all at once, lowering islands little by little in stages — this "managed landing" plan is theoretically possible, but faces the obstacle of political resistance from the Canopy Council and the question of whether the Root Realm Federation will consent to a situation where "things are falling from the sky."