Telio was a bit relieved to hear that the princess didn't think him a madman. "Indeed, if nothing else our reasoning faculties do still seem to be in order." But that only meant that multiple worlds was more likely. The only surefire way to prove it, though, was as Urkwia suggested: learn how the sapphires worked and how to reproduce that phenomenon. The cracks in the sapphires raised a bit of concern though. If they would eventually break, then that meant that they only had so many attempts to get this right. And that left the question of entering the portal. For Telio the answer was simple. "Absolutely." He spoke confidently and without hesitation, as if all his worries had been alleviated by the mere prospect of going forward. He would find his way home eventually, and even if he didn't, he would have the rare privilege of living in more worlds than any man alive. But after a moment, he considered the princess's position; perhaps the choice was not quite so simple for her.

"Well, at least I intend to enter the portal again. It seems to be not just the only way to prove our theory, but the only hope I have of returning home, and I presume that entering it is the only way of knowing what is on the other side. However, I can understand if you decide not to. If our theory is correct and there are two worlds, then there may be three, or a hundred. There is no telling where we may end up; perhaps a kingdom as peaceful as this one, perhaps a kingdom far less so, or perhaps no kingdom at all. It may very well be like a roulette. However, perhaps there is also a way to control it. As I said the portal opened when I place my sapphires close to one another. If we bring some with us, and coordinate with some trustworthy servants on this end, then perhaps we may have a way back should we choose to return." Telio began to get excited as the pieces fell into place. Yes, with enough gems it would be possible to set up an enormous transportation network; the possibilities for trade were limited only by the sapphires, and Eldan was sitting on a trove of them. But, before any of that could happen, they would need to reproduce the portal.

"In any case, we should begin making preparations for the experiments. We'll need extra sapphires, a reliable servant, and... ah, well it would be better to have some supplies if we land in a new world." It was rather embarrassing that Telio had left more or less everything behind when he hopped through the portal. It wasn't often that he entered a one way door so he thought little of it at the time, but he would be a true fool if he didn't learn from that mistake. Telio was sure that Urkwia would go forward with the research, as obsessed with the gems as she was, but he wondered if she would decide to step through that portal with him. It was always much nicer to have a companion to travel with, and Urkwia seemed like she would make good company, but such bold decisions were not for everyone. Some people were content just reading about the adventures of others.