"As to that, I would not count on my old acquaintances being available."

Aerich's discipline would only allow his melancholy to darken further a moment, especially since the panda was so excited. It just wouldn't be proper to bother someone with things in another place, and the duke certainly understood that Crystallis was not some previously-unknown portion of his own world. The explanation of the moogles was good, for one, but even if he weren't inclined to trust them there was the fact that he could no longer mentally consult the Imperial Orb.

"I have the honor of representing the Dragaeran Empire, but it would not be truthful for me to imply the path here would be well-traveled. You perceive, we are not from the same world, which naturally limits the availability of various personages. It may be simpler to acquire the services of one of the worthy natives."

History would record conflicting accounts regarding Aerich's own training in sorcery, but as in all things he would walk a fine line in what to speak of. Without the orb, anything he had learned would be useless, and it would take some learning with the red crystal he had received before he could work any spells himself.