Magic radio (probably?) limited by the speed of light, messages several years old? I wonder if they realized it would take decades before they even reached the nearest star.
The male lead is dense enough that he actually generates a seriously strong gravitational field, which deflected the ball's trajectory straight towards his bespectacled (and thereby cosmically dogdeball-doomed) face.
it really stretches the suspension of disbelief to have entire groups just skip the development of cooking, one of the earliest and most essential parts of civilization, and one of the pillars of culture itself
It's a relatively subtle piece of storytelling for the two of them to get to the 23rd floor without much trouble (while arguing) - it drives home the point about Maria not being able to keep up. I really hope she doesn't just get left out on the surface like an NPC from a completed sidequest.