The American In Another World
Chapter 35: Adapt or Die
November 18, 1639
Imperial Palace, Esthirant
"Head Matal," a thin brown-haired man saluted the wise legend as he entered the room.
“Admiral Balus,” Matal reciprocates his respect, his actions are firm and robotic despite his rather fragile appearance and his old age. He then turned to face the Emperor and the directors of the various agencies of the Parpaldian Empire. "Your Majesty," he knelt down, noticing the calming tension in the room.
Emperor Ludius spoke decisively, forming an attractive dichotomy with his youthful appearance. This time, he was no longer a silhouette with his background and his concerned attitude was clearly visible like his face. “You may rise. Chairman Matal, tell us about this new plan you have made.
"Of course, Your Majesty." Matal took out a large map from his coat, unrolling it on the table. Unlike any map they used to use, these maps were extremely detailed and even provided accurate scales that were inhumane.
Excited whispers and amazed gazes filled the room as shocked Parpaldians analyzed the extraordinary discovery.
"It's sneaky" Arde commented. “How can you get this article?” He asked as he swept his fingers over the delicate paper.
Matal looked at the dark-robed man, wearing what Americans call a trench coat. “We must thank Director Vindus for this spectacular acquisition. Do you care to elaborate?"
Vindus folded his hands as he started, “Not much. We sometimes forget that these Americans are as human as we are. And thus, they are prone to the inducement of wealth. Which commoner would reject a bag of gold coins for something as trivial as a map?”
The military personnel in the room gaped upon hearing this statement. Arde spoke for all of them when he asked, “But Director, trivial? Maps are important intelligence and closely guarded secrets of many countries. The Mirishial Holy Kingdom does share a map, but it is not as sophisticated as the one we see before us!”
“Yes, Commander-in-Chief. Trifling. They enjoy technology beyond our understanding — technologies that make map production and distribution like this,” Vindus raised the map angle, “all are just trivial tasks. Of course, the merchant we bought this item from was not interested in taking part in what he considered to be criminal activity. Nonetheless, my agent was able to convince her by feigning indifference and putting forward arguments relating to shipping lanes and efficiency. Americans enjoy too much freedom and freedom to track everyone, every conversation, and every product sold.”
“You speak as if they were able to carry out this massive surveillance operation from the very beginning ..” Emperor Ludius chimed in.
“Your Highness,” Vindus explains, “Agent I was able to identify the existence of many observational artifacts known as 'cameras', similar to our crystal balls. These cameras are everywhere: in vehicles, buildings, and even personal artifacts called — phones that everyone carries. Therefore, my agent had to move very carefully, so as not to arouse suspicion. We are lucky to get this map; I fear it will be more difficult to get more goods from the homeland of America.”
“That's understandable, Director. You have done more than I expected with this map. Whether your agent remains inconspicuous for now. Chief Matal,” he pointed towards the map.
Matal took out a pencil and a ruler, carefully comparing the ruler with the scale of the map before proceeding. “When I first saw this map, I questioned the accuracy of this scale here. As confirmation, I spent the past week arranging civilian ships to travel between key locations, such as Esthirant and the Kingdom of Sios. By monitoring ship speed and time travel, we calculate the distance between these key locations and then compare our results with the information on the map. This scale is correct. Now that we know this scale is reliable, I have devised a plan to create a communication relay system with ships and manacomm.” Matal marks the points on the map and circles them, spacing them evenly. “Knowing manacomm's range, we can position the ship on the defensive line, which will act as an early warning system if America breaks in. It can give us preparation for a few days.”
Emperor Ludius hummed in agreement. “Interesting, but how exactly are we going to fight them? The speed and range of their ships exceeded ours, so they could use attack and run tactics without suffering any losses.”
Matal nodded. “We should avoid direct confrontation. I believe that we can use magic to our advantage here. By summoning fog and clouds, we can hide our fleet near the bay and other natural formations. I have identified several key locations near the island and port that we can use; the only problem is luring Americans there.”
After a moment of silence and thought, a voice spoke. “Hmm...” Vindus points to one of the islands marked on the map. “Holsink Island is very far from Ethirant, Duro, and Le Brias. It was also large enough to host a significant base. Can we make bait on this island? My agent can definitely help spread rumors if so.”
All eyes looked to the Supreme Commander. Arde stared intently at the map for a few seconds before issuing his final decision. “Although this tactic is cowardly and does not reflect the dominance of our pride over the Third Civilization Region, it is necessary. We adapt, or die. Chief Matal, you have my full consent to this endeavor of yours, if Your Majesty finds it promising.
All eyes then looked at Emperor Ludius. “This is a good plan, but we should have action after this ambush happened. Undoubtedly these Americans will have more ships to fight us.”
Arde replied confidently, “By studying the American reaction to this ambush, we can increase the effectiveness of future attacks. I will also commission the construction of more ships — decoys that will be used to pull out the enemy guided light arrows. Eventually, they might defeat our fleet, but this is to be expected. Once they start the landing, we will use the same strategy that General Cius fought in Le Brias.”
"And what is this strategy?" remille asked, breaking her silence.
"I'm not sure what he's talking about myself, but it's obviously very unorthodox and involves - regretfully and shamefully - a large number of hideouts."
Vindus relaxed back in his chair, thinking about the tactics described. “Hmm, if I remember correctly, my agent did note a certain topic of interest — something that seems to be an important part of American culture. It only ever appears in complaints and references, but by putting this puzzle together, I believe that something called 'terrorism' is something Americans fear. That's why their surveillance and security are so complex. 'Terrorism' is also associated with 'unorthodox strategies'. Such tactics are included in terms that include: guerrilla warfare.”
——
San Diego
With Mu's flag fluttering proudly in the coastal wind, the ship came to a complete stop. While workers secured the ship and docked, Muan and American combined passengers flocked to the upper deck. Both enjoy the view: americans appreciate coming home safe and Muan gawk at the fairytale land they have heard so often.
Ambassador Anders saw Mugei leaning along the bow of the ship, clearly mesmerized by the downtown skyline and the large ships anchored nearby. “Welcome to America, Ambassador Mugei,” he said as he patted the dumbfounded man on the shoulder.
Stopping his childlike astonishment, Mugei quickly moved to explain, “Thank you, Mr. Anders. Of course, I've seen this many times, but only in the pictures you sent us. Seeing this in person is really uplifting. I can even imagine our current cities looking like this in the span of a few decades!”
“And it can happen. Your people are not too far behind us technologically, and I think the integration of your magic into the machine is quite interesting.
Mugei felt pride rising in him, grateful that his people did have something for Americans. "thank you. There are many things we can learn from each other.”
Anders small smile, “In time, Ambassador. In time. We need to prepare your staff at the new embassy first, and then we need to contact your home government for details regarding any agreement or agreement.
“Of course, of course. So, are you going to take us around?
Anders shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. My staff and I will most likely be in town for a few weeks while Washington is figuring out where to reassign us. They are currently debating whether to send us to Mu, the Holy Mirishial Empire, or the Gra Valkas Empire.
“Gra Valka Empire? Why does your government want a relationship with them?”
Anders raised an eyebrow, now suspicious of the situation. "Hm?" Anders chose his words carefully, putting his sentences together in a way that could obtain as much information as possible about Mugei's attitude towards the Gra Valkans. “Well, we know that their technology is quite advanced; mechanical, like your technology. We also know that they have radios, but we are just starting to communicate with them. Considering their advanced technology, why do we not want to establish a relationship with them?” Anders emphasized the word 'forward' to imply that Mu was inferior to the Gra Valka Empire.
Mugei, surprised by the subtle implications of the American ambassador, did a mental comparison with the information shared by his homeland. Mu's government knew that the Gra Valka Empire was mechanical and capable of radio communication; they had been in contact for some time. However, what puzzled him was the tightness of all the strange information surrounding the Gra Valkans. His administration only shared their general location and small details about their technology, such as the possibility of them owning planes and cars.
Suddenly overwhelmed by fears of a conspiracy by his government, Mugei freely discussed all the information he knew. Hopefully, the American knows something he doesn't know, or something his government does but doesn't want to share. “We know that they are mechanical and my government has been contacting their representatives for months now, but strangely we know almost nothing about them. Aside from what my government has released, all other information comes from rumors and rumors.”
"Oh? Rumors?”
Mugi nodded. “Like our two countries, the Gra Valkas Empire appeared out of nowhere. This fact alone should be reason enough to reach out, to help each other understand why we are taken from our home world. Soon after their appearance, rumors began. We heard about a small island nation being conquered in less than a day, their navy and army being pushed aside by relentless force. Some even gave up without a fight. Then one day, they meet the Kingdom of Paganda. This rumor came from a servant who had escaped from a ruined country and seemed to be too aggravated, but nevertheless, he was the only survivor who had seen the events unfold.
Anders placed his hands along the fence of the ship while listening closely, putting his hands into his pockets to record the video. He secretly unlocked his phone and started recording before putting it back in his pocket and back into Mugei.
“According to him, the Valkan Gra was once peaceful, sending delegates to establish relations with nearby civilized countries after they conquered all uncivilized 'barbarians. This peaceful approach soon came to an end when one of their diplomats was assassinated by the Pagans. Soon after, the Kingdom was conquered. Their wyvern knights were slaughtered unilaterally by mechanical planes. In fact, the steward likened their plane to ours, except with one wing, not two. He wondered at first if they had unintentionally angered Mu, but realized this was not the case when the Valkan Gra Navy appeared, instead, flying a flag that is clearly not ours and boasting a ship that is very different in design and overall size from ours. What he described saw .. he described it as a super fighter, a super fighter ship,
"That sounds right" Anders said indifferently.
"What's? You know about this?
“To be honest I would think that your people know how advanced the Valkan Gra is compared to you. Now that I think about it, given your proximity to the Gra Valkas Empire and Leifor, it is impossible for your people not to know this. Or at least, your government.”
His eyes were wide-eyed. “That's why my government restricts information! If word got out that our top officials were worried about enmity with such a superpower, it would be disastrous for our prestige! Oh my God, it all makes sense now! Why do we spend more on the military; why do we send more diplomatic personnel to Runeopolis; and why did Leifor surrender so quickly!”
“It will confirm our worst suspicions: The Gra Valkas Empire is a hostile aggressor; a conqueror like the Parpaldian Empire. Returning to your previous question, I am now sure I might be sent to the Gra Valkas Empire because my government considers them a priority of international relations. This may be due to their level of technology, which can give rise to.” Anders is looking for a neutral term to describe his fears — fears that a World War 2 era country is definitely capable of unleashing. “Hmm, disastrous consequences if diplomacy with them is not handled properly.This mission may even be prioritized over the Mirishial Holy Kingdom if the worst case scenario occurs.”.
Mugei saw a hint of darkness befall Anders, as if the topic he was discussing was not meant to be heard by ordinary humans. "If I may, what exactly do you mean by 'disaster consequences'?"
“Better you don't know. But if you really want your curiosity to be satisfied, I guess I can compare this to the Ravernal Empire and their most devastating weapon.”
“No... you mean impossible..”.
“Magic core. Or its scientific partner: nuclear arsenal.”