The American In Another World
Chapter 44: Mirishial Diplomacy

Ragna, Gra Valka Empire

The Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Illuminated by rows of incandescent lights, several people crowded around the electric recorder. All had intrigue and confusion plastered on their faces, except for an unkempt looking man with long black hair and a rough beard. He leaned against the wall, seemingly uninterested in the astonishing discovery that got his co-workers excited.

“Dallas,” a tired and patronizing voice came from a young lady with blond hair, her glasses softening her stern expression. “You must take your work seriously. There are still many unknown things in this world and we need to treat every new discovery with respect.”.

Dallas stood upright from his position on the wall, only to respect the rank of the woman. “Mrs Oudwin, with all due respect, every obstacle we encounter in this new world. I have seen pictures of the ruins of Leiforia. You also have.”

"Yes ..." He sighed in despair, tired of Dallas' attitude. "I have. However, we should also consider the possibility of these newcomers coming from outside the Middle World. All the natives so far knew nothing about what was in the vast ocean. What if these people are as advanced as we are, or maybe even more advanced?”

"Then they will conquer these continents," Dallas spoke without further ado. Ignoring to tread carefully, he provoked the ire of his superior.

“This is the second civilization with the radio we found, and they live on the other side of Middle-earth! Do you know what this means?

"What?" Dallas asked, not following where he went with this.

“This implies that they developed the technology authentically, without the help of others! Thus we can conclude that they are intelligent and adaptable. Moreover, if we believe the rumors that they are also a displaced nation, just like us, then we have more reason to remain cautious!” He would continue to scold Dallas, but a large man wearing a dark trench coat entered. "Mr Gesta," he turned to salute.

"Master," said Dallas, slightly bowing.

"Cielia, Dallas," Gesta greeted them. "There's an update on this American?"

"Yet" replied Cielia. “We are still sorting the data the Information Bureau gave us. So far, all we know about the Americans are rumors from Mu and the televised news broadcast from the Holy Mirishial Empire. I suggest we move carefully until we know more.

Gesta nodded at his suggestion, thinking of his answer before replying, “Hmm, then let me know if there is any change. If the Americans prove to have a similar level of technology, or higher than us, then we must readjust our conquest plan.”

Cielia tilted her head with a hint of disapproval. Voicing his concerns, he pointed out, “What if they don't approve of your hegemonic ways? We can get caught up in the Cold War like with the Kane Kingdom.

Gesta ignored those worries. “If this becomes a problem in the future, then it is up to the Emperor to decide. For now, we are only playing as messengers of the Gra Valkas Kingdom. Do not deviate from our standard protocol. You are in this position for a reason, Cielia. Not many women reached such a high rank, let alone those without connections. Don't disappoint me.” He walked out of the room in silence after Cielia nodded.

Upon hearing the door close, Cielia took a deep breath, nervous that now Gesta had noticed her work. "Back to our discussion," he said, gathering his subordinates back to work. "Do we know where Americans are contacting us?"

A radio technician raised his hand to speak. "Yes Mom. The signal seemed to be coming from..” He squinted at a report, his eyes widened in shock. "That's .. right above us!"

Celia raised next to her eyebrows. “Well, doesn't that mean they're in Ragna? How did this happen? We have restricted immigration from all countries of origin and we will detect every American ship on the radar.” He paced around, trying to figure out this puzzling development.

“The technician scratches his head, the other hand holds the report. “Yes Ma'am, the only other possibility I can think of—other than that they transmit transmissions from inside Ragna—is if they are above us. It's possible they sent a message from a spy plane flying high.”

Dallas straightened up, crossed her arms as she began to pay more attention. “Isn't our radar installation able to detect this if it is?”

The technicians shrugged their shoulders. “I only heard rumors about stealth technology and radar avoidance from my friends. It is possible that these Americans have completed, implemented, and integrated such technology into their arsenal. That, or their plane just flew very high, too far and with a radar profile too small for our engines to detect.

"And this is the only other possibility?" ask Cielia.

The technician nodded.

“After all, we are faced with a potentially powerful outer force.” Cielia raised her pinkie, calculating the possible scenario. “First, we assume that the transmission comes from within our border. We assume that whoever sent the message is somewhere in Ragna. This means that the transmission was a joke, made by some prankster who somehow had access to a powerful radio system. None of the registered broadcasting companies reported the use of their assets, so we can rule this out.”

The audience nodded. Dallas returned to an indifferent position along the wall.

“Then, we have to assume that the transmission is real. We have two other possible ways of achieving this. The Americans were inside this city, showing that they had superior spying ability, capable of sneaking through all defenses and checkpoints undetected. Or, Americans have access to stealth technology and super high-flying aircraft.”

Dallas' face wrinkled in denial. “Are you suggesting that this outsider is more capable and advanced than our own person? Our own people, who is the most dominant in Yggdra and now in Elysia?”

Cielia replied, “So, you won't admit that the natives of this world are superior to us in terms of magic?”

Dallas was caught off guard. Lost for words, he staggered, “Yeah, I. Okay, I get your point. Still, there should be some logical explanation - something plausible that would explain this! What if it's as simple as 'they use magic'?” He gestured with his hand, using Cielia's own words to fight him.

Celia shook her head. “We already know that the main form of magical communication in this world is 'manacomm'. They don't emit radio waves, so this possibility could be ruled out. Unless you can think of a 'logical explanation' other than the one already presented, I suggest you humble yourself. Gra Valka Empire does not dominate Yggdra by belittling others.”

Dallas, finding himself struggling to impose his ideology and mindset on Cielia, surrendered. "I understand. I'll definitely let you know if I think of anything.

Understood, Director Cielia, her subordinates said in unison.

Dallas replied in a rebellious tone as she began walking towards the exit, "Yes, Mom."

——

Runepolis, Mirishial Holy Kingdom

The voice flips the page and******* occasionally reaches Liage's pointed ears as she enters one of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' largest private offices. Golden curtains shade the room, providing a luxurious glow when sunlight is diffused through expensive fabrics. The magical lighting added to the brightness of the room, causing Liage to cover her eyes with her right hand as she walked in.

"Director," another elf excused himself from the analysis of the document, approached Liage with outstretched hands.

Liage shook the man's hand, his grip strong. "Director Arneus, how's the research going?"

Arneus leads Liage to the table, where staff from the Information Bureau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs work together to sift through the information reported about the United States and the Gra Valkas Empire. He took two maps, each containing files on emerging countries. He offered the map in his right hand to Liage. “We finally finished our cross reference with Mu. Reports from diplomats and their scientists match rumors from across Philades, as well as footage recorded by MNN as they travel to Altaras.”

Liage emptied the contents of the map and placed our documents across the table in front of him. The first page contains an image of the American flag, with the words 'United States' below it. Liage goes to the next page, which defines the general characteristics of the country, such as population and economic data. His eyes shifted away from those words, finally capturing GDP. "Geez," he said, taking a step back. "Is this true?"

Arneus shook his head. "That's possible. This data is self-reported from Americans themselves. We have no way to verify if this is true, but I will not doubt it, given what we have seen so far.”

“Gross domestic product that is several times larger than us. I can understand why the Emperor prioritized contact with these people.”.

"Indeed. The potential to gain an ally stronger than Mu would help against the Witches, whenever they returned, ”renung Arneus.

Liage nodded and went back to reviewing the documents. As he read page after page, he asked Arneus, "So, what do you think of these people?"

"In what way?"

“Economy, technology, and so on.”

Arneus hummed, studying the documents with Liage as he formulated his answer. “This is not my forte, but in terms of economy, I believe they are far beyond any country in Middle World history. Of course, this only happens if the data provided is correct. Trading with them will help us finance greater military spending in the future.” Upon seeing Liage nod, he continued, “In terms of technology, it is hard to say. They claim to have no knowledge or even any history of magic. They claim to be a scientific nation, just like you. However, some of their technology looks quite..magic.”.

"Oh?" Liage. "What-like?"

“We've never seen their fighters in action, but all reports point to one thing: the existence of a magic light-releasing engine. A fire appeared on the back of their plane, as well as their guided light arrows.Such technology honestly reminded me of the weapons of the Witches. Plus, there were even rumors that their plane was able to break through the sound barrier. Given my historical experience, I would have disposed of such rumors as meaningless rumors, but it seems that these claims are not only owned by the Lourians in Jin Hark, but also Altarans, he said, the nobles of Esthirant, and even traveling merchants. If this is not overstated, then the United States may prove to be a greater potential ally than we previously expected

"Does this mean Americans are as advanced as witches?"

“Yah... that's a possibility, but not a guarantee. I highly recommend that you send a team to visit the United States to confirm our theory.

Liage. As the center of the world and the most powerful country in the current geopolitical climate, the Sacred Mirishial Empire had never been concerned with such diplomatic efforts. However, the emergence of displaced countries could change this policy. "I think there's a first time for everything" I'm Liage. “I will arrange a diplomatic team to visit the United States and Gra Valkas Empire. By the way, what do we know about the Valkan Gra?”

Arneus handed over the other map, then began to clear the contents of the American file. Liage receives that folder and scans the data available in Gra Valkas Empire.

Arneus provides context while Liage flips through smaller reports, “Unfortunately, the Gra Valkas Empire is much more secretive about their society. However, they were extremely arrogant in terms of military technology. Because of this, we know that their aircraft are based on monoplane design and operate mechanically. Their design and the underlying concept of their weapons generally fit with Mu to some extent, though that is where the similarities end. The firepower of the Valkan Gra weapon far surpassed Muan's weapon capability. Evidently, the Gra Valkas Empire is a clear example of how far mechanical technology can take industrial society.”

“Let's hope they are as open as Americans in terms of alliances.”

“Their conquests had far more expansionist characteristics than the wars waged by the Americans, which were mostly defensive wars to protect the allies. Their conquest of Leifor in particular was brutal and effective. I suspect that they may become arrogant due to their victory over Leifor.”

“I'll remember it, Arneus. While we are discussing that topic, do you have someone you want to send to accompany my team? I will send Phiam to the United States and Siwalf to the Kingdom of Gra Valkas.”

"Hm. I thought I would have Rydorka accompany Phiam, because he is the most talented individual we employ. It might be more important to gather information about the United States than it is about the Gra Valkas Kingdom. I will send Zammas with Siwalf. He is not the best, but he is known for solving difficult cases and is a runner-up near Rydorka.

Liage nodded. "Can too. Let us pray that they come back with the words we want to hear. The return of the Witches continues to eat away at my conscience.”

“Quiet, Liage. The gods have saved us before. Maybe these so-called countries are their next gift?”

He appreciates the optimistic outlook, but remains pragmatic. "Maybe. Or it was just a byproduct of the spatio-temporal magic level increase.”

Arneus nodded in understanding. "It won't be long until we find out."