The meeting has been dragging on for nearly an hour but at least they were making progress. More than an hour ago, the Japanese islands, including disputed territories, have found themselves isolated from the rest of the world. Once the bright white sky disappeared and gave way to a night sky, reports from hundreds of independent sources all confirm that the stars in the night sky were completely different and that the horizon was much farther out, leading some to believe that they weren't on Earth anymore. This was corroborated by reports saying that the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and the Asian continent are no longer being displayed on radars. As problems mount, the ministers have come up with a rough plan on how to deal with pressing issues and mitigate the damage done.
A state of national emergency will be declared.
The National Police Agency will mobilize its units to assist in maintaining peace and order throughout the country as well as to help enforce the measures that will be implemented below.
To address the concern of stranded foreign nationals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contact and meet with the ambassadors of all the countries to determine how many foreign nationals are stranded on Japanese soil.
To attend to the looming food crisis, food rationing measures will be implemented. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries will determine what caloric-rich foods can be grown in Japan and prioritize their production while conducting a survey of known fishing waters and confirming whether they are still usable.
The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare will implement mandatory labor conscription to address food security concerns further. Penal labor will be redirected to food production, and some JSDF units will also be redirected to assist in food production.
Measures on curbing the use of gas and other valuable raw materials that used to be imported will be implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. Mass production of products that use these valuable raw materials will be halted.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism will stop all public transportation to conserve limited gas supplies and curb power consumption. Additionally, all outgoing air and sea travel will be prohibited.
The Ministry of the Environment, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, will begin an exploration of extracting from known oil and gas deposits on disputed territories, which are confirmed to be still present, and explore other potential resource extractions.
With the loss of all satellites, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology will work with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on determining their new world's characteristics, the possible orbits the satellites will have to be launched to, how many satellites will be needed and coming up with a timetable on its implementation.
The Ministry of Defense will oversee the immediate mobilization of the Self Defense Forces in accordance with the declaration of the state of national emergency and their involvement in food production. To address the lack of geographical awareness, reconnaissance aircraft will be deployed to survey Japan's immediate surroundings and locate possible contacts.
With the plan set, Prime Minister Takamori dismissed the meeting. As the other ministers took their leave to implement the plan, Takamori motioned to Okada Masako, the Minister of Defense, Agano Kenzo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Kubo Ryuzo, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, to stay. As the three went back to their seats, Takamori spoke up.
"Minister Kubo, I remember you mentioned that the Coast Guard spotted some lands out to the west."
"Yes, I did."
"Did they spot some settlements of people? Signs indicating that they're possible to make contact with?"
"According to what the Coast Guard said, they only saw land on their radar about 500 kilometers northwest from Tsushima. They were ordered to check if the Korean Peninsula was still there but found those lands instead, further to the northwest than the Korean Peninsula was. Other than that, we know nothing else about those lands."
"I see. We need to find out more about these lands that are so close to us. Minister Okada, prioritize sending recon aircraft to these lands. I want to know whether there are people there and what kind of resources they have. I also want you to set aside some assets from the MSDF as transports and escorts for a diplomatic delegation."
Okada Masako nodded concisely, emanating an atmosphere of grace that begets respect from her peers, which might have been the key to her being Takamori's pick for the Minister of Defense. Takamori then turned to Agano Kenzo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who was timid yet fierce on the opposite side of the spectrum. Looking at him, one can almost make out the fact that Agano wanted to run out of the meeting room just to eat breakfast.
"Minister Agano, in preparation for possible diplomatic contact, I want you to set aside and prepare a team of diplomats that are ready to be sent in. Tell them to maintain their distance just to be sure in case there are any threats, both hostile and health-related."
"I will attend to that."
Agano bowed meekly before raising his head, his eyes staring into Takamori's with a stare that said, "now can you dismiss us?" Acknowledging this, Takamori clapped his hands.
"Alright! You three may go ahead."
Hearing this, the three remaining ministers promptly got up and headed for the exit. Left alone in the room, Takamori leaned on his chair and began to ponder about what to do next and what happens next.
"Father did mention a land of great abundance to the south. I wonder why we haven't found those yet. Are they still a land of great abundance?"
Reminiscing on his father telling the story of when he went to another world when he was in the former Imperial Japanese Navy, Takamori tried to piece together which is which and where this 'land of great abundance' was and what they were abundant in. Setting aside these thoughts, he stood up from his chair to proceed with his itinerary.
"Next one would be..."
A certain conference room, 5:00Taking place at a conference room was another high-level meeting, this time between nations. In attendance were military commanders from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Prime Minister Takamori Hideaki, Minister of Defense Okada Masako, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Koji Yuichi, and their aides form up the Japanese side. US Ambassador to Japan Francis Woods, his aides, US 7th Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Lewis Paul Jones, III Marine Expeditionary Force Commander Lt. General Kenneth Houston, Commander, US Forces Japan Lt. General Ellen Strucker, and Commander Naval Forces Japan Rear Admiral Alexander Wyatt, made up the American side. British Ambassador to Japan Henry Urquhart, his aides, and Royal Navy Commodore Tommy Lee Griffiths represented the United Kingdom. Finally, Dutch Ambassador to Japan Pieter van Tienhoven, his aides, and Commandeur Johan Grapperaus represent the Netherlands. The meeting will decide what happens to all foreign military assets and manpower that are now stranded in Japan.
"Let's get on with this meeting."
Prime Minister Takamori opened the meeting with a rough statement in English, unpleasant but warranted given the unbelievable situation they now find themselves in.
"Yes, let's indeed get on with this meeting and cut to the chase."
Snapping back with an equally rough statement was Ambassador Woods.
"First off, I've already gotten confirmation from the military, the Brits here, and the Dutch that none of them can contact anyone outside Japan. Why is that?"
Woods takes the initiative and grills the Japanese side.
"Are you saying we are insinuating something, Ambassador?"
Takamori answers with equal hostility.
"It sure as hell looks that way."
Adjusting his posture at Woods's remark, Takamori beckons to Minister Okada to take the reins.
"Actually, we too are in the dark on this. At exactly 3AM, all ground-based radars stopped displaying the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and the Asian continent altogether. While the Coast Guard reports far away lands to the northwest of Kyushu, recon planes deployed 30 minutes ago have reported that they only encountered open ocean where Busan in South Korea should have been."
Okada says with a straight face and dignified posture.
"How certain are you with these reports?"
Ambassador Urquhart asked. Okada motioned for her secretary, Matsumoto Akira, to try and drive in her point as he handed her a briefcase. Opening the briefcase, she produced from it pictures depicting something indescribable and put them on the table for all to see.
"What the hell is that thing?"
"It looks hideous!"
As the men air out their impressions of the pictures, Okada begins to speak once more.
"We don't know what these things are, but they were pictured by our P-3 Orion aircraft returning from reconnaissance. If I were to describe them, I'd call them sea monsters, for lack of a better term. Moving on..."
Ignoring the disgusted and curious faces of the Americans, British, and Dutch, she turned to her briefcase to produce another set of pictures. This time, they were more civil yet equally baffling.
"These are pictures of the lands that were discovered to the northwest. At first glance, they look like teardrops right next to each other. What's even more peculiar is what inhabited the two lands."
Okada produced a couple more pictures. One of the pictures depicted settlements with medieval Japanese architecture, complete with an Edo-style castle. On the same picture were figures of people donning traditional Japanese-style clothing, pointing towards the camera in shock, surprise, and maybe even fear. However, in the other picture was something completely surprising.
"Is that... a dragon? And someone is... levitating on it?"
Ambassador Woods picked up the photo to try and make more sense of what he was seeing. The other men surrounding him leaned in to also try and make sense of it. However, the more they looked at it, the more they wanted to doubt it.
"Our P-3 aircraft encountered it while scouting the eastern island. It was less of an encounter and more of an interception, as the dragon tried to chase our aircraft and only stopped when they left the vicinity of the island."
Not knowing whether to believe or question Minister Okada's statements, Ambassador Woods simply darted his gaze away from her to look back at the picture. Seeing the foreigners at a loss for words, Takamori took the opportunity to drive the point across and move towards the meeting's objective.
"We do not understand it yet either but it is fair to say that we're certainly not in the Pacific anymore, let alone on Earth. From what I see, this creates a ton of problems not just for us in the Japanese government but also for you."
In his last sentence, Takamori gazes upon the USFJ and UKCSG21 commanders.
"With no home to return to, you are all stranded here in Japan with no funding, no homes, no supplies..."
Takamori then looks at the UKCSG21 commanders.
"And no ports..."
"These are problems we have already highlighted in the event that this 'world transference' phenomenon is indeed real. With all due respect, Prime Minister, I believe you already know where this meeting is headed."
Impatient with Takamori's lack of urgency, US 7th Fleet Commander Lewis Paul Jones pushed the meeting forward.
"Indeed. To address some of your problems, we have come up with a proposal to merge your chain of command with that of the Japan Self Defense Force, and in exchange, we will handle your funding, supplies, housing for your troops, and pay. To keep your units fed and combat-ready, they will be included in our chain of command. As for the USFJ, Japan will be paying 100% of host nation support cost from the previous 75%. But since Japan's budget is very limited, we gotta ask you to do work... just to guarantee that it's worth wasting our spending on you."
A silence followed Takamori's bold and daring statement. The American and British sides were all aghast by the proposition of having US and British troops fighting under Japanese command. After a moment passed, Ambassador Urquhart reacted to Takamori's proposition.
"Preposterous! If what you're implying is to have Her Majesty's navy and men fight for your ends, then you've got another thing coming!"
His American counterparts shared Ambassador Urquhart's sentiments as they nodded at his statement. None of them wanted to relinquish control of their men and assets to the Japanese. However...
"It sounds like a deal to me."
"...Bollocks."
Going against Ambassador Urquhart's statement was Commodore Tommy Lee Griffiths, commander of the Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group 21.
"Ambassador, you may not realise this but I'm afraid our hands are tied on this one. Without the Japs' support, our ships will rust away in port and our men will be without pay and other necessities. The same goes for the Yanks. Realistically, they're the only ones I see here that can actually help my men not starve to death. Furthermore, I don't think they're as rash as you make them out to be by pushing forward such a proposal."
Without any financial support from their governments, the American, British, and Dutch would be forced to dismiss all of their men. Without work, they will be added to the roster of stranded foreign nationals whose fates are more uncertain. As for their equipment, without any funding, they'll be forced to destroy most if not all of them, either directly or by abandoning them to the elements. Doing so will have a high risk of letting the sensitive intellectual property get out of their hands since the Japanese will likely confiscate the equipment. Griffiths then turned to Takamori, who took the hint that it was now his turn to talk.
"Thank you, Commodore. What we are proposing is not a complete merge in the chain of command. You will maintain command over your own forces but we will be granted the right to occasionally exercise tactical control over you. We will also take care of your logistics but the details on that will be discussed later."
Takamori stopped to examine the reactions of the other side. The commanders talked with one another as their respective ambassadors listened in. Once they stopped talking amongst themselves, they turned to face Takamori with blank yet intimidating faces. However, Takamori wasn't fazed as he sensed victory. This was, after all, a situation that was heavily in their favor. Ambassador Woods coughed to signal that he was going to speak.
"This... sounds good enough for me. We'll accept this deal."
Feeling glee at the Ambassador's statement and tone of reluctance, Takamori grinned but not enough to make it obvious to anyone but himself. Looking down to try and keep it to himself, he clapped his hands in satisfaction.
"Splendid. We will discuss the details at a later meeting. For now..."
Just as Takamori was about to dismiss the meeting, he glanced at his Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, looking at him. Remembering something that he was about to forget completely, he stopped midway and gave him the chance to speak.
"...Right. Forgive me. There's one last thing."
"Thank you, Prime Minister. Mr. Ambassador, I'd like to bring up that we intend to amend the US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty to make it more in line with these new circumstances. The details will not be discussed here as we still don't know much about what threats there are here."
Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Koji Yuichi said to Ambassador Woods.
"Show us the details next time, and we will consider agreeing to the amendments."
As the meeting was dismissed, an air of uncertainty lingered in the room. The future of tens of thousands of men, women, and assets now hangs on how the Japanese government will manage this crisis. Takamori and the others on the Japanese side knew that there wasn't much that they could spare to prop up the USFJ and the others. With this, they were now even more pressed in a race against time to find resources and trade partners.
The oceans close to Dokdo, 6:00As the sun peeks out from the horizon much farther away than back on Earth, four gigantic grey ships part the waters as they sail northwest. One of the ships was far bigger than the rest and possessed a flat deck that was big enough for helicopters to land on. Coming to a halt seemingly in the middle of nowhere, the Hyuga, Myoko, Atago and Fuyuzuki of the 3rd Escort Squadron of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force were transporting and escorting a diplomatic team to make contact with the lands that were spotted to the northwest. After a recon mission showed that civilized people inhabited the islands, the diplomatic team readied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs were dispatched to make first contact.
"So the sun here rises in the east as well... Damn it, I need more coffee..."
Diplomat Tanaka Noboru of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remarked as he looked at the sun rising from the horizon with a tired face. It had been a long morning. Looking above, the sun rays hit the mast, and the taller parts of the ship that he was in and beyond the ship were the disappearing stars that began to melt into the blue background. He was tasked to lead the delegation that will facilitate Japan's first contact with this new world. After boarding a fast boat with the other diplomats and MSDF officers, the boat was gently dropped onto the sea before speeding away to the northwest.
The oceans 40km southeast of the Kingdom of Fenn"Keep it steady, men! We must be in good shape if we are to ever encounter that beast once more!"
Captain Kakeru of the Kingdom of Fenn's navy barked as he looked eastward towards the rising sun, admiring it as it came out of the dark, cold ocean. Captain Kakeru commanded a modestly-sized warship that had a single sail for propulsion. In times when speed was a necessity, it had oars that allowed it to move faster. For naval combat, which revolved around boarding, the ship had a complement of warriors that used hooks and ladders to board and commandeer enemy ships. While they weren't at boarding distance yet, the warriors were armed with bows and arrows, which could be set ablaze as they had been dipped in oil. Today, however, she and the rest of the ships of the Fennese navy were out on patrol in the waters southeast of Fenn. After a big, fast, silver, flying object was spotted close to their lands and was later chased by Gaharan wind dragons, they were sent out by the Fennese ruler, Sword King Shihan, to try to find it and determine where it came from. As it was last spotted flying to the southeast, much of their navy was dispatched towards that direction. However...
"I don't get it. There shouldn't be anything southeast of Fenn and Gahara. Could it have come from Rodenius? Could it have come from... Parpaldia?!"
As Captain Kakeru shivered at the thought of a Parpaldian scout easily shaking off Gahara's wind dragons, his attention was caught by a lookout who shouted something.
"Captain! We spotted a boat coming from the southeast! It's coming towards us at a fast speed!"
Confirming his lookout's report, he took a telescope to survey the seas to the southeast. Scanning for a few moments, he laid his eyes on what seemed to be a black fishing boat filled with people wearing strange attire coming towards his ship. Doubting his eyes, he took them off from the telescope to see a small speck in the same spot gradually getting bigger. Looking back in the telescope, they were now much bigger than when he initially saw them. They were fast!
"Men, to your stations!"
Captain Kakeru barked out, compelling his men to grab their bows and arrows in anticipation of the looming threat. As they were grabbing their bows, one of the other lookouts next to Kakeru shouted out.
"Wait! One of the men is waving to us!"
Captain Kakeru looks back at his scope to see one of the men wearing black clothing waving at them as if trying to get their attention.
"What do we do, Captain?"
"Hmmm... If they knew how naval warfare worked, they wouldn't come so close with only a single boat and few men at their disposal. Also, since they're getting our attention, I'm inclined to believe that maybe they want to talk. I have never seen such a fast vessel and their apparel isn't a common sight. I may be getting ahead of myself by saying that I'm curious about their intentions. Beckon them to come closer. If something goes wrong, they're close enough to taste the steel of our swords."
Hearing this, one of the warriors ran to the ship's edge and waved at the people on the fast boat to come closer. They then saw that the people got the message as they sped up to come closer to their ship before stopping a short distance from the ship's port side. Captain Kakeru and the others then emerged out to the side to view the fast boat and its occupants up closer. To their surprise, the vessel had no oars nor sails. Its sleekness was a shape that indeed allowed them to move faster, but the logic was lost to the Fennese. Maybe they used a propulsion system similar to the Parpaldian iron boats, which seemed to move without oars or sails. However, if this was indeed a Parpaldian vessel, the apparel of the men on board did not scream Parpaldian. Most of the men wore blue clothing, which looked neat and expensive. However, three of the men wore much more fine-looking black clothing, which seemed as if there weren't any creases on the fabric. A small flag that fluttered on the vessel was topping the mystery off: a bright red circle in the middle of a white banner. They were not aware of any countries bearing such a symbol. Fearing that a diplomatic row may arise with a newly emerged country that possessed fantastic boats and apparel, Captain Kakeru practiced his common language mannerisms to make sure it was acceptable.
"Ahoy! I am Captain Kakeru of the navy of the Kingdom of Fenn! You are approaching our waters! Care to identify yourself and your allegiance?"
Japanese perspective"Oh no. Did you get that?"
Everyone heard the Sengoku-era-looking captain-like figure speak, but none of them understood what he said. Tanaka, who was leading the diplomatic delegation, asked the linguist with them.
"He's probably introducing himself. Judging by the tone of his ending statement, he's asking us a question, likely who we are. None of his words ring a bell in any of the languages I've studied, however."
One of the linguists with the delegation said. Coming up with a response, Tanaka paused. He carefully thought what his next words would be as time slowly passed. With his imaginary stopwatch saying, "time's up!" Tanaka had to answer, else he could end up confusing the men on the bigger ship that were obviously armed with bows and arrows. He then proceeded to answer slowly in Japanese while signing that they were friendly.
"I! Am! Tanaka! Noboru! I! Am! From! Country! Of! Japan! We! Mean! No! Harm!"
Fennese perspectiveCaptain Kakeru and the crew were dumbfounded. Everyone exchanged glances to confirm whether they were hearing the same thing.
"Did you hear that? That sounded like our native tongue!"
"No one else besides those in Fenn could speak those words!"
"It sounded kind of off, though, but still! I understood it!"
As the warriors spoke amongst themselves, Captain Kakeru pondered on what it meant. How did outsiders come to understand Fenn's tongue? Did these people know that they spoke their language and so spoke in it? Perhaps they didn't understand the common tongue? While the broken manner in which the black-clothed man spoke somehow pointed to them not knowing how it was spoken, Captain Kakeru still went with the assumption that they might not have known how to speak and understand the common language. Looking once more at the boat, he started speaking in his native tongue.
"The country of Japan? We know no country that bears your name or your banner. Tell us what you seek in coming to the waters of the Kingdom of Fenn!"
Japanese perspective"Did you hear that?"
"That was Late Middle Japanese, the one used in the Sengoku era!"
"Wait, if it's Sengoku Japanese, could they understand modern Japanese?"
"If you use high-level polite speech, they could still understand it. Since he may possibly be a warlord, I suggest that you address him accordingly."
After the diplomats cheered amongst themselves for finding a breakthrough in the diplomatic process, they returned to their posture and faced the captain. Tanaka once more took initiative.
"Our apologies for being in your waters, great warlord of the Kingdom of Fenn! We are a country that was suddenly transferred to this world from another, so we are seeking to form diplomatic relations with those close to us and form beneficial friendships!"
Fennese perspectiveThe phenomenon of being transferred through worlds was a bit ridiculous, thought Captain Kakeru. However, their apparel and the fast-moving boat were a far cry from the countries he'd expect outside the civilized areas. The fact that they were looking to form diplomatic relations with a barbaric nation like Fenn gave him the impression that these people were not from around here. Judging that their respective and friendly tone seemed genuine, he allowed them the opportunity to talk to their rulers.
"Very well! Follow us, and we will bring you to our lands!"
Hearing this, the men from the country called Japan seemed to be excited at the prospect of meeting their rulers.
It does seem that their desire to form diplomatic ties with us is genuine.
Satisfied with his judgment and its outcome, he ordered his men to be ready for the ship to sail back to the Kingdom of Fenn. As the ship slowly gained speed towards the northwest, the Japanese boat carrying the diplomatic delegation followed them.
The oceans far north of Myhark, 9:30Sailing north was a fleet of galleys that belonged to the 2nd Fleet of the Principality of Qua-Toyne. Contrasting the rather calm waves of the ocean were a lot of cloud cover for the morning, making it appear as if it was already afternoon. Midori led the group of ships, a seasoned captain who was in the middle of routine patrols for Lourian ships when he received orders from his commander to sail north of Myhark "till they find land." Initially questioning the orders, he brought up his numerous experiences in sailing through the oceans north of Myhark and encountering no land between them and the islands of Fenn and Gahara. After being convinced by his commander that the orders were from the Prime Minister himself, adding that an unknown hostile flying object breached their airspace and flew over Myhark very recently, Midori set sail with the rest of his patrol to carry out their orders.
"There shouldn't be anything out here... And why did they say "unknown flying object?" Was it not a wyvern?"
Midori thought aloud. Hearing this, some of the men with him responded.
"I heard that they had flying objects in Mu and the Central World which were not wyverns, and they were static but flew faster than any wyvern. Maybe even faster than the wyvern lords in the Parpaldia Empire."
"If so, why would they willingly send their objects this far from them? To test us? To rub it in our faces that we are just lowly barbarians?"
As Midori considered reasons, he came to a chilling, far-fetched, yet plausible one.
"Did they perhaps sell some of those to Louria?!"
The other men who heard this couldn't come up with a sound counter-argument. It was possible for them to give or sell them out to Louria. Maybe they have designs in this part of the world? Without any conclusive evidence, however, they could not exactly conclude that it was the case. As the men were lost in thought, one of the lookouts shouted and caught their attention.
"Land! Up ahead!"
Upon hearing this, Midori was the first to react.
"Land?! That's impossible! There shouldn't be land out here!"
Taking out a scope to confirm it for himself, he pointed it towards the direction the lookout pointed to. Sure enough, he did see land. However, instead of luscious, tropical, green, he saw grey, shiny pillars jutting out from the landmass surrounded by occasional green and a swarm of smaller pillars.
"W-What are those... things?!"
Hearing their captain in disbelief, the other men ran to the end of the ship to try and catch a glimpse of the land. However, the land made itself clear to them as the low sun's rays reflected sparkles and glitter from the silver pillars on the landmass. Without much to go on other than what they were seeing, the men started to make guesses.
"An island of diamonds?"
"That just came out of the ocean too! I heard from some merchants to the south that they saw islands come out where there used to be none, although they were mostly spewing fire."
Ignoring his men's chatter, Midori felt a bad hunch with what he was seeing. A non-wyvern flying object breaching their airspace and now a landmass of glittering spires that appeared out of nowhere. The first thing that came to mind was the story of the ancient sorcerous empire's eventual return and their overwhelming magical power. As he remembered the story, he felt his hands and legs shaking from fear. As much as he wanted to turn back and report nothing, he however felt an equally great tug by an unknown force that compels him to sail closer. Giving in to this, he ordered his men.
"Alright, boys, cut the chatter! I want us to be ready for combat as we continue on our course! Tell the other ships!"
Some time later"What... the... fuck...?"
With the fleet of ships now closer to the landmass, the landmass now seemed more like an island. There were indeed parts of tropical green, but the majority of the island was covered with what now looked like tall, grey buildings plastered with glittering, silver mirrors. It was now apparent to them that the island was likely inhabited.
"How the hell did we miss this place before?!"
"Those buildings look like they could shoot up to the sky!"
"This couldn't have just come from under the ocean, right?"
Without any answers to provide to his men, Midori simply shook as he looked at the indescribable sight beyond his scope. As he looked through his scope, he happened upon a single, large, horizontal building that emitted some smoke. However, he soon realized that the building he saw was floating on the ocean and was much closer to them than the island.
"Is that... a ship?!"
As he monitored the massive, floating fortress of a ship, one of his men shouted.
"Something's flying towards us!"
Alerted by the report, he immediately stowed his scope away to look at the direction that was now being pointed at by the other men. At the other end of his sight was a white, flying object. It was peculiar in that it was slower than a wyvern, but the bars that were moving on top of it reminded him of a dragonfly. As it got closer, the sound of air being pounded rhythmically and forcefully now permeated the surroundings. As the men instinctively grabbed their gear and bows in preparation for the threat, the white dragonfly stopped to hover at a distance away from their ships. Soon, the beating sound was overpowered by a voice.
"Unknown ships, this is the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force! Your actions are in violation of the right of the passage under our law! Please state your intention or turn around immediately!"
After a brief moment, the white dragonfly once again spoke, but this time in a different-sounding language and a more coherent manner.
"I repeat, this is the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force! You are about to enter our territorial waters! Please state your intention or turn around immediately!"
Once the white dragonfly stopped speaking out in a terribly loud voice, Midori and the others looked at each other and at the dragonfly in tense confusion. The language or languages used by the white dragonfly were alien to the Qua-Toynians.
"What did it say?! Did you understand any of that?!"
"It was talking to us, right?!"
"Is it a chant for a magical attack?! It's still too far for our arrows!"
After some time, nothing happened. Not waiting to see if it is indeed a chant for a magical attack, Midori quickly came to a decision.
"It's a warning! Tell all ships to stop!"
After the orders were disseminated, the Qua-Toynian ships slowly came to a halt. The white dragonfly, upon seeing this, seemed to be satisfied and proceeded to fly back to the island. Satisfied with the bloodless conclusion, Midori and the others breathed deep sighs of relief.
"It was likely a warning. They probably don't want us going any closer."
"But in what language did it speak? I think I've heard it somewhere before, but I couldn't say for sure!"
"Regardless, we still have a mission to fulfill. If these are the lands from where the unknown object that flew over Myhark came from, then we will finally shine more light on that mystery. Get on the manacomms and tell the command at Myhark of our situation!"
As they reported back to the military command at Myhark, little did they know that they were about to change the course of the fate of the Principality of Qua-Toyne and possibly the world.