After a fruitful first diplomatic meeting, the state of Japan and the Principality of Qua-Toyne have laid the groundwork for Japanese influence on the Rodenius continent. While the Japanese were still in the midst of getting the hang of the common tongue, their endeavors to find new trade partners to plug in the holes of their sinking economic boat continued. Having somewhat secured its food supply, Japan now turned to find sources of raw materials that it used to import to fuel its industries. Fortunately, while amid a discussion with Qua-Toynian officials on Asherah's geopolitics, they came across a certain nation just to the south of Qua-Toyne that was said to have endless pools of 'black water.' After being shown old photographs taken by Muish explorers who have previously traveled to the area, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was mobilized to establish diplomatic relations with Quila quickly. Japan attained exclusive drilling rights and surveyed the land for other valuable raw materials such as rare-earth metals.
In Rodenius, 'dead' and 'desolate' were terms that were synonymous with the Quila Kingdom. Quila was largely a wasteland due to its population living in squalor due to the high amount of emigration and extremely unproductive land. Hardly any crops grew, forcing them to import food from nearby Qua-Toyne. Despite its poverty, Quila was a force to be reckoned with militarily. Beastmen, which make up a good chunk of Quila's demographics, serve under the Quila banner, while good fortifications dot the border with Louria, having been built and maintained by the dwarves. While Quila had pools upon pools of black water, which had been vital to the effort of the emissaries of old in expelling the Demon Lord menace, there has been no demand for the seemingly useless liquid. In this status quo, Quilan foreign affairs correspondent, Metzal, received word from his Qua-Toynian counterpart that an emerging country called Japan wanted to meet them. On top of them having appeared out of nowhere, the new country has expressed interest in trade with Quila, perplexing Metzal.
I wonder what they could be interested in? Could it be... slaves?
Remembering stories of the great power Parpaldia taking slaves from the barbaric countries they conquered, he shuddered at the thought. Beastmen and dwarves would make a great labor force if they could be kept in line. As he thought of more possibilities as to what the new country wants, the doors to his study opened, revealing a beastman soldier escorting two smaller humans, a woman dressed in a neat, tidy suit and another man in typical, Fennese clothing. After the two humans entered the room, the beastman soldier closed the door behind him and stood guard next to it. Rising to meet the visitors, Metzal bid them welcome. For the rest of this chapter, all dialogues spoken in common are written in italic.
"Greetings and welcome to the Kingdom of Quila! To whom do I owe the pleasure of talking to today?"
The Fennese man answered.
"I am Yuda, and I'm hired to facilitate the translation so that you may converse. This is Fujinuma of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the state of Japan."
Learning that the Japanese didn't know how to speak or understand common, Metzal was beginning to get convinced that they were not from this world. The woman named Fujinuma bowed, to which Metzal responded in kind. He then showed them to the simple chairs that had been prepared for them. With the diplomatic guests seated, he then proceeded to satisfy his own curiosity.
"So what business does your country want with Quila?"
After Yuda translated the question, Fujinuma responded.
"I've come here to establish the foundations for a diplomatic relationship between our countries, as well as open up trade so that we can buy things we find valuable in your country."
Hearing the translation, Metzal was now even more perplexed after hearing that this new country was willing to trade from a representative of said country.
"What exactly do you find valuable here?"
To aid in her answer, Fujinuma took out her briefcase and produced several old photographs that they had received from Qua-Toyne. Seeing the photographs, Metzal realized that the Japanese might be interested in the black water that their kingdom was known for.
"We were shown these photographs by our counterparts in Qua-Toyne when we asked them regarding your black water substances."
"Indeed. What of it?"
"Well, not only are we interested in procuring this black water, we are also interested in knowing more about the structures in these photos."
Pointing to the photographs, Fujinuma highlighted the common subjects in all of them. While some of the pictures contained unnamed Muish explorers posing for the camera, all of them contained curious structures that stood out from the desert nothingness: old, degraded oil pumps and wells. The presence of modern structures in a land dominated by Renaissance-era nations piqued Japan's interest, curiosity, and alertness. Metzal leaned in with a nonchalant face and responded, pointing to the pictures as he went.
"Those are structures built by the Emissaries a very long time ago to take black water out of the ground, which, if I recall correctly, was needed for their divine flying ships to fly. Us dwarves have tried to keep these things working even after the Emissaries left, but since we don't understand how they work, we decided long ago to just leave them be."
Hearing the translation, Fujinuma pondered on what the 'emissaries' were and why so many nations in the area alluded to their existence. With everything that they had at hand about them, they were more than likely a group that possessed modern equipment, she surmised. She then turned back to Metzal, who was eager to hear her reply.
"While the origins of these structures raise a lot of questions, my purpose here is more than asking questions. Sir Metzal, if possible, we would like to begin the negotiations for trade."
Seeing Fujinuma's serious expression and solid remark, Metzal pondered. While Japan doesn't seem to have any hostile intentions, he still held doubts regarding why they wanted black water. Mu once sent their expeditions due to their interest in the area, but they left and never returned after studying the old structures. Despite his personal feelings on the matter, Quila needed another country willing to conduct commerce with them. Despite the Emissaries' interest, black water didn't exactly prove to be useful to them or anyone else, so it had little to no value. If selling black water, which was in abundance, was all it takes to get more money flowing, Metzal saw no consequence. However...
"I'm not the one who handles Quila's trade and commerce, but I will forward it to my counterpart. As for diplomatic relations with your country, since I'm the one that His Majesty entrusted regarding that matter, we can begin as soon as you wish."
Cent. Calendar 4th Day of the 5th Month of the Year 1639, Tokyo, Japan, 10:30"We are currently live here in Shibuya Scramble Crossing watching the televised session in the Diet. A few minutes ago, the elven princess who called herself Llanfair unveiled what seemed to be a rising sun flag of the old Imperial Army and called it the 'banner of the divine emissaries' that had come to save their world. Naturally, the reception has been mixed. Let's go interview some people!"
As NHK facilitated the nationwide broadcast of the Diet session, TV crews of several lesser broadcasting stations were in the more active public areas. The broadcast was being televised on big screens to interview scores of onlookers, protesters, and stranded foreigners who had been watching the broadcast. One such crew was in Shibuya, where protests suddenly erupted in response to Llanfair's revelation.
"Excuse me, sir!" the reporter said as she approached an old man who brandished a rising sun flag.
"What do you think of the elven princess's revelation?"
"She said it herself! The gods have sent down our ancestors to save them from evil! We have been sent to this world to finish the job!" the man gleefully said as he patriotically waved the flag he carried around. The reporter then turned back to the camera.
"It appears that there has been an influx of people sporting the rising sun flag since the revelation. Let's go ask those two over there about what they think!"
The TV crew then descended upon what seemed to be an elderly Asian couple that was clearly distressed.
"Excuse me, sir, miss! What do you think of the elven princess's revelation?"
As the reporter pointed her microphone to the couple, the elderly woman began ranting to the microphone in tears as she spoke Mandarin. At the end of the rant, the elderly man then spoke up in Japanese as his wife turned around to cry.
"What my wife said was that the elven princess's appearance was a fabrication to legitimize the Japanese government's harsh implementations in the state of emergency against foreigners."
"How did your wife take the revelation?"
"She cried as soon as she heard cheers from people when witnessing the rising sun flag."
The reporter struggled to comment as she didn't know what to say. Before she could finally say something, they were cut off by loud music blasting from nearby.
"WARE WA KANGUN WA GA TEKI WA..."
As the famous song, Battōtai, resounded throughout the square, several people standing on top of the big speakers hoisted up a massive flag of the rising sun and began waving it around. The people, ultranationalists, began happily cheering and singing to the song, waving their own banners, hands, and flags in rhythmic sync to the bass that continued to pound the air. However, this ardent display of nationalistic fervor not only attracted others to sing along and take videos, but it also attracted anger, animosity, and rage from others, particularly from the other Japanese and some of the East Asian foreigners who were present.
"Go take a look at that! We're seeing some ultranationalists who are clearly thrilled by Princess Llanfair's announcement waving the rising sun flag and chanting what seems to be the Battōtai!"
The cameraman of the TV crew focused on the people on top of the speakers as directed.
However, the Chinese woman they tried to interview suddenly got all emotional, running off to the crowd that had gathered around the speakers. Her husband ran after her to try to calm her down. For this part, non-Japanese speech is written in italic.
"Militarist pigs! Shut that off now!"
The woman, clearly distraught, commanded the ultranationalists to turn the music off. While some were too preoccupied with the music, with the woman's voice being drowned out by the beat, some noticed and turned to answer the woman with equal hostility.
"Fuck off Chink! Go back to your country! Oh right... It's gone! HAHAHA!"
"I guess you shouldn't have come here in the first place!"
Before the woman could retort, her husband restrained her, who didn't wish to escalate the situation any further. Despite his efforts, the woman's fury inspired other people to join in and back her up. A South Korean man in his 70s approached the commotion and spoke in straight Japanese.
"I don't give a shit about you guys, but you are causing a scene with your music!"
The man was backed by two younger men who were also annoyed by the loud music being blasted. Some of the ultranationalists noticed the tension brewing behind them, joining in to back up their comrades and escalating the situation.
"I can tell by your accent, old man! Hah! Damned Koreans... Needing help from the white men to save your asses... We should have wiped you out!"
The old man's eyes widened at the threat as he understood the insult heading towards him. However, the two men backing him up responded faster than he could and approached the ultranationalists.
"The fuck did you say, you son of a bitch?!"
"I fucking got that, you cunt!"
The men pushed the ultranationalist man who insulted them back, right into the others behind him. Not willing to back down, the ultranationalist threw himself back at them.
"Fuck you!"
The ultranationalist is throwing the first punch, and his fist landed on one of the younger Korean men. Reacting quickly, the other man threw the first counterattack, uppercutting the ultranationalist through the chest and sending him back. Having already noticed the brawl that was erupting, the other ultranationalists sprung into action.
"That bastard got Yoji! Fuck him up!"
As the ultranationalists got into the fight, the people who opposed them but were too reluctant to do anything lost their cold feet and joined in after seeing the brawl get out of control. Soon, more than 50 people were throwing punches, kicks, objects, and the occasional concealed weapon against one another while the tune of Battōtai repeated once more after having ended. Filming the spectacularly violent scene before them, the TV crew could only watch in horror, disbelief, and hesitation. The reporter was the first to break free from the trance.
"This is not good; we have to call the police!"
Before they could do anything, they learned that someone had already carried out what they intended to do, as sirens and flashing blue and red lights signaled that the police had arrived. As police officers ran to control the now 70-men fight, some of them asked for backup while some were subjected to the various punches and kicks that were not intended for them. With more and more police cars arriving, the music suddenly stopped as various people ran from the square and dispersed while the police carried out arrests and takedowns.
Cent. Calendar 10th Day of the 5th Month of the Year 1639, Ragna, Gra Valkas Empire, 15:30"No one followed you?"
The man who wore a formal suit asked the uniformed man, decorated with his rank and medals, who had just entered the room. The man, without words, simply swung his head sideways.
"Good."
Hearing the suited man's affirmative reply, the uniformed man joined his company. They were only accompanied by the rays of light shining in from the sole window to the room. Looking through the window, they could see the lack of uniformity in the skyline of the great imperial capital, Ragna. Columns of grey smoke emanated from the bricked rooftops of the buildings closest to them. Thick, black smoke populated the skyline closest to the horizon-factories symbolic of the industrial might of Gra Valkas-which reached far up, almost touching the scattered airliners that crisscrossed the cloudy sky. Disrupting the skyline was the gigantic building that stood out from buildings surrounding it with its girthy wings and impressive dome. The suited man glared at this dome through the window, but his eyes did not reflect an ounce of awe.
"The Diet..."
Pausing with a disdainful look in his expression, he coughed before continuing.
"The Diet is moving to cut the Imperial Forces' budget once again for the 11th time, citing that 'with the lack of necessity for an armed conflict in the near future, there is no need to maintain such a massive budget for our armed forces.'"
Hearing this information for the first time, the uniformed man sighed in disappointment to agree with the suited man's obvious disdain.
"Damned liberals and socialists! How dare they persist on budget cuts when only a fraction of them have ever served in the armed forces!"
The uniformed man spat out his grievances before controlling himself, turning to look at the door and hoping that nobody else heard his statement. The suited man detracted himself from the window and turned to the uniformed man.
"While our control over the Imperial Council can have us ignore those simpletons, their persistence is more than enough for us to act."
The suited man walked away from the window and crossed the room towards a filing cabinet, and opened its topmost drawer. He procured a sealed, brown envelope concealed in a fake wall along the insides of the filing cabinet and handed it over to the uniformed man.
"I got this from our allies in the intelligence services."
The uniformed man examined the sealed envelope and found something written along its back. Remembering the cipher they use to communicate, he read aloud what he came up with from the code written on the envelope.
"Leifor?"
The suited man nodded in agreement.
"Before we established diplomatic relations with them, we were able to fly reconnaissance planes deep into their territory, accounting for bases, military installations, and such. Their radio frequencies used for military communication are also detailed there. Our allies in the intelligence service were able to print them out and conceal them before their higher-ups ordered the intelligence to be destroyed. Those imbeciles..."
The uniformed man then slid the envelope into his briefcase.
"So this means that we are proceeding with our plans."
"Yes. Our allies in the Imperial Household Office and Department of Foreign Affairs are ready for our word. The other leaders have already expressed their approval, and our allies in the armed forces..."
The suited man then raised his finger to point at the uniformed man.
"...is the only one left unnotified."
"I'll make sure we're ready."
With their allies in the military informed, they were now ready to carry out their plan. The suited man, feeling the need to air out his grievances once more, proceeded to do so.
"These damned, good-for-nothing retards! Do they not see how us being summoned here is the surest sign of our destiny? Nations and peoples for the picking and in terms of technological might, we are... SUPERIOR!"
The suited man raised his arms for dramatic effect, emboldening the uniformed man and pushing him to the brink of tears from patriotic love.
"This. Is. It! We will no longer wait for those mongrels in the Diet to pull their balding heads out from their asses! To save the sanctity of greatness in Gra Valkan superiority, we will have to do it ourselves!"
As storm clouds moved in to darken the skies above Ragna, another storm was about to force the people and government of the Gra Valkas Empire back into how they conduct diplomacy in their old world: with iron and blood.