"There is no place where espionage is not possible."
Sun Tzu
Chapter 5 – Saito in Tokyo Part 1
Part 1:
Tokyo, Japan
Decatilis 4, 6077 AB
June 19, 2011 AD
Cobwebs in the ceiling and in the corners. Unattended housewares everywhere in the house, waiting for its owners to use them again. Molds growing in the floor and walls of the house, claiming the house as its residence, glorified by a thick moldy scent that rules the atmosphere within.
Nature has infiltrated the residence of a young man.
Indeed, it was a strange sight of a house that sits in suburban Tokyo.
"Well, sorry about what you see right now, but welcome to my house."
Saito welcomed his guest in the house he once called home. Once was his home, now an abandoned house in suburban Tokyo.
"AAAAA… AAACHOOO!"
Kirche sneezed. "It does look filthy and everything." She commented.
"No, not really."
Tiffa walked to the small kitchen table and wiped the dust on top of it with her hands. "It just needs a little cleaning, that's all."
"Say, Saito, how long are we going to stay here?" Julio said as he inspected a small picture frame on top of a cabinet in the living room.
"Only a few hours, no more, no less."
"Well, for only a few hours, huh…" Julio lifted the picture frame and wiped the picture frame clean with his hands.
Revealing the photo that was covered in dust.
"Saito, you did tell us we are going to look outside and see what this world of yours has, so we can assess the kind of people we might be dealing with in the future."
Saito was about to say something when Julio interrupted him.
"Are these people in the portrait, your family?"
Saito turned back, and there he saw Julio looking at a picture that was taken 7 years ago.
The portrait shows an image of four people, with a boy standing in the middle, wearing black clothes while holding a tube-like wooden object. The boy in the photo looked annoyed but not mad. Beside him was an older guy, a bulky looking muscular guy, grinning happily in the portrait with his arms resting over the boy's shoulders. On the other side of the boy is an older woman, possibly in his late 40s, gracefully smiling beside the boy.
And behind the boy, piggybacking him is a girl. The girl seemed to be of the same age as he, maybe a few years older than him.
The boy in the image looked kind of annoyed, but not mad.
"Yes, those are my family," Saito replied with sadness on his tone.
"I see. I'm sorry if I asked."
"No worries, Julio. And besides, it was my fault why they died. When I got teleported to Halkeginia, my neighbors told me my mother fell into depression and later on died from sadness. My father, sadden by the loss of my mother and me, took his own life. And my sister left this place eventually and live far from this country."
"I see. Sorry to have made you remember that."
"No problem." Saito was about to return to scanning and skimming the library for any books he can use when Julio interrupted him.
"Say, Saito, I have a suggestion. I suggest we stay here for a few more days instead of just hours. You did say you want us to learn about these people, so I suggest we stay here for two to three days."
"Two to three days, that's way too long. But,"
"Saito, I understand your concern, but I want to know more about who exactly we are dealing with."
Saito stopped and began to think when Julio looked at the image again.
"Tell me, Saito, this image isn't made by a painter, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's not made by a painter but rather by a camera. The photo was also developed almost immediately, and we got the image after the graduation ceremony."
"But to us back in Halkeginia, this kind of image cannot ever be replicated by a painter. Any portraits back in Halkeginia cannot fully recreate reality. This kind of painting technique, if introduced to Halkeginia, can change the continent, and even, might change present institutions in the continent."
Julio turned his head towards Saito, "Remember Saito, be careful. Some would not accept your ideas, and some would fight for the sake of their beliefs, and I might be one of them. You might be the Duke of Tristain, the future King of the Kingdom, and you might be the hero of Halkeginia, but…"
Saito remained silent. Julio then walked towards Saito and patted his shoulder. "Just joking."
"I know," Saito replied seriously.
"If you want to explore my world to gain some information about how my previous countrymen work, let's do it then, but for only two days."
"That's plenty enough, Saito," Julio replied.
While Saito and Julio were talking in one corner of the room, the others were doing their own thing. In the kitchen, there was Tabitha, the Queen of Gallia, and Tiffania, one of the candidates for the throne in Albion, are looking for cleaning tools. Louise, on the other hand, is exploring the house while Kirche is inspecting the cushions in the living room.
However, Mr. Colbert is standing in front of a wall. And in front of him was a white rectangular object. In the center of the rectangular object is a lever that looks like the one the zero-fighter has. Curious, he placed his finger on top of the button and pressed the button.
And then he pushes the lever up.
And then, all lights and devices inside the house lit up to life.
Part 2:
Fukagawa, Koto-ward
Tokyo, Japan
Decatilis 4, 6077 AB
June 19, 2011 AD
Fukagawa is a neighborhood where the merchant and the working class of Tokyo lived for many centuries since the Tokugawa times when the city was still known as Edo. Located in the seashores of Tokyo, this low-lying area is alive with mercantile activities of varying sizes, from the small mom-and-pop stores to workshops.
Fukagawa lies on the edge of Shitamachi, an old district of Tokyo. Given that the town sits in the low-lying shoreside of Tokyo, it was given the name Shitamachi, which means a low village. And Fukagawa sits on its edge.
During the days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Shogun and the upper classes of society, the warrior class, took the higher mountainous parts of Edo (the district of Yamanote). While the merchants and the peasants took the low lying grounds (the old district of Shitamachi). Yamanote is regarded as the place where the higher and more well-off societies, where the rich and the famous takes residence. Shitamachi is were the lower side of the community resides.
At the surface, places like Fukagawa might look like an ordinary town. But the area has its dark side. Shitamachi was given to merchants and peasants since the district was fully exposed to attack and prone to floods. Places like Fukugawa is home to the lower class of society, a delineation that exists for 300 years.
Places like this are a hotbed for under the table transactions.
And places like this are a battleground for those who dream of living in Yamanote.
Saito's residence is a two-story home with 3 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom, and a garage in Fukagawa. The house, 143 square meters, is a typical floor plan for working families in Japan.
But across the road Is a house identical to the one Saito has. The floor plans are entirely similar to it. And from the outside, it looks very similar. The only difference is the color scheme of the home.
Inside the house, two innocent-looking people are living in there.
But their innocence is only limited to their faces and mannerisms. Inside on one of the bedrooms of the house is a full set of espionage materials, with monitors, computers, listening devices, and espionage equipment present in the room.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The infrared alarm sang.
"Aki, we have an intruder." A Japanese woman called while looking at the monitor screens.
Aki is the codename for the Chinese spy who leads the operation on field espionage on the Hiraga residence. His partner, codename Yumi, is working to assist him. The two of them are Japanese citizens and were born in Japan. However, they have grandparents who became orphaned when the Japanese left China, mostly from Manchukuo, during the end of the Eight Years' War of Resistance, also known in the world as the Second World War.
The two of them are working for the East China Sea Fleet Naval Intelligence Office Bureau No. 18.
The man, in his early thirties, approached the woman and look down at the computer screen. On the screen, he saw a pink-haired girl walking in the second-floor corridor.
"Aki, our motion detectors are also sensing multiple movements on the first floor."
"Show me video footage of the first floor."
The woman pressed a button on the keyboard. The feed then changed from the second-floor corridor down to the kitchen and the living room.
In the kitchen-living room video feed, more individuals have been detected.
"Was there a break-in Yumi?" Aki asked.
"No. But it seems that the intruders just simply appeared inside the building."
Aki then looked at the people seen in the camera. In the video, he saw approximately six people, with two persons talking near the cabinet, one person standing in front of a wall, a woman lying near the sofa, and two girls in the kitchen.
"Hmmm…"
The man then pressed a button on the keyboard, where the audio indicator flashed on.
"But to us back in Halkeginia, this kind of image cannot ever be replicated by a painter. Any portraits back in Halkeginia cannot fully recreate reality. This kind of painting technique, if introduced to Halkeginia, can change the continent, and even, might change present institutions in the continent."
The blond person said, in a language, he does not understand.
"French?" Yumi asked.
"I don't know."
"Remember, Saito, be careful. Some would not accept your ideas, and some would fight for the sake of their beliefs, and I might be one of them. You might be the Duke of Tristain, the future King of the Tristain, and you might be the hero of Halkeginia, but…"
"Saito?" Aki looked at Yumi.
"He did say 'Saito,' right?" He asked again.
Yumi then took a piece of paper and looked at the picture of the man, complete with a full known description of him.
"Run the facial recognition software."
Without responding to her superior, Yumi pressed a button on the keyboard, running the facial recognition software. It only took the computer less than a second to run a full facial scan on the Japanese looking guy.
"92%."
Aki picked up an old touchpad Nokia cellphone and dialed in a number.
"Yumi, saved all information in the harddrive, prepare for clearing out."
Yumi, the female agent, nodded.
"What's up, Chris?"
Part 3:
East Sea Fleet Headquarters
Xiangshan County, Ningbo
Zhejiang Province, China
Decatilis 4, 6077 AB
June 19, 2011 AD
Ningbo, the city of calm waves, a city of 8 million people. The city is located in Zhejiang sheng (province), situated in a low-lying coastal plain on the Yong River delta. Being the end of a deep river and a delta serving as a bay, the city is a perfect place for a port. The Ningbo-Zhousan Seaport, the busiest port in the world, handling 888.96 million tons of cargo.
However, Ningbo is not only a Chinese free-trade zone or a vital trading nod to the world. Ningbo, sitting adjacent to the renegade province of Taiwan and facing Japan, is also a strategic city for China.
It is home to the Headquarters of the East China Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army – Navy. After many officials in the East China Sea Fleet have been sacked out of their positions by the new Chairman of the Central Military Commission, new people have been introduced to the naval command, with new departments of navy introduced.
One of the new departments introduced into the East China Sea Fleet Command is Bureau No. 18. Bureau No. 18 is a department that facilitates naval research. But that is its official description.
Bureau No. 18 is a department co-handled by both the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the Ministry of State Security, reporting directly to the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, who is Xing Jiangping, the President of China and the General Secretary of Chinese Communist Party. The purpose of the department is to gather information about the new world.
The same world the Russians and the Americans are exploring.
And the head of the department is Admiral Zhe Jiang.
Inside his office, the Admiral was reading reports from analysis of the finding and new information the office has received about the other world and Saito Hiraga. And in his table, there are pieces of paper on it and several phones.
The call works by transferring the call from one phone to another. From Tokyo, the call request was sent to Osaka. From Osaka, it was then transferred to Kitakyushu, where it was converted to encrypted calls via the internet. It was then transferred to a facility in Qingdao, Shandong province, where it was decrypted before being encrypted one more time. It was then forwarded to Ningbo by landline before it reaches to the mainframe computer in the facility where it was converted into radio communication.
And so, while reading into a report, one of the secured radios crackled to life.
It was from one of the spy networks from Tokyo, the one stationed in front of a house.
The Admiral stood up and brought the radio close to his ears.
"What's up, Chris?"
The person on the phone said.
A report?
"Yeah, buddy, what's up?" He replied in English, with the Chinese accent.
State your report.
"Helen is here."
Saito Hiraga is here.
"Helen. Ok, But I feel a bit embarrassed to talk to her right now. Anyway, tell me what she's doing right now."
Saito Hiraga. Keep a close eye on him. So, what is he doing now?
"Helen is in the house. She brought friends with her."
Saito Hiraga is in the house. He brought friends with him.
"Friends?"
His friends?
"Yes, and they're foreigners."
Yes, and it seems they're from the other world.
"I see. Can you send me a picture? Can you please send it privately? I don't want her or her other friends to know I'm stalking her. Also, Lucas is coming."
I see. Send data through encrypted channels. And make sure the other agencies will not intercept it. Also, another operative will reinforce you all there.
The person on the other line chuckled. "Yes, I'll be rooting for you and Helen."
Copy. Yes Sir. Out.
And the call ended.
"I see, so you came back, as predicted." He took the paper that has Saito's image on it and looked at it. "And you brought friends. Interesting."
"Thankfully, it seems that we have deployed her just in time." The Admiral in charge of Bureau No. 18 held a picture of a woman with long silky black hair. Under the image, the initials B.L. was written.
And, as soon as he said that, the blinker of the computer turned on, indicating files are coming in. He then sat down again and held the computer mouse and pressed right-click.
What meets him in his monitor screen is the download bar downloading files from an unknown location.
Part 4:
Moscow,
Russian Federation
Decatilis 4, 6077 AB
June 19, 2011 AD
Day 18 of Project Odessa.
Its been eight days since one of the world's most massive military exercise has reached its conclusion. The military situational training was soon followed by discussions of the high military officials from both Russia, China, and Kazahkstan, which ended just two days ago, June 17, with the Chinese and Kazakh delegations going home to their respective countries.
But another convention of the Russian high government and military officials is currently going on under the Kremlin.
Just 18 days ago, the Russians succeeded in conducting a human expedition to the other world. As of now, 100 Russians, consisting of scientists and soldiers, are staying in this new world, managing the Russian outpost. Moscow, on the other hand, is moving on to the next step of the plan.
Inside the room, six people were discussing future transactions for Operation Odessa. It was the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Defense, the head of the FSB, and Dr. Zylensky.
"Comrades, I called upon all of you today to talk about Project Odessa." The President said.
"Project Odessa, so what's next now?" The Minister of Finance asked.
"I want to expand our capabilities in the other world," President said. "By the way, Ivanov, did the Americans and the Europeans find out about Project Odessa?"
Iosef Ivanov, a former KGB agent, once working in East Germany along with Mr. Paten back in the 80s, is the Head of the FSB.
"My agents in America hasn't seen any changes or anything significant to report to. However, I will not say if we have managed to fool the Americans. They might have already known about our mission and that it was as expected."
President Paten was about to say something when the Head of the FSB interrupted him. "There is something strange going on. Particularly the Germans, the Japanese, and the Chinese."
"Oh, how so?"
"I'm not sure about Berlin, only that our people there are telling us that the Germans are purposely hiding information to the Americans. We also found out that the Germans are conducting counter-espionage on the Americans. For Beijing, it seems that Beijing is mobilizing its espionage capacities about something in Japan, and the Japanese are trying to figure out what Beijing is up to there. So far, we haven't found any links or evidence to point out that the Americans are involved, or that this is about the other world. Our facilities in Vladivostok are intercepting Chinese communications, but it seems that a misinformation campaign is going on. I do think the Chinese are trying to find some dirt on the existing officials in both the civilian and military side of the Chinese government."
"Well, I won't be surprised if that's the case. So far, I have heard many Chinese officials have already been purged from the government."
President Paten nodded.
"Keep an eye on the Chinese."
"So, Mr. President, what will be our next step?"
The Russian President turned his attention to the Minister of Finance. "I would like to increase our presence there. Build a full-sized outpost if necessary."
"Is that so… then I will not ask any questions about it, Mr. President? However, I will tell you this first, Mr. President, we only have 3.2 trillion rubles (80 billion US dollars) left in our annual income, Mr. President."
"Then, I will give this project a budget of 80 billion rubles (2 billion US dollars). I will add that to the military budget." The President said. Soon, the President grabbed a piece of paper already signed by him, the minister of defense, and the Prime Minister. "Here, read more about this document and analyze it properly. After that, put your signature on it and give it then to me."
"Yes, Mr. Paten." After receiving the 8-page document from the President, the man remained on his seat and began reading the papers.
"Are you sure about this, Mr. President?" The Defense Minister asked.
"Yes, yes, I am…" the President responded.
"I have to warn you, Mr. President… we need to know first that world before we can send in any kind of reinforcements there. We might find ourselves in a deadlock. Who knows how big and how complex this world is. The only map we have is a one hundred eighty miles radius three-dimensional map and a 480-mile diameter wide map of what seems to be a land similar to the Black Sea Region of Russia." The Defense Minister said.
"I know that my friend, that is why I am not going to make any mistakes here. We have made a full analysis of the data taken from the deployed equipment. We found out that the world has almost the same atmospheric mixture. It means if we are to send a fleet of weather balloons there, then maybe by five to six months, we can have a full map of its northern hemisphere," the Russian President said.
While the President and the Prime Minister were busy discussing the future of the project, a monitor screen lit up. After that, a man in the lab coat came to the front to the front, where everyone can see him. It was Dr. Zylensky, chief scientist of the Odessa program.
"Good evening, Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister." The scientist said.
"What is it that you have for me, Dr. Zylensky?" the President asked.
"Mr. President, I have found something intriguing in the data gathered by our weather balloon. Although it is a little out of range from for the sensors to create a picture of it, there are three main targets in the data that are a bit too showy to be ignored." The scientist said.
"And"what are these targets, Dr. Zylensky?" the President asked.
"Our high definition camera, although it is too blurry to be seen clearly, in this picture... Anomaly number 3… about 330 miles, SSW from the settlement, there is something like."
The scientist took out his laser pointer and aimed it at something like a protrusion in the ground. "Over here is something extraordinary. What is weird in this village is this… it may look like a little bump in the image, but if we calculate the height of this structure and the distance it is taken, I say it is a very tall structure, probably about half a kilometer tall, maybe an obelisk or something." The scientist grabbed another set of photos.
"But! But! But!" The scientist exclaimed, taking the full attention of all the people in the room. "That is if the structure is actually close. But since it is on the horizon, I can infer that this structure might be even taller. Something like an Mt. Everest like height."
"That's very tall." The Prime Minister remarked.
"Exactly. But then look at these pictures."
"And this one is the greatest anomaly of all. There are many data about it. This one, as captured by our RADAR imagery system, this feature over here is very different. It has a very high peak, soaring above the sky with its peak at 4,500 meters. The problem is here," he points out a specific area of the picture and proceeds on the report. "Somewhere in the middle, the breadth of the mountain decreases to almost nothing. It seems that these geographical formations are flying in the sky, and there are more of them. The biggest of them is located 80 miles, WNW from the settlement, the second one is 110 miles, ENE from the settlement, and the third one is 100 miles, SE from the settlement." The scientist said.
"According to our calculations, the landmass 110 miles away is 20 billion tons, the one 100 miles southeast of the settlement is 118 billion tons and the biggest one, about 80 miles away from the settlement, is a landmass half the size of Crimea, weighing at an outstanding 18 trillion tons."
"What is exactly do you want to say, Dr. Zylensky?"
"Flying islands. Landmasses weighing billion and even trillions of tons, flying up in the sky." Dr. Zylensy looked at the people inside the room, especially on the President. "Do you understand what I mean, Mr. President?"
"Tell me, Doctor," the President asked.
"If an island, weighing billions and even trillions of tons, flies in the air, imagine if we know the physics or mechanisms behind it. If a billion-ton mountain or a trillion-ton rock can float like that in the atmosphere, how much more is a ship weighing a mere 72,000 tons."
Dr. Zelensky added, "Now imagine what kind of impact it can do to the military and the economy if we figure out how to bring those materials back to the motherland."
And before everyone can talk, Dr. Zelensky continued.
"And this is anomaly number three. This one is captured by our weather balloon. It's about a hundred miles away from the settlement. I know this might be something creepy, but I think we found where the dragons live. This picture, if you look closely, a couple gigantic flying reptiles are flying around the area. Their physical characteristics all fit a dragon's characteristics." The scientist said. After that, he immediately picked up the last set of pictures.
"I know this might be counterproductive of me but, have you considered technical malfunction from the weather balloon or something like that!" the Minister of Defense said.
"I am sure of it. There are no technical malfunctions. All of these findings are genuine. And even if the equipment did actually failed, then isn't it a reason to further investigate to prove its authenticity. Isn't that right, Mr. President." Mr. Zelensky approached the President.
"I want more data on the findings, especially on the anomalies, Mr. President. I want to make that as a priority of the next expedition." Dr. Zelensky added.
"I'll make sure that your request will be made, so Dr. Zylensky, I'll ask you one more thing… what does those three weather balloon that we deployed in the world will do and how much data can it gather in the space of a month or so?" the President asked.
"Those weather balloons Mr. President are actually spy equipment and can be left to drift in the upper atmosphere. Those balloons can be used to map a region the size of Asia and Europe combined. In other words, if this world is as similar to that of our world… those balloons in one month could have already mapped a landmass equivalent to the entire European continent and the entire Russian territory, the northern part of the Middle East, half of the Central Asian Region, and the northwest region of China." The chief scientist said.
"Well, those spy balloons are already a formidable piece of hardware in our arsenal. The only nation that can counter our balloons is no other than the United States, maybe China, to some extent. So I say, in our next mission, we will launch more of these balloons and map the entire world. By the time the Americans began building their own settlement there, we will be starting to build up our military and scientific infrastructure in the area," the Minister of Defense said.
"I agree. So now, we still have five months remaining. My order… began preparing for the next expedition for the next year's total eclipse. Don't worry, my comrades… by the time December 1 arrives, a total budget of 320 billion rubles (8 billion dollars) will be utilized in the project. Ok now that we arrived at a certain agreement, I call to adjourn the meeting, I am still the President of the Russian Federation, you know." The President said.
"Are you sure, Mr. President?" The Prime Minister asked.
"Yes, comrade. I am." President Paten replied.
"Then I have no choice," Mr. Andrei Medvelov, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, raised his right arm. "I second the motion," answered the Prime Minister.
With that, the meeting about the next expedition for Halkeginia was over. The next expedition, which is set on March 3, 2012 AD (or Sextilis 16, 6078 AB), is now on!
Part 5:
Zhongnanhai, Beijing
People's Republic of China
Decatilis 4, 6077 AB
June 19, 2011 AD
Lying west of the Forbidden City lies a majestic symbol of China. Standing the test of time, witnessing the rise and fall and rise and fall of many Chinese Empires stretching back from the Liao all the way to the Red dynasty, Zhongnanhai has been there –
Hosting residence of many of the Chinese royalties and nobilities.
The name Zhongnanhai comes from its location. West of the forbidden city is the three 'seas,' which in truth are nothing more but lakes – the northern, central, and southern lakes. The Northern 'Sea' is located in Beihai Park. The Central or Zhong (中) and Southern or Nan (南)'Seas' or Hai(海) are collectively referred to as Zhongnanhai or 中南海.
Like its high and long past, Zhongnanhai is often used as the metonym for the Chinese leadership at large. It is used in a similar sense to the term "the White House" to refer to the American executive branch. Zhongnanhai serves as the residence and office of China's most powerful man, Chairman Xing Jiangping, as well as other state leaders like the Premier of China.
Occupying 607 hectares worth space, Zhongnanhai has many buildings and rooms. One of the buildings in Zhongnanhai is called the Library of Chrysanthemum Fragrance. Located in the Garden of Abundant Beneficence in the southern section of Zhongnanhai, the building is now preserved as a museum that is not accessible to the public.
But sitting in one of the sits inside the library is Admiral Zhe Jiang. He just arrived in Beijing an hour ago, and 6 hours ago, he was there in Ningbo, assessing all the information they captured from their spies in Tokyo. 6 hours ago, he contacted the President to send to him all that he knows about the otherworld. But Chairman Xing wants to meet him personally, and so he took a direct hi-speed train route from Ningbo – Shanghai – Beijing.
And now, he is here sitting on a chair inside the library. His laptop on the table, his briefcase on the side of the chair and himself occupying only 1/4 of the chair while sitting erect – chin up, chest out and stomach in.
Not long after, the door leading to the library opened up.
Since it was nighttime, the man wasn't completely visible to the Admiral. However, he noticed the door opening up and keep himself there on the chair.
The man soon entered the room, and as he steps on the light, the Admiral can see the man. The man was wearing a suit while carrying a briefcase.
It was the Chinese President, Chairman Xing Jiangping.
The Admiral raised the suitcase up to the table. He then opened the seals of the briefcase, revealing to the Chairman what is inside. Inside is a customized computer. And, as soon as he opened it, the laptop immediately booted up, showing the booting screen of the Kylin Linux 6.0 operating software.
The computer only took seconds to boot up, which then led Chairman Xing into a desktop that is already full of notepads and videos. The desktop also has a look that is very similar to that of Windows XP.
"In the desktop is all the information we have captured so far from our operatives in Tokyo."
In the taskbar is a word document that is already open. The software is NeoShine (which looks like Microsoft Word 2003). And the title of the report is 'Transcripts.'
In the 'Transcript' file lies a series of texts that have a French-like conversation on it, with a Mandarin translation under it.
"This is the conversation he had made with his friends?"
"Yes, Chairman. Also, run the conversation on a speech-to-text software. The software has determined the language used in the conversation is a language that is similar to French, with 82% similarity with some French dialects. The software has also found old Latin, Celtic, and Norse words on it."
"So, our man here is with the Europeans?"
"No. I can't tell so far, Chairman. They may look like Europeans, but I don't think they are in anyway Europeans. Also, please take a look at Picture 29."
The Chairman then opened a file named Picture 29. Upon opening the file, an image of a blond girl emerged on the computer screen. Along with her peculiar ear feature.
"According to our transcripts, the girl has the name 'Tiffania.' One thing that took my attention is that 'very peculiar' pair of ears she has. It might be that it's a genetic disease. Her ears look like it natural, but it's very unusual."
"You said this girl's name is Tiffania. Can you show me where did you get that name for her?"
"Please look at Passage 9 in the transcript section."
And so the Chairman looked for a specific part of the 'Transcript' File labeled Passage 39. Not long after, he found it.
The transcript goes like this, as per translation:
-Start of Passage:
Blond hair: "Please don't clean Queen Charlotte. I clean."
Blue hair: "I told not you name Queen Charlotte me. Call Tabitha."
Blond hair: "But, Queen,"
Blue hair: "Tiffania, I told you times many. I and you, cousins. You also heir, Albion Empire."
Blond hair: "I'll try."
-End of Passage -
"An heir… This is very big. Those people inside that house are foreign dignitaries."
"Yes, Mr. Chairman. The blue-haired girl called the blond-haired girl with the name 'Tiffania.' This person, Tiffania, the blue-haired girl, refers to her as the heir to the Albion Empire. Meanwhile, this person named Tiffania called the blue-haired girl as 'Empress Charlotte.' But the blue-haired girl reminds her to call her Tabitha."
"So, what are your opinions on this Admiral?"
"Chairman, so far, I can tell these two are close. I infer that this girl named Tiffania is the successor to this girl named Queen Charlotte. I infer the two of them are monarchs."
"Ok, I see. So tell me, what are they?"
"To be honest with you, Chairman, I don't know. But I am sure of one thing. Nothing like these things is recorded in our history."
"So that dismisses the time travel idea."
"Yes."
Chairman Xing then returned on looking at the pictures. Below the images are labels showing the possible names of the people inside the house. Out of the seven individuals in that room, only 3 people have names.
And one of them is Saito.
"So tell me, is there anything about Saito?"
"Yes, we have Chairman. Please see Passage 28."
And so the Chinese President and also the Secretary-General of the Chinese Communist Party browsed the 'Transcript' file, named Passage 28.
Passage 28 goes on likes this:
=Start of Passage:
"Commemorate Saito, conscientious. Some would secure your idea, and some would meet for the advantage of faith. I am one of them. You are the Duke of Tristain, the future Emperor of the Empire, and the charlatan of Halkeginia. But…"
-End of Passage-
"What the…"The Chinese President was left speechless.
"I don't know entirely well if the translation is on target to the original thought. I'm sorry, Chairman, this is the closest translation we have."
"For the moment, this is all we have. So tell me more." The Chairman then pointed on the four remaining people.
"First off, we have this person." Admiral Jiang took up a picture of a blond-haired boy. "We don't know about his name, but according to the transcript, this young boy seems to be an advisor to Saito."
"Next is this person." The Admiral took up a picture of a pink-haired girl. "To be honest, she just looks like a naïve girl to me. She looks a bit clueless. However, she looks a bit dangerous."
"Then, we have this person." The Admiral took up a picture of a red-haired woman. "She looks a bit of this kind of woman who uses her physical advantages often. This woman isn't naïve nor clueless, and quite the contrary, she is wise. I think she is representative of one of the nations back in the otherworld."
"And finally, we have this man." The Admiral took up a picture of a man in his middle ages. "I think this man is a curious one. I think he is like a scientist or a thinker, possibly an inventor."
"I see." The Chairman nodded. And then the Chinese President found a specific passage on the 'Transcript.'
Passage 25, as per Mandarin Translations:
-Start of Passage:
"Do Saito, I have a commendation. I recommend we respite here for some days rather than hours. You did do want to learn about people. I recommend we respite here for two to three days."
-End of Passage-
"I believe that what happened back in October has ruffled the feathers of these people. And now they're here, maybe trying to grasp the situation. And judging from the transcripts that were intercepted back in Zhejiang, it seems that he might be trying to modernize their world. At least to the point that it can counter the Americans if they ever become a threat."
"HAHAHAHA!" The Chinese President laughed out loud. "The boy is actually not a bad statesman. I like him."
The President then turned his head on the Admiral. "She is already in Tokyo, correct?"
"Yes, Chairman Xing."
President Jiangping smirked. "Good, she reports me directly, but you can also give her orders if necessary. You know already what I mean. And also, I want to open diplomatic relations with the other world."
"Activate the order."
The Admiral stood up and made a salute. "Yes, Sir."
Chairman Jiangping made a nod, and the Admiral raised down his hand and then went on to do the Chairman's order.
Part 6:
Tokyo, Japan
Decatilis 5, 6077 AB
June 20, 2011 AD
The time is late morning, around 10 o'clock.
Tokyo, a city of millions of people, has her streets full of people. Students and professionals crisscross the streets. Cars and trucks flow through the roads like blood in an artery. And the young and old walk without care of the person they are walking beside them.
However, among the hordes of people walking in and out of sight, seven people stand oddly different from the rest. It was Saito and his group. And they are walking in the street looking for a place to sell gold.
Leading the group is Duke Saito de Hiraga des Orneires.
"This is…" Kirche stood in front of the glass window, looking at the dress on the other side.
"This is…" Colbert stood in front of a portable boat engine being sold in front of a hardware store. The hardware store stands right next to the clothes store.
"Beautiful." The two spoke in unison.
"You two are really meant for each other." Julio took a glance at the two while looking around his surroundings.
As if observing the world around him.
"Of course, we are meant for each other." Kirche rushed to Colbert's side and hugged his left arm. "Isn't that right, Darling?"
Colbert responded with a slight and dry laugh.
While the three behind him are having fun, Saito has been looking around him as well. Yet not for the same reason that Julio has been looking around him.
Saito is looking for a Silver and Gold Store.
In Saito's pouch, he carries around 30 pieces of gold. What he has is the Tristainian gold coin. Every Tristainian gold coin is made up of 60% gold, 39% lead, and 1% of other metals. The coin also weighs about 35 grams. With the current price of gold at USD 1,544.10 per troy ounce or USD 49.97 per gram, the price per coin is USD 1,049.37, or JPY 84,159.5.
In total, all the gold in his pouch has a net worth of USD 31k.
"Saito, is the gold with you enough?" Tabitha, who is walking very close to the left of Saito, asked. "If it's not going to be enough, I can give you more."
"No, its fine, Tabitha." Saito turned his head and gave the small petite Queen a small yet tender smile.
A smile that was taken well by the blue-haired girl.
And a smile that has been seen and taken noted by his spouse. Who happens to be walking with him to his right side. However, she made no reaction, aside from that apparent jealous-look on her face.
And behind them, Tiffania is watching them, giving her three friends a good yet silent smirk.
And then Saito found what he was looking for. Not that far away from him is a store named Ginza Gold and Silver Store. He then walked towards the gold and silver coin store and entered the store.
Upon entering the store, he saw two individuals inside the store. The two vendors, seeing a customer opened up, the two saleswomen, showed the group the brightest smile they can make and bowed their heads.
"Welcome to the Ginza Gold and Silver Store, Ladies and Gentlemen."
"Good morning, too," Saito replied. However, the rest of the group who was walking with him became silent.
"Is that a diamond?" Louise stared at a blue diamond that was lying in the middle of the necklace. And the blue diamond is accompanied by a series of smaller diamonds. And the price tag for the blue diamond necklace is USD 150,000.
"Ohhh!" Tabitha, the Queen of Gallia, stood mesmerized in front of a case full of emerald rings of different variations.
"Wooo! What kind of treasure is this!" An expression of awe was on Kirche's face as she looks at the gemstone she has never before seen before. It was a ring with a red beryl stone. "This store has more treasures than our family treasure throve."
"Wow, I haven't seen this stone before." Tiffa, like everyone else inside the room, was filled with amazement as her eyes gaze on a necklace. It was necklace made up of a series of pearls beaded together into a chain with a lapis lazuli as its centerpiece.
The saleswoman then attended to the pink-haired girl who rushed towards the gemstone. "Yes, this a natural blue diamond. The blue diamond came from a mine in India, and the diamonds from South Africa. The necklace is also made of high-grade silver from Mexico."
Louise looked at the girl as she tries to understand the French the saleswoman used.
"Can you please repeat? I don't understand." Louise replied. "Anyway, this is the first time I have seen this many diamonds in my life."
The Japanese saleswoman, who has a high proficiency in the French language, looked at the girl with a puzzled look.
"I'm sorry about that, Ma'am. My friends came from a remote part of Europe." Saito said as he held Louise's arm.
"A remote part of Europe… ok…"
For a moment, a hint of suspicion showed up on the woman's face. She then hid her suspicion and kept her expression on her face. "I see, she replied."
Julio and Colbert remained near the door, and like everyone, the two of them were also mesmerized. Even Julio, who has seen Romalia's treasury.
From the perspective of the saleswoman, the one who has a high proficiency in French…
The foreigners are talking and using their language very a high level of proficiency between each other. They understand each other. Like German or French, but they cannot tell. They are talking in a manner that is French. However, the usage of grammar is very wrong. The words are French, but the terms are not used properly.
Listening to them talk is akin to listening to a person reading the words randomly.
The saleswoman made a nod to her co-worker, and her co-worker nodded back at her. She then hid behind the counter while the other came out and walked towards the Japanese looking boy in the crowd.
At first, she glanced at the people around the boy. It seems to be that the group's guard is low. They seem to trust them, the saleswomen. The girls are distracted by the jewels. The two other men, on the other hand, seems to be talking about the girls. As if criticizing or something.
The other person, Saito, on the other hand, is wide open. His friends are not looking at him. And in addition to that, his guard is the lowest among the group.
"Good morning Sir." The lady, about 24 years old, maybe even younger, lowered her head to Saito, letting her long shiny black hair fall down on her shoulders while exposing her cleavage and black lingerie that is hidden inside her saleswoman uniform.
A sight Saito has clearly noticed.
"Good… Good morning too, Ma'am."
The lady then raised her head, revealing her beautiful looks to the boy. The lady's looks were clearly that of a Japanese, a woman of full Japanese ancestry. Her dark brown eyes looked dead center on Saito's eyes, the saleswoman filled all of Saito's field of vision, making Saito see or notice no one but her.
"How may I help you, Mister?"
The saleswoman asked in a very light and caring tone.
"Ahhhh… Ummmm."
Saito failed to answer the woman. Instead, he is just standing there, his eyes locked to hers, and noticing nothing else.
"Ahem. Ahem." A loud noise came from behind Saito. "Excuse me, Woman. Do you have any gold or silver for sale here? Coinage that I can buy here? Unpolished jewels?"
All of a sudden, a loud male noise interrupted the trance on which all of a sudden, Saito gained his awareness back. He then turned to the source of the sound. And there in the door, a large, well-built man of Manchurian descent, maybe Mongolian.
The Mongolian looks like a trader. The man wears a hat with tinted glasses. His hat, black in color, is complemented with a black suit, black slacks, and shiny black shoes.
When looking at him, he almost resembles a man in black.
Well almost.
His hands are a hand of that of a soldier. Callous and big, his hand exposes years of hard labor. But then, there are all of his jewelry. His big white hand is complemented with a golden ring, a Rolex on his wrist, and a golden pendant hanging from his neck.
And the man gives off an atmosphere of wealth and power.
The saleswoman tried to catch Saito's attention by trying to dismiss the other guy while she waits for reinforcements. But Saito turned towards the man and asked him.
"You buy coins, Sir?" Saito asked. "I have some gold coins I need to sell."
"Oh, can you show them to me?" The man asked.
Saito then took the pouch out of his minibag. He then took a gold coin out and gave it to the guy. "Here."
The man then took out from his pocket a piece of a magnifying glass. "This is an interesting coin."
"Yes, it is," Saito replied. "I don't really know how much those gold coins worth. They are from my relatives who love smelting coins."
It was a terrible lie.
A lie everyone immediately noticed. However, the Mongolian looking guy has control over the situation. Causing the saleswoman to retreats and resorts to listening to them from a distance. She is doing this while trying to act as if she was dealing with the other customers.
The Mongolian guy looked at the coin, and it matters not how he looks at it –
The currency is legit, minted, possibly by a national government. But he keeps his lips sealed.
"Very interesting indeed." The Mongolian said. "So how many of these coins fo you have? I mean, how much money do you need?"
"I need about a few hundred thousand, yes. And I have 30 of them."
The man, who seems to be a well-endowed trader on precious metals and gems, looked at the boy one more time with a look as if telling him 'seriously?' But the Mongolian trader reverted back to his poker face expression.
The man approached the boy and whispered to his ear where he said: "A million yen. Give me all of your gold coins, and I'll give you a Million Yen, cash."
Saito's eyes grew large upon hearing the word 1 Million Yen. Never in his life has he had ever touched a hundred thousand yen, let alone 1 million yen. But the guy in front of him offering him 1 million yen for all of his 30 gold coins.
Saito, back in Halkeginia, has, in his account, have tens of thousands of gold coins.
Louise has more than him, on the level of hundreds of thousands.
"Oh, 1 million isn't enough? I'll give you 2 million."
The man took out from his suit 2 stacks of 10,000 yen bills, all worth 2 million yen.
"Do we have a deal?" The man asked while looking at the powerless wimpy boy in front of him.
Saito then took out a pouch full of coins and gave it to the man in front of him. The man then handed him the 2 Million Yen.
"Nice doing business with you, young man." The man replied. "Also, Young Boy, here is my calling card. Just drop me a message if you have more to sell."
"Thank you too." Saito made a slight bow before he went to his companions and, along with him, left the place.
Part 7:
Tokyo, Japan
Decatilis 5, 6077 AB
June 20, 2011 AD
Not long after the boy and his group exit the group, the Mongolian trader went into the store and bought gold and silver from the store at the value worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. After he has done his transaction, he then, nonchalantly, walked towards his car and sat inside there.
Not long after that, he drove his car away from the store drove all around Tokyo. After a considerable amount of time spent on driving, the man picked pressed a button on his car dashboard and wear his headphones to his ear.
RIIIING! RIIIING! RIIIING!
The familiar sound of a ringing phone rang in his headset. It was then followed by a "Ting" sound.
"Pei, the mission has been compromised. The Japanese have been notified of the existence of our target."
The Mongolian gold trader is an officer of the PLA Second Department posted in Group 38 in Japan. His codename is Ganbold Ganbaatar; however, no information is available about his identity. His official job is to buy precious metals for the People's Liberation Army like gold, silver, and even platinum.
However, he received an order earlier to monitor the boy and his group. And when they stumbled into a known intelligence collection hub in Tokyo, he went into action.
His objective is to prevent the Japanese from knowing the boy more.
And the person he was calling is his superior, who also resides in Japan. Someone who bears the codename Pei.
"I see. I will inform the Major later. Out."
And with that, the phone call was over. The man then continued to drive his car, which is nothing more actually but just circling downtown Tokyo.
Meanwhile, not that far away from him, at one of the Japanese intelligence centers in the area, the local director has received a notice from their information collection hubs in Ginza.
It was a CCTV recording.
The man watched the video for a while. And the, a group of 'out of place' people suddenly came into the hub.
After seeing that, the Japanese spymaster began taking notes and screenshots of the individuals in the video. He then saved them later and keep his attention on the video first.
Almost at the end of the recording, a strange trader appeared out of nowhere. It was a precious metal dealer of Mongolian features. He then paused the video and took a screenshot of his face.
Concerned, he went to the other computer sitting right beside him. It has face recognition software, and with that software, he placed their faces on there and ran it.
And the result was...
'No Matches'
The man then picked up the telephone and typed in a number in the dial. It was the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Safety Bureau.
RIIIING! RIIIING! RIIIING!
The man on the other side picked out the phone.
"This is Matsuhisa speaking. Who is this?" The man on the other side of the phone spoke.
"Inspector, this is Officer Ryusei of the Police Department – Ginza. We have a possible espionage operation here in Tokyo. International in nature. It looks like it's the Chinese. Also, we have unknowns as well. No idea who they are or who they are associated with."
"I see. Continue monitoring the situation. I will dispatch my men on it. Send me all the data."
"I will, Sir."
The other side placed the phone down, prompting him to drop the phone, open back his other computer, and sent the info straight to Inspector Matsuhisa, the head of the Second Foreign Affairs Division of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Safety Bureau, in charge of intelligence activities in Tokyo.
The chase is on.
-End of Chapter-
Yeah, I change the way the story is running. I'm now adding the espionage factor in the story. Then I have also determined that this way, I can make the story a bit more interesting. Well, I think it is interesting.
Reminder: These are the months, the day lengths, and their similar calendar names in the modern calendar.
Ianuarius – January – 31 days
Februarius – February – 28 days (29 on leap years)
Martius – March – 31 days
Aprilis – April – 30 days
Mauis – May – 31 days
Iunius – June – 30 days
Quintilis – July – 31 days
Sextilis – August – 31 days
Septilis – September – 30 days
Octilis – October – 31 days
Nonatilis – November – 30 days
Decatilis – December – 31 days
AD or Anno Domini will represent Earth reference time while AB or After Brimir will represent Halkeginian reference time. The Halkeginian calendar will also be 195 days behind Earth's timeline. So if the date in Halkeginia is Ianuarius 1, 6077 AB, then Earth date will be July 16, 2010 AD. And if the Earth date is January 1, 2010 AD, Halkeginian time will be Iunius 17, 6076 AB.
Review Response Time:
Geraval: Yeah, I'm doing a rewrite now. I found my fanfiction a little too dull. Miserable as a matter of fact. I'm also doing 1 is to 1 now. No more massive time speed difference.
Guest: Thank you, I hope you continue reading my story.
last admiral: I am planning to also do the same with my China Gate Story, the same thing I did on this fanfiction.
itsFAX: I will do my best to meet up with your expectations.
kevinkocher1: Thank you for informing me of my mistake. I have corrected my error now. I hope you continue doing reviews and read my story in the future.
zhangie: I will do my best to meet up with your expectations.
AZNMAGICMAN: That could work. I prefer something like the French Revolution. But I would like to refer to the Russian Communist Revolution and the struggles of the Chinese Communist Party during the days of the Chinese Civil Wars. But I'm still thinking about that. Thank you for your suggestion.
That's all for the review response time. Thank you again for reading my story. The next update will be by the end of March. Thank you very much for reading.
Thank you for reading When Two Worlds Collide...