The American In Another World
Chapter 22: The Holidays

October 9, 1639

Orange County, California

Under the split clouds, the sun shines on the residential neighborhood. Anders looked out of his Mercedes, lowered his window and enjoyed the gentle breeze as he walked down the street. The house and the sidewalk were completely different from the last time he was here; trash and debris no longer littered the area. Everything from the storm a few months ago had been cleared, and the surroundings looked as if nothing had happened.

The only difference he noticed was the increase in the 'for sale' sign'. He passed through nearly a dozen such marks before stopping in his driveway. Seeing his neighbor, Greg, watering some plants, he walked towards him. "Hey, Greg."

Greg looked up from his plant and smiled when he saw Anders. “Oh hi Sam! I thought you were on vacation?

“Yes, I have a few weeks. It's crazy to work with all these new fantasies.

"Oh? Yes, I've seen a few things about it in the news. Wish I could go look around this Qua Toyne place, but I'm busy collecting companies back.”

"Tough times?"

Greg shrugged, turning off the water. “Eh, somewhat. The first few months were very bad. Many people around here were hit when the economy and labor market slumped.” He pointed around, pointing to various 'sold' signs'.

"Damn it," murmured Anders. "But I'm glad you're still kicking."

“Ayup, I'm a tough motherfucker. So how are these new people doing?”

“They. I don't think they'll try anything stupid to maintain their influence. But then again, these guys are pretty aggressive with their policies, so I'm not so sure. Everyone is quite polite; we have some new countries asking for contacts.”

"Huh. Well, it's something.”

“Yes, and I also heard about a special group of marines and a special forces team sent north. 'This 'Operation Doomslayer' has been the talk of the town, at least in the fleet.

“Doomslayer? They're gonna kill a demon or something?”

"Something like that. Topa Kingdom wants our help, and as a good Christian country, we immediately accept their request.”

“Ha, sounds fun. I wish I could do that back in the day, but I'm getting older. My wife just said my beard was white a few days ago.

"Well, you still look pretty young to me."

Greg chuckles. “No need flattery, Samuel. I already plan to use a new look, maybe get blindfold haha!”

Samuel smiled and shook his head. “So, how is the situation overall?”

“Well, the gas is eight per gallon. It used to be nine, but it recently came down; thank God. Oh, and pineapple through the roof. I have to say, I never expected to have to pay ten dollars for any of those things. Everything else seemed fine, the economy was back on its feet. The stock market is recovering well, magic shows are becoming more popular. Don't know who's fake and who's real, unless of course they're one of those furry friends or taper ears.”

"Oh, that's interesting. I wonder if we will see some new celebrities popping up.”

"Oh yeah. There was a new elf girl who entered the news several times. I'll tell you more, but the wife is jealous whenever this elf girl appears on the screen! She laughs.

“Wah, I was wondering what my wife would think about the girls I've met lately. Diplomats from the Parpaldian Empire—the arrogant country was—like a supermodel. I am sure that Reiker women will be happy to be placed there. By the way, I have to tell my wife that I'm home.”

"Okay, buddy, I'll catch up with you later." Greg waved to Anders goodbye.

Anders knocked on his door, prompting his wife to run to the door. Eagerly, he opened it with a wide smile and hugged Anders tightly. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

Anders returned his embrace. "I miss you too, baby."

"I wish I could go with you ..." He looked at her with puppy eyes.

"Yes, me too, but it's—"

“Too dangerous, I know. So, come on in, tell me about your adventure! I've prepared your favorite ravioli on the table!”

Anders walked in with a loving smile and started telling his wife about his adventures.

——

San Diego, California

Director Kaios got off the big metal ferry, accompanied by his assistant, Raita. Afraid of Remille's anger if she traveled to the United States as a diplomat, she decided to travel during her break. Due to international travel restrictions imposed by the Americans, he had to travel first to the Rodenius continent and then, using Qua Toyne as a conduit, get a ride inland.

With the increasing influx of Elysian tourists, a helpful tourist center was established to help associate new guests with American culture. The giant sign in English and the common language of Elysia helped steer the tourists, along with the help of some indigenous guides, who had learned the customs of English and American at an incredible speed. The merchant ship was also anchored beside him, a stark contrast to the giant cargo ship.

When their ferry passengers finished descending, they were divided into groups and each was given a tour guide. After taking a moment to admire the view and discuss among themselves, the guides took the tourists to the cool air-conditioned dome-like building. Multiple screens were installed around the building, each displaying an instructional video to the group sitting in rows of chairs.

Kaios and Raita are taken to the first section, where they learn the basics of the American economy: what forms of currency to use, what goods and services to buy, and what forms of currency to buy, and where to exchange currencies. Afterwards, they were taken to a section where they learned about basic traffic rules and emergency services. The remaining part almost leaked out of their heads, but they tried to keep the information to make the best use of this foreign place.

“So, Raita, how long have we been here?”

"Almost two hours, sir."

Kaios groaning. “Ugh, it feels as if time is passing by half of its usual speed! Oh, my God, it feels like almost forever. I'll be honest: I don't remember many of these important details.

“It's okay, Sir. I track everything.”

“Then, great. What are we doing now?"

Kaios raised her hand, causing Raita to stop talking. “OK, I'll get you to handle this complication. I'll just follow you.”

"All right, Director."

After exchanging their paso for dollars, they walked out of the building and appeared amidst a crowd of tourists, fantasy fans, and enterprising businessmen. Kaios notices a group of furry demihumans engaging in active discussions with some dizzy Americans, and even poses for a photo with them, as shown in one of the educational videos. Then he realized that these people from Earth were new to the existence of demihumans, even though they were specifically not new to the concept itself; their literature seems to contain many references to what they consider 'fantasy'. Raita explains that the origin world of these people is inhabited only by humans, although things like magic, dwarves, and elves exist in fairy tales.

He wondered if there must have been some sort of connection between Elysia and Earth in the past, to explain such a strange coincidence. Realizing that Kaios is staring, Raita pulls her arm to bring her back to the real world. Kaios follows him to a small stand, where a man talks to a group of elven tourists.

“Alright, Mr. Kanata. Glad you liked our service the last time you were here. Here's the address, and be sure to show this paper when you get to the lobby. Have a nice day!"

Raita walked up to the man.

“Hey, young lady. Looking for a place to stay?”

“Ya, I'm looking for a room for two people.”

"All right." The man gave her a pamphlet. “We open several slots for rooms with one bed, only $150 per night.”

Kaios ignored the discussion, continuing to look around. After a few minutes, Raita brought Kaios aside and explained the details of their hotel. “I booked a room at a hotel, and we need to bring one of those yellow cars over there and give them this piece of paper. This is the address of the hotel; we need to make sure that we do not lose it, so that we do not get lost.”

Kaios simply nodded and let Raita call a taxi.

Once inside, the driver turns around and analyzes the new passenger. “Interesting clothes you all have. Where are you all from?”

Raita replied, "We are from the Parpaldian Empire, sir."

“Parpaldia yes? I've heard of Parpaldia. Got that interesting 18th-century style stuff. It is very interesting to visit alone, but the travel ban still applies, ”he said while moving away from the port and entering the freeway. “We can only visit Qua Toyne and Quila, unless we have special work permit.”

"Oh, 18th century?"

“Yes, so right before we were taken away, we were in the 21st century. So about 300 years ago.”

Kaios heart fell upon hearing that. Was the Parpaldian Empire really far behind the United States? He continued to look out the window, but increased his attention to the conversation.

"That's it, so you basically want to visit our country as a historical experience, then?"

“Oh course. I'm quite interested in history, and going there would probably be the closest thing I can do to time travel back to the 1700s.”

Raita encouraged the man for more information by asking questions. "intriguing. But why doesn't the government let you enjoy this? Why are there travel restrictions?”

The driver looked in the mirror and shrugged his shoulders. "Beating me," he said, driving with one hand on the steering wheel. “They just want to make sure it's safe out there. In our history, medieval-era civilizations and even renaissance were not so safe. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, we don't trust the world enough to let our citizens out, inevitably, you know? Just imagine if a group of tourists were like, caught in a war somewhere and executed or something. That would give President Lee a very bad reputation.

"That makes sense."

"Okay guys, your stop will be there," he pointed to a large multi-storey building. “It's nice to meet you. Your rate is six dollars eighty cents.”

Raita gave the man eight dollars, making sure to adhere to the local tip culture. After saying goodbye to the man, some hotel staff came out to help them with their luggage.

"Do you want us to take this to your room?"

"Yes, please," said Raita. Then, turning to Kaios, he said, "Let's go to the lobby so we can check in."

There, they found the same group of elves before. After the elves finished checking in, they saw Kaios and Raita. One of them walked over, seemingly recognizing the Parpaldian duo. “Oh, hey... Aren't you Director Kaios of the Third State Department?”

“Yes,” Kaios wondered who the elves were, then realized her identity. "Prime Minister Kanata, isn't he?"

"Indeed. So what brought you here to the United States? I assume that the Parpaldians do not visit the countries 'barbarians'.”

“We don't. However, there is something that tells me that the term 'barbarians' is slowly becoming anachronistic. Having seen for themselves their technology, I am convinced that the United States has more than just their location outside of civilized territory. I am aware that geographical location should not be the dominant factor in determining whether a culture is barbaric or not.”

Kanata nodded, impressed by Kaios' words. “Heard it was from someone from the upper circles of the Parpaldian society. Good work, Director Kaios. You've let go of your arrogance since the last time we met.

"Don't force it, Prime Minister."

Kanata raised her hand. “Alright, Director. I'd say, you made the right choice by coming here. We couldn't believe their story when we first met, but here we were, surrounded by glass towers, horseless carriages, and majestic airplanes.”

“I'm not here for Parpaldian official business. I am here for a vacation, and for myself: to see if the rumors are true or not.”

“The rumors are true, and many more. I recommend checking the front desk for recommendations. They have a special program for newcomers.”

"Thank you, I'll consider it."

“I hope you also consider what your leaders will face. Louria made the mistake of underestimating the United States.”

“Of course, although my boss may not think the same.”.

Kanata gives a sad look, almost putting Kaios in. “It was very unfortunate. Anyway, I hope you're okay, Director. Good luck with your duties.”