The American In Another World
Chapter 4: Delegation Elation

May 4, 1639

On the way to Washington DC

Yagou stretched her legs. "Geez!" He exclaimed as the plane warped, soaring into the air. The sensation was very different from the feeling of being pulled into the sky above the wyvern's back. Airplane flights are much more tumultuous than wyvern flights, but the seats are much more elegant and comfortable. In addition, the plane has a pressurized cabin, so Yagou feels more like being on board than something that can fly.

After the initial takeoff, the rumble subsided and the plane remained relatively stable, experiencing only slight turbulence here and there. Enjoying the luxury of being able to drink and relax on a flying object, Yagou felt like a king. He pondered the wealth these Americans had; how much money might they have to make such an elegant flying machine? Even the Mirishial Holy Kingdom could not match this plane, he thought. Caught on the topic of an airplane, he remembered what he had seen before.

Say, Ambassador Anders, the iron dragon we saw that? She asked.

Ambassador Anders chuckled. "Sorry, but they're not for sale anymore."

"About? Did we miss that opportunity?” Yagou was startled, a million simulations flowing in her head.

Anders put down his wine glass. “Ahh, not like that. We used to sell weapons to our allies on Earth, but we decided to cancel such an opportunity in this world. The Technology Outflow Prevention Act. In addition, it is very difficult to drive it and you need a very extensive regiment of education and training. It is not available on the planet, except in the United States.”

“So yes... What about other types of agreements? Trading up? Mutually defend?”

Anders. “Hmm, trading is something we desperately need. What resources does your nation specialize in?”

Yago smiles. This is his chance to shine. “Mr Ambassador, Qua Toyne is a special nation blessed by the goddess of the land! Our land is always fertile, and can grow anything. We are very abundant in food production, which is the core of our economy: we trade food to other countries for everything we need.”

“Hmm... we don't really need food,” Anders said, prompting Yagou to lower her head. "But! We may need that fertile soil. You are saying that your soil can sustain the production of any kind of crop?

Yagou nodded.

“Then, we can make an agreement where we import climate-dependent crops such as coffee beans and pineapples, and grow them in Qua Toyne. Instead, we can set up the infrastructure needed to deliver these items back to the US. We can also open your area for investment from our company.. This way we may be able to slightly avoid the Outflow Act.”.

Yagou lit up, as did Matara, who was sitting nearby. Yagou's imagination goes wild with the prospect of beautiful horseless carriages and airplanes all over Qua Toyne. "And...defense?" He pushed.

“Hmm, I don't know about that one. You should ask the President.”

Once again, Yagou lowered her head.

“Although, if I guessed it, we might be interested in protecting our future assets at Qua Toyne. In addition, it will hurt our national economy if we lose our only trading partner in this new world.” Anders watched as Yagou seemed to sigh in relief. "Of course, we might be more likely to help if there are greater incentives, such as magic knowledge, perhaps?"

Yago smiles. "Yes sure! We would love to share our magical knowledge and provide access to our library.”

"Big! Well, that's done enough, then. We will outline this key topic once we reach the White House. Oh, by the way, in a few hours we'll do a short detour: we fly through New York City before landing on DC”

——

New York, New York

Yagou and the other Toynian Qua delegates looked out the window, admiring the glittering tower that soared into the sky. Some of the ships sailed below, some were civilian ships that eventually got permission to continue their activities, while others were large warships that patrolled the coast.

"Grandfather, how tall is that tower?" Matara asked.

“The highest,” he said while pointing towards One World Trade Center, “about 1,800 feet. More than half a kilometer.”

Qua Toynian's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, almost stuck to the windowpanes. "What?!" They collectively flinched.

“The tallest building in our old world has a height of over 2,700 feet. Half a mile, almost a full kilometer, stretching to the clouds.”

The amount given by Anders was so confusing, that Qua Toynian found it hard to imagine. To provide visual context, Anders searched for images of Burj Khalifa on his phone. He chose a picture in which the building was aligned next to another tower for height comparison.

“For heaven! How strong is the nation?”

“Well, their ranking is not very high in terms of military strength, but they are very, very rich. I'd like to go there someday, but it looks like we can't.” Anders shrugged his shoulders. “By the way, if you look down there into that open swath, where the things that look like that yellow tower — crane — is located, where, that's where we'll build a new tower, more than a kilometer long. Olympus Tower, and we have other plans on the West Coast: Everest Tower.”

Anders ended his explanation, allowing delegates to continue to gaze at the skyscraper. Seeing their shock and astonishment fostered a sense of pride in patriotism in his heart. Then, staring at the warship below, he thought of something to ask. "Master Yagou, I was wondering: do you know anything about sea monsters?"

Yagou shook her head. “Only from legend. We have heard that such a beast is in the ocean to the Far East, but none of us dare to venture there. The last exploratory record was from a few decades ago, by someone from the Parpaldian Empire. He explored the ocean where your country is now, and disappeared after sending one last mana communication. 'Why are there so many Kraken?!' He yelled. I'm sorry for not having more information, but you may be able to learn more from our library.”

Anders nodded, looking out to sea.

——

Washington DC

President Lee buried his head in his arms, sighing loudly. “Ugggh...” erang.

Looking at the reports, he analyzed the state of the economy. Without imports from China, manufactured goods continue to become more expensive. The head of the company has sent him many messages, shouting about the lack of resources to work and the loss of assets abroad. Several new islands sprung up near the coast of the United States, manifesting in addition to overseas bases and fleets.

Why should every military asset be transferred, but not everything else? Surely any force that does this also has the capacity to call factories overseas and any US citizen stuck elsewhere, right? President Lee groaned once more. At least the dynamics of the health of the planet are generous: unlike the first meeting between Europe and America on Earth, the first meeting between the displaced Terrans and the inhabitants of the planet does not pose a bad situation. It is a strange surprise, that no transfer of disease occurred between the natives and the people who were sent to greet them. Early scans on board hospital ships also produced almost no differences in genetic makeup, except for new species. Even so, the elves had a striking genetic resemblance to humans.

President Lee's reflection was interrupted. Someone knocked on the open door. "Mr President?"

President Lee looked up. “Aduh, Steven. Please let me know that the stimulus bill is over.

“It just passed. Your approval rating has gone up 2%, but this is still lower than your peak before transfer.”

"So so. Shit, how can we fix the economy? Johnson must be some kind of psychic, after the stunt he did a few years ago.”.

“Mr President, I assure you your predecessor is not paranormal. Even with the factory he reactivated and the manufacturing jobs he brought back, it was still not enough to meet the shortage of goods, especially electronic components.”

“Please let me know that we got good news from the survey...”

"That, we do have Mr. President."

“The Principality of Qua Toyne has a very fertile soil, capable of producing almost any type of food. We hope there is no shortage of exotic food ingredients such as coffee beans and peppers. In addition, we anticipate growth in our culinary sector due to the emergence of new types of food, although it must be FDA approved first.”

President Lee nodded. “Oke, that's good news. Is there any more?”

"Yes. The Kingdom of Quila, south of Qua Toyne, has many barren fields filled with what locals consider to be 'burning water' or 'black water'. We have also identified some constructions that resemble oil wells.”

“Oil well? I think the civilization here is still like, the medieval era?

“Some do, but we have detected traces of chemical pollutants from some far-western landmasses. In particular, there are two landmasses to the west that produce a lot of chemical and light pollution, as identified by our satellites. Further investigation found the existence of warships similar to the World War era 2.”

"That's interesting. Have our satellites take a closer look next time they pass through that area. And about the oil well... have we established a relationship with this country?”

"NO. Ambassador Reiker is scheduled to return shortly after the meeting with Ambassador Anders and the delegates from Qua Toyne. Judging from their records and reports so far, it seems like they are willing to grant full mining rights to their oil fields in exchange for food, infrastructure development, and protection.”

Lee nodded. "Oh that's good. Real good. No more ferrets in OPEC raising oil prices, and we have a way to maintain our fuel supply for now. And... what about the mountain range between Qua Toyne and Quila?”

“We are not yet sure of their composition; we need to send out a survey team to determine it. However, it seemed like they might contain some precious ores: rare metals to be exact.”

Lee's eyes widened. “This... if it is true, it can solve our electronic problem! We should be in a relationship soon with Qua Toyne and Quila!”

“You're lucky, Sir. Ambassador Anders will arrive at the front door in less than ten minutes.”

"alright. Goody. Is there anything else?"

“Only a few small details. Pollan will send you some maps of the planet, Ambassador Hendricks will be arriving soon in the Kingdom of Louria, and we have managed to kill some Kraken near New York.”

“Krakens?? Excuse me?"

“Ah, sorry Mr. President. The Coast Guard discovered this entity a few hours ago. The Navy was alerted and the Kraken was easily dispatched by anti-ship missiles from ships belonging to the Second Fleet.”

"Killness. Harvest the remains and study them. I have been told that this world has a much deeper ocean.” Lee shivered. “I can't imagine what horrors lurk in that blue expanse. Let's say, we should reactivate some of our warships while we're working on the camphor fleet.

“That would be a very expensive endeavor, sir. Our anti-ship missiles are enough to deal with sea monsters.”

“Krakens may be an easy target, but we don't know what else could happen out there. Looks like we also need to expand our fleet, based on how big the world is.”

“Alright, Sir. I'll tell the Chief of Naval Operations. However, I don't expect everything to go well.

Lee shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, it's okay. Oh, and one more thing: how's my announcement? The internet should be reserved in most cities. What do people say?”

Steven flipped through his notebook. “Uh, most people seem to be confused for now. Many of them were grateful that the storm had miraculously disappeared. We have several new groups coming to prominence: conspiracy theorists who do not believe that we have been moved to a new planet and religious orators who begin to preach various beliefs.

"So so. Well, I can't believe the circumstances myself. If those conspiracy people don't trust me, just send them to Qua Toyne or something after we figure out our trade deal. As for religious groups, they may present problems, especially end-time warnings. Monitor the situation closely and let me know about something unusual. Oh, and speaking of information, have Director Klein meet me after my meeting.” President Lee adjusted his tie and collected some documents.

"Good idea, Mr. President." Steven left the Oval Office. As he exited the door, Steven waved at someone on the right before leaving to continue his duties.

Soon after, Ambassador Anders and a group of anciently dressed men entered the room. President Lee easily identified the men as Qua Toynian delegates, raising eyebrows from being blown into their pointed ears.

“Mr President,” Ambassador Anders greets him.

President Lee stands up. “Welcome back Ambassador. And you must be the delegation of the Kingdom of Qua Toyne. I'm President Thomas Lee. Welcome to the United States!”

The delegates bowed, one of whom stepped forward to greet him. “Thank you for your endless hospitality, President Lee.”

After mince-talk, President Lee led the delegation to the conference room, where his cabinet was already present. Taking their seats, the Qua Toynian delegation felt their hearts pounding with nervousness and anticipation.

“The first topic we will discuss is trading,” Anders started.

President Lee speaking. “On Earth, we used to import exotic foods from all corners of the planet, which can only grow in certain environments.” He handed the list to Yagou. “For starters, we are interested in importing about 40 million tons of this food product.”

Yagou read that list. Some of the items were no stranger to him, such as pineapples and coffee beans, as Ambassador Anders mentioned them during the flight. Other items that were much more foreign to him, such as durians, lychees, dragon fruit, and certain chili peppers. "Uh, I don't know what most of the items on this list are, but I can guarantee that the blessed land of Qua Toyne can produce and supply 40 million tons of these items." Yagou raised her hand. "However! We do not have the ability to transport food in large quantities.”

President Lee looked at the Secretary of Commerce. “Don't worry about that. We can provide the necessary infrastructure modifications, from the development of the railway system to the expansion of your port. You can also see our farm machinery and we can discuss company investment later.”

Yago smiles. "Your generosity knows no bounds," he slightly lowered his head.

“The second topic today is cultural exchange,” Anders announced.

“After a short health check to protect from unknown pathogens from both parties, and after setting up the appropriate regulatory agency, we will open tourism and trade traders. Most of the items sold in the United States will be available to any Qua Toynian that wants to buy, although certain core technologies will of course be withheld.”

Yagou nodded. "Yes, that makes sense."

“In addition, we are interested in exchanging knowledge; magic is something we want to learn.”

"Hmm. we are willing to divulge any knowledge gained on the topic of magic, in exchange for a defense agreement."

President Lee folded his hands. "Mr Hill, any opinions?"

The Secretary of Defense stands. As a black man, he somewhat surprised the Toynians Qua. “I believe that magic analysis is a top priority for national security, and the establishment of defense agreements to secure this knowledge and protect our trade is beneficial.”

President Lee nodded. "OK," he turned to Yagou. “We are willing to negotiate a defense agreement, but we need access to some of your land and port to set up the base. Is that okay?"

Yagou pondered this. If the U. S. decides to stab them in the back, having a base inside Qua Toyne can be devastating. However, this was not very important in the grand scheme of things, he reasoned. The U. S. fleet he saw at Maihark could be deployed quickly, regardless of whether the United States had a naval base at Qua Toyne. With their iron dragon, Qua Toyne was also unable to fight back. Therefore, he concluded, there is no harm in letting the United States establish a base in Qua Toyne. "Yes. You have permission to set up a base in Qua Toyne, but I have to discuss the specifications first with the leaders of my country.”

Inwardly, Yagou was overjoyed. The presence of American bases would essentially guarantee their safety from the Lourian conquest. He heaved a sigh of relief as the meeting was almost over.

;)