The American In Another World
Chapter 51: First Impressions
17 January 1640
Leiforia, Leifor
Ambassador Reiker combed his hair back while looking in the mirror, applying gel and hairspray. His heart was pounding as he thought of the official first contact he would start with the Gra Valka Kingdom. After talking to their representative over the radio, he felt uncomfortable with his mission. She wrapped up her hairstyle as she exited the bathroom and put on her professional clothes.
He walked out of his room, walking into the hotel lobby while waiting for his other staff to meet. Resting on one of the sofas, he stared at the artwork on the ceiling, thinking of the upcoming mission. The woman on the radio looked relatively polite, but the man — who identified himself as 'Dallas' — was a bit unpleasant to talk to. He hoped, for many reasons, he could talk to a soft-spoken official who called himself Cielia.
"Thinking about women again, right?" Someone called from behind his couch.
Reiker sneers. "That's not all I think about, Mr. Kovich." He shook his head, smiling at the clean-shaven young man sitting opposite him.
Kovich kept flirting, “Oh, of course not, but you're thinking about it right now, huh? What's her name... Cielia?”
“Alright,” his sigh, “You caught me. I've actually thought about my approach. I followed the outline from Secretary Heiden, but I still felt the man, Dallas, was a wild card. This discussion relies heavily on respect and logic — something I did not anticipate from Mister Dallas based on his way of speaking.”
"Hmm," thought Kovich. “Maybe strategic to distract him. Talking about how its name is a city in Texas can help bridge some gaps, perhaps forming new connections. I've heard how he interacts with you. Making it a surprise — either through our technology exhibition or by talking about its name — can help us prevent problems faced by Mu.
"Yes," Reiker nodded. "You're right. I will make some comments if he is personally as troublesome as he is over the radio. Regarding our presentation, should we include an extra at the last minute? Maybe a demonstration of how our phone works?”
“Well, we were given a leeway in accordance with Secretary Heiden's instructions. If it is necessary to reassure their diplomatic staff then I guess we can do it. Say, if they are confused or may look unsure.”
"All right," he sighed. “It looks like everyone is here. Ready it?"
Kovic nodded. "Yes." Yeah."
——
Reiker's diplomatic team traveled to the Gra Valkan Foreign Affairs building in a taxi, crossing a newly paved road and witnessing the scene of yet-to-be-cleaned destruction along the way. The main road was clear of debris, but some of the destroyed buildings remain. The fact that the Gra Valka Empire knew about delegates who became and still neglected to clean themselves paints a bleak image of their society and leadership. Clearly, they wanted everyone to see the destruction; they wanted to remind foreign countries how powerful they were.
“How unpleasant it is,” said Kovich.
Reiker agreed, "After seeing this, Dallas' behavior is no surprise anymore." He gave an expression of disappointment as he looked towards the box building in front. "Let's hope he drops it off after our presentation."
The Reiker delegation came in, finding the lobby relatively empty. The only other visitors present were the pouting diplomats from the smaller neighboring countries — who were forcibly dragged into the sphere of influence of the Valkan Gra Empire. After a brief conversation with a receptionist, the American delegation was taken to a large meeting room on one of the upper floors, complete with a view of the entire landscape of Leiforian city — or what was left of it. In the background, dozens of planes filled the skies, performing exercises that reflected the incredible coordination the Gra Valkans were proud of.
Within minutes, their fellow Gra Valkans finally arrived. Although Reiker had never seen them before, he was able to quickly find out their identity. The disheveled and slovenly haired individual was clearly Dallas. Carrying himself like a drunk, he showed a bit of etiquette and even raised his feet on the table as he sat in his chair. The tall lady with the raincoat and glasses caught Reiker's attention; this is Cielia.
The two sides made a brief introduction before continuing the meeting. While preparing each other's materials, they engaged in small talk.
"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Miss Cielia," Reiker offered her hand.
"Such as well" he answered.
“I got the impression that we will also meet Mr Gesta?”
“That's the initial plan, yes. However, some problems arose at home and he was unable to participate in the discussions today. Do you want to talk to a guy? She asked.
Reiker backed off, raising his hand. "Oh no. I have no problem with this arrangement. In fact, women in the United States enjoy the same personal freedom as men!”
Curious, Cielia asked, “Hak to choose?”
"of course! We also have anti-discriminatory laws to prevent the workplace from treating female employees differently from male employees,” Reiker outlines feminist ideals in the United States, she said, hoping it would improve Cielia's perspective on her country.
Her statement had the desired effect on Cielia, who immediately thought of the persecution her colleagues and even her superior, Gesta, constantly reminded her of her unique circumstances. If not for his intelligence, he would not have reached such a high position. Putting aside his jealousy of women in the United States, he responded with light enthusiasm, praising America for its progressive values. "That's awesome! The Valkan Gra Empire was not enough at that stage, unfortunately, ”dia spoke, matching her sad eyes to Reiker's.
"It won't be too far, Miss Cielia," he said, reassuring her.
"HDMI is connected" Kovich said.
On the screen, a title appeared above the video of the waving American flag against the backdrop of a bright blue sky. Surprised by the quality and flexibility of the video, the Valkan Gra stared with shocked expressions. As the American national anthem plays in the background, the voiceover summarizes the purpose of the video before moving on to a map of the United States, which explains basic geography.
Similar to the video shown to Mu and Parpaldia, the video explains basic facts about the United States, including population, territorial size, and culture. Details about the scope of the United States and its economy do not bother the Gra Valkans, who are accustomed to large numbers due to the development of the Yggdran state. The real surprise came when the voiceover immediately addressed the American system of government.
“Republic?” The Valkans started whispering.
As expected, Dallas scoffed at the idea of a democratic government. “I'm surprised a constitutional republic even survived this long, let alone become the strongest country on. You're lucky, or everyone on Earth is so unsuited.
Reiker played it cool. "If that's what gets you all excited, Mr. Dallas, I'm sure you'll enjoy this next part."
The video highlights major cities in the United States, showing scenes of choice commonly used to lure tourists. “ Along the West Coast, we have major trading centers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.” The video continues to feature beautiful clips of landmarks and views from their respective locations before moving to the southern regions of the United States. "Before the move, the continental United States used to be connected to a country known as Mexico" the presentation said, showing a localized map of the region on Earth before replacing it with a map of the region in Elysia. “Now that a new southern coastline is introduced, several new cities have sprung up to take advantage of natural resources and trade! Cities close to the coast have enjoyed a significant increase in prosperity, leading to mass migration.
Lowering his feet from the table and sitting upright, Dallas focused his attention on the presentation. Reiker certainly does not joke when he suggests interesting presentation points. "A town, named after me?" He asked, raising the tone towards the end. His ego began to expand in anticipation of his answer.
"Yes" said Reiker. “Well, not necessarily named after you, but this is one of the many similarities we noticed. The following parts — after New York — should discuss some of them.”
The side of the Valkan Gra remained silent as the presentation showed Manhattan and its towering skyscrapers, along with the Statue of Liberty standing proudly beside the creations of its children. The cinematic shot of the glittering glass city confirms the economic power of Americans. After seeing the other cities mentioned in the presentation, Gra Valkans only felt desperate because the emergence of the city increasingly showed the difference in wealth between the two countries. Cielia looked towards Dallas, who looked more reserved than usual. In the face of overwhelming evidence, even Dallas' ego can be destroyed. Cielia restrains the smile that is beginning to take shape, shifting focus back to the video, which now addresses German culture and the Nordic language.
Surprisingly, the similarities shown by American scholars in the video are so profound that the names and words are used together. “With information obtained by Ambassador Reiker, the United States government employs hundreds of German citizens who are disconnected from their homes on Earth. Historians and linguists alike were employed to analyze the peculiar similarities between the Valkans Gra and Nordic and German cultures. For example, the name of their planet 'Yggdra' seems to be derived from 'Yggdrasil' in Norse mythology. The researchers found that the grammar, language, and syntax of Gra Valkan are very similar to German, ” explained the broadcaster. Charts of German words and the Valkan Gra appear on the screen, linked by arrows to distinguish translations. “Working around the translation magic attached to Elysia, the researchers mainly focused on the name. One example is the name of the clone Yamato is proud of Gra Valkans: Grade Atlastar. Researchers can translate it into 'Great Puller'.”
"Is that accurate?" Reiker asked.
"He." Celia nodded.
“So I see that your society is very well versed with cosmic phenomena. That's interesting, although it might be a story for another time. While we discuss the topic of warships, I want you and your colleagues to pay attention to the next part of this presentation. I'll be frank; we've done some research into the Gra Valkas Empire and found a lot of negativity surrounding imperialism and your warlike tendencies. I'm sorry if this is a bit outspoken, but I hope this part of the video provides enough information to prevent your Kingdom from misguided assumptions.
Cielia looked at Dallas, immediately understanding the reason behind Reiker's words. "We want to keep an open mind" he said.
The final part of the presentation covers American technology. Chronologically structured, inventions such as the combustion engine are listed, followed by their application in the civilian and military sectors. Considering the technological level of the Valkan Gra Empire, the video focuses on the analysis of World War 2, where war scenes are depicted and units studied. In particular, the Yamato-class battleships were damaged, resulting in many surprises among the Cielia team. The presentation continued by analyzing aircraft such as the Japanese Zero, German Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf fighters, and the American Mustang.
“1940s.. so this period of conflict happened almost eight decades ago?” Cielia asked for clarification.
That's right, Reiker said, giving Kovich the signal to stop the video. “Technology has grown rapidly since then.”
"May I ask, how did the war end?"
Reiker shifted his gaze from Cielia to look at the monitor. Her expression seemed to change, showing emotions that Cielia could not decipher. “United States came out on top, of course. The details of the victory... This is something my boss has been talking about for days. As I have mentioned before, our research on the Gra Valkas Empire shows hyper-militaristic aggression. Do you think our research led to an accurate conclusion?
Cielia agreed after a short pause. "Yes. We have conquered most of Yggdra and are preparing to completely dominate the entire planet. Just before we declared war on our rival, the Holy Kingdom of Cain, we were taken away. I guess this conclusion can also be supported by our actions against Paganda, Inertia, and Leifor.”
"Yes. Because of this conclusion, and by carefully considering the technological level of your kingdom, we have decided to release the information we have stored. Warring nations tend to have an obsession with superweapons; the Japanese Empire and Nazi Germany were no exception. In fact, my boss considers it necessary to convey this information.”
Cielia and her comrades retreated. Even Dallas became a little worried by Reiker's unwavering serious tone. “So, how did you win World War 2?”
Reiker continues the video.
Dark screen with quotes replacing war scenes. “Atomic bomb is not a 'big decision'. It was just another powerful weapon in the storehouse of truth, ”an audio clip from then President Truman said.
The ominous music coupled with heavy bass was played in the background, adding to the tension brought about by these dark statements. After Truman's quote, Dr.'s audio clip. Oppenheimer. “We know the world will not be the same. Some people laugh, some people cry. Most people are silent. I remember a line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu was trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty, and to impress him, took the form of a multi-arm and said, 'Now I am Death, the destroyer of the world.' I guess we all think so, one way or another.
When the quote came to its conclusion, the dark screen and text were replaced by unsuspecting footage of the Japanese city. Then, an explosion.
Reiker looked back at his fellow Gra Valkans to analyze their expressions. Initially, confusion dominated their faces as all they saw was a bright light. Then, the realization settled down and violently removed the confusion from their faces, replacing it with horror as the brightness faded and left a mushroom cloud rising. The entire city, erased from the face of the planet in the blink of an eye by the indisputable power of the sun.
Doubling up the intimidation, Reiker issues a warning to the Gra Valkans. “We do this not once, but twice. The Japanese did not believe it after the first bomb. It took a second to convince them that the destruction was real, and that we have more bombs to use on them.” A flash of Nagasaki's destruction played out behind him as he spoke in a sad voice. “Hundreds of thousands killed - men, women, children. Soldiers, civilians. Old man, baby. The pictures after that filled the screen. “Nona Cielia, I beg you to pass this on to your leaders. We want to avoid this destruction and the needless death of innocents like everyone else. Let this serve as a warning: please do not be overconfident and think you have a super weapon that will defeat us for good. We have thousands of these super weapons, much more powerful than you can see in the video. Our experience in this world is full of civilizations that continue to refuse to acknowledge our strengths. The Lourians and the Parpaldians think that 'guided arrows of light' are too fantastical to be true, and they suffer for their denial. We hope that the Valkan Gra Empire does not make the same mistake. We hate to be the destroyer of the world, but if it were to save the lives of Americans, we would not hesitate to ensure their safety.”