The American In Another World
Chapter 52: The Eastern Expansion
17 January 1640
Esthirant, Parpaldian Republic
Emperor Ludius observed the courtyard outside the Imperial Palace surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of cheering people. Standing up from their seats, they applauded not for him, but for the man who had just been sworn in as president. He stood next to President Kaios, who was wearing a sleek American suit. The two maintained their handshakes while both smiled at the crowd, letting their historic events be documented by news companies from all over Elysia.
After performing his ceremonial duties as emperor, he retreated to his seat, allowing the inauguration process to continue. When she found out she was invisible from the camera, she dropped her smile. He sighed, feeling the warmth of Remille, who was hugging him as she sat in her chair.
"It's okay" he said calmly. "You made the right choice. If you take a different path.Kaios may have killed you. Or worse, those barbarians will!”
"Barbar," he thought of the word, rolling it over his tongue. “Is it worth mentioning them as barbarians again? They beat us in technology. They beat us in the economy. Now, they are outperforming us in politics, replacing our imperial system with their democratic ideals. I will fight; I will retaliate..”.
"Why not?" asked Remille, looking into his eyes.
He locked eyes with her, staring into the soothing blue while he was reminded why he made his choice. "If I do that, I'll lose everything." He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her. The two hugged for a while before Ludius continued, “And at least I can retain some of my wealth. Not what I used to have, but I guess it's better than nothing.”
"I agree. Maybe a quiet life is not too bad, ”he said.
Ludius nodded and they returned their attention to the inauguration.
Kaios' voice swelled as she arrived at the end of her long speech. “... could not have happened without the generous help of the United States! Their advisers are vital to the smooth running of these elections and the restructuring of our government. With the help of our allies, we will push the Parpaldian Republic towards a prowess never seen before! And this began with the gradual emancipation of all slaves and their repatriation to their home country!”
The audience reacted differently. The apparent dissatisfaction, marked by a chorus of ridicule, was drowned out by the next series of cheers. Many disgruntled nobles — even angry — with the announcement. Not only did they lose their title, but now they also lost a portion of their assets. Some remained silent, hoping Kaios would compensate.
“Incompliance with this directive will result in total confiscation of all assets and imprisonment in accordance with the latest legislation passed by Congress.”
Dissatisfaction echoed throughout the crowd, but stopped as Kaios raised her hand. He continued, sweeping his eyes from left to right as he scanned the crowd, “All nobles will receive access to subsidized infrastructure and machinery from the United States. All businesses today will also receive subsidies if they agree to at least one contract with an American company or company.”
The audience boiled over, given the offer put forth by President Kaios. As suggested by government advisers, the nobles have studied aspects of American society and economy. With this context in mind, many are beginning to form positive opinions. Even though their self-esteem was devastated, profits could definitely replace it. After all, everything has a price.
“We will also revise all relations with existing followers by giving them autonomy, once a provisional government is formed. In addition, all agreements with such followers will be revised to reflect this new relationship.”
Applause and cheers emerged from the followers present. After waiting with anticipation since the fall of the Parpaldian Empire, vassal states like Kooze — who spent decades in the conquest of — were overjoyed. With the era of suffering nearing an end, they are somewhat disappointed that revenge is impossible; americans have made sure to end the cycle of violence. Still, this was a significant victory for the desperate followers, who decided to focus on their new freedom rather than meaningless revenge.
Emperor Ludius' mouth twitched in a frown upon hearing the cheers, which served as a reminder of what he failed to achieve. He folded his hands, sighing as they celebrated. “Why should these Americans appear out of nowhere?” He wailed.
“The Eimor family announces that the Witches will be back in a decade or two. If you have conquered the world, we must face it. At least now, we don't have to worry about that problem anymore.” Remille.
Ludius held Remille's hand. Accepting the fate given to him, he decides to give up his ambitions. "Then let's live without worry."
——
“There are so many things to worry about,” complained Kaios, covering her face with her hands. He sat up straight on his bed, and,
He felt a reassuring pat on his back, followed by a hug. "That's why we have an advisor, dear," said a beautiful voice behind him.
“Raita..”.
"Yes?"
Kaios smiled gently, “I kind of miss how simple things are, when all I have to do is manage the Third State Department. These Americans should go and scramble everything!”
Raita chuckles. “They even ruffled your speech; you started talking like them!”
"Oh," said he. "By the way, do you remember the first time we saw their ship?"
"Yes" he answered. “I remember being very surprised by how big their container was.”
“Everything is always about size, right,” joked Kaios.
Raita laughed, “No, that's not what I meant! Although it is true — size does matter.”
“And that's why you chose me,” Kaios said confidently.
Raita blushed. “Among them, yes. So what did you say about that ship?”
"really. When I first saw the ship, I already knew our world had changed. It doesn't take much to connect the dots: the testimony and reports of Varhal, eyewitnesses in the Louria navy, the loss of our department's assets… I don't know why it took so long for Emperor Ludius and our military to realize how desperate it was. . I have to be a voice of reason to them. To save Parpalia from destruction. I don't know why, but I feel guilty. I feel like I'm putting myself in a position I don't deserve, a position I don't understand. I really don't want to do this, but I can't say no to Americans.”
“Okay, don't say that! Without you, Esthirant would probably burn out. You deserve this position, and you may not understand what to do, but that's why we have American advisers. Parpaldia will prosper under your rule!” Raita shook him a little, emphasizing his point.
“And look: now we can enjoy all these things, like,” he looks around, looking for examples to support his claim, “Bed, computer, refrigerator, and AC! Our personal chefs have new recipes and tools to work with! We have 'DVD player' and we can watch American movies!”
"Yes, that's right."
Raita gives Kaios a naughty grin, “And with an American contraceptive.”.
Understanding the implications of his statement, Kaios grinned. “I can't argue with that. Want to close the curtains?”
"Of course, baby."
——
Washington DC
“It looks like the inauguration went smoothly,” President Lee said as he stared at the screen in the Oval Office. He looked at the other men in the room – Director Klein and Secretary Heiden – to gauge their reaction.
Klein simply nodded, his blank expression reflecting his expectations. He is not surprised by the expected results, or maybe he has a good poker face. Lee chose not to think about this.
Across Klein and sitting on another sofa, Heiden seemed to relax his posture with relief. “It reduces one worry. I am happy to hear that all followers have agreed to refrain from violence.”
“So in my opinion this area is more or less stable?”
Heiden shrugged his shoulders. “I guess, Mr. President. Stable as regime change.”
"Good," he said, watching the newscast on television was over. “So, do we know what other Philadean countries have to say about this?” He looked at Klein and Heiden. “Personally? In public?"
The two men looked at each other, reaching an unspoken agreement quickly about who would go first. “Personally,” Klein started, “they seem to be wary of regime change. Some are grateful that the expansionist Parpaldians have been brought under control. Some fear destabilization because of the power vacuum, although this is not a possible problem, given that most of the Parmaldian military remains intact. Some, like Riem, are moving quickly to take advantage of the followers' newfound freedom by trapping them in an exploitative deal.”
Lee nodded.
Heiden then spoke, “In public, they have moved to strengthen relations with us after realizing how quickly and efficiently we destroyed the already-existing Parpaldian concept of invincibility. They have seen what we have to offer, and now they want a slice of American cake.”
“Do any of them have unique resources? Magic artifacts, magic gem mines, and so on?” ask Lee.
Heiden shook his head. "Not really. Not on the scale of Parpaldia or Altaras. They can be useful in boosting the economy, and some do seem like promising candidates to build bases, although I should consult the Secretary of Defense.”
"OKAY. Let's do that. Gordon, how about uh...” he paused for a moment, looking for a more appropriate term than 'uncivilized' or 'barbaric'. "Umm, the medieval countries?"
“Restructuring Louria's government proved difficult. The literacy and education levels were quite low, so we decided to postpone the election. For now, we are working with Prime Minister Maus and his colleagues to get things done. He and his board have approved the expansion of our industry, so we can start moving our basic manufacturing there. From the looks of it, Louria is on the right track to become our China.”
"That's great. New production of cheap goods will help reduce inflation in the meantime.”
"really. By the way, Quila agreed to our previous proposition. Oil, gas and metals will not be much of a problem by the end of the year. As for Qua Toyne, we have expanded our research cooperation with them. Apparently, they have something they think our archaeologists should see.”
"Hmm? What is it?”
“No leads, Mr. President. They're on their way as we speak.”
“Oh, fine then. Continue, ”said Lee.
“Our port in Sios is scheduled to be completed in a few months, the same as Altaras. My department has also established relations with countries on the Vestal continent and started sending delegations to Tango.” Island
“Island Tango... that looks like a target? Island surrounded by mountains?” Lee recalled the reports about the island, which was basically unknown to the rest of the world. Nothing on most Elysian maps, the island is forgotten due to the excessive natural barriers around it. Past sailors who had discovered the outer borders of the mountains found it impossible to measure, and were unwilling to take the appropriate equipment and return to the island once more.
Heiden said, "Yes, Mr. President."
"Huh," he leaned back, thinking of the secret that might be hidden inside the main island. The formation was too strange, and definitely not natural. “That must be interesting. Keep telling me. Is there anything else I should know?”
“One more thing, Mr. President. Topa Kingdom has approved the expansion of our base there.”
Lee received the information with satisfaction. With the Grameus campaign already passed by Congress and scheduled to begin in April, he does not want any delays. Unclaimed resources on the continent are necessary for a rapid economic recovery. "alright. Do you mind providing DoD related documents? I want them to start the operation immediately. And uh.. prepare delegates to go with them.”
“Will be done, Mr. President. If I may ask, why do you want to send a diplomatic team? We already have personnel in Topa.”
"Ah." Lee rubbed the back of his head. “His watch, our satellite found traces of civilization in the Grameus region. It was just outside the Anomaly Region. It is possible that this is some kind of 'demon' base, but if the region is inhabited by humans or other friendly creatures, I would like the team to check it out.