The American In Another World
Chapter 58: The Arrival of the Prince (2)
February 4, 1640
San Diego, California
Drowsiness afflicts the Cabal when the powerful effects of boredom appear. Separating his gaze, his mind ignored the video as he began to daydream about flying one of the fast jets from before. Lectures on road laws and pedestrian responsibilities turn into obscure nonsense.
Dallas was also affected. He did not pay much attention to those videos, planning to rely on Cielia — who pays close attention to — to guide him if needed knowledge of the rules. Gesta remained professional, taking notes on composition books and pens provided as she followed.
The video wave finally stopped, the timing was right with a knock on the front door. Cielia got up to open it, revealing Nomura outside. Hello, Agent Nomura, said Cielia.
"Can I come in?" She asked.
“Yes, yes of course,” said Prince Cabal. "We just finished watching the video."
Nomura clenched both his hands. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He shifted his gaze, staring at every Gra Valkans. “Now, I'm sure you're happy to be done with your lecture. The rest of the day is free for all of you, although I need a schedule of — tomorrow morning at ten — for San Diego activities you want to follow for the coming days. I will also leave this, he said, lifting the menu and putting it on the table, for dinner. Just take note of the items you want and the hotel staff will bring them to you.
"understand!" Answer the optimistic Cielia, ready to coordinate everything for the group.
As Nomura prepared to leave, Prince Cabal stopped him. "Oh, question, Agent Nomura."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"How will the exchange succeed?" The cabal asked, pointing towards a bag of gold bars.
"really. I'll have someone judge this. We can then offer you money equivalent to the local value of the bar.” Nomura then explained, “Need to remember that you will not be able to buy any educational textbooks without permission or proof of residence. One of the videos should have a list of items that you can and cannot buy.”
Prince Cabal suppressed his disappointment, instead asking, “Is there any way to lift this restriction?”
Nomura shrugged, “Sorry, Your Majesty. I wouldn't know. I think you might want to discuss this with our Secretary of State and President when you meet them in a few weeks.”
"Well fine then. Thank you, Agent Nomura,” Cabal said politely.
After Nomura left the room, the Gra Valkans immediately began planning their short vacation, analyzing tourist pamphlets as they considered places to visit.
Recalling what Gesta had said earlier about waiting for more information, Cabal turned to her and asked, "Gesta, which event do you think is the most informative?" The group besieged Gesta as he reviewed the documents.
Gesta ignored the advice given by the pamphlet, a mentally surprising piece of advice that provided little or no information at all. “Hmm... Your Highness, I believe we should visit the port to analyze shipping traffic and get information about their economy; visit the USS Midway Museum to learn about their naval doctrine; and check out the Air and Space Museum to learn about the planes and their technology.”
"Do we have more time after doing this?" ask Cabal.
Gesta looked at Cielia, who replied, “Ya. We will have one day to potentially explore the city and learn more about the local culture, maybe even interact with some people!”
Gesta opened her mouth to voice her opposition, but was silenced as the Cabal expressed her opinion first. “I think that's a good idea. The president is elected by the people, so in theory, the people should be a solid reflection of him. Is this theory correct?” He asked Gesta and Cielia.
They both agree.
"And what about you, Dallas?"
Dallas straightened up as the prince looked at him, replying respectfully, “I also agree, Your Majesty. I want to voice concerns about associating with barbarians—”
"Okay, bother!" Cielia exclaimed, her annoyance visible from the shape of her eyebrows. “Dallas, have you forgotten the jets that fly with our planes? The video we watched? Actually, ignore that last part. I've guessed you never even noticed in the first place. ”
Dallas wanted to retaliate, but held back, realizing that Cielia was not only his boss, but his boss was here as well. He reluctantly admitted, crossing his arms while lying in his chair. "Hm," said he.
“By the way,” Cabal said quickly, diverting the conversation from the tense awkwardness, “Let's try to review the menu. I hope the food here has a quality comparable to at home.” Her stomach was rumbling in anticipation as she looked at the appetizing photos that accompanied the description of the dish. “Wah, they also have a steak here!”
The group chose their food, using the service phone provided to request it. While waiting, they decide to use the technological facilities available to them, starting with the television. Cielia turned it on, the news channel instantly flashing onto the flat screen.
A blonde reporter spoke in the classic articulate tone associated with most newscasts, standing on a table full of fancy-looking lotions. “— and now Johnson & stock & Johnson surged thanks to their acquisition of Candee Corp! Factories are preparing to mass-produce its signature ointments and creams to the American public. Meanwhile, other biotech companies are scrambling for whatever magical research they can get! This is a gold rush we've never seen before! I have Doctor Mitchell Lorne here with me to talk about new advances thanks to Mage Candee's research. Doctor Lorne?”
A man in a white lab coat and glasses explained his thoughts on magic. “We never mentioned anything magical, but I think this is the obvious exception. The resources we obtained from Candee Corp., along with materials from Qua Toyne and other places are just blessings from God! We used to think immortality was impossible, but the miracle we have done in our lab has opened up a whole lot of new possibilities. Don't get me wrong, this technology is still many years away, but still.” He whistled. "I just hope we won't go down the road like that 'In Time' movie."
The cabal stared in shock, shocked by their ambitions. The mentioned research gave him an idea of the possibility of magic — something that his arrogant compatriots ignored due to the superiority of their mechanical weapons against Leifor. He suspected that this worldview would collapse as quickly as it was formed, especially if he advocated magic research to keep pace with other countries around the world — the most important is the United States.
“Your Majesty, I found the list! There seems to be a channel here about history and science,” Cielia unfurled a small document on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
“Hah,” Cabal said, analyzing it with interest. “Maybe we can start with this Discovery Channel, then switch to PBS..
The Gra Valkans began to watch television intently. The Gesta delegation made notes as they ate dinner, which inevitably developed a positive impression of the United States thanks to the food and content on television. Cabal then invited Naguano to join them after dinner, to discuss his findings on an Internet search engine called 'Google'.
After much discussion, Cabal withdrew to his room and fell onto his bed while sighing tiredly. His mind was flooded with images and descriptions of the impossible. Cultural shocks struck him like a tsunami as he sought to understand the difference between his people and the United States, and how much they had achieved. Something in the diplomatic video shown in Leifor has shaken the Gesta to its core - so much so that he has to visit the country himself.
After learning about the Apollo program, he understood why the Gesta had to look at this place with his own eyes. The cabal looked out the window, observing the planes retreating into the night sky as they continued to transport people across the country. The city lights reminded him of home, and he finally knew what to do, sound asleep after his worries subsided.
——
5 February
Prince Cabal, the Gesta delegation, and Naguano move past a curious line of tourists, escorted by Nomura's secret service agent who helps them get inside the USS Midway Museum. Most of the queues contained visitors from the Elysian country, especially wealthy investors and military officials who traveled to analyze American technology. Just like ships in the harbor, visitors are also diverse.
Some wore colorful shirts with tights, reminiscent of Yggdra's counterparts in the Middle Ages. Others wore swollen trousers and cumbersome full dresses — clear of Parpaldia and other Philadean countries. Men wearing trench coats and coats — outfits similar to theirs — definitely from Mu. The Mirishial is the easiest to distinguish, wearing a simple yet elegant light-colored shirt and robe. Americans wore an unexpected variety of logo jackets, with some of them cold-defying simply by wearing t-shirts.
Although the Cabal could see many people who were a little jealous because his group could cross the line, most were somewhat interested in his imperial status and attire. They reached the inside of the aircraft carrier, entering a large hangar under the deck. Nomura took them to various exhibitions, starting with monoplane fighters and bombers.
Naguano easily became the most excited, approaching the exhibition with astonishment in his eyes. "Geez," he exclaimed. “They look like planes from the Holy Kingdom of Cain!”
"Huh," said the voice beside her. It was a tall, black-haired man wearing a dark green suit and a brown raincoat that matched the color of his eyes. “Here I am, thinking that the planes look like they belong to the Kingdom of Gra Valkas.” He turned away from the fighter and looked up and down the Gra Valkans. “Indeed, I've never seen your plane up close, so I guess there's a misunderstanding there.”
“Oh, a Muan? And who are you?” Prince Cabal asked.
The tall man replied, “My name is Myrus. I did not expect to see the isolationist Gra Valkans so far. Who're you?"
“Prince Gra Cabal.” He pointed towards Gesta and the others, “And this is my people; part of the diplomatic delegation.”
Myrus bowed slightly to Cabal, showing her respect. "Good to meet, Your Majesty," he admitted before turning to Naguano. "And you?"
"I'm Naguano" he said, offering his hand. "I'm an analyst."
Myrus shook her hand, raising an eyebrow. “Hm? A fellow analyst huh? I'm sure you'll find that there's a lot to learn here, be it design options or. countermeasures.” Myrus uttered the last word with emphasis.
Cabal was surprised by the subtle implications of Myrus' speech, but he ignored her and instead asked for clarification. His timely response prevented Dallas from jumping and berating Muan. "How can you learn so much if Americans ban their book purchases?"
Myrus shrugged, “Well, you are not allowed to buy textbooks, but you can go to the library and make notes. This may not be the most efficient method, but Americans won't stop us from bringing home self-written notes.” He held up the notebook and pen in his hand.
“Yes, thanks for the insight, Mr. Myrus.” Cabal.
Myros nodded. “I wish you luck in your studies. The study of myself and my country has led us to believe that America can be a very profitable ally. Hope your people find themselves at the same conclusion.
The Cabal group bids farewell and continues the journey while Naguano takes notes, sketching the plane's design. As the Cabal ventures further into the museum, he receives a frank reminder that Americans are far more advanced than their people. Myrus' words stuck in her mind, becoming famous as she reached the top deck and inspected their helicopter and jet-powered aircraft.
Eventually, the thought became intolerable and he decided to ask Naguano for his opinion. "Naguano," he said, took the man out of his notebook.
"Your highness?"
“If we fight against the United States, is there any technology we have that could be top?”
"Your highness…"
“Please, speak freely. It's important to my father's kingdom.”
Naguano stared at his notebook, finding it hard to maintain eye contact. “Sorry, Your Grace. I know I said before that Americans are clearly advancing, but after the Internet research we did last night and after what we saw today, I would say the war against them is… There's no hope.
Cabal nodded, his face grim. "I suspect that's what's going to happen." He sighed in defeat, “Now, I am fighting the toughest battle given to me. I had to convince my father and the hawkish warmongers in Congress to abandon their thirst for subjugation.