The American In Another World
Chapter 71: Rival

March 7, 1640

Seattle, Washington

A gentle breeze blew through the concrete woods of Seattle as construction crews noisily operated their machinery throughout the city. Archmage Bromson spread his wings as he gazed out the window of his tall hotel room, wondering if he could be allowed to fly for a while.

"I was surprised these humans," he said with a hint of dislike, "of all the creatures that managed to create such a miracle," Ambassador Krunch walked beside Bromson, where he was, contemplate the steel and glass plots outside.

Bromson pointed out the flaws in Krunch's remarks, “This man is not from this world. It would be unwise to characterize them as we do to others.

“Still.... to see the lower races achieve such a miracle. My worldview is really shaken, ”aku Krunch. “If it wasn't for the Ancestor's prophecy, I'd be worried about our future in the face of these newcomers.”

“We still have more than a decade before everything is set. Given what we know about these Americans, we may find it difficult to succeed in any conflict against them.” The roar of the jet overhead echoes Bromson's sentiment poetically, instilling emotions that almost never hit Annonrial—fear.

Krunch stared at the bustling city below, steel skeletons quickly forming to accommodate the city's unexpected growth. "I hate to admit it, but your judgment may be correct."

"That is what my honest analysis of their military suggests" Zhenmann said from his desk.

“Should I say,” said Bromson, “I'm quite surprised you can do the analysis from the beginning. They keep us away from their libraries and technology. Surely you have not managed to get military technology from their civilian technology?”

“Well, not necessarily, though I made some conclusions. If we take the distinction between our own civilian and military technologies and apply the same logic here, then we can assume that their vehicles and equipment operate similarly to their civilian counterparts.” Zhenmann later dismissed the idea, "However, without much access even to their civil technology, there is not much I can say beyond the visual analysis of their vehicles on the road, he said, and the phone in their hands, and the plane in the sky."

Krunch tilted his head as he questioned Zhenmann's intelligence gathering, "Then, how can you adequately analyze their military?"

Zhenmann grinned, almost dumbfounded by the way he did his analysis from the start. “Americans are excited enough to prevent our access to many of their technologies, except one that matters.” He pointed to the sleek wall-mounted television, which is currently playing a news segment on the company's new magic air conditioning system.

"Yes," Bromson said, walking slowly to the device while rubbing his chin. “Their revision is indeed full of information, but how much of this information can be trusted? If Americans are interested enough to obfuscate others, why leave this television behind? If their programs and broadcast channels are like ours, then they should have news, fiction programs, and documentaries.”

Krunch nodded, agreeing with Bromson. “It is very strange that they will leave the exit here.” His attitude turned into arrogance as he sneered, “No wonder these subordinate people would make such a mistake. Too bad their technology is so advanced.”.

Bromson interrupted, “Or maybe they thought we couldn't find much out of their program. Indeed, many of their programs, as I said, are news or fiction. Even if we analyze their documentaries, I hypothesize most of them will be mundane and unrelated to critical technology.

“Congratulations, Great Witch. Your hypothesis is correct, ” Zhenmann said.

Bromson replied with a smile, satisfied that once again he was right.

Zhenmann continued, “I did look through some documentaries. They are mainly about nature – in particular, flora and fauna of Elysia – and history. Some of the military documentaries I found were about their historic war – that discussed anachronistic technologies and tactics that were surprisingly similar to those used by Gra Valkans – and the technology of Elysian countries. Surprisingly, I also found a program that analyzed images of the Pal Chimera and the satellite of our ancestors, the Mystar.” Network

Krunch reacted with disgust, "No way!" He denied the claim vehemently, only to admit after Zhenmann casually pointed the remote at the television and changed the channel to the appropriate channel. "How's it?" that was all Krunch could mutter after seeing the irrefutable high-resolution evidence.

“Maybe not much information, but at least now we know that Americans are capable of spying on us without our knowledge, and that they know space,” explains Zhenmann.

Krunch recalled the video Secretary Heiden had shown him before this trip. He recalled seeing a rocket launch into the sky and a man in a suit plugging an American flag on their moon, but he dismissed it as propaganda. Now that he had come face to face with the truth, he began to realize that it might be true. While not, the video clearly implies that these people have knowledge of outer space and how to access it. In fact, their rockets are similar to those currently designed by top-secret projects.

“I broke my analysis into several categories. Since we are discussing the topic of space, we can discuss it now, ” Zhenmann said as he flipped through the notebook, showing his colleagues the information he obtained. “This content is compiled according to accuracy. I will start with the notes that I believe are most accurate, based on cross-references between different channels. First, we know that Americans are familiar with space and have accessed it. Upon their arrival in this world, they often launch rockets. We also know that they have satellites, such as the Mystar Network, although their satellites have different purposes. From this, along with the Pal Chimera imagery, we can conclude that their satellites can take pictures; that is how they spy on us without our knowledge.

The more Zhenmann spoke, the more horrified Krunch became. Such a feat was considered to be only achievable by the Ancestors, the light-winged people of the Ravernal Kingdom. The fact that ordinary humans were now challenging the Ravernal realm was heretical. Worry flooded Krunch's mind. Will analysts at home take this threat seriously? If they were to reveal this information, would they be silenced for such blasphemous words? What does this technology imply about humans, which should be inferior in every way?

“The most concerning disclosure is the militarization of their space. This is something that even our Ancestors have never tried, because they have no true similarities. Americans on the other hand, fought in the Cold War defined by rapid technological advances. Apparently, the Americans and their rival, the Soviets, amassed a stockpile of nuclear weapons that ended the world – that sounded similar to core magic. These weapons, like our Ancestor's core magic bombs, were placed on top of the missiles. To defend against these weapons and offer new first-strike capabilities, the Americans devised an orbiting satellite; a weapons platform that can intercept these missiles with a laser.”

At this point, Krunch collapsed on the chair, his head lowered.

Zhenmann continued, “This matches the video we have seen. Turning to more questionable information, I have seen many references to lasers, space ships, and space travel. Some of their material is obviously fictional, such as the events of 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek'. However, some of the material is much more convincing, namely a certain program called 'The Expanse'. It's set hundreds of years into their future, so I think it's safe to assume that Americans don't have access to such crazy technology.

Krunch breathed a sigh of relief. At least this human was not overt and was much more advanced than the Ancestor.

“I have also found that these humans use weapons similar to ours, from missiles to automatic rifles and tanks. I was lucky enough to see examples of modern combat in the form of movies like Sicario and Black Hawk Down. It is clear that these people are invincible or perfect, and can succumb to mistakes like any other creature,” Zhenmann said. “I also made the decision to use the magic gem to recover myself, so I didn't need to sleep. I spent the last few nights further analyzing the American media, specifically 'The Last Ship' to familiarize myself with their naval operations. Everything looked very similar to the Ancestral's weapon. ”

Bromson crossed his arms, finding something wrong. “Simply similar, you say? How did this happen? I have not detected any miraculous signatures among humans here, aside from travelers from other places around the world. These people even claimed to be a society without magic! Then, how could their technology be similar to the Ancestor's magic-based technology?”

“That, I cannot explain without an understanding of American technology and Ancestral technology. Even we do not know the full capabilities of Pal Chimera,” Zhenmann added, stressing his point.

"Fair observation" Bromson said. "This riddle will make me wonder long enough..."

The two stop their conversation to glance at Krunch, who is mentally impaired due to losing his perceived superiority over humans. “Must be.. Impossible.” murmured like a broken tape, face buried between his hands.

Bromson put a hand on Krunch's shoulder and tried to convince him, “At least we know this American is quite friendly. As long as we don't provoke them, we don't have to fear them.”

Krunch looked up slowly, processing Bromson's words. “This is impossible..Our ancestors never had to face a worthy enemy! This jeopardizes our plans! How can you advise not to provoke them, when our whole mission is to provoke them? There will be no reconciliation between the Emperor and this man, there will be no friendship between the Ancestor and America. Conflict is inevitable, and - and.” Krunch is at a loss for words. His unwavering belief in Ravernal superiority is now faltering and his unquestionable belief in human inferiority is now in question.

“We will adapt,” said Zhenmann, “and take the best action for the people of the Annonrial Empire.”

“What will you do, Ambassador?” Bromson asked.

Krunch shrugged, his wings moved following his shoulders, “For now, I plan to continue the initial mission. We'll do it, he's hesitant, uncertainty grips him, we'll secure what information we can get and get back home, as planned. He sighed, “When I thought that this examination would enlighten, I did not imagine it would be like this. I think we'll find... find..”.

“Confidential? The affirmation of our domination over the whole world?” Zhenmann asked.

“Ya,” Krunch replied honestly. “I think I'm going to experience squalor somewhere primitive. I certainly never expected to receive an even better facility than the one we had at home. Still, to blend in with this subordinate... I don't even know if I can call them like that anymore.”

"A position that's understandable" Bromson said. He paused before speaking again, wondering if now was the right time to hint at the Messiah's intentions. In a split-second decision, he doubled down and capitalized on Krunch's doubts and insecurities. “Perhaps our long alienation has made us lose accurate view of other races and the outside world?”

Krunch looked at Bromson's soul after hearing his suggestion. Bromson returned the gaze, standing firm.

After a moment of tension, Krunch turned to face the window. Once again, he examined the advanced civilization below. “I guess you're right. Maybe these creatures are not so low.”