Nihonkoku Shoukan Chapter 43

Since I saw some comments that seemed confused about my previous statement, just to be clear, I'm only skipping the side story chapters for now, I fully plan to translate those chapters after I've caught up to the raws, or maybe earlier if I find myself with an excess of time (hint: probably won't happen, but hey, you never know).

Chapter 43 - Unlocking the World

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign affairs was hosting the delegation from the Holy Mirishial Empire, holding a kind of cultural exchange session prior to starting diplomatic negotiations. Currently, they were being shown a DVD giving an overview of Japan.

The video covered a wide range of topics including nature, Japanese culture, construction technology, and many other topics. Basically, they were being inundated with innocuous information. Anything about the military was put off for later in order to minimize the risk of leaking defense technology or information.

No matter which country was asked, the answer to the question "who's the strongest in the world?" was always "the Holy Mirishial Empire," so Japan was quite excited to receive Mirishial's envoys. After the war with the Papaldia Empire was over, internal research concluded that their being so severely underestimated directly led to the tragedy of Nishinomiyako. Therefore, this time, although they wouldn't be revealing any military secrets, the government decided to make this video to subtly hint at Japan's technological advancement and national power; they wanted to avoid giving off an impression of weakness, at least.

The entire delegation was enthralled by the video. Finally, once it was over, the staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched into an introductory speech.

"Greetings to the envoys from the Holy Mirishial Empire. Thank you for making the long journey to visit our country of Japan. My name is Kondo, and I am with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As we explained in advance, today and tomorrow are set aside for cultural exchange; we would be happy if everyone here could learn just a little bit more about Japan. Today, we will be sightseeing on our way to Tokyo. But first, we would like to celebrate the newly-formed relationship between our two countries with a meal. We have set aside two hours for this meal, after which we will make our way to the Hakata bullet train station, so please, take time to relax and enjoy yourselves."

Once the speech was over, an assortment of food was served to each table. After trying out some of the food, Information Officer Rydorka turned and struck up a conversation with the diplomat Phiam, sitting beside him.

"Ooh, this is delicious… Mister Phiam, what did you think of the recording from earlier? I could barely contain my excitement after seeing such outrageous technology! If everything they showed us was true, for example their 'bullet train' that runs on iron roads, then, if we compare to our own bullet train… they can travel much faster than what we have planned for our future high-speed transportation vehicle. They say their train runs commercially throughout the entire country, and they've improved it to the point that they've had no civilian deaths due to breakdowns or accidents for the last fifty years, a miraculous safety record. It would be astonishing if true."

"Yes…… Yes, it would be. Japan seems to have done quite well for itself. I am honestly moved that a culture devoted entirely to science could advance this far. However, considering that they completely excluded any information about their level of magic, it's going to be very difficult to estimate how much national power they have."

"Indeed, if they don't use much magic, we can't really tell where they're really at. What do you think, Baeluno?"

"Frankly, if the recording is all true, then not only are they leagues above Mu in terms of technological power, but they even surpass us with regards to industry. To tell you the truth, the fact that they have an actual working bullet train that runs three hundred kilometers per hour throughout their entire country… it scares me. Getting something to go that fast on rails isn't in itself that difficult. What's truly frightening is the number and frequency. In one day, they could have three hundred and seventy different trains traveling three hundred kilometers per hour across their country, all at the same time; our country doesn't have the technology to manage that.

"That's not all. This country is very mountainous, so they use tunnels to travel under them. They surely go through tunnels and pass other trains quite frequently. The technology needed to dampen the shockwaves generated from traveling at that speed is very advanced. It's something our empire itself would love to have. Furthermore, their earthquake emergency brake system… what astounds me isn't just that they keep their trains safe, but rather how quickly their emergency alert system is able to propagate information."

Technical Officer Baeluno gave out his honest impressions. They wanted to continue discussing it, but a Japanese person from the front of the hall was coming towards then. This person stopped before their table and bowed.

"Once again, I am Kondo with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We would like to thank you for taking the trouble to come here and offer us your assistance with regards to the eleven-country leadership conference. From approaching us to meet in the first place to opening diplomatic negotations, to even recommending our participation in the leadership conference, we are extremely grateful for your country's initiative. For the mighty Holy Mirishial Empire to take on this responsibility is an honor beyond words."

This was quite the display of deference, but, at the use of the word "mighty" to describe the world's strongest country, the Holy Mirishial Empire, Phiam raised his eyebrows happily.

"We as well are pleased to meet your country. I am Phiam, a diplomat representing the Holy Mirishial Empire's foreign affairs office. Our empire lies far west of here, located in the middle of the Central World. Mister Kondo, would I be correct in identifying you as my foreign relations counterpart?"

"Yes, as long as my government does not make any personnel changes, I will be in charge of our relationship with the Holy Mirishial Empire."

Phiam let a crafty smile leak onto his face as he pulled a sack out from his large bag. He pulled the sack off something and handed it to Kondo.

"This is a personal present I would like to gift to my counterpart. It is something my country developed, a tool capable of calculations. Using this, when you want to perform long multiplication or division, it can provide an answer instantaneously," Phiam explained, brimming with confidence.

"Thank you very much. I see… this is… a calculator? It's quite weighty, isn't it?" Kondo had trouble coming up with a suitable reply as he held up the desktop computer-sized antique calculator.

"It weighs fourteen kilograms, but its calculation speed rivals what is used in our industrial sector. It's a very expensive item in our country, but I personally want you, Kondo, to have it."

Phiam intended to show off the empire's technology with this ostentatious display. By giving them something they could not produce themselves, he wanted to get a foot up in negotiations. Baeluno, who deduced that Japan's bullet trains relied on extremely advanced calculation equipment in order to run, could only cover his eyes with his hand to block the embarrassing sight of Phiam gifting away Mirishial's bulky calculator.

With the directive from the government to ensure Japan presented as strong on his mind, Kondo felt a little apologetic as he took out his smartphone.

"We share the view that high-quality calculation equipment is necessary in the industrial sector. The greatest nation in the Central World does not disappoint. By the way, I want to show you the calculators my country has created, perhaps it can serve as reference."

Kondo showed Phiam his smartphone, unlocked it, and opened a calculator app.

"This is a smartphone, you can use it to place calls to other people, it has calculator and dictionary functions, and you can even play games on it. As far as calculations go, my country has what we call 'super computers,' devices capable of performing over a quadrillion calculations within one second."

Phiam could only gape, speechless. Kondo continued tapping on his phone and pulled up a picture of an early calculator from Earth.

"Sir Phiam, I thank you very much for your gift. I am very happy to have something that reminds me of times past. We will use this to study your country's superior magic technology. If you look at this image, my country also used to sell similar-looking calculators, about fifty years ago. I hear they used to cost as much as a car does now. These days, though, they're much, much smaller, and the price has dropped to the point that a child could purchase one with pocket money."

The envoys' faces all reddened in humiliation. After that, they continued having idle conversation until the delegation members were brought to the Hakata station to board the bullet train, and they left for the Okayama station.

Tokyo, two days later, evening

In a hotel room, the Mirishial delegation convened for a meeting. After that meal in Fukuoka, even though they were traveling at 300 km/h, they enjoyed an extremely comfortable ride in the high-speed vehicle called the "bullet train" on their way to Okayama, where they were treated to the sight of an enormous bridge. The bridge was so huge that both cars and trains could fit on it. After being shown the architectural engineering of Japan, they were taken to a "linear test site" where they got to ride on an experimental electric train known as a "linear motor car."

This linear motor car that the envoys rode could travel as fast as 500 km/h. It was faster than the Floating Ship of the Heavens, and the fact that it traveled along metal rails using magnetism to float completely shocked them all. According to Kondo, researchers have recorded speeds of 600 km/h in experiments, and, provided the tracks were long enough, there would theoretically be no problems going all the way up to 700 km/h. These railway vehicles were faster than even the empire's combat aircraft; none of the envoys knew how to react to that news.

Then, they arrived in Japan's capital, Tokyo.

The delegation visited a tower called the "Skytree." In the Holy Mirishial Empire, there were towers in the 300-meter range, but this tower was 634 meters tall. From an observatory, they could look out at the city from 450 meters above sea level. It was a spectacular view, filled with manmade structures.

"Starting tomorrow, it'll be our turn to take the reins and give them the rundown of the eleven-country leadership conference. Mister Phiam, I think you understand already, but we can't treat them like a barbarian country," Baeluno warned to Phiam.

"I… I know. I can hardly believe how much more advanced than our country they are. Including the Gra Valkas Empire, though, I have to ask, why the hell are all these ridiculous countries appearing from nowhere outside the civilized areas?"

Rydorka sank into thought for a moment, then replied ominously. "I wonder… the Demon Lord Nosgoorah's final words, that the ancient sorcerous empire was returning, that could have something to do with it."

"Wh……What?!?!"

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"I heard that, during the divination of the Eimorsh god, there was a distortion in space, so they couldn't tell exactly when or where the ancient sorcerous empire would resurrect. It's said that the mage empire advanced too quickly and ended up treading on the domain of the gods. Transporting an entire country… that kind of great magic could only be accomplished by gods. Maybe they were summoned here by a god, or maybe they somehow got caught in the effects of the mage empire's spell, we don't know… Well, no matter how much we speculate, we can't verify anything, so there's really no point in guessing. As far as I can see, Japan is a peaceful country, and our country needs to make as many strong allies as we can before the empire's revival. In order to defeat the enemies of mankind, we need their power as well."

"The information office can afford to be quite lax, I see. In my case, as a member of the foreign affairs office, I must consider how I am supposed to report on Japan's might; my head aches just thinking about it. If I were my superior, reading the report I imagine myself writing, I wouldn't believe a word it said. A tall tale about an entire country being transported just sounds crazy. Meaning, if I cannot properly explain the level of Japan's national power in a way the homeland can accept, all of us will simply be seen as fools who were deceived by Japan. Once we return home, I would like to arrange a meeting between the leadership of the information office and the foreign affairs office."

The impromptu meeting, which had the appearance of a funeral, continued late into the night.

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the next morning

The diplomat from the Holy Mirishial Empire's foreign affairs office, Phiam, clearly as nervous as can be, gave a presentation explaining the 11-country leadership conference to the officials of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Each person was given an information packet with important notes and details.

In summary:

The 11-country leadership conference convened once every 2 years. The next conference would likely be in 1 year's time. The countries invited to participate were the ones with the greatest power and exerted the most influence on the world. The conference was concerned with the management of the world. All of the participating countries would become the targets of intense scrutiny throughout the world (at least the area recognized as "the world" by these countries). Should Japan choose to attend, the world would see them as a great power. This is generally perceived as promoting national interests. Participating countries are allowed to express opinions regarding the management of the world and the international community. The Third Civilization normally has one fixed participant and one rotating participant. For this next conference, it was decided that Japan will be the fixed participant.

"While it is most regrettable that there is only one year to prepare for the next conference, we believe that it still aligns with your national interests to attend and be recognized as a world power. Until now, the Third Civilization's superpower, the Papaldia Empire, has always participated, but, since they have now been dismantled due to the intervention of Japan, my country would like to recognize Japan as a world power, and as the leader of the Third Civilization… no, wait, your country does not belong to a civilized area. As the leader of the eastern continents, then. Thus, we would like to extend an invitation for you to participate in the eleven-country leadership conference."

After the general explanation was finished, many officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised their hands.

"I just have one question, if you could?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"In the list of previous participants, I see the name of the Second Civilization's superpower Leifor. I heard that they were overthrown by a country further to the west, a 'Gra Valkas Empire.' If Leifor will not be participating, will another country take their place?"

"Ah, yes… in place of Leifor, we are considering the Gra Valkas Empire that you just mentioned. As with your country, we are still evaluating the situation. With the abrupt notice of only one year until the conference, we are unsure how they will respond, so, similar to Japan, we don't know if they will decide to participate."

"Hoh… I understand, thank you for answering."

After more questions were answered, the presentation ended. At a later date, the Japanese government would officially consent to participating in the 11-country leadership conference hosted by the Holy Mirishial Empire.

Second Civilization superpower Leifor, ruins of the former capital Leiforia

The superpower Leifor, having been decimated by the Gra Valkas Empire's super-dreadnought Grade Atlastar and its full-powered bombardment, its capital turned to ash and its king killed in battle, quickly surrendered and fell under the empire's control, becoming the Leifor territory. In the now-former capital, imperial-styled buildings were being constructed. There was an airport in the capital, and the navy's air units were stationed there, so the skies above Leiforia were filled with reciprocating engine combat aircraft flying around.

There were four people watching those planes and sighing. They were the envoys from the Holy Mirishial Empire.

Supervisor of Foreign Affairs for Western Countries, Shiwalf Military Officer Pasha Technical Officer Gorms Information Officer Zammas

They traveled by sea to the Gra Valkas territory of Leifor to provide information about the 11-country leadership conference. Normally, they would have wanted to travel to the empire proper, but Gra Valkas insisted on having the meeting in the ruins of Leifor.

At the sight of the airplanes in the sky, Pasha commented with a serious look on his face. "They sure are fast. They might even be faster than the combat version of the Floating Ship of the Heavens."

"Perhaps. The ship we saw on the open sea is also large enough to rival our fleet of magic ships. I see why Leifor couldn't stand up to them."

"So, this is our first contact with the Gra Valkas Empire……"

The four men, tension writ large on their faces, were taken into a building. The building had an odd aesthetic that didn't quite agree with the Mirishial sense of beauty. The delegation was shown to a reception room, where they sat on a sofa to wait for Gra Valkas's diplomat to arrive. After a time, the door opened and in walked the diplomat, Dulles. The Mirishial envoys all stood up and the diplomat Shiwalf gave an introduction.

"It is good to meet you, my name is Shiwalf of the foreign affairs office, supervisor of the western countries for the Holy Mirishial Empire, located in the center of the Central World. We have come about the eleven-country leadership conference, to see if your country has a response for us."

Gra Valkas's diplomat, Dulles, smiled slightly. "It must have been very inconvenient for you to come all the way here, considering the level of technology your people possess. First, let me thank you for taking the trouble. Heh… the 'Central World,' was it…? Quite an ostentatious name. How did that come about?"

Brushing off the snide remark, Shiwalf continued on. "We want to invite your country to participate in place of the former superpower Leifor. All details about the conference can be found in the documents here."

Dulles couldn't stand it any longer and burst out laughing. "Hm… pff… faaaahaahaha!!! Goodness, how rude of me. Leifor, the puny country that we forced to surrender with only a single ship… I had heard the rumors, but to think they were actually considered a superpower!!! Hahaha! Your people's standards here are so abysmal that I cannot help but laugh… hahahaha!!!"

The envoys all stayed silent while Shiwalf formulated a response. "When countries meet, that line gets thrown around a lot. A weak country will bluster and throw their weight around in front of a country from the civilized areas. No matter how many times I've seen it happen as a diplomat for the Central World's Holy Mirishial Empire, though, you are the first to have gone as far as you did just now. I will acknowledge your nerve. However… to be perfectly honest, you are simply being unpleasant. The world's five superpowers may share that grouping, but there is a large difference in our national powers. After defeating the weakest superpower, it seems your country has grown quite a big head, but I do think it would be better to be more cautious instead. If you think my country, or Mu, are on the same level as Leifor, and you treat us as such, then you should expect to walk away with far more than just bruises. My country has judged that your country is more than worthy to participate in the eleven-country leadership conference. Your strength may be dominant out here in the far reaches, but it isn't enough to challenge the Central World. You cannot survive in the world by yourself."

"I shall be sure to relay your eloquent words to His Excellency."

The meeting room fell quiet. Shiwalf moved on to the next topic.

"Before we continue, I would like to ask if you would tell us the location of your country and capital."

Dulles shook his head. "The location of our home country is being kept secret from you people. The same with our capital, I cannot reveal its location. If you need to contact the empire for any reason, you can do so from here, Leifor."

"If your country is unwilling to compromise, then we have nothing more to discuss. If you decide you would like to participate in the conference, or have any other questions or concerns, we request that you come to the Holy Mirishial Empire."

Feeling disgruntled by the Gra Valkas Empire's refusal to reveal the location of their home country, the delegation departed from the Leifor territory.

Holy Mirishial Empire, imperial capital Runepolis, information office

In the director's office, Information Director Arneus and two other officers were having a meeting to go over reports. Rydorka, who had been dispatched to Japan, and Zammas, who had gone to the Gra Valkas territory of Leifor, were sharing their information.

"So basically, we told them about the leadership conference, but, throughout the whole event, the empire chose not to engage with us in good faith, refusing to give us the location of their home country or even just the name of their capital. What a reckless way to conduct international relations. They told us to use Leifor's old capital, Leiforia, as a point of contact instead. We're not sure if they want to participate in the conference either. We really need to keep an eye on them. Furthermore, the aircraft they had flying around Leifor's capital were faster than Mu's and probably comparable to our air supremacy model of the Floating Ship of the Heavens. While we have absolutely no clue how much national power they have, at the very least, we cannot make light of their technology."

After hearing the report, Arneus sank into thought.

"So we still don't know where the Gra Valkas Empire's actual country is…"

"Unfortunately, yes…"

They sat there for a moment in silence. After waiting to see whether either of them would resume speaking, Rydorka decided to join in.

"Director, before I give you my report on Japan, can I show you something?"

"What is it?"

"Actually…"

Rydorka took out a map and spread it on the table.

"How—!!!"

"Where did you—!!!"

Arneus and Zammas both gaped at the exquisitely-detailed world map. The height of the mountains, the depth of the valleys, the precise shape of the rivers, the exact locations of their own country's secret places that were only found on their own maps… everything in the world was revealed.

"I know that you're shocked at how the details on this map are similar to our own maps, but I wanted to show you that the Gra Valkas Empire is located over here."

Rydorka pointed to a certain spot on the map. About 5,000 km west of the continent of Mu, they saw a piece of land, too large to be just an island, too small to be called a continent. The locations of the mountains and lakes were also marked in detail, carefully, as well as the towns and cities, of course.

"Where… Where did you get this?" Arneus asked.

"I brought a map with me on our trip to Japan to invite them to the leadership conference, thinking I could show them the way to Mirishial if they asked. Where other countries' waters were, religious places to avoid, how best to navigate, that sort of thing. The Japanese representative took a look and said 'oh, you brought a map of this region.' I thought, maybe, Japan might already know where everything in this world is. I was floored when I first saw this map, and when I asked if it would be all right to borrow it, in order to compare the accuracy of the territorial waters and such, they said it was fine, they would let me have it.

"I couldn't believe it; something like this would normally be considered a national secret, I never expected to get my hands on it just by asking… The representative said he would bring a map with the eleven countries that were to attend the conference; of course, that included the Gra Valkas Empire, which had already been marked on the map. I was just as dumbfounded as you two are now."

Indeed, Arneus and Zammas were speechless. It took some time for one of them to find his words.

"I… I don't know what to say. First, why don't we hear what you have to say about Japan."

So, Rydorka described his visit to Japan.

Second Civilization, Irnatea Kingdom, royal capital Kirkuls

Irnatea, an island country about 1,000 km west of the continent of Mu. This kingdom, about the size of Hokkaido, was on the verge of total destruction. The military's central staff headquarters received frequent status updates for the various battles being conducted throughout the country.

"The western vassal army has been annihilated! Our magic cannons have no effect on the enemy's tanks! The enemy is now about thirty kilometers away from the royal capital Kirkuls!!!"

"All thirty-eight ships in the king's navy have been sunk by the enemy's ten! The enemy's firepower and range both eclipse our own!!!"

"The eastern dragon knight order and the king's dragon knight order, all of them have been shot down! The enemy's aircraft all appear to be flying over five hundred kilometers per hour!!!"

A middle-aged man cursed under his breath; this was King Irtis the 13th. "We basically have nothing left… So this is as far as we go…"

The Irnatea Kingdom was about to have its 1,000-year history ended at the hands of the invading otherworld army that appeared out of nowhere, the Gra Valkas Empire. Their Antares-type combat aircraft buzzed around in the skies swarms. The enemy planes wailed horrifically whenever they suddenly made a sharp descent, the sound of their engines invoking fear in the kingdom's people. Explosions echoed throughout the capital Kirkuls, and King Irtis the 13th was also swallowed up in one of those fierce blasts.

That day, the Irnatea Kingdom, a Second Civilization country, was ravaged to the ground.

As the Gra Valkas Empire continued to invade country after country, the Second Civilization superpower Mu, along with the rest of the international community, joined together to issue a statement of condemnation.

 —  — Chapter 44

Chapter end