American Sea, 300 Miles West of California

A constant rumbling shook the chassis of the Type 35 passenger jet as the Mirishial aircraft fought through heavy turbulence. The ethereal hum of the magical machinery within the craft emanated through the cabin, providing ambient background noise. This sound was at first distracting, but dozens of flights helped the Mirishial delegates to tune out such noises.

A plump man cleared his throat as he reviewed documents about the United States of America. Taking his duties seriously, he only paused when a chime sounded throughout the cabin, signaling an announcement from the pilot. “Minister Phiam, I’ve just received a manacomm message from the Americans! They are requesting that we remain on our current flight path and accept the escorts they’re sending.”

“Escorts?” Phiam spoke into the miniaturized manacomm set around his head. “Well, let’s do as they say. We wouldn’t want to make a distasteful first impression.”

“Understood, Minister. I will relay your wishes to the Americans.”

Satisfied, Phiam paid no further heed and returned to his studies. Curious about what escorts he could possibly see, he analyzed the documented data on American aircraft. Although they were often likened to Mu’s aircraft, Phiam saw no resemblance between their common designs. The only characteristic that the American planes shared with those of Mu was that they are mechanical in nature. He read further, finding that numerous rumors claimed the American planes could travel faster than sound.

His ego felt challenged by this possibility. Science somehow surpassing magic? This was preposterous, he thought. Despite that, Mu’s rapid innovations and the Parpaldian Empire’s quick dissolution suggested otherwise. He looked up from his papers, finding Rydorka seated across from him. “Say, Rydorka. You’re quite famous for predicting the extent of military technology of foreign nations. Do the rumors of ‘supersonic jets’ seem reasonable?”

Rydorka rubbed his pointy ears, pooling together hundreds of years’ worth of knowledge to answer the Minister’s question. Before he could answer, a mighty gust of wind rattled the plane. An announcement from the pilot then followed, pointing out that the escorts finally arrived. In silence, they watched as two sleek silver machines soared upward, disappearing out of view before returning to the Type 35’s sides. Looking out the window, Rydorka saw the pilot of one of these planes wave at him, which he returned.

“I suppose that should answer your question, Minister.”

Phiam nodded slowly, his mind still coming to the realization that the rumors are indeed true. “I suppose it does. Well then, it seems that I need to reevaluate my strategy, now that they’ve proven themselves to be advanced.”

“Had they not done so during the interview with MNN?” Rydorka asked.

“Their goods were of high quality, but did not reflect much about the extent of their technology. I was impressed by their bombers, but I suspect that even Mu could develop such weapons, given a few years. Overall, I gleaned no surprises from that interview — only a few slightly impressive notes.”

“I see,” Rydorka said. He looked out the window as their craft descended, intrigued by the overwhelming diversity of ships below. Separated by lighted buoys, the ships adhered to lanes corresponding to their level of technology. Organized lines of sailing ships, steamships, and American cargo vessels cluttered up the harbor, demonstrating the quick revitalization of the American economy. “We’re about to land soon,” Rydorka pointed out, his gaze catching the large field of immense airliners below.

Phiam stated in crushing shock. These otherworlders continued to surprise him with their technology, each time chipping away at his fragile ego. “Even we haven’t expanded our airline infrastructure to this extent… just how much money do these people have?”

——

Washington D.C.

“Not enough,” an exasperated voice sighed. “We need to expedite our infrastructure development in Quila. We’ve already shaved off five years from our fossil fuel deposits and the new mines in the Midwest simply aren’t enough. All the FAANG companies are complaining about the shortage of chips, and the consumer price index is starting to get out of hand.”

“The Quilans are starting to become wary of our aggressive expansion. We can’t push too hard, or else we might break the trust we’ve forged with them,” a calm voice spoke.

Lee reclined in his seat, thinking of alternatives. “Secretary Heiden, would it be more prudent to remind the Quilans of our generosity, or would it be better to bribe them with technology? I know they’ve gotten curious about the radio towers… maybe we should offer them some communication technology?”

“I would suggest the latter, sir. I can get right on it and send you a list of materials and technologies we could bribe the Quilans with.”

“Okay. Oh, and Gordon, what’s the news on the Mirishial delegation? Heard they’re supposed to be arriving today.”

Secretary Heiden turned around. “Oh, they should be at the airport in a few minutes.”

“Alright. Give them the same tour we gave our guests from Mu, then have them fly here in a few days so we can get to business.”

Heiden nodded. “Will do, Mister President.”

After he left the room, Lee scanned his surroundings. A few other secretaries were still present — along with the Vice President and the Speaker of the House — ready to guide the future course of the United States. “Alright then,” Lee stood up and stretched before sitting back down. “It’s time to clear the papers that are stacking on my desk. Miss Schiefer, how is the new budget looking?”

An elderly woman answered, her age reflective of her time in Congress. “Same as usual, Mister President. The committees are ready to sign off on more stimulus checks and relief funds for our hardest hit businesses, but we’re already starting to see an impact on inflation and the consumer price index. Mr. Moss should be able to explain more thoroughly.”

A younger man in a sharp blue suit stood up. His features, Lee thought, reminded him of a certain actor in a classic Wall Street film. “Mister President, supply chain issues have been wearing down our existing storages and deposits. Without imports of raw materials and cheap goods, we’ve seen a corresponding increase in respective costs. This price action should be transitory, especially once we get the Rodenius and Philades supply chains up and running. However, the longer we remain without materials, the more expensive it will be to fully recover.”

Lee clasped his hands and rested his chin on them. “Hmm. We should be receiving a payment from the Parpaldians soon, now that their government has been reestablished. Would it be better if I ask them for a comparable payment in raw materials?”

“Hmm,” Moss tilted his head. “That will alleviate some shortages, but if I recall correctly, the Parpaldian Republic lacks a lot of the lighter materials such as silicon.”

The Vice President spoke up. “What about magic gems? Could we ask Parpaldia instead for magic gems and use these to trade, since these items have higher valuations outside the so-called ‘Civilized Regions’?”

“Jacob, you might be onto something…” Lee muttered, his mind already working in high gear to extrapolate a solution that involved magic gems.

“Vice President Coleman, such an exchange could work. We would have effectively more purchasing power than if we just used Parpaldian gold. Perhaps you can use these gems to entice Quila?” Moss turned to Lee.

“Yes, perhaps. Alright then, I’ll secure the payment in the form of both gold and magic gems, gold so we can finance the factories in Louria and magic gems to trade for materials. Mister Hubbard, what do you think?”

A clean-shaven gray-haired man answered. “The Commerce Department will look into the efficiency of this exchange and I will send a report by the end of the day, Mister President. I do, however, suggest a focus on the resources discovered outside the Topa Kingdom. Maritime surveys found incredible resource deposits, from oil to heavy elements such as uranium. I reckon there’s much more stuff inland, but we’d need to first clear out the monsters that inhabit the region.”

“Interesting,” Lee said, sharing a look with Coleman. “I don’t think we’ll have too much disagreement from Congress,” he turned his attention to Speaker Schiefer, “Will we?”

She chuckled. “Of course not! Maybe some of the newer doves and progressives, but they’re an extreme minority. They could cry out about colonization and imperialism, but I’m sure they’ll see the benefits that the American people will experience once we go through with this. It would be a bit strange though, since we're not officially declaring war on any nation… To be honest, I don’t even think you need congressional approval for this, but I’ll get started on a proposal, just in case.”

“I appreciate that, Miss Schiefer. Robert,” he turned to the bulky black man to his side. “Start gathering intelligence on the region. We could use the resources up there.”

——

San Diego, California

“Their resourcefulness and wealth never ceases to astonish me,” Phiam said dejectedly. He looked outside his hotel window, seeing brightly lit skyscrapers towering like beacons in the night’s darkness. “I am on the verge of finally admitting that these Americans are superior to the Holy Mirishial in all accounts except for magic, but even in that regard they’re catching up rapidly. They may be magically inept, but they seem to already know how to use rudimentary magic gem devices. It’s been mere months and they’ve come up with manacomm boosters and modified magic coolers! Imagine what they could do in a year!”

“Imagine what we could do in a year,” Rydorka said. The details regarding their new creations are foggy, but I do know that they used scientific principles to enhance existing magical technologies. Perhaps we can try this, and empower our technologies by making them more efficient.”

Phiam’s defeated appearance faded as his proud spirit found the kindling necessary to reignite. “That’s… an incredible insight! Rydorka, you’re phenomenal! Once we arrive at their nation’s capital, I can begin negotiating for their knowledge!” He rose up with a grin and his fist in the air, then lost his bravado. “However,” he said, sitting back down, “I will need to discuss with His Excellency. I will need to be vague, to allow for American interest to build while we work on viable trades…”

Rydorka continued to watch Phiam monologue and explain his plan, nodding every so often.

“... and that reminds me, the Americans have been kind enough to allow us to view an airshow and visit one of their museums. I have hopes that Technical Officer Baeluno will be able to glean some information from these activities.”

“I’ll be sure to remind him once he returns from the library.”

Phiam hummed in curiosity. “He’s gotten quite the hang of navigation here it seems.”

“He’s told me that he knows how to use one of their phones. I can only count a handful of times when I’ve seen learners as quick as him.”

“Incredible,” Phiam replied, realizing the implications of rarity, especially given Rydorka’s age. “Why did he go to the library instead of the bookstore?”

Rydorka shook his head. “He wanted to write some notes. He did go to the bookstore earlier. He was told that he could purchase books, but he won’t be able to bring it back. Evidently, the Americans screen all outgoing cargo, but I think this only applies to ships. Theoretically, we should be able to stow some books aboard our plane.”

Phiam smiled deviously. “Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. It won’t be much, but it’s a start. Alright, if he’s not back within the hour, be sure to retrieve him. We have a big day of touring tomorrow.”