As of April 22, 2022, this chapter has been rewritten

Central Calendar 19/04/1639, Higashinohate Castle, Higashinohate, Kingdom of Fenn, 8:40

The chilly early morning breeze blew in from the ocean, bringing with them the gentle waves that crashed directly into the wharves of the quaint town of Higashinohate. Situated at the kingdom of Fenn’s easternmost point, the town was destined to be the entrance to the rest of the kingdom to those coming from the east. That was the purpose of their sizable harbor, after all. However, in the countless centuries that Fenn had been a coherent sovereign state, the town of Higashinohate never reached the traffic it had been destined for, receiving only a handful of traders each lunar cycle, most of which were those who blew off course or were looking for safe harbor.

With economic activity brimming in western ports like Nishinomiyako, the comparatively quiet eastern port was mostly desolate, being home to only a modest population of 5,000, the majority of which are fishermen and their households. Despite this lack of relevance in seemingly every single aspect, the town was home to the region’s lord, and as such a majestic castle befitting an aristocrat towered above its otherwise boring skyline. Its oriental black roofing complemented its stylic, yet robust structure painted in magnificent white.

It was atop the keep of this castle where the regional lord, Amaya, looked out from a window towards the port. Despite the Japanese-feel of the architecture, the Fennese did not shy from assimilating things foreign, and this was reflected in Amaya’s appearance. Still keeping the traditional curved blade bestowed upon him by the Sword King in its scabbard on his hip, his loose white blouse and darkened, western-looking slacks were weird additions. He looked just like a loyal swordsman of the late shogunate at the height of the Meiji Restoration.

“What a morning...”

Amaya spat from behind his heavy sigh, his eyes set on the intrusive silhouette of an overly conspicuous white ship stopped at a distance just shy of Higashinohate’s harbor.

“What the hell... am I looking at?”

More suspicious than perplexed, he scanned the massive vessel. While it was indeed a sailless ship, the only people he knew who operated sailless ships were the Parpaldians. However, the vessel, while alien indeed, gave him clues and an impression that they were not from the dreaded imperialists to the west. It emitted no black smoke, had no guns in its hull, and above all, it did not fly the imperial red and gold. Instead, it flew an unfamiliar banner of red and white, one which Amaya had never seen before.

He hesitated.

He was suspicious of the vessel’s intent, but he was well aware of the consequences of what would happen on his orders. Then again, he also knew the risks that came with inaction, for in the Fennese code of conduct–the way of the warrior–did not restrain them to defensive behavior, but it does actively prohibit one from being rash. But then the vessel did not exhibit hostile behavior, although he does not know if it was simply holding back. As his thoughts continue to clash violently, the sound of the room’s sliding door opening prompts him to cease his brooding.

Turning to face the door, he was helped to the sight of a burly man in sailor’s garb, but he was no trader, for his hip was also adorned with the elegant scabbard of a traditional Fennese sword. Even though he did not know the man, he knew that he was a fellow Fennese official. Still, the other man had stepped into his domain, so the burden of respect was not Amaya’s to shoulder.

“Greetings, Lord Amaya.”

The sailor bowed in deep respect to him.

“I am Kakeru, captain of the Kakae.”

Ah, thought Amaya, as his stiffened face relaxed after hearing the name of Kakeru’s vessel.

The kingdom of Fenn is a nation of the periphery, a euphemism for the official term, “outside the civilized regions.” As such, its national power, like the other nations of the periphery, was puny compared to the nations inside the civilized areas. This reflected in the pitiful size of their fleet, which hovered at 15 gunboats of varying sizes and armament. Since there were so few of them, one could easily memorize the names of each ship, one of which was the Kakae. Amaya remembered seeing a Fennese warship moored at the harbor, so he was able to connect the dots.

“What’s your business here, Captain Kakeru?”

The rugged captain returns to his upright stance, fixing his weathered cap before proceeding to answer the lord.

“Great lord, I have come with surprising news. People onboard a beautiful, white ship have come to us, asking to establish diplomatic relations with our kingdom. They said they have come from a nation to the east.”

Amaya raised an eyebrow, although his suspicions were more than enough to raise a hundred more.

The mysterious ship carrying envoys to meet them was questionable, but not something unexpected. What truly made him suspicious was that these people claim to have come from a nation to the east. Other than the thearchy of Gahara, a friendly culture on an island next door, there was only the expanse of endless blue to the east. There are no lands, no people, no nations to be found in that corner of the compass. Still, Amaya set aside these questions for the envoys and restrained his thoughts to the current conversation.

“Indeed. I have seen their... stellar ship down there. Are you certain they’re not from the supernations of Mu or the Holy Mirishial Empire?”

Kakeru looked down as he shook his head.

“I’m afraid not, great lord. Surprisingly enough, the people of the ship did not know of either of the two. They do seem like fish out of water.”

Hearing this, lord Amaya cannot help but chuckle, for he arrived at the only conclusion he could think of: perhaps these people were from an unexplored land from beyond the infinite ocean. If so, then it would explain how they know not the ways of the world.

“Fascinating. If they really are uncontacted people, how did you manage to talk to them? Could they really have known the common tongue?”

“Uh...”

The captain scratched his head as his eyes wandered about, as if at a loss on what words to use–no, rather, it appeared he lacked the will to say what he already knew. Seeing this, Amaya himself started tensing up once more, eager to hear what Kakeru had to say but at the same time hesitant to grapple with the consequences of knowing what it was. However, both men were proud Fennese, and their code of conduct dictated an ironclad willingness to carry out one’s duties. As the fumbling captain found his footing, the hesitant lord steeled himself.

“I cannot say for certain how or why, but while they didn’t know how to speak the common trade and diplomatic language, they knew the words of our ancestors. Good gods, it was as if I was speaking with my grandfather!”

The revelation shocked Amaya as much as it intrigued him.

The language of Fenn, known to its people as the “words of our ancestors”, was an isolate in the sea of languages in either Philades or Rodenius. While they were quick to adapt to the common tongue, the proud nature of the Fennese meant that they upheld their cultural identity, including their unique language. Even as their native tongue changed in the centuries since their nation’s inception, evolving from introductions coming from foreign lexicon, there still remained large vestiges of the original language.

Now, their unique language isolate, a point of pride for Fenn, turns out to also be spoken by foreign people coming from yet unknown lands. This was a momentous discovery, but one which requires study to verify and understand, which unfortunately neither Amaya nor Kakeru could do. Leaving that to their scholars, both men were content in the fact that there was common ground between their two peoples.

Still...

“That is indeed curious. I will contact the scholars in the capital to investigate this at once, but not before we welcome these people into our lands. However, like all our friends, they must first prove their mettle. What good is it that they share our language if they do not share our values?”

The great lord was convinced in meeting these newcomers, but no matter how they may seem related, they are still beholden to standard operating procedures. In order to establish diplomatic relations, one must talk to their sovereign, the Sword King Shihan, the architect of their foreign policy and relations. Before one could talk to him, they must first prove that they are worthy of being in his presence.

Amaya walked towards a well-lit corner of the room. Underneath a gracefully written calligraphy piece displayed on the wall was a pedestal, which held up a sheathed blade in an elegant, purple scabbard. Gently and respectfully lifting the sword up from the pedestal, he then turned back to Kakeru with an eager expression on his face.

“Now, captain. Bring me to these people.”

- - -

“Achoo!”

A sneeze rang out, its soundwaves echoing back and forth inside the wooden-walled room. Sitting in a kneeled position on a tatami-like mat was diplomat Tanaka Noboru, lousily wiping his nose with his bare hands after sneezing, a complete reversal from his otherwise sharp and formal appearance.

“Ngh. Someone’s probably talking about me.”

“Ugh. Could you at least observe proper health procedures when you sneeze? You’re going to contaminate this place!”

His aide, sitting in a similar position to his immediate left, silently chided him.

“A little too late for that, though? We’re already inside their castle, likely contaminated with unknown germs.”

The diplomat unfashionably bit back at his aide, but the bickering was only beginning.

“And whose fault is that? The government told us to exercise health procedures, but you just agreed to their invitation without even trying to tell them about it!”

“I did fight back, though? Remember when I hesitated for ten seconds?”

“You call that fighting back?!”

“Can you grown-ass men stop fighting? With all due respect, gods...”

Another aide to Tanaka’s immediate right berated the two, but they only lowered the volume of their squabbling.

“It’s gonna be fine! Whether we come out of this healthy or not, the doctors finally have a case upon which to judge for further expeditions.”

“So you’re saying it’s fine even if we die?!”

“Yeah. I’m prepared to die. It’s for the good of our country, after all.”

“You didn’t consider our thoughts, though?!”

“Okay. Are you ready to die?”

“Fuck no!”

“Well, too bad. We’re here now, and there’s nothing you could do about it. Just because we’re a democracy doesn’t mean you get what you want.”

The aide continued to silently spout curses at Tanaka under his breath, but the diplomat simply elected to shut them out from his hearing.

He takes a look around.

The architecture, craftsmanship, and overall feel of the room, from its thin bamboo walls to its paper-padded sliding doors, to the tatami mat compatible dimensions of the floor; they all screamed Japanese. It was as if they teleported back to the Edo period... or went to some rustic ryokan in the countryside. However, a number of things stuck out that reminded them they weren’t in Japan: the western-looking lamps, the ornate patterns drawn in vibrant colors on the sliding door papers, and the calligraphy masterpiece displayed on the wall to their right that was written in an indecipherable script.

“Feels like a Disneyland imitation of Edo Japan.”

Tanaka’s inner thoughts unknowingly slipped out of his mouth.

“Disneyland? What’s that?”

The response came from beyond the sliding door in front of them. It definitely sounded Japanese, but the accent was something the diplomats and their fellow linguists couldn’t pin down.

The sliding door then suddenly shifted to the left, revealing the source of the voice to be a man with his chest puffed out, carrying with him an air of leadership and initiative. His facial features were remarkably East Asian, but aside from the two traditional-looking curved swords at his hip, his apparel echoed the appearances of people from the West back in the 19th century. Walking into the presence of the Japanese diplomats with a commanding yet respectful persona, the diplomats immediately knew that he was a high-ranking official.

Tanaka, followed by the others, stood up and bowed towards the man.

“Greetings! Pleased to be graced by your presence, oh great lord!”

In his best attitude and bringing with him a palatable choice of words, Tanaka verbally prostrated himself in front of the Fennese official. For some reason, the official released some of his tension with a quick sigh, which was followed by a grin.

“I’ll be damned. You do speak the words of our ancestors. Not only are you blessed with our language, but you also know your manners.”

The official asked Tanaka to rise from his bow before introducing himself.

“I am Amaya, lord of the Higashi domain of the venerable kingdom of Fenn!”

“Well met, Lord Amaya! My name is Tanaka, and I am given the pleasure and the obligation to represent the nation of Japan.”

Amaya pondered on the name of Tanaka’s country. Although the name Japan sounded extremely familiar, and he wanted to pry more into that, he kept himself from following that trail of thought.

“Japan... An intriguing name for a nation, but I’m afraid I know not that place. Do you mind telling me more about where it is?”

“Of course. I am not aware of the unit of measuring distance in this world, but we have brought with us a rough-looking map of our surroundings which includes your kingdom.”

Amaya was disturbed by Tanaka using the phrase “in this world,” replaying the statement over and over in his mind to try and grasp if he misheard it. As he was in the midst of dismissing it as a “lost in translation” mishap, Tanaka handed him a fine-to-the-touch piece of paper with visuals drawn on it. Laying his eyes on the paper, Amaya was taken aback by what he saw, overshadowing his impressions on the paper’s quality.

“Your nation is this close?!”

Drawn on the piece of paper were the familiar contours of the islands of Fenn and Gahara, with the nearer parts of the Philades continent just a mere stone’s throw away to the west. To the southeast, at a distance closer than that between Fenn and Philades, was an archipelago, the outline and size of which Amaya has never before-seen on any maps. Contrary to his initial conclusion that Japan was a land from far beyond the eastern watery expanses, their islands were so much closer, close enough for Fenn and Gahara to consider them their backyard.

Thoughts raced across Amaya’s mind. How could this be? There never were islands in that region of the ocean before. Even if they somehow, by some outstanding impossibility, missed the islands before, they were never contacted by a civilization advanced enough to possess sail-less steel ships coming from the east. It smelled exceptionally fishy, with Amaya’s perspective being riddled with one red flag after the other. Still, these dubious pieces of information were coupled with equally insane and unbelievable truths.

Overwhelmed with trying to process these things all at once, Amaya elected to set aside these suspicions and doubts for the time being. Even if he doubted the authenticity of the location and origin of these people, what’s true is that these people were currently standing in front of him, living and breathing and with their own emotions and virtues. Although he was already informed of their intentions, he still decided to hear it directly from them.

“Hm. Alright, Tanaka of Japan. As a representative of your nation, what’s your business in this kingdom?”

“Our nation is in search of friends and trade partners. As one of the closest lands to our own, we want to establish relations and trade with your kingdom.”

“To do that, you’d need to meet with our sovereign, His Majesty Shihan, the Sword King. He decides who the kingdom is friends with and who gets to enjoy commerce with us.”

“Ah, my deepest gratitude for that. If you’d let–”

Amaya raised his right palm towards Tanaka, a universal sign for refusal, but also for stopping.

“Before I give you the honor to be graced by His Majesty, there is a set of criteria you must fulfill.”

“What could these criteria be?”

“That’s a secret, for now. But this is how you’ll fulfill them.”

The lord took the purple scabbard fixed to his left hip and presented it to the diplomat. Tanaka and the others were initially confused by this gesture, but it took little for them to come to the conclusion on what it meant.

“Tanaka of Japan. You will have to face me in a duel.”

“?!”

The Japanese couldn’t conceal their bewilderment at Amaya’s invitation. Ignoring the obvious diplomatic ramifications from a Japanese government official duking it out with a lord from another state, the diplomats were also concerned about Tanaka’s safety. Given that this state evoked the feelings of an older, more martial Japan, lord Amaya also didn’t shy away from projecting the image that he was well versed in swordsmanship. Japan was in need of new friends and economic avenues now that it finds itself alone and isolated in the new world, but was it really worth getting one of their own killed?

“I accept.”

More baffling and disconcerting was Tanaka’s brash and resolute response.

“Are you mad?! Are you really going to get yourself killed over this?”

“I told you before. I’m already prepared to die.”

“And?! Do you think losing in this duel will actually get us to the Sword King?”

Tanaka stayed mum, as he too didn’t know what would happen should he lose in the duel. But it was too late to reconsider, for he had already accepted the sword from Amaya. As much as the others wanted him to drop the weapon, they nevertheless gave him and the lord room for the coming fight, a show of resignation to the events that would play out. 

“Prepared to die, huh? Perfect.”

His face riddled with conviction, Amaya swiftly unsheathed his own sword, pulling its glistening, steel body out of the elaborately crafted wooden scabbard. Holding it high and at the ready, he looked straight into Tanaka’s eyes with a stern look as he took his position. It was almost as if this was ceremonial; something that Amaya and other lords had done before to prospecting nations wanting to befriend the kingdom. To them, Tanaka and Japan were no different.

Unclipping the buttons on his black coat for better movement, Tanaka then proceeded to pull the sword given to him out from its scabbard. He briefly examined it, adjusting his grip and balance to its weight, which was much heavier than the bamboo shinai he used back when he did kendo in high school. As the memories from that time started to come back to him, his muscles acted as he once did, putting his body in a position that was ready to strike at his foe.

Okay. So this is how it’s going to be? Very well. Even if I know I’ll lose with my horrible kendo skills; I will not back down.

Tanaka made up his mind. If this was the nature of the world in which Japan has found itself, then so be it.

The two men continued to stare at one another with their blades held high, ready to switch to either a defensive or offensive stance. Amaya looked at him blankly, his face maintaining an unyielding seriousness, while Tanaka tried his best not to quiver in the face of the deliverer of his demise. For some time, nothing was happening, but the atmosphere was filled with signs that something will.

Then, Amaya’s entire body shifted. He lunged forth at a breakneck speed, the sharp edge of his sword destined for Tanaka’s temple. Clumsy as he may think of himself, Tanaka’s muscle memory did not disappoint, instantly shifting his stance to a defensive one by holding the sword’s entire length in the path of the incoming threat. It was clear at this point that this was going to be a fight and that Tanaka would be at the mercy of the seemingly speedy offensive of the Fennese.

However, the expected “clink” from the steel of their blades clashing against one another never came. There were no sparks, no intense force bearing down along Tanaka’s hands as he wrestled with coping with the force of the attack.

Instead, there was only the figure of Amaya holding his sword just mere inches away from Tanaka’s. In an instant, the lord’s undeterred expression melted away, yielding to a wide smile that occupied much of his face. Then, a chuckle.

“Heh. Amazing. You didn’t flinch. And that look in your eyes... You’re certainly prepared to die, aren’t you?”

Amaya gave off a hearty laugh as he relaxed his stance, eventually dropping his sword arm from its combat stance before sheathing the blade back in its scabbard. Even as the Japanese remained confused, the tension in the room nonetheless evaporated, prompting them to loosen their guard subconsciously. Tanaka himself brought his sword down.

“I commend you for showing initiative, heart, and conviction. You know what your nation wants, and you are prepared to even lay down your life to attain it. Those are what makes you worthy of the Sword King’s presence.”

Hearing this, the Japanese were finally able to breathe, letting off the tension that built up in their lungs. With exasperated smiles on their face, they nudged on Tanaka’s back as a gesture of appreciation for a job well done. Tanaka, his face relaxed like usual, as if to say that was expecting this outcome, presented the sheathed sword back to Amaya.

“My sincerest thanks, lord Amaya. Now, if you’d be so kind as to show us the way to His Majesty...”

“You’ll likely get to meet him in two days. We’d have to inform him of your presence first before arranging a meeting...”

Tanaka clapped his hands together, pondering if he could push his newfound respect to get better accommodations.

“Circumstances dictate that we get this done as soon as possible. Is it possible to have an audience with him within the day?”

“Heh. I like where this is going. If you have the means to travel faster than a horse or a sailship, then I could come with you to back your case when we arrive at the capital.”

“As a matter of fact, we do have such means...”

20km south of Iriomote and Ishigaki, 9:30

“What the hell do we do...”

Standing on the deck of his carrack looking out across the sea, Qua-Toynian captain Midori gripped the taffrails as sweat poured down his brow, neck, and back.

It all started some time ago.

After deciding to follow the trail left behind in the sky by the mysterious flying object that flew over Myhark, Captain Midori and his carrack traveled further north. Even as the trail eventually dissipated, the navigators had already taken note of its heading, and so the modestly sized vessel of the Qua-Toynian fleet tirelessly plowed through the waves of the open ocean. While they did intend to know where the flying object was coming to, Midori and his crew did not know what to expect to find.

If they continue to sail north, they’re bound to hit the southeastern coast of the Philades continent, which is dominated by the Parpaldian Empire, the Third Civilized Region’s dominant power. The Qua-Toynians didn’t really think that they were the culprit, but it was the best expectation they could come up with. Either way, they’d eventually find out the truth.

What they didn’t anticipate, however, was how soon they’d find out.

“Land, dead ahead!”

One of the lookouts shouted.

“Land?! Already?!”

Midori squawked in disbelief, his suspicions shared by his entire crew. As the curious sailors hurried towards either the shrouds or the carrack’s bow, the captain took out his trusty telescope. Pointing it towards the horizon in the direction the ship was facing, he looked through its eyepiece, and lo and behold; he saw dry land. His suspicions came first, so he didn’t act on his perplexed emotions. Continuing to scan the land’s contour, he called out to his navigators.

“Can you verify where we are? Even after all that time, we still should not have reached the Philades coast.”

“Indeed, captain. I’ve just updated where we were just minutes ago, and we are not even halfway to Philades.”

“Then I wonder why I’m already seeing land in the middle of nowhere.”

As the carrack continued to rock from the waves it ran into, Midori kept a steady aim at the horizon. He could make out the outlines of green foliage covering what looked like hills, and from his auditory senses, he could even hear the sound of seagull cries as they flew about. There was little doubt that land was at hand.

Still, there shouldn’t be any land in this part of the ocean. 

It wasn’t long before Midori, and his crew began to connect their discovery of land to the mysterious flying object that flew above them hours ago. It was indeed odd that the timing of their discovery of land coincided with the appearance of the never-before-seen inanimate bird. If it were really mere coincidence, then it was just too improbable to be believable. They must be connected, thought Midori.

“Dear Astarte...”

His curiosity had already overcome the instincts that were telling him to turn back. All that was left was for him to materialize this immense desire to find out more.

“Let’s get closer!”

Little did he know that there were more surprises awaiting them.

As they drew closer, they managed to discern that the land they stumbled onto was actually a group of islands; noteworthy were the two massive islands that were situated some distance from one another. However, the island to the right was what drew their attention the most. Occupying the southern coastline of the island in question was a shiny, white mass. At first, Midori and the others thought that this must have been a massive cliff face that had recently eroded. Getting closer, the shiny white mass started to become more detailed, its features more discernible.

“What in Astarte’s...?!”

Drops of sweat started to wet the palms of Midori’s hands, loosening his quivering grip on the telescope. His understanding failed to keep up in explaining what his eyes were seeing: countless towers of gilded silver extending to the skies at unimaginable heights. It soon became clear that these structures were artificial, as each tower, while similar in color palette and design, were unique in their construction. What they initially assumed to be just an island now seemed to be inhabited, but by what civilization?

“T-T-Those towers... They’re so magnificently built and tall!”

In spite of his complimenting words, his voice trembled in fear.

“Just what is it that we stumbled upon?! This is not Parpaldia at all!”

The crew started putting forward their suspicions, ranging from sensible to outright questionable.

“Maybe the Muish or those Imperials have set up shop here? I heard they had flying contraptions that were not alive.”

“But that doesn’t explain the fact that there were no islands here in the first place. Could they probably have risen from the sea?”

“And already have civilization on them? I don’t like it, but maybe the ancient sorcerous empire... It was said that they had divine flying contraptions that rained hell on the races...”

A terrible shiver spread through the entire crew. Remembering the dreaded ancient sorcerous empire and its exploits long ago, it definitely fits in with all the unexplainable phenomena recently. It had long been postulated that they would return, prophesied to be preceded by the sky turning black and the earth rumbling endlessly as land turned to sea and sea turned to land. Almost immediately after remembering the prophesy, the sailors were gripped with panic and terror. Running through the deck towards their captain, they then all pleaded with him to turn back.

“Please, captain! The devils have returned!”

“We must turn back, lest we earn their wrath!”

Captain Midori looked up, his eyes lost in resignation to his instincts, which have now just emerged victorious over his curiosity. Turning back to his crew with a resolute expression, he gave the orders they so desperately wanted to hear.

“Alright! Turn around so we could go–”

HONK!!!!!

Before he could finish his sentence, an ear-bursting, low, loud sound harassed their eardrums. Judging the source of the disconcerting belch to be from their starboard, the Qua-Toynian crew flocked to the right. There, in the supposedly empty patch of the ocean just a few minutes ago, sailed a white ship, its bow facing the length of their starboard side. It then turned to a course parallel to theirs with a speed so frighteningly fast, it defied the expected logical outcomes the Qua-Toynians had come up with. All of this despite not having sails of its own.

The majestic yet alien white ship maintained an arm’s length from their carrack. Standing next to their ship’s taffrails, Midori couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as he examined the strange vessel.

“What the hell do we do...”

Just then, the ship let out the horrible belch again, prompting the Qua-Toynians to cover their ears at the annoying and somewhat painful sound.

HONK!!!!!

This time, the low belch was followed by a series of high-pitched chirping, repeating in perfect intervals of time. After five repetitions of chirping, the ship roared its low cry once more. Unsettled by the constant, irritating barrage of sounds they did not understand, the Qua-Toynians started to feel averse, afraid, and confused. Even Midori was at a loss at what to interpret from the ship’s cries and how to respond.

Then, the assault of sounds abruptly stopped, replaced by the unnaturally loud voice of a person.

“This is the Japan Coast Guard! You are entering the territorial waters of the nation of Japan! Identify yourself and your port of origin!–”

However, they understood none of the person’s gibberish.

Midori watched the white vessel, training his eyes on features he could hardly identify. In the midst of the unfamiliar contraptions of the ship, his eyes spotted something he recognized right away: the perplexed expression of a human-looking back at him from behind the safety of what seemed to be glass windows. The man in the ship had eyes that echoed confusion, almost as if the bastard was looking at an alien ship, a feeling he himself was preoccupied with at the moment. In spite of what they initially assumed to be the spawn of the ancient sorcerous empire, the ship was also piloted by fellow humans, equally frightened of the unknown.

He felt an urge in his arms, an urge to catch their attention. Given the unintelligible words the person from the white ship blurted out moments ago, it was likely that they also wouldn’t understand any languages that they know. However, if they were really human, then they may be able to understand what their mannerisms meant. After all, he was able to read the expressions on the person from beyond the glass windows.

Giving in to his urges, Midori flailed his arms high, trying to make himself conspicuous.

“Hey!!!”

Words subconsciously slipped out of his mouth, even though he already knew that they might not understand him.

It wasn’t long before his actions bore fruit; they started seeing the silhouettes of people emerging out on the deck of the white ship, clad in unfamiliar blue uniforms and waving back at them.

“They’re just humans?”

“Who are they?”

The once stupefied Qua-Toynian sailors were now humbled by the sight of the strange ship’s crew, which turned out to be something closer to what they imagined. Seeing the men of the strange ship beckoning them to come closer, their eyes as curious and cautious as theirs, it made them wonder why they found something so familiar in circumstances so bewildering. They started feeling drawn in; their innate curiosity was tickled further by questions surrounding the mysterious appearance of unknown islands, beautiful ships, and big frightening birds. It was then to their relief that their captain turned to them with an expression that mirrored theirs, and it felt as if they were on the brink of unearthing something monumental.

“Men... Let’s go see what they have to say!”