The Definition Of Peace And The Existence Of Ama no Murakumo
Now it's time for alchemy!!
But before that, let's work up an appetite and then head to the hot springs. You just want to take a warm bath when your mind and body are tired, after all.
Many things from the past few days came to my mind as I soaked my body in a hot spring.
I died in a traffic accident, I was given a mobile battleship, and then I was resurrected in a new body. No, since it's a new body, I guess reincarnated is the right word for it.
"Speaking of reincarnation.... 'that' is a staple, right?"
I, a naked woman in a hot spring, was suddenly getting excited about a staple of reincarnation in another world stories.
"Status Open!"
*silence*
Nothing came out....
"Oh, I see. Maybe it’s called something different...."
"*beep*.... There is no concept of status in this world. Even if you continue to act like that, I’m not sure how to respond to it."
"What!? I mean, when you talk about reincarnation into another world, usually there would be things like an item box that can hold an infinite number of stuffs, or a status window, right?"
"*beep*.... So, what is this status? Is it a numerical representation of the individual abilities a person possesses? If status also includes skills, then it must represent a person's life itself."
"Eh? Is it something that deep...?"
"*beep*.... Yes. Therefore, there's no concept of displaying a status."
Seriously? I guess that makes sense. There's no way it's that easy to get useful skills.
"No, wait a second, I received some blessing before I was reincarnated, but how do I check it?"
"*beep*.... I don't know. If you received something, please take good care of it yourself. You always leave it out and end up losing it."
"Are you my mom!?"
I couldn't help but throwing a retort. Octa One and Truss One always responded to me anytime and anywhere, so I decided to always speak up my mind even when I was alone in the bath.
"Come on, please remember, remember what I got from the dart at that time...."
I placed my fingers on my temples and rotated them around, trying to recall what happened back then.
Umm, I'm sure it was something like this....
Different world starter set
Money bonus
Ability score bonus
Basic magic power
Appraisal Eye skill
Alchemy skill
Alchemy skill
Alchemy skill
Mobile battleship
That's right, I ended up getting alchemy skill three times, but thanks to that, I now have so much knowledge about alchemy that I couldn’t comprehend all of it. I'm riding the mobile battleship now, so I can put that aside.
"Appraisal Eye, huh...."
First off, I picked up the small bathtub and looked at it closely.
A cypress bathtub. A bathtub made from wood from Cupressaceae Treant. Produces water that is gentle on the skin.
"Oh, I see. There's no need to put it into words. This is so convenient. There are limited uses for it, though."
As for basic magic power and ability bonuses, since it's my own body, I can kind of understand them. I can, but... let's give it a try.
"Appraise my ability values."
Misaki Tendo's ability values are abnormal. Inhuman. You could even say they're close to god's.
Ugh!
Y-Yeah, it doesn't quantify things, and there's no list of skills whatsoever.
Oh well, that's fine. I'll leave it at that. Here's the final test.
"The different world starter set. There are probably a lot of things in this set. In fact, I probably got my automatic translation from this. Now then, Item Box!"
I held out my right hand and then shouted.
*silence*
Here we go. Nothing came out again....
"*beep*.... Maybe what you are referring to is Infinite Storage."
"You should have told me sooner. Infinite Storage!"
I shouted without thinking, but nothing happened in front of me. However, a list of items appeared in my head. It contained a change of clothes, preserved food, a torch, and the typical starting equipment of a fantasy game. They were all ordinary, nondescript items.
"Now I understand why it is called a starter set. Okay, let's get out of the bath and do some alchemy. I want to make my own equipment."
Unlike Valkyrie, I'm just flesh and blood. I can get hurt and die from Earth's weapons.
"*beep*.... Your body became inhuman the moment it gained the ability score bonus, though."
"Leave me alone! If I'm not a human, then what am I?"
"*beep*.... What is human? If you consider yourself a human, then you are a human. If the body is merely a vessel for the soul, and the essence of the body, that is, the soul, is that of a human, then you are a human."
"You know, something like when you look at your status, your race will be listed as human. If you can see something like that, then it would give you peace of mind, wouldn't it?"
"*beep*.... So that's the kind of verification you're looking for. On a genetic level, your genes are different from those of Earthlings. However, your soul is your own."
Hmm....
Hmmm....
Hmmmm....
Let's say he managed to smart-talk me, but I kind of understand what he's trying to say. I am me, so there's no need to worry about being a human or anything.
"Oh well, let's leave it at that. I will be in my workshop to make some magic tools. Let me know when we arrive in Switzerland."
"*beep*.... Understood. If you need anything, please ask your secretary Hildegard or Akagi."
"Who is Akagi?"
"*beep*.... One of the mass-produced support golems that you made the other day. There are 48 of them in total, so I thought it would be better to give them names rather than numbers."
"Oh, I see. Why Akagi, though?"
"*beep*.... I gave them surnames in alphabetical order. Akagi, Iwai, Kamimura, Endo, Ota, and so on."
"That's interesting. Hilde, can you make a list of their names later? Also, let's assign them housing and have them live in the city. They'll commute to work from the city."
"Yes, my lord."
"Hmm? Didn't you usually call me Lady Misaki?"
"I wanted each of the Valkyries to have their own unique personalities. Would it be a bother?"
This is a pleasant surprise. I created Valkyries, but I didn't expect them to develop their own personalities and even try to assert themselves like this. Maybe I should create more support golems and increase the number of residents. Well, let's stop going off on a tangent and focus on creating magical tools for now.
"Lady Misaki, we have received a message from the US. Would you like to confirm the details?"
"Hmm? We are still far from Switzerland. Is there something wrong?"
"*beep*.... Ama no Murakumo's destination is the United Nations Headquarters, right? However, we're heading north to Switzerland."
"That's right. The United Nations Headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. Is there any problem?"
"*beep*.... The United Nations Headquarters is in New York, USA. The one in Switzerland is the UN Secretariat. That's probably why they contacted us to reconfirm our destination."
Eh!? The UN Headquarters in the US, not Switzerland?
I mean, isn't Monde Selection in Switzerland?
Switzerland is also a permanently neutral country, right?
Then, shouldn't the UN Headquarters be there?
"....notify all the countries heading to the UN Headquarters. The meeting location will be changed to Geneva, Switzerland. The UN headquarters is located in the US, but since the US has attacked Ama no Murakumo once, such a location is not an appropriate place to discuss peaceful solutions."
"*beep*.... Is this a quibble or an excuse? Well, let's go with that. I'll notify them right away."
"Thanks. I'm going to take a bath again."
"*beep*.... Are you embarrassed because you chose the wrong place?"
That's right, so I'll take a bath and calm down myself.
Well, I could think of any excuse, but I'll just ignore it until someone points it out.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Geneva, Switzerland. More people than ever before had gathered at this location, where the United Nations Office at Geneva was located. The original destination, the United Nations Headquarters, was located in New York, USA. However, because Misaki mistook the UNOG for the UN Headquarters, Ama no Murakumo headed to Switzerland instead.
Misaki only realized this mistake on the way there, after receiving an inquiry from the US, asking if Ama no Murakumo was not heading to the wrong direction. Then, she immediately told everyone that the location for the meeting had changed to Geneva, Switzerland, a country of permanent neutrality, instead of the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.
Ideally, such a meeting would be held at the UN Headquarters in the US. However, since the US had launched a 'preemptive attack' against Ama no Murakumo, it was decided later that they should not go to the hostile country, and declared that it would be most peaceful to hold the meeting at the UN Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. The fact that Misaki had mistaken the two places was semi-forcefully covered up.
For this reason, the Mobile Battleship Ama no Murakuno, which departed from Tokyo Bay a few days ago, arrived in Switzerland at a leisurely pace of 100 km/h. The trip lasted four days, enough time for each country to 're-dispatch' their delegations to Switzerland.
In a special conference room set up in the Palais des Nations, the representatives from each country had already gathered and were waiting in tension for when Misaki Tendo, the master of Ama no Murakumo, would make her appearance. For these three countries in particular; the US, China, and Russia, this place could even be considered a gallows.
The US preemptive attack in Ishikari Bay, the Chinese all-out attack in Tokyo Bay, and the Russian ship self-destruct attack. In light of international law, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ama no Murakumo declared war on them. Then, in the midst of this, two figures suddenly entered from the front wing of the conference hall.
"Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Hildegard. I will be your companion in place of our master, Lady Misaki."
"My name is Grimgerde. I look forward to working with you."
Two beautiful women in suits appeared. In other words, the Mobile Battleship Ama no Murakumo has arrived in Geneva. However, there was no report of its sighting from the security personnel of each representative waiting outside.
"Umm, excuse me, when will Ama no Murakumo arrive in this country?"
"It's already here in the sky above Palais des Nations. However, it's stationed in topological space, not in this third dimension, so you probably can't see it."
Hildegard announced with a smile.
"Now then, how about we start with a Q&A session? We had done this in Japan before, but I'm sure everyone here will have some more in-depth questions."
"Alright, please take turns asking questions."
The representatives immediately pressed the buttons on their desks. These buttons were there to indicate a request to speak, and each one was numbered. This would make it easier for the moderator to decide which country's representative's turn it was to speak.
"First of all, we were expecting Misaki Tendo, the master of Ama no Murakumo, to be present here because we wished to speak to her directly. But why is she not present here?"
"It's simple. You all are representatives who have been delegated full authority by your country. Therefore, Lady Misaki has also delegated full authority to us regarding negotiations and other matters. In other words, we all are in the same position. Is there any problem with that?"
The meaning behind Hildegard's words was --- if you want to speak with our president, then bring your presidents here. This left all the representatives speechless.
"No, there's no problem. Thank you."
“Then, next is number 26, Saudi Arabia, please."
"Thank you. What I want to know is the specs of your mobile battleship. What kind of system does it use to fly in the sky?"
A blunt question. The Saudi Arabian representative was saying that he wanted to know the secret to fly such a gigantic object. The representatives of the other countries thought that there was no way they would answer such a question.
"Ama no Murakumo is powered by Saraswati-type magic generator. There are four main power reactors, eight sub-power reactors, and four space submarine generators. Is that enough?"
"Um, ah, yes. Can you tell me how do they work?"
"That's a state secret. Next, please."
Hildegard continued to answer their questions, sometimes with a cold attitude, and other times with great care and patience. All information about the core components of Ama no Murakumo was classified as secret, but things like the names of materials were discussed normally.
"I'm a representative of the US. What is your ship's energy source?"
"The ship's main energy source is sunlight. Its orichalcum outer armor also functions as solar panels. At the same time, it absorbs magic power present in the atmosphere. Therefore, even in places where no light reaches, Ama no Murakumo can use magic power as energy source, and can operate normally for around 100 years."
Environmentally friendly and clean energy. It was something every country desperately wanted, but at the same time, it was nothing but a nuisance for the Middle Eastern countries.
"I am a representative of Russia. Can you make something similar Ama no Murakumo?"
"Our master can do it. To give you a simple explanation, it’s because she is an alchemist."
*chatter*
The room was getting noisy. Hildergard said that her master was an alchemist, something that they only heard in fairy tales. Some were tempted to ask if she was a real deal, but everyone there felt it would be best not to say anything unnecessary.
"If she is an alchemist, does that mean she can create gold?"
"That's right. Our master can create not only gold, but even other rare metals from seawater. She can also turn charcoal into diamonds. Even creating the elixir of immortality is not impossible for her."
That is, as long as you have the ingredients. I don't need to explain it in such details to them, though.
"It's as if your master is a legendary wizard or something."
"That's right! Our master is the greatest alchemist ever. She even can control the Mobile Battleship Ama no Murakumo all by herself!"
Hildegard replied half excitedly. When the topic turned to Misaki, she lost control of herself.
"What is Misaki Tendo planning to do now? She doesn't plan to rule the world after showing us all that advanced technology, does she?"
"Well, we can't fathom the depths of our master's heart. But there is one thing she has told me...."
Hildegard spoke with great care. Then she took out two letters from her pocket, and handed one to the United Nations Secretary General, Martin Henderson, who was also present.
"What is this?"
"A personal letter from our master.... I herebly declare that Ama no Murakumo is a country from today. Our country will be located in the Pacific Ocean, and all the conditions necessary for nationhood have been met."
A sudden declaration of statehood. The representatives of each country could not hide their agitation. If a country were to be established here, then the chances of obtaining the mobile battleship would be slim to none. That was something that must be prevented, but the people present here were just diplomatic envoys, not the head of a country.
"I'm sure everyone here is surprised, but our Mobile Battleship Ama no Murakumo meets all of the requirements for a nation under the Montevideo Convention of this world. Our territory is the Mobile Battleship Ama no Murakumo itself, and its fixed coordinates are 150 degrees east longitude and 15 degrees north latitude. There is a city within Ama no Murakumo, and it has residents living there."
Hildegard explained it matter-of-factly. The representatives could only listen quietly.
"Ama no Murakumo is a government in itself, a monarchy with Lady Misaki as the monarch. There are two wise men and nine parliament members serve directly under her. After the establishment of our country, we are also considering entering into various treaties with other countries. That's all."
There was a silence. Then, one by one, applause rose. Those who knew the battle of Ama no Murakumo in Tokyo Bay accepted its establishment as a country, thinking it was better than making them enemies. However, the countries that still wanted to obtain Ama no Murakumo's technology kept their neutral or hostile stances.
"Now then, let's continue the session. However, please think carefully before asking any questions beyond this point since I'm representing a country now."
The representatives shrunk back at Hildegard's words, and after that, they only asked safe questions.