Summoning America

Chapter 58: Princely Arrival (2)

Gesta opened his mouth to voice his opposition, but was silenced as Cabal expressed his opinions first. "I think that's a good idea. The President is elected by the people, so in theory, the people should represent a solid reflection of him. Would this theory be correct?" He asked Gesta and Cielia.

They both agreed.

"And what about you, Dallas?"

Dallas straightened up when the prince looked at him, answering respectfully, "I agree as well, Your Highness. I would like to voice the concern however of mingling with barbarians —"

"Oh, bother!" Cielia exclaimed, her annoyance visible in the shape of her brows. "Dallas, have you forgotten the jets flying by our plane? The videos we watched? Actually, ignore that last part. I can already guess you were never even paying attention in the first place."

Dallas wanted to retort, but held himself back, realizing that not only was Cielia his superior, but her bosses were here as well. He reluctantly conceded, crossing his arms laying back in his seat. "Hm," he said.

"Anyway," Cabal quickly said, moving the conversation away from the tense awkwardness, "Let's try to review the menus. I sure hope the food here is of comparable quality to back home." His stomach grumbled in anticipation as he looked at the appetizing photos that accompanied the dish descriptions. "Why, they have steak here as well!"

The group selected their meals, using the provided service phone to request them. While they waited, they decided to use the technological amenities available to them, starting with the television. Cielia turned it on, a news channel immediately flickering into the flat screen.

A blonde reporter talked with the classic articulative tone associated with most news broadcasts, standing over a table filled with fancy-looking lotions. "— and now Johnson & Johnson stock is soaring thanks to their acquisition of Candee Corp! Factories are currently preparing to mass produce her signature ointments and creams for the American public. Meanwhile, other biotech corporations are in a mad scramble for any magical research they can get their hands on! This is a gold rush like we've never seen before! I have Doctor Mitchell Lorne here with me to talk about new advancements thanks to Mage Candee's research. Doctor Lorne?"

A man in a white lab coat and glasses explained his thoughts on magic. "We've never called anything magical, but I think this is an obvious exception. The resources we acquired from Candee Corp, along with the materials from Qua Toyne and other places have been nothing but godsends! We used to think immortality was impossible, but the magic we've done in our labs have opened up a ton of new possibilities. Don't get me wrong, this technology is still many many years away, but still." He whistled. "I just hope we won't go down a path like that movie 'In Time'."

Cabal stared aghast, shocked by their ambition. The research mentioned gave him ideas about the possibilities of magic — something that his arrogant countrymen have disregarded due to the superiority of their mechanical weapons against Leifor. He surmised that this worldview would collapse as quickly as it had formed, especially if he advocated for magical research to keep up with other nations around the world — most importantly the United States.

Even Dallas was intrigued by the statements on the screen, his predispositions about the 'barbaric' Americans already fading away. As he was trying to make sense of the scientific endeavors being pursued by the American corporations, Cielia discovered a list of channels.

"Your Highness, I found a list! It looked like there are some channels here about history and science," Cielia spread a small document on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Huh," Cabal said, analyzing it with keen interest. "We can start with this Discovery Channel perhaps, and then move onto PBS..."

The Gra Valkans began to watch the television intently. Gesta's delegation took notes while they ate their dinner, inevitably developing positive impressions of the United States thanks to the food and content on the television. Cabal then invited Naguano to join them after dinner, to discuss his findings on the Internet search engine called 'Google'.