Early the following morning, the group returned. They left the Inn just as the sun was rising, and luckily were able to blend in with the various merchants leaving near the same time.

Using the morning sun as a guide they made reasonable time and arrived to the complex just barely in time for continental breakfast.

Sipping on the watered-down coffee and munching on a donut, Sophia pushed away the questions she was bombarded with.

“Read the debrief memo.” She told them all with a wave of her donut. But nonetheless the questions continued.

She really couldn’t wait for all this to end. The attention was fun for the first minute or two. But now it had gotten a bit old. And beyond that, she struggled to even think about the city after the conversation she’d heard in the executive meeting room.

“I think we need to meet with the people in charge.” Gary said as Sophia was explaining how she felt about the city during the debrief. His words had taken her off guard as from the earlier meeting she’d thought he intended to have the company maintain an extremely low profile. “With our current larger and smaller scale objectives, we require the support of the people in charge, whether we like or not.”

Sophia agreed, along with the others around the table, but only Third asked the question they were wondering in their hearts.

“And what if they don’t seem like people we should support. Or what if they seem like they could be dangerous?”

The temperature in the room changed, but only Sophia seemed to noticeably shift her expression due to it. The silence at that time probably only lasted a moment, but it dragged on like a leap-year.

“I think that is for you to decide, Mr. President.” Gary shrugs. “Its easy to say we should be the moral guides in a rotten world. But we should keep in mind that different variables can result different outcomes in all things.”

“I decide?” Third huffed in a fake chuckle.

The debrief continued as usual from there. But it was really that moment where all the pieces fell into place for Sophia. ‘We are in another world, with a population of poorly armed citizens across probably multiple continents. And we are a company built to conquer.’

Arna and Reynolds could be the spark of industry or the spark of war. It all depended on how they were received in these coming days.

Sophia spent the day chillier than the air could truly cause her. All the excitement about the visit had drained as the stress of the simple exchange weighed on her thoughts.

Authentic Chinese food for lunch helped. Two servings of dumplings. A few other families seemed to be using her stress relief method as well. This place was tucked out of the way, so most people didn’t frequent the small cart tucked under the long stairwell. But for her this place was heaven.

“Can I sit here?” A voice called to her. The place the figure indicated was two seats away at the end of the long bar-like counter.

“Ah s’fine.” She mutters glancing to see if she recognized the patron. It was strange enough to ask if you can sit in a seat two places away, she had to know who it was. “Ah!”

“Ah?” Third asks glancing over the menu with somewhat bad luck.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“No, I didn’t expect to see you. That’s all.” Stammering out an explanation she curses herself for of course running into the original source of her stress.

“Ah.” Third responds with a nod eventually giving up on the menu and pointing to Sophia’s empty bowl and giving a thumps up.

Receiving a thumps up in return from Boss Chang, the sweet smell of soy sauce soon filled the cozy stairwell.

“I haven’t been here in years. Didn’t think it came with us. But I suppose since Boss Chang is on the payroll–”

“Really?” Sophia couldn’t help asking abruptly. She’d been eating here for lunch since she started working here, but she had no idea this place was an actual official company restaurant. She half expected to hear he had just snuck in here one day and started cooking noodles and dumplings.

“Apparently his dad saved a friend of my grandfather in the war. Or something like that. I can’t remember the exact story. He’s got a paycheck for life same with his father, we aren’t sure why they started selling noodles here. My grandfather offered to build them a restaurant but apparently, he preferred it tucked back here.”

“Its better here.” Sophia nodded with shut eyes as the smell of Third’s freshly completed noodles wafted past her. “This wouldn’t be the same anywhere else.”

Third chuckles as he slurps a chopstick-full of noodles. “It is though.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s the same, somewhere else.” Third reiterates slurping down a dumpling to indicate he wouldn’t elaborate further.

“I…” Sophia starts, before analyzing the flow of the conversation. “I suppose we aren’t on earth anymore. But it still tastes the same.”

“Yeah. I mean this place is completely different, but things are still the same.” Third explains while wiping his mouth with a napkin. Pointing a chopstick to the guests on the opposite side of Sophia he began again. “Are we suddenly different people because we are in a new place? No. We still cook with the same ingredients, breathe the same air, and most importantly, we eat together. That’s why people are accepting this change so much more willingly. Our greatest challenge right now is also our greatest asset.”

“Greatest challenge?” Sophia asks, feeling as if she already knows the answer given Thirds earlier words.

“71,422 people,” The number falls off Thirds tongue as if it constantly rested nearby.

Sophia caught the expression of third in the corner of her eye as he said the number. He went pale momentarily as if hearing the number for the first time once again even though it came from his own mouth.

She chuckled as she realized the boy who was no older than she’d been her first year as an intern was stressing over the very same things she was.

“There’s another industry that Francis suggested after we debriefed. I wonder what you think...”

“Mhm?” Third asks casually while slurping noodles.

“Mass produced swords. There is no production of steel in this world from the looks of it. So even a simple machine cut blade would fly off the shelf. There would be no limit to the market, and we could pump them out nonstop.”

Third coughed on the bite as he heard her suggestion.

“Someone said that was a good idea?” Third asks putting the chopsticks down onto the small plate outside the bowl.

“It was a conclusion based on his observation of the weapons market and blacksmiths.”

“I see.” Third nods while tapping his fingers on the bar. “I don’t think that would be smart, unless we really miss the comfort of a good old-fashion arms race.”

His rational was simple, if ARMS began to manufacture weapons and provide them to whatever country it was that they were summoned to, it will in turn speed up the development of other weapons to counter this perceived new threat.

And with magic existing in this world, as well as countless other things that they had never encountered before, the current level of threats was plenty enough without making any new ones.

“No, I think infrastructure projects are a more valuable commodity to provide.”

Third abandoned his chopsticks entirely to empty the bowl into his mouth.

“Xiexie Boss Chang!” Third shouts, lifting from his seat and taking one last glance to Sophia. “I’m heading to the village tomorrow morning, wanna come?”

“What?” Sophia stammers, again not expecting any part of the question to ring from his mouth. “Tomorrow? Isn’t that too soon? I know what Mr. Padavani said but…”

“Ah, this won’t be that trip. More just preliminary scouting for myself. I never like going somewhere without knowing where the exits are. Or the bathrooms.”

Sophia nodded with a snort of a laugh. “Alright, fine. I get it.”

“I’ll bring a horse to lot 2A at 10am. Meet me there.”

And with that Third turned heel and stepped away.

“10am?” Sophia eventually mutters, remembering the morning prior when she’d been awoken far before daybreak to travel. “Must be nice.”