Chapter 245.

PART 1.

Naresh is going to Hatori's house. After the mage took over the area, it became impossible to drive to his door and go to the house that way. Naresh has to put the car somewhere near the area, and then go to the house on foot.

Normally, when he comes into the area, he can directly go to the house where Hatori is usually found. If he is not there, one of those strange magical robots will inform him that he will come there shortly. But this time, the small pathway in the middle of the large trees is glowing. As Naresh clears the path, the path stops glowing behind him. Figuring this is Hatori's way to guide him, he follows along the shining pathway. He arrives at the house from a different direction. The door opens by itself. It is an indicator that Hatori is present within the house, and he is free to enter.

As Naresh enters the house, Hatori's voice comes from inside. "I'll come to the hall shortly."

"Sure." Said Naresh, and settled to wait. A platter of biscuits and tea appears in front of him. Creepy factor aside, Hatori knows how to treat his guests. Some of his political juniors can learn from him in this regard. Even an enemy should be well treated as a guest. It is a good PR hit.

"So, what brings you here?" Asked Hatori, coming out from the depths of the house. Naresh is not interested in what he is doing. He is happy with the small grasp he has over magic. It is so easy to navigate in the dark, no more searching for a phone for a flashlight.

"Well, to bring you some good news. I've won, and even got a Ministry of Agriculture." He said proudly.

"Well well well. Look who is a minister?" Said Hatori, padding Naresh on the shoulder. "Good job."

"Thanks. I must admit, I am not used to such a warm gesture. Even my victory celebration was a pretty standard and distant affair." He confessed.

"That is quite sad. Even I have some close friendships. The fact that people in power like you don't have any is quite concerning." Said Hatori.

"I know. By the way, what was up with that glowing pathway?" Asked Naresh.

"Oh, you know, planted some new trees with experimental properties. Can't have you accidentally walk on them now Can I? You could be in danger!" Said Hatori. "Speaking of plantation, I remember from my childhood, that dealing with farmers was quite a problem. Is it the same now?"

"Come on. We are in the 2060s! Whatever you remember from the 2010s is not valid anymore." Said Naresh with a straight face.

When Hatori gives him an unimpressed look, he quickly crumbles. "Okay, things have actually gotten worse. We have managed to keep the yields high, but due to rising temperatures, increasingly salty land, and rapidly declining water sources, we are having a lot of issues. Do you know that the entire region of Punjab is slowly turning into a desert? I am not even kidding when I say this. That whole region is so dry now, you won't even recognize it."

"Hmm. Quite a conundrum." Said Hatori.

"Don't you have the same problems?" Asked Naresh curiously.

"Not at all, no." Said Hatori. "Remind me to take you to the magical dimension. You'll be surprised."

"Sure. But before that, I also have another piece of news. My victory wasn't the only reason why I am here. The upper brass has contacted me. They want you to come to Delhi and conduct a meeting." Said Naresh.

"I'm not going there." Naresh reels back from this flat denial by Hatori.

"Why? This will be a golden chance for you to make a move. The elections are in two and a half years’ time. It is a perfect chance!"

"Well, I am a very powerful mage representing my king. I can't just go to a city like a common bureaucrat who is summoned to a foreign leader's office. She must send a proper invitation, accounting for the unusual circumstances of course." Explained Hatori.

Naresh rubs his temples. "How are you doing a politician thing while telling me all this time that you suck at it? Were you lying?" Seeing Hatori's amused face, Naresh shakes his head. "Of course you weren't. Okay, consider me as a representative of my country, and this is an unofficial invitation for an unofficial meeting. Is that good enough?" He asked, while privately hoping it would satisfy the mage. Naresh is not certain what else he could do if he is not.

"Well, since it is you, I think this will suffice. Don't get used to this though." Said Hatori, getting up from his chair and casting a huge shadow over the politician. "I won't come running every time she calls me. I am not a functionary in her government. I must score this point strongly."

"Just don't blow up your chance." Said Naresh, not showing any outward signs of intimidation.

"Of course not. Seriously though, congratulations on your win. Let's hope you'll become an MP soon, and then a Prime Minister."

"Will you make an exception for me then?" Asked Naresh, also getting up while making this joke.

"Why not?" Asked Hatori. "I wouldn't mind doing that."

Once again, as Hatori escorts him out, they both give each other dangerous looks, like two hunters very close to achieving their goals, while thinking about which one will make the first betrayal.

PART 2.

The prime minister and her two ministers from the cabinet prepare for Hatori's arrival. Today is the day when they agreed to a meeting, and they are all anxious regarding this meeting. But they are all experienced politicians, so they are hiding it well.

The guards and receptionists are given pictures and a description of Hatori, and they have strict instructions to not stop him when he comes to visit them. He is a guest, and he should be treated as such. But for their safety, security forces will be positioned outside of the room where this meeting is about to take place.

The door opens, and they see this tall man with empty eye sockets standing there. He has to duck to get inside. "Can I come in?" He asked with a smile.

"You already came in." Said Sapna, unable to stop herself.

"Oops." Said Hatori, deciding to go outside and do the whole thing again.

"No need," Said Sapna, already figuring out what he was thinking. "Just come and take your seat."

"The hell?" Hatori said, looking at the cheap quality of the chair provided for him. "Do you not know that a person of my size is not going to fit in that?"

The lady and the men present across Hatori exchange a look. "No matter. Here's an easy fix."

The chair changes the shape in front of them. It is completely transformed right in front of them. From a cheap plastic chair, it turns into a high cushioned chair which allows Hatori to loom over them. "Ah, that's better. You should provide proper chairs for your guests you know. This powerplay thing is not exactly good manners. What is this, trying to loom over me, giving me an unfit chair? Is that how you behave with guests?"

"I can't believe it. How are you chastising us like that? We are the most powerful people in this country!" Said one of the men.

Out of nowhere, a book appears in Hatori's hand. They were surprised once again, but they refrained from pushing the alarm and calling the security inside. "Here it is. When two nations are about to do a meeting, the leaders on both sides usually start on an equal footing. Unless their alliance is unequal. In that case, some humiliation may follow. However, it is possible to make a mistake when doing a first meeting, as it is not possible to assess someone when you have no information about them." Hatori reads from the book. "I believe that is exactly what has happened here. Don't you think?"

"Quite." Said the lady. "Let me introduce myself. I am Sapna Chaudhary, the Prime Minister of The Republic of India."

"Hatori Eagle. S-rank archmage, representing king Avinash. Nice to meet you." Said Hatori, making the book disappear, and shaking hands with the woman.

After he was done greeting her, he interrupted her before she could introduce two of her colleagues. "By the way, I do remember hearing the name of a singer by that same name during my childhood."

"I get that a lot." Said Sapna with a smile. "There is no relation between me and her, though I am from the same state. This is my Home Minister, Salman Khan."

Hatori started to shake. The trio are concerned with this sudden reaction until they realize he is laughing. He falls from his chair while roaring with laughter. "This... This... I can't believe this!"

"What, is my name that funny?" Asked Salman, not appreciating this amused reaction based on his name. Given that the prime minister and Palani are giving him amused looks as well is not helping any. He knows what is coming next. 'Just my luck to run into someone like him.' He grumbled in his mind.

Hatori gets up from the ground. "Given what kind of movies I was tortured with by the actor of your name, I do think I can laugh as much as I want." Turning to Sapna, Hatori then continues. "I do hope you don't let him drive. He might decide that a footpath is a road or something."

"He is forbidden from driving, yes." Said Sapna, without missing a beat. "Also, the other colleague of mine is Palani. He is the minister of Foreign Affairs."

"Do you happen to be from the south?" Asked Hatori.

"Yes. Why?" Asked Palani curiously.

"Because I was tormented by their movies as well. I mean come on!" When Palani gives him a frosty look, Hatori continues. "Get over it. The comedy was the only good thing about those."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"If we can start with the real purpose of the meeting?" Asked Sapna. Hatori suddenly looks at her with a snap, and she continues despite his sudden serious look. "I want to know: Why are you making contact with us? Why now of all time?"

"Those are pretty heavy questions." Said Hatori. "As I said in that interview, our goal is to merge the technology from here, and magic from our side. That is the primary goal. As for why, well... The future of our race may depend upon it."

"What do you mean?" Asked Salman.

"There are races within this galaxy besides us. They are more advanced than us, and they have been in contact with the magical dimension for about a hundred years. Recently, there was an incident that made the king realize that we need to get on their level or beyond, or else we will be exploited or our world may end up becoming a slave. Mind you, in that case, this side will not be spared."

"Forgive me, but it is very difficult to believe." Said Palani. "We have been searching for life in space for close to a hundred years as well, and we have not found any sign or indication of what you are referring to."

"Because you lack the knowledge of magic. Do you think that your devices can catch and decode those strange signals? Besides. I turned this chair into its current form. What makes you think that there aren't other races in the galaxy? There will be stronger proofs given to you when you decide to meet with the king officially." Said Hatori.

"And what if we refuse?" Asked Palani, while Sapna and Salman watched without saying anything.

"Then some other country will have a lead." Said Hatori with a shrug. "Don't think that someone else will not have the same idea as we have. Say, China for example?"

Palani leans back in shock, and Hatori continues to press his point. "Exactly. Our world may have a different history for more than 4000 years, but certain old countries are still there. They can make contact, and they could start on the same trajectory as what we're trying to do. There has been a leadership change recently, so the chances of that happening are quite high. Whereas before, these ideas would have been dismissed outright."

"Very well." Said Sapna, injecting herself back into the conversation. "The benefits you talk about, are they exclusive to you? Or are they mutual?"

"Mutual." Said Hatori. "I've been here for twenty years. I know what challenges you are facing. We can easily help you gain energy independence. Just think about it, no more need for importing lithium or oil. We can also help you out with your water situation, and your farming will see improvements as well. And those are some easy ones. Later on, we can have technologies which we can use for ourselves, such as the combination of computing and magic, and eventually bringing this into the military."

"Are you authorized to make such deals?" Asked Palani.

"No. I am just here to make contact." Said Hatori.

"Why you specifically? Why not someone else?" Asked Palani. If it turns out that they only have this guy, then it would be easy for them to figure out that the party they are dealing with is quite weak. The posturing will not work then.

"Because I am the most familiar with this world and this country in particular." Said Hatori.

"Your references to the older pop culture. It was to prove this point, wasn't it?" Asked the Prime Minister.

"Exactly. I assume you already have my birth records?" Asked Hatori.

"We do." Said Salman. "It was not that difficult. Having said this, I have a concern of my own." Salman leans forward. "I do not like That someone like you can just come into our backyard whenever they like. This does not make us feel secure."

For a moment, Hatori thinks of telling them how unsafe they actually are. But he refrains from antagonizing them. 'Dammit, why Josh isn't here? He can handle this diplomacy crap much better than me.'

"It is not as easy as you might think." Said Hatori. "I got special circumstances, since I was born here, and my parents used to live here. But any mage who wishes to cross over cannot come just because they feel like it. Security is pretty tight. They are checked whenever they come here and go back. Besides, the majority of the time they show up here to observe what is going on here, or what new bit of tech has come in which they can copy. For example, the cars are quite a hit there." Hatori explained. He did not mention that these cars are essentially homes on wheels.

"I suppose if this deal goes through, we can have a measure from our end as well. Speaking of which, you do plan to train more mages for this side as well?" Asked Palani.

"My school is doing exactly that. For the time being, it is best that you let us handle the training. Once a sufficient amount of knowledge has been transferred, then you can open other schools under your own schemes and designs." Said Hatori.

"Very well. Do you two have any remaining questions?" Asked Sapna.

In reality, they both want to ask why Hatori is working with a politician from an opposite party, but they decide that for now, it is not a good time to ask this question. "None for now." Said Palani and Salman together.

"Then I call this meeting to an end. Would you like to come and have lunch with us?" Asked Sapna.

In Hatori's hands, the same book appears once again. This time he did not read what was written there. But he smiles and nods. "I would be delighted to."

"Let me guess. Eating together is a social activity, and it plays an important role in diplomacy?" Asked Palani, as they go out of the office.

"How did you know?" Asked Hatori. "Do you have secret mind-reading powers?"

"I wish." He chuckled.

PART 3.

Avinash is speaking to Hatori over the mirror. "So, you handled it well, despite their provocations?"

"Well, apart from that moment in the beginning, yes. They really should have provided a proper chair for me." Grumbled Hatori. "The main concerns for them are the security issues, and how uncomfortable they are with our sudden arrival. They are also going to discuss control measures with you."

"This is going to be such a mess. They would need new laws, and their police would need to be retrained. They would also need to wait before they can actually recruit officers among them." Pointed out Raven.

"This is a problem on their end. Are they willing to meet me or not, this is the main question." Said Avinash.

"Don't worry. They are willing to meet you." Hatori confirmed. "Bring your delegation once we have the date and all the logistics are sorted out."

"Good. I have picked up who I want to take, and no, Raven, you are not one of them. I don't want the militaries involved just yet." Said Avinash.

"Didn't expect it either." Said Raven.

"How long do you think they will take to invite me?" Asked Avinash.

"She will try to turn this into a big event. After the hype is at its peak, that is when she will call me, and give us a date. Be ready for a big event." Hatori warned.

"Don't worry. I can handle it just fine." Said Avinash.

PART 4.

True to what Hatori told Avinash in their virtual meeting, it took a while for the date to be confirmed. In the meantime, through the news, this upcoming event is hyped up. magic has become quite a sensational idea within the public imagination, and everyone within the country as well as the rest of the world is looking forward to the time when the Prime Minister and the king of magic side meet for the first time.

The day finally arrives, and Hatori is there to observe the party. He sees that Avinash has brought Josh and Akshit with him, and there are other mages with him who run various businesses. He remembers them because he has dealt with them in the past, as he is a primary supplier of yantras and has done some large-scale enchantment projects for them in the past.

"Today," Said Sapna in front of the cameras, "I welcome Avinash Varma, the king of the Magical Subcontinent." Everyone clapped at this declaration except for Hatori, who was hidden under an invisibility spell. He wants no part of this. As far as he is concerned, his role is done.

However, Josh is more than familiar with his tricks. So, he dragged him in front of the cameras all the same, and then Sapna jumped on the chance. "And their delegate, The Archmage, Hatori Eagle."

More clapping ensues. After that, everyone goes into the hall of the reserved hotel where all of this is taking place. The delegates spread out, and so the reporters do the same. Hatori sneaks away in the chaos. 'I'll taste those starters. And then I'll leave.'

Unable to contain himself any longer, he picks up one of the kebabs and takes a bite of it. "Mmm. Delicious." Said Naresh right next to him.

"Yep. Starters are the best." Said Hatori.

"Are you leaving soon?" Asked Naresh, while he starts to walk away from the table where the starters are put. When Hatori gives him a nod, he continues. "Why don't you share a drink with me before going?"

"Sure." Said Hatori, not seeing anything wrong with it.

After his drink is done, and a few photos are taken, Hatori leaves. This party is annoying him already. He thought that these people would have a better choice in music, but apparently not. He rather listen to those songs composed a hundred years ago than this trash with garbled and nonsensical lyrics.