Approaching Qua-Toyne, 10:37 AM, 30th of September, 1639

The eerie silence of the Rodenius Sea was broken by the sounds of whirring above. In the sky, an NH30 helicopter was guided by two others as they traveled above the waters of the sea.

There, a middle aged man with a 5 o'clock shadow and messily combed greying hair looked back at the ocean. As he adjusted his glasses that aided his blue eyes, he sighed tiredly.

Ambassador Alberto Rossi, former diplomat of Italy to Afghanistan, eyed the suitcase in his hands. A veteran of war, he rubbed his eyes in exhaustion as he never really thought that he'd do something so familiar in this new world.

The possibility of Italy going to war made him think deeply. The prospect of war was heavily unpopular with the people to the point many are very much skeptical of even lending help to NATO. He could only imagine the messy political landscape that could transpire from the new bill the prime minister was planning to propose.

But right now Alberto had a job to do. He looked around to see another man and a woman with him. With neat black hair and grey eyes, Alessio Bianchi was on his phone as he was catching himself up with the situation at Qua-Toyne. And as she brushed her blonde hair aside, Giulia Santoro scanned a document in her hand with her green eyes.

These two were probably the best people Alberto could trust with such a volatile situation. And right now, even he felt a bit tense at the prospect of going to a country that was a war zone.

As the helicopter made their way into Qua-Toynian airspace, he then could see some land ahead. And he was certain that their welcome couldn't be any more friendly.

Alberto looked out the window as he went wide eyed. The scenery of the unknown town below looked very much like something from a period movie set. Stone and wooden houses, wooden sailboats, medieval style towers. It was no wonder such a brutal war was being fought right now. The social progress for the rules of war wasn't in place here yet.

The man could only shut his eyes as he dared not imagine what sort of atrocities could've happened.

——————————————————

Maihark Castle, Maihark

Regret started to stem over Prince Haluta as he sat in his office. He promised his people that he was gonna stay with them in the capital but soon the city gates were bashed down and Lourian soldiers marched in. If it weren't for their wyvern corps, the City of Qua-Toyne would've fallen yesterday. But the danger was there and with immense hesitation, the prince and his prime minister was evacuated to Maihark.

He looked out the window to the docks of the city. There were still loads of people who were trying to evacuate the country as a whole. But right now the sun shined down the city with most ships opting to leave by night to hide from the Lourian Navy. He asked the local government to appeal them to stay, but what can they do? Even local officials wanted to leave Qua-Toyne for their safety. But where?

Suddenly he perked up. He could hear whirring noises outside. Haluta quickly looked out the window further as he spotted three flying beasts. Oh gods, are they Lourian ones? No, surely not. And yet the whirring did not sound like wyvern wings flapping. He then watched some of the local wyvern fighters take off from the nearby stable to intercept the unknown objects. Haluta then looked around to find the source before he went wide eyed. What is that?

And as if on schedule, a few royal guards guided by a human with a beard, and a circlet that fit well with his cape arrived to take the prince away to the basement. "Your highness, we must make haste! An unknown beast is—"

"I know, commander Nouka. Let's go," the prince said with a nod as he quickly followed the guards out of the study. Soon he walked down the halls of the castle with Nouka and the guards as they went down to a secure meeting room once more.

There his closest advisors were as they again bickered about the beast outside. Kanata and general Hanki were especially nervous. Haluta took his seat in the middle of the table as he spoke, "Alright everyone, I saw the beasts themselves outside. And I can tell you that it is nothing like we've seen before. Any news from the wyvern control tower?"

Nouka then went to a nearby elf who was operating the emergency mana communicator. The commander whispered to his subordinate before he looked back, "Not yet your highness, but we've received reports from the deployed wyverns that the beasts seem to be descending onto the fields beyond the city walls."

Kanata then perked up, "then, they're not opting to attack? There's nothing important outside Maihark except for a few farms. What are they doing out there?"

Hanki then spoke up, "maybe they're migrating wyverns from Philades? But it seems too early isn't it?

The prince then stood up, "They're not wyverns," he declared with a firm face. Soon everyone looked to him in confusion. "I've seen them. They... they were some sort of... strange beast with mysterious rotating wings. Almost like an insect." He said.

The room then murmured again amongst themselves but suddenly the elf by the communicator spoke up, "the unknown beasts have landed! What are your orders?"

The prince looked to Nouka before he likewise looked to the elf, "send a calvary squad to intercept. Do not attack unless attacked upon."

The elf nodded. Kanata looked to Haluta who sat back down in his seat nervously. The prime minister did the same as he muttered to himself, "I can only hope they're friends..."

...

As the helicopter landed onto the fields, Alberto and his staff were tasked to stay inside first. The helicopters beside them opened their doors as a few armed guards hopped out to defend the delegation if necessary.

Alberto looked through the window. Soon he could spot some calvary. And in amazement, he couldn't help but watch. He could've fooled himself that he was watching a live reenactment if this wasn't real life.

The guards stood firm. They didn't aim their rifles just yet but they were ready to shoot if necessary. The calvary stopped at a fair bit distance from the helicopter.

Alberto looked to Alessio and Giulia. He simply nodded to them as he hopped out of the helicopter.

The strangers on horses eyed the machine, baffled. And as there was almost a tense stand off, the rotors of the helicopter slowed down. And with an authoritative yet nonthreatening voice, Alberto finally spoke. "My name is Alberto Rossi! I am a diplomat for the Republic of Italy!" He declared as the calvary looked at each other. "I wish to speak with Prince Haluta and his government!"

...

"They're... diplomats," the elf said, stunned. He looked back to the men in the room. "Diplomats from a nation called Italy."

Of course Hanki was the first to spoke with an impatient tone, "what in Elysia is Italy? I can't recall that name anywhere!"

"Calm down general," Kanata said before he looked to the elf. "Can you have them ask what their intentions are?"

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The elf nodded and relayed this information. Nouka stared at the elf expectantly for a reply and while he did, Haluta whispered, "Do you think this Italy place is some small country? That's the only reason I can think of for them to be out of our knowledge..."

Kanata shrugged, "I'm not too sure, your highness. I can only hope they won't cause problems."

The communicator elf listened carefully before he went wide eyed. Soon he looked back, "they wish to talk about our war. They say that our people have become refugees in their lands!"

The group had a shocked expression and soon Kanata stood up, "Bring them to the castle!"

...

As Alberto and his group walked through the streets of Maihark, the people around them had a sense of uneasiness. They could only watch from the sides and their windows as if it weren't for the Qua-Toyne soldiers guiding them, they would've surely panicked.

Alberto eyed the streets. The people looked rather disheveled as many simply sat on the road with nowhere to go, some even had their things with them. Evacuees, he thought to himself. He looked to the side as he watched Alessio take notes while Giulia took pictures to relay back to Italy. He sighed quietly. He could really use a cigarette.

Soon the Italians eyed the castle which towered over Maihark. As they went up the steps, Alberto eyed the guards to the side. Nothing but swords and pikes. Interesting. The doors opened and Alberto followed the guide into the castle. The interior was expectantly grandeur and with its medieval aesthetic, Giulia took even more pictures.

Alberto then was stopped by the knight, "Please stay here. I will let the prince and prime minister know of your presence," he said. Alberto just nodded as the guide walked off to go get the prince.

The man stood there as he looked around before he adjusted his tie and pin. He then turned to Alessio, "What do you think mister Bianchi? Still dreaming?"

Alessio looked to Alberto, unimpressed, "I'm still hoping to this day that I am and that I'm still actually on Earth. We're in a medieval nation with dragons and elves, no biggie."

Alberto then scoffed in amusement as he turned to Giulia, "what about you miss Santoro? Any opinions?"

Giulia then looked up from her phone as she cleared her throat, "It's just so amazing to see a place like this, so much of our own history that we can fill in by learning about this nation..." She said as she took another picture.

Alberto then looked back ahead to see the guard return as he spoke, "You may now follow me to the Prince's Hall."

Alberto nodded and with that, he and his fellow diplomats followed down further into the castle. As he eyed the windows of the hall, he looked out towards the docks. Filled to the brim with people still who were asleep. The man couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows at the situation before he looked back ahead.

They then reached a big set of wooden double doors. The guard soon opened the doors to an empty grand meeting hall. Aligned on the walls were banners of all kinds with the most prominent one being a green one with a praying woman on it. The guard spoke, "You may wait for the prince and the prime minister's arrival. I will let them know of their presence."

"Very well," Alberto said. Soon he and the others took their seat on the side where there wasn't a fancy looking armchair which he assumed was for the prince.

The three diplomats and their guards sat quietly. Alberto was even more tempted to smoke a cigarette but soon enough, the doors opened again and another knight stepped in first to blow a horn. With that he spoke loudly, "His Royal Highness, Prince Haluta of Qua-Toyne and his Prime Minister, Sir Kanata!"

Alberto watched two elves enter along with two humans. A few more entered the room, possibly other aides of the prince and prime minister. While Alberto had a more thoughtful look, the Qua-Toynians observed the Italians as if they were an animal they haven't seen before. Curious, surprised, and confused.

As they finally sat down, Kanata was the first to speak as he cleared his throat. Despite the tense situation, he smiled, "Well um, we were certainly not expecting visitors so suddenly," he said with a little chuckle. "I'm Kanata, the prime minister of Qua-Toyne. And I answer to his highness Prince Haluta as his government. Who may you be?"

Alberto then had a more friendly look as he spoke, "My name is Alberto Rossi, a diplomat for the Italian Republic. These are my coworkers, miss Giulia Santoro and mister Alessio Bianchi. We are here to establish diplomatic ties on the behalf of Italy," he said as he opened his suitcase. Soon he handed out some documents. This time they were translated into the common tongue of Elysia and as such, it was understandable to the Qua-Toynians. "In these files, basic information about our nation. Our history, and where we came from. I assume you must've never heard of us before?"

Each person in the Qua-Toyne side of the table got their own file and as such, as Kanata opened his copy, he scanned it. Republic of Italy, 60 million people, a country connected to Philades? Surely they would've known about them?

Alberto then spoke, "As you can see in your file, Italy is a peninsular nation connected to the continent of Philades and bordering the Parpaldian Empire. With 60 million people, our nation is an industrial powerhouse, and as such we are capable of manufacturing all kinds of products... along with military equipment. Flying machines, iron beasts, metal ships, majority of which we built ourselves."

Suddenly Hanki then looked up in disbelief, "It says here you are a transferred nation. What are you suggesting at here?"

Alberto adjusted his glasses, "The Italian peninsula and its micronations was transferred from our world, Earth to this world, Elysia. It happened in April and since then we're still trying to find our place in this world,"

Hanki then placed the file down, "Utter nonsense! A country going from one place to another sounds ludicrous!" Soon he looked to the prince, "Your highness, I suggest that we move on to more pressing matters."

Haluta then raised his hand to basically tell Hanki to quiet down who slumped in his seat. Soon he looked up to Alberto, "Ambassador, I was made aware that my people have reached your lands. What has become of them?"

Alberto then placed a map on the table. Unlike the crude map they used for the meeting with Parpaldia, this was much more detailed and better made. He then started to explain, "Refugees coming from this current city have managed to reach these areas, being the island of Sicily and southern Italy," he said. He then pulled out a few pictures of the Qua-Toynian refugees. They were in tents but being fed, cared for, and processed. "We are taking very good care of them as of now. In fact an incident occurred with one ship in particular. The first ship we rescued."

Suddenly the group looked up to Alberto nervously, "Incident? What do you mean?" Kanata asked.

Alberto cleared his throat, "About four days ago, the Italian Navy intercepted a Lourian warship attacking one of your people's refugee boats. They... killed a fair few amount of refugees. Our vessel intercepted and engaged in a skirmish with the Lourian warship. Once they were put down, they rescued the remaining people and brought them to Italy," he explained.

The Qua-Toynians gasped and spoke amongst themselves. But they quieted down once Kanata spoke, "Are the survivors alright?"

"They are, they're being treated in our hospitals," Alberto said before he spoke further, "That's why we came to you. After this incident Italy has become a refugee hotspot for your people and after some digging we realised that your nation is at war with a nation called Louria. May we know more about them?"

Suddenly Hanki then yelled in an outraged tone, "Those Lourians are nothing more than the lowest of the low barbarians! They've pillaged our lands, massacred our people, and looted our treasures all in the name of human supremacy!" He said before he looked around, "Look at us, humans and demihumans can very much get along, our principality prides itself in being a peaceful nation! But Louria has ambitions to unite the entire Rodenius continent under their barbaric rule!"

The Qua-Toynians spoke in agreement. Alberto scanned the group opposite to them before he spoke further, "In that case, we believe Italy has a beneficial deal with you all,"

Kanata looked up, wide eyed, "What kind of deal, Ambassador?"

Alberto then adjusted his tie again, "You see, Italy as of this moment cannot handle this much refugees. We were a tourist hotspot and we still have hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals from our world to house. Right now the Qua-Toynian refugees could exacerbate this problem. But after we heard of news of Louria doing war crimes, we believe Italy can reach a beneficial deal," He said as he had a more serious look. "Italy wishes to assist your nation in this war, both for the better good and ours. There are many refugees who wish to head home which would lift a load from our shoulders. And it would lift a heavy load on yours because what Louria did is nothing short of abominable."

Kanata then quickly nodded, "Please! We'll give anything for your help! Umm, crops, or minerals, we can export!" He said in desperation. "Qua-Toyne prides itself in having the best crops in Elysia for being blessed by the gods. We have a major surplus of food even with the ongoing war. And umm... we have rare minerals that you may want? Maybe our ally Quila can offer something?" He said before he eyed a nearby fruit bowl and offered an apple. "Here, please try it. We can grow absolutely anything."

Alberto then looked to Alessio and Giulia. The both of them looked back as Alberto eyed the apple. He gently grabbed it and took a bite before he went wide eyed a bit. It felt as if he ate the Apple of God itself. Soon he swallowed the bite as he looked up, "And you say that you have a SURPLUS of these quality produce?"

Kanata nodded, "And if you have anything that we are unfamiliar with, you can send it over and we can absolutely grow it."

Alberto looked to the apple. With so much crops coming in, prices would go down drastically in groceries and they wouldn't have to ration chocolates and coffee for Parpaldian trade anymore.

Alberto looked up, "I think we can have a deal, prime minister."