Three days after the Rimini Incident, E55 Highway, 6:35 AM, approaching Rimini

Velern looked out the bus window as she gazes at the passing trees beyond him. Unlike his fellow doctors in the bus, their conversations of the attack on Rimini was something he was thinking of instead.

Being an 89 year old blond Qua-Toynian elf, Velern was more like a 25 year old to the Italians on the bus. While he has seen many things in life, his mindset was still that of a young man's, and his journey to Italy has been long and tough.

Velern looked down to his necklace. An heirloom his mother passed to him. He and his family were one of many Qua-Toynian refugees that made the perilous journey across the Rodenius Sea to Italy. While the war was now over and the kingdom was rebuilding, Velern opted to stay. His family returned to Qua-Toyne, but he reckoned he would try his luck of settling into Italy.

Everything fascinated him. The culture, the technology, the cities; much of it was so familiar and yet also so alien. Velern however worried that he may not be able to stay long. Foreigners from Italy's world that were stuck in the country were already clogging up the immigration process and the government wasn't sure if they were exactly willing to accept Elysian ones due to the strain on resources.

But after the tragic attack on Rimini, Italy needed emergency medical workers. And that's how Velern found himself as a rarity among the emergency nurses of the bus. The elf looked down to his flask of special water. With him being a healer for his village, Velern was of course blessed with the ability to turn normal water into Essence. Just one drop on a wound and it would close up. Velern then turned to his bag. Inside was a spell book to treat severe wounds, from near amputations to broken bones.

The bus then soon stopped in front of a large, sprawling complex. Velern looked out, intrigued. Where were they?

"Okay everyone, here we are! Rimini Hospital!" The lead doctor announced as they were now hopping off.

A hospital? This place was huge! The biggest hospital they had was in the capital, and it was as more of a modestly-sized two storey building. Velern hopped off as he looked around before he adjusted his scrubs. While he still wore his traditional healer coat, he was told to wear something called 'scrubs' which felt very thin and uncomfortable but he wore them regardless.

Velern was now being queued to be processed and registered. There were tons of other nurses being lined up. Last he heard some were actually assigned to be here and didn't volunteer like him. Some were Italians, but he noticed a few others that looked to be more like foreigners. Though not like he was any different. As far as he was concerned, Velern looked to be the only Elysian volunteering.

Velern then was brought back to reality as he accidentally bumped into the woman in front of him. She looked to be middle aged, quite short, and of darker skin, "I'm sorry-"

The woman however smiled as she looked back, "Oh it's alright." She said, her accent coming through. While the Common Language's magic was happening, accents still tend to come through and hers was way different from the Italians. "Oh my I haven't seen a Qua-Toynian in a while. Are you here to volunteer?"

Velern took note of the woman's friendliness and smiled, "Yes ma'am. I've been trying to find a job as a healer so I was told I can volunteer for here." He said.

"Oh that's nice of you. I was assigned here from Naples. My name is Marie. You are?"

"Velern, ma'am... You don't seem to be an Italian?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, no I'm not. I'm from the Philippines. I work here in Italy as a nurse," She said with a smile. "I'm one of the luckier ones. My husband and children were visiting me when the transfer occurred... Cannot say the same to my peers however."

"I'm sorry to hear that ma'am. But I am glad you're with your family," Velern said. "My own family is back in Qua-Toyne. We've been struggling with our farm so I decided to try and make ends meet here in Italy."

"I see. I can say the same for me. We were not too well off until I took this job," Marie said with a soft chuckle.

As the line moved along, Velern looked around before he sighed, "I must admit I'm... fairly nervous about settling down here. Everything is so... different. Yet also the same. There have been kind people and a few unkind ones as well." He said. "So, you live here yes?"

Marie nodded, "I do. I have been for a good ten years. I often go back to my homeland however." She explained.

"How did you do it? Settling in such a foreign country I mean," Velern asked. Despite the taller stature and generally more intimidating look from the elf, Velern yearned for the advice from a smaller, motherly woman.

Marie thought for a moment before she sighed as she continued along the queue, "It wasn't easy of course. Back in our world, we didn't have the luxury of a magical common language. I was a Filipino speaker with difficulties of English in an Italian nation. It was hard to adjust," she said. "And of course there was the culture shock. I was familiar with Italy but to experience it first hand was daunting. Then there's the big price difference in currency, it's much more expensive to buy groceries. And then there's being homesick, yearning for my children and husband... But I often tell myself that this is for the good of them. To provide a good education and future was what pushed me."

"I see... how... how about with the people?" Velern asked.

"I'll admit, it is quite complicated. I've had a few run-ins with people who didn't like me, mostly for being an immigrant. But there have been plenty who are kind as well. I just know that there are both kindhearted and mean people in every nation," Marie explained. "It took me a good while to truly get into the culture. About 5 years... But after all that, I call Italy my second home proudly."

"Right..." Velern said, somewhat hesitant.

Marie eyed him before she placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder despite his taller stature, "I understand what it is like to be nervous. To risk it all to move to a land where you see better opportunities... And that's okay. Don't worry, dear. As long as you remain kind, polite, and hardworking, I'm sure you'll settle in soon enough."

Velern looked to her before he smiled, "Thank you, ma'am."

Marie smiled only to look back once it was her turn. And as she filled in the registration form, Velern thought of her advice and took it to heart. It will be tough, but he can only hope and make sure that his new life here in Italy will give new opportunities for his family.

Embassy of Mu Office, Second Foreign Affairs Building, 8:12 AM

Mugei huffed as he sat down in his office chair while he looked over the reports he received. While Mu didn't have official diplomatic ties with Italy, he was tasked with assessing the nation's capability to determine whether spending Muan assets in such a far flung nation would be worth it.

And he already knew that answer. He placed his Mana Phone onto the desk; a large radio like device and after he dialled the right number, a magic view of a Muan Ministry of Foreign Affairs office appeared.

Coming into view was a man in a well tailored suit, monocle, and slicked back hair. He smiled widely, "Ah, mister Mugei. Good to see you. It's been a while since you've called."

Mugei sighed, "Sorry about that, Sir Lerney. The shipments of crystals for mana communication has been getting slow." He explained.

"Oh? How come? I would have thought Parpaldia would keep such necessities in continuous flow," Lerney asked in skepticism.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Well that concerns about Italy. Anyway, I have a complete report here but again with the delay of the shipments I've managed to incur more information," Mugei said. "But in a nutshell, Italy has capabilities far of a simple Third Civilisation. They have mechanical military equipment just like ours. Iron calvary, iron warships, even iron aircraft."

"Fascinating... And you said that they are a transported nation, yes? Any chance that they're from our world?" Lerney asked as he sat forward in intrigue.

"I was skeptical at first, but after reading their geological and geographic books, I can 100% say they're from Gaia. Except they call our world 'Terra' or more commonly 'Earth'," He said with a big smile. "We're no longer alone on Elysia, Sir Lerney."

"That's actually amazing! So then, what about their military capabilities? How is it?" Lerney asked.

"Well unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to truly look into their military capabilities. But... I think a good reference is the monster attack a day ago," Mugei said. "For reference on how severe it is, the monster is as bad as the one during the Elaheit Attack."

"Oh gods, I remember my grandfather telling stories about that. He said the attack took five whole days before they took it down. So what about it?"

"The Italians managed to take down the beast in five hours."

If Lerney had something to drink, he would have spat it out, "Five hours!?"

"Yes, Sir. If it were any other nation they wouldn't have been able to take the beast down at all. By our capabilities maybe in three days. For the Mirishials, perhaps a day. But Italy took the beast down in five hours," Mugei said.

"That's amazing..." Lerney said before he then had a little smirk, "Fantastic job, Mugei. I will forward this to the King. But I've got a good feeling that we will be visiting Italy soon."

"I'm glad to hear it, sir! I'm sure you will absolutely love it. Their food is to die for," Mugei said. "In my opinion, sir... It is entirely possible that Italy will have the same status as the Superpowers."

"Oh?" Lerney asked, "how come?"

"Well remember my delay with procuring magic crystals for the Manaphone?" Mugei said, "Parpaldia has been struggling with a missing workforce due to slavery being quickly abolished. And this is due to Italy sanctioning them for doing so. For a mighty power like Parpaldia to bend to Italy's will, it seems to me that the title of Third Superpower should belong to Italy instead."

The man perked up at that as he rubbed his chin, "Huh... I never thought that would be possibly. Alright, thank you Mugei. Don't forget to forward your complete report. I'll update you on the King's decision," Lerney said with a more intrigued grin.

Belobrian District, Esthirant, 8:41 AM

Holthon Arde, Supreme Commander of the Parpaldia Imperial Armed Forces. Such a job made him entitled with all sorts of luxuries. A vast estate, a loyal staff, the best food, and of course:

Italian imports.

Italian wines and cheeses have accompanied him in Italian dinners. New technology such as the 'television' allowed him to watch Italian shows. But his prized possession was his car.

Arde held his briefcase as he approached his car. An 'Alfa Romeo'. While the other aristocrats were more attracted to the 'Lamborghini' and 'Maserati', he much preferred the SUV of the Alfa Romeo due to how tough it looked.

He opened the passenger door as he tossed his briefcase inside before he closed it. Arde then walked to the other side and hopped into the driver's side as he buckled in. He's had his new Driver's License for a couple months now and of course he was enjoying this luxury.

Arde buckled up as he pressed the ignition button. But instead of the strong rumble he expected, the SUV instead sputtered pathetically. The man perked an eyebrow up and tried again only to then stop again.

"What the..." Arde then looked at the fuel gage. The ticker was dead set on the letter E. Angered, Arde hopped out, "KALIN!"

Kalin, a young servant of the Arde estate quickly arrived. He was initially tasked with the horses and carriages but he was now responsible to make sure the car was fuelled up, "Y-yes sir?"

"Do you mind EXPLAINING why my vehicle is out of gas!? I've tasked you with such a simple chore!" Arde said in anger as Kalin cowered.

"I-I'm sorry Commander, b-but the shipment of fuel hasn't arrived in over a week," Kalin said with a whimper. "I haven't been able to fuel the car up since then."

"... A week? That's preposterous, we should be eligible to regular shipments of fuel!" Arde said before he groaned, "Get the carriage ready, I need to head to the palace."

"Yes Commander!" Kalin said as he then ran off with Arde insulting him under his breath.

...

The carriage then quickly stopped in front of the palace as Arde didn't bother to wait for a servant to open his door. Instead he quickly went inside and trudged through the halls before he reached the Central Meeting Room.

Inside, Kaios was already well on his way with the meeting. He along with Ludius, Remille, a few other ministers and concerned nobilities of the highest degree looked to see the panting Arde. Ludius spoke up, "Ah, Commander Arde. I didn't think you'd turn up."

Of course, instead of the expectant respect Arde should give, the man instead scoffed, "Of course I would, son. My car's been out of fuel." He said with a grumble. Usually the people inside would shift in discomfort from the lack of respect given to Ludius, but it seemed normal for them.

Kaios caught Remille's scowl at Arde for a moment before he watched the man sit down, "Glad you could join us, Commander. We were talking about the latest updates on the current sanctions by Italy. Anyway, as I was saying..." he then pressed a key on the keyboard as the next slide continued. "As of now, while all the state companies such as the Northwest Mining Company and the Imperial Port Company have fully obliged in emancipation, the more private companies such as Goluth Sugar and Molin Family Brewery have not been complying. This is due to the lacking workforce of our imperial businesses following Italy's sanctions."

Kaios then looked to the projector screen, "We have seen a decrease in productivity and shipments from the northern territories from gold to mana crystals, and a decrease of textiles and luxury goods in the south and the islands. We haven't been able to find a willing workforce and this manpower problem has only convinced private companies to keep their slaves. To say the least, this sanction has been hitting us hard."

A disgruntled nobleman then spoke from behind, "Well have we responded back against Italy? And if we did, how much is it hurting them?"

Kaios frowned, "Well aside from a decrease of tourism and magical crystals, it doesn't seem to have an effect on Italy at all. And after dragging Rodenius into their sphere of influence, cutting off their food supply from the breadbasket regions of Parpaldia would be useless. Last I heard they have been building ports and railways in barbarian lands now."

The people in the room murmured all except for Arde who Kaios noticed had a dark look only to look to Ludius who spoke up, "What about their oil? Can't we threaten to cut off their pipelines in exchange of stopping the sanctions?"

Kaios shook his head, "No, your highness. I've heard that Italy has managed to find oil and crude materials in the deserts of Quila and likewise has been building infrastructure there as well. Safe to say that Italy is no longer dependent on us..."

"This is ridiculous!" A minister said in anger as others agreed, "My wine cellar is running dry, what am I supposed to drink now!?"

"The chocolates and cheeses of Parpaldia are just not the same! We need to get back on Italy's good side!" A nobleman called out.

"My wife has been complaining that she cannot drive her car anymore. If this goes on, I'm gonna lose it!" Another nobleman said.

The room erupted in frustration and outrage as Kaios tried to calm them. Ludius and Remille looked around and then to each other in deep concern. Without realising it, Italy had the Parpaldian Empire in a tight grip.

Palazzo Chigi, Rome, 10:37 AM

In a meeting room of the palace, Giovanni rubbed his head in frustration. The emotional toll the Rimini Incident had left on the people was big. Religious beliefs were rocked to their core at the fact that monsters of Roman mythology existed. The Italian Armed Forces were being criticised for focusing on Topa and not the country's self defence. Worse yet, it has left Moretti in a deep state of guilt and was now gonna resign.

And now there was another thing to stress him out on. Giovanni huffed as he looked back up to the screen to do his best to focus on the current meeting. Abate continued to speak, "... as of now the ISS has been making some progress in the decontamination of SM-1, R-1 and R-2, but it is entirely possible these areas may have to be closed off until the foreseeable future."

The room sighed at that but Abate continued, "However there is some hope. In Rimini, there was a volunteer nurse from Qua-Toyne that signed up to help. And he had a sort of special water that was able to cure ailments..." Everyone looked to Abate, intrigued. "And from what I was told, it seemed that the Qua-Toynians have the ability to cure the effects of the poisonous blood."

Giovanni and the others then spoke to each other in hope, but the prime minister then spoke out, "Have we received any more volunteer nurses then, Doctor?"

Abate adjusted her glasses, "There have been a few but only really six nurses among hundreds, prime minister. But we have sent a call for any Qua-Toynian healers in the country. We're hoping to get more of their magical treatment."

"That's a relief..." Giovanni said.

"It sure is, prime minister. But... There's something much more worrying," Abate said. The room quieted down as she moved on to the next slide before she cleared her throat. "The ISS has been cleaning up the carcass of Subject Fauna and brought in samples for experimentation and study. We have been working tirelessly to determine the physiology of Fauna, and... well,"

Giovanni and the others looked to the screen. One was labeled 'Natural Cells' while the other was 'Organised Cells'.

Abate frowned, "We have reason to believe that Subject Fauna was an artificial bioweapon," She said as the room again murmured amongst themselves. Giovanni felt a sense of dread. "The physiological aspects of Fauna is beyond anything we've seen before. Cells and DNA arranged in a way to ensure the perfect specimen. As if it was biologically engineered to be the ideal weapon."

"So wait, Doctor Abate, what are you saying?" Giovanni asked nervously.

Abate then frowned, "Well prime minister... I don't think it is foolish to think that wherever this monster came from, whoever they are, they will be a force to reckon with."