The Shores of Land: The Diplomacy of Japan, an Alien Nation

Chapter 78 - Wild Horse Girl Comes to Japan

At the Embassy of Illyharan in Japan, the consumed goods are primarily composed of a 50/50 import from both the home country and Japan. Typically, consumables would be purchased locally, but given Japan's status as an alien nation, this wasn't the case. If there were alternatives available, the embassy aimed to reduce expenses by acquiring Japanese-made goods, but for items that couldn't be substituted, imports from the home country were necessary. Notably, this was the case with food.

Even if there were no issues with quarantine or concerns regarding allergies and nutritional intake, the memory of dishes from one's homeland remained unforgettable. Hence, supplies from the home country were replenished on a monthly basis. Additionally, installing wastewater treatment facilities posed a challenge due to space and financial constraints, requiring floating islands in the tens of thousands to accommodate. While the Rassalon Floating Base, capable of accommodating 50.000 people, had such facilities, the Illyharan Embassy did not. Consequently, waste had to be either disposed of on land or collected. Naturally, the Illyharan Embassy opted for the latter, as it wouldn't be appropriate to discharge waste onto Japanese soil.

The previous year had been filled with challenges such as the transfer from Japan, the issue regarding Mult's route alteration, and a flurry of diplomatic problems. However, upon welcoming the new year, peace swiftly ensued. Although there were agreements to be signed regarding the visit to Ilforn and the development zone of Eustre, as well as various issues to contend with, there were no crises to speak of for the time being. Of course, there were no doubts that various events were unfolding behind the scenes. Peace was the result of clandestine maneuvers; if these were to become visible, crises would emerge. Although information regarding such clandestine maneuvers hadn't reached Erma, it was likely that efforts were being made by the government, including the Information Ministry and the Foreign Ministry.

The fact that the Republic of Silvas and the United States of Melostro remained silent indicated their acknowledgment of this situation. Erma could focus on his tasks without worrying about such issues, but the workload was substantial. To be frank, handling it alone was quite challenging. Whereas other ambassadors could simply inherit the work of their predecessors, in the case of Japan, everything had to be started from scratch. For instance, while other ambassadors might just inherit a hundred existing tasks, dealing with Japan meant establishing those same hundred tasks anew. Even with manuals, the amount of energy required for starting from scratch was multiple times greater.

Furthermore, Erma had been appointed as an ambassador suddenly, without undergoing any training. Despite having manuals, Erma himself was a novice as an ambassador. In order to become proficient as an ambassador as quickly as possible, he worked even on her days off. Japan seemed to understand Erma's situation, as they never prioritized their own convenience when arranging meetings with him, always choosing the timing carefully. It was this consideration for the other party that made even the alien likable. One could say that this was one of Japan's strengths. At least since getting to know Japan, Erma had never harbored any feelings of disgust.

Erma enjoyed the busy yet peaceful life of an ambassador. As the early days of Month 2, marking the passage of a month since the new year, approached, the landline in the ambassador's office rang. It wasn't a direct line from Japan but a call from Illyharan.

"This is Erma speaking."

"Sir Erma, the floating vessel has just arrived."

"Understood."

The call was from the secretary, signaling a pause in his work. Today, there would be new staff arriving at the embassy. The floating island is already home to the staff of not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but also personnel from related ministries. Considering their involvement with all central ministries, the floating islands in Eustre consisted only of Rassalon and the embassy, as there were no dedicated staff islands for interactions with Japan. Fortunately, this floating island was designed to accommodate both residential and operational needs for a hundred people, and by simultaneously supporting Rassalon, they ensured a steady stream of exchange personnel.