The World Stage (3)

“The world?”

“Yes, the world. The state and the general happenings.”

“Well, absolutely nothing.” Why would I? It had only been three days since I first arrived, and I had never left the city, much less the hospitality zone. Plus, how many people really knew about global politics? The only pieces I remembered were from school and the random streams I watched every so often.

“How about the name of this city?” the waiter asked in an annoyingly thoughtful tone.

“Huh? Reale, right?” Some literally told me this morning. “Why does that matter though?”

“So, you know something then,” he teased. Seriously, what’s with this guy? He asks a serious question and then makes a stupid remark like that. I really don’t want to see how I act in a mirror. Why does he look so familiar though…

…

…

…I give up.

“...just tell me already.” If I couldn’t remember, it wasn’t that important.

“Okay, okay. Well, the short answer is humans aren’t skilled enough to make new things or create effective enough spells.”

“...that doesn’t explain anything. Give me the long one.”

“Ha ha. I figured you say that. Let’s start with the obvious. What do you think of the two suns?”

“The white and the brown one? Aren’t they just stars?” I mean, what else can they be?

“What if I told you they both used to glow white?”

That brown one too? Wait, what if it isn’t brown, but grey tuning black? Then that means– “Are they both dwarf stars?”

“Right on the money.”

From what I remembered of science class, stars fused hydrogen into helium, which created energy. Once all the hydrogen ran out, the star then began fusing the helium into… some elements. Do that over and over a few more times until iron’s created. Any more fusion after that would require more energy than it released. Stars that were big enough would explode into supernovae. However, stars with not enough mass would become white dwarfs – a dead star shining away whatever’s left. Then, once even that was gone, all that’s left was a black dwarf.

“The planet is heading towards an ice age then.” Without the light and heat from the dwarf stars, the world would freeze over, turning everything into an inhospitable wasteland drifting aimlessly through space.

“Of course, most researchers think we’ll be fine for at least another few billion years. Just long enough that we’ll all be dead by then,” the waiter joked with a smirk.

“No shit Sherlock.”

“Sherlock?”

“Ugh, nevermind. What does this have to do with anything?”

“I’m getting to that. This planet has many countries, each already preparing to survive after the end of the suns. Bunkers installed underground, food reserves expected to last years, fire producers to keep warm – you name it. However, even with all this preparation, it only works because we still have enough warmth now. As the world grows colder, resources will become more scarce, making it harder to sustain their population. Knowing that, what do you think a country would do to acquire more resources?”

“...they’re not stupid enough to start a war right? Over something billions of years in the future?”

However, the waiter’s expression told me they were that stupid.

“...that’s insane,” I couldn’t help but mutter. “It doesn’t even do anything. At least working together should produce something tangible. We’re all human.”

“Well, that’s not true.”

“What isn’t?”

“They’re not human.”

“...huh?”

“There are hundreds of species grouped into ten countries. Each is essentially a supremacist regime, looking down on the other kingdoms. After all, they each value something different. For example, the elves are masters of magic, while the dwarves are masters of the crafts. Humans, on the other hand, are jacks of all trades. While we can modify and improve existing things, albeit rarely, we can never surpass the masters. So, if the elves haven't created a spell or the dwarves haven't smithed the pieces, humans will never obtain them, even if they have the idea in mind. Of course, nowadays, most of the countries have settled in for a cold war, playing around with little skirmishes or carefully laid plans. Wanton destruction is just a waste of money right now.”

“...” I had no idea what to say, but the waiter continued.

“That’s not to say countries haven’t tried to forge treaties and alliances. The bastard duke…”

“You shouldn’t say that.” Maeva interrupted. She and her father both dropped their mouths hearing her insult the usurper king, if I recall.

“Who cares? There’s no one around anyway. Now, where was I? Right, the bastard duke somehow managed to trade with the dwarves and make an alliance with the elves without either of them knowing of the other. It’s suicide. He’s basically playing with fire, thinking his pride as a fire mage can allow him to control it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up going to war again over this,” the waiter clicked his tongue.

“Okay, how do you know that? That’s not something a normal person would know,” Maeva’s father asked, slightly suspicious of his hire.

“I’ve worked in the palace before, so I have all the juicy gossip,” he said with a sickening sweet smile. Wait a moment…

“Elvira?”

“You rang?” the male waiter said in a clearly feminine voice.

“Wha… uh…” My mouth spouted incomprehensible gibberish. He, she… whatever didn’t look like Elvira at all. Even his… her… face structure was different. Only their bombastic personality remained untouched.

“So, basically…”

Wait! I still haven’t processed this insanity!

“...humans aren’t skilled enough to make new things without. Since every country is hostile to one another, our current bastard is trying to maximize the greatest benefit, regardless of the risk. If you want something new, you’ll have to travel to the country that’s mastered the craft.

“So, if you do decide it's worth it, be cautious and prepared, or you’ll lose your head before you even notice.”