[Rewritten Walk Around and Find Out]

"It has been confirmed that the Forsvaret Day Parade, which falls under the 12th of April will still be held, as per the Ministry of Defense.

Many were quick to criticize this decision to still hold the military parade, citing the economic issues caused by the abrupt transfer, to which the MoD claimed that the parade serves as a way to bring up morale, said to be more vital than ever in this trying time.

In addition, conscription has also been increased in scale. while still limited, the Defense Forces is expecting to draft 15% of the men aged 18-25 this year, 5% up from the previous annual rate.

In another news, military equipment that was in storage as reserves are being restored back to active duty as the Defense Forces scrambles to bolster its forces against potential threats, particularly from countries in Gestrae to the South of Esterria - Flash Central News Network (FCNN)

Zarabiaćskonać, Kawagrzmotia, Flashia, 5/4/2017 While the visiting party led by Gessel and also Marie III is on their way to their accommodation, the Prime Minister could not help but notice an unusual scenery that he is seeing right out the window.

"Oh dear gods..." muttered the Esterrian Minister to himself "Is this what Magovac meant?"

The unusual scene comes in the form of the local authorities trying to contain the chaos with carriages of different size and colorswith blue lights and 'POLICJA' written somewhere on those vehicles cruising the roads.

What he also sees is the military apparently also patrolling the streets, acting more as a peacekeeping forces while protests are orchestrated and held by large groups of people.

The sound is muffled from the inside so that the other three could sleep peacefully. But judging from the voices the Prime Minister could barely pick up on, they were speaking a language somewhat close to Varikan* and Gošbanian**.

Which is funny considering that the embassy of Flashia in Einskirka has its plaque written in some sort of dialect of Naeslagtlandic***... maybe not that strange considering they have a Nexucian, who speaks at least a dialect of Gošbanian as his native language

Perhaps this is why they're expressing their anger very overtly. But even then, if the riots aren't taken into consideration, why would the authority do little to nothing to these protestors?

It seems to him that beyond their economic capability and the general informations given, Gessel, and Esterria in general still got a lot to learn from their Federal Republic counterparts.

For now, he could only breathe out a sigh and mumbled:

"Flashia is just truly fascinating isn't it...?"

...

"Just another day isn't it Toft?"

"Yep... another day..."

Antoniak and Toft, the Kawagrzmotian and the Tilenogtyvean police officers respectively patrols the city street in their car of silver color plastered in the blue decals of their department.

Wearing body armor, they looked at almost every corners of the street they cruised on in the midst of the chaos that might as well be the norm at this point, avoiding some blocked roads and those with riots going on, that's the job of the riot police.

"You know, I've heard some rumors that this Esterrian queen is visiting today" said Antoniak who is riding shotgun, as their patrol car take a left turn in an intersection

"Eh, would take that with a grain of salt" replied Toft who is driving.

"Why?"

"Well, it's just that nowadays, we don't even know what is true and what is not anymore. It's just quite chaotic on the net that's... somehow is up and running"

"C'mon Toft, there's a chance it could be true!"

"Yeah right..."

"...You mad Toft?"

"Huh?"

"Are you mad at something Toft?"

"No, I'm not, it's just that forums have been saturated with some BS rumors and false information and frankly, I'm getting quite sick of it"

"You're mad then"

"Ah, whatever..."

Antoniak then noticed a pen having been dropped to the ground.

"How the hell did it got there...?"

Antoniak then attempted to reach down and grabbed the pen. Just as they turn to a narrow road to the right however, a man suddenly jumped in front of their patrol car and the brakes was stomped on an instant, lunging both of them forward.

"Ow, what the fuck was that for?!" said Antoniak as he rubbed his head that hit the glovebox while he tried to pick up the pen.

"Nothing. Sorry about that though, it's just that someone just got in front of us"

"Insurance fraud?"

"Don't know, he seems to have his hands up though..."

"...Alright then... let's just get out of the car real quick..." Antoniak unfastened his seatbelt "Get this done with..."

The 2 officers opened up the door on their respective sides with the belt taken off. They stepped outside before then swinging the doors close.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the Kawagrzmotian officer yelled out to him "You could've got run over you know?!"

"I surrender!" the man yelled out loud, confusing both of the ZPD police officers in the process "I am a spy sent by the Varikan Empire! I announce my defection!"

The duo looked at each other for a second.

"No wonder the guy's dressed like he's from centuries back..." said Toft to his Kawagrzmotian partner.

"Yep"

They then returned back to the man who is apparently a spy as he had said.

"Alright, turn around and put your hands behind your head will ya?"

The spy complied, turning his back to the officers and putting his raised hands behind his head. He then hears one of them approaching him, before getting knocked down on the knees.

"You are now under arrest" said Antoniak to the Varikan man "You do not have to say anything unless you wish to do so. However, anything you say can, and will be used against you as evidence"

The spy was then frisked, eventually finding a dagger of some sort and a flintlock.

"Geez, it feels like going back in a time..."

The now detained man then looked at him with clear indication of confusion

"What are you looking at me for...? Ah forget it, just get up, we'll get you to the station"

The Kawagrzmotian police officer then escorts the spy back to the patrol car, where he would be put on the backseat of the vehicle. Just as before Antoniak closes the door however.

"Wait!" said the spy, prompting Antoniak to pause "Can you ensure my identity will not be revealed?"

"I mean it's in the constitution..." said Toft who walked up to them "Even you're not a citizen but a foreign spy... I can assure you this, as a defector, you have the right to remain anonymous"

The spy nodded with his face expressing a little bit of joy

"Спасибо..." (Thank you...)

Antoniak closed the door shut, then turning back to his partner.

"Our job is now quite interesting now isn't it Toft"

Toft nodded.

"...And more painful as well"

"Kurwa mać, Toft, since when it isn't painful?"

"It always have been, just saying that we're going to be a lot busy now..."

"Fair..."

"...Let's just get back to the PD, we'll talk about this later"

Toft would turn his back to get back to the driving seat with Antoniak going around the car for his usual shotgun seat. Opening the doors, they get themselves inside the car again before close it shut again. And it would not take a few seconds until the wheels started rolling again.



(reference for their vehicle)

...

Oliver Magovac, the Flash Foreign Minister would walk down the hallway of a relatively small and humble hotel somewhere in the South-Western part of Zarabiaćskonać.

As he walked, he repeatedly mumbled to himself a specific number as he glanced at each doors, trying to find the room where the Esterrian party is staying to rest.

"204... 204... Ah"

He would eventually find their room... well one of them as two rooms were booked for them with the other being 205. Oliver knocked on the door and then he waited. Moments later, a senior man would come out.

"Ah, Mr. Magovac" said the man revealed to be Gessel Kiel, the Esterrian Head-of-Government "We meet again"

"It's been a while Mr. Kiel" replied the Nexucian minister "Sorry for not being able to greet you at the port, I got caught up in some works"

"It's fine, I understand... Anyways, what brings you here?"

"Well, I just want to get y'all up to speed on some of the stuff we have for the next coming weeks"

Gessel does not have one of the phrases Oliver muttered in his dictionary, but he was able to decipher the meaning from the context alone.

"Oh... so what is it then?"

"Well, there's going to be a military parade in Barminde, Tilenogtyve as we celebrate the Defense Force Day on the 12th day of the 4th month"

Gessel nodded.

"May I ask how far is it?"

"Well, about another trip on a ship across a strait roughly about that as the path you took to here"

"...Somehow, I feel bad for Her Majesty and our friends here..."

"Yeah, I know it sucks, but that's just geography"

"I know... anything else?"

"Nope, not much to say other than that"

"I see..." Gessel nodded in acknowledgement "Now I wanted to ask you this"

"Ask away"

"...So why is the city having so many protests and why don't you do anything to them? Besides the rioters of course"

"Oh that... well, to tell the truth... there's a lot of confusion going on amongst the populous, even among Ageværans and Nexucians like me. As for why we don't do anything against it, at least for non-violent, that's just freedom of speech that everyone here have"

"...I see then... makes sense to me"

"...So anything else?"

"...Can we get some clothes and some currencies that you use here for the sake of our visit?"

"Sure thing, is that all?"

"For now, yes"

"Alright then, if you excuse me..." Oliver then checked his watches "...I have some business to attend to, see you around"

The Flash Foreign Minister then takes his leave.

"We will meet again..."

Gessel then closed the door shut.

...

"...What the hell happened to your car?" said an officer at the parking lot of the ZPD.

"What do you think?" replied Toft.

Zarabiaćskonać Police Station After Toft and Antoniak made it back to the station, the PD would find one of its patrol car having a lot of scratches, dents and a broken glass. In general, it does not look great.

"Fuckin' protestors man" said Antoniak "They keep breaking shit..."

"Some were quite cool though" said Toft.

"At least, yeah" the other officer spoke again.

After having arrested the self-proclaimed Varikan spy, the duo had quite a journey going back to the station. They had to deal with protestors that blocked the road, some threw stones and even trash can for whatever reason.

"Let's just not mind that for a bit..." the police officer then turned around with the 2 then doing the same, walking back into the building "...Don't worry we're gonna get it repaired... hopefully"

"Right..." spoke the Kawagrzmotian "...Anyways, what about the guy that claimed to be a spy?"

"Oh that guy? Yeah, we're gotta make sure he's not nut... He probably is but because of Esterria..." and heavy emphasis on Esterria there "...I would not take the chance not to"

"True" said Toft "If Esterria exists here, then Varika is probably real too"

"Speaking of Esterria..." said Antoniak "...Is it just me, or do they look like bigger Kempeland?"

Kempeland is a much smaller country that speaks pretty much the same language and similar culture as the Esterrians do here. In fact, some parts of Einskirka from the pictures taken there is rather reminiscent of the Kempean capital.

"Oh yeah, now that you mentioned it, they seem to resemble Kempeland a lot" said Toft.

"...The Kempean Empire rises again am I right?" said the third officer.

"Just gonna hope the Builtish is not gonna steal none of the colonies" spoke Antoniak.

The three Zarabiaćskonać police officers exchanged some snickers as they'd just went on with Esterria and Kempeland, all the while walking back into the station.

...

Hark's sight would slowly open up to the world once more after the noble fell into a short nap upon getting to the bed of his room shared with the Prime Minister.

He then sits up using his hands to push him out from lying on the bed, then rubbing his eyes.

"Ah Hark" said a all too familiar senior voice "You've awaken"

"I sure am..." he said with a tired voice, then yawning "...So what did I miss?"

"Our good friend from last week had visited us just a while ago, he said that there's a celebration back in Tilenogtyve"

"...How do we get there?"

"By ship as it's half across the path we took-"

"No thanks... I am not in a mood for a second trip by boat for a good while"

"...But there will be a military parade there..."

Hark's eyes opened wide to the mere mention of a military parade.

"...Fine, I guess I can take another ship... Anything else?"

"I was able to request to him some clothes and local currencies here so that we will not have some eyes uncomfortably staring at us"

"That is great... but couldn't we just use gold?"

"Theoretically yes, but I found out that transactions here are done with something called Krone"

Some conversation with their driver on their way there had led to the at the time the only awake Prime Minister to find out that while gold does have real value, everyone only takes Krone as it's just simply easier.

"I see... so I suppose we will get the Krones soon?"

"Kroner, but yes"

Tilenogtyvean**** and Ageværan***, being two similar but still different languages to Builtish, has '-er' or just '-r' in this case as a suffix for plural form of most but not all countable nouns. Which is why it's not 'Krones' but 'Kroner'

Hark is a little bit confused by this, but nevertheless, he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Very well then, I am guessing we must now wait?"

"Correct"

As per plan that the Esterrian party has laid out, after resting for a day, tomorrow would be when they'd go out on the street for a nice little walk and perhaps buy some souvenirs on their way there.

The journey awaits them, but the energy has not yet been restored... for now.

...

*Varikan: Russian **Gošbanian: Serbian ***Naeslagtlandic and Ageværan: Norwegian ****Tilenogtyvean: (Fictional dialect of) Danish

Been quite a while innit?

Patch note (25/4/2024): Decided the little linguistic trivia section was too weird that I fixed it (28/5/2024): Accidentally unpublished this chapter, no changes made.