Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Dimension Leap Diplomacy
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With our share of the pie from the Holy Union's civil war secured, I lost interest in it.
Rather than me poking around with curiosity, it would be more comfortable for them if the Empire and the Holy Kingdom stuck to their original plans and adjusted their pace on their own.
The Lushaka Kingdom's fleet getting involved in the civil war was one thing, but how could such a massive fleet suddenly appear in the middle of the Holy Union?
Obviously, it was thanks to dimensional jumping, but the other nations had no idea.
As a result, an enormous flood of inquiries poured into the Lushaka Kingdom embassy.
The universe was no longer an unknown void, and the world's secrets were being unveiled one by one.
Yet amid all this, there remained one technology that was still an impossible dream.
The longing for dimensional jumping was a desire shared by all sentient beings.
Dimensions were such a vague and abstract field that progress lagged far behind the thirst for it, but every other area had advanced remarkably smoothly.
Paradoxically, that was why everyone was convinced the Lushaka fleet that suddenly appeared in the Lourka Star System had used dimensional jumping.
There was simply no other way to move without being detected by the galactic surveillance network.
The parties directly involved in the Holy Union civil war naturally had no time to worry about it, thanks to the fleet stirring up trouble everywhere.
But other nations were a different story.
Theory on dimensional jumping? They might have established that already.
But moving an entire massive fleet meant it had reached a level practical for widespread use.
This thought was slightly off from the truth, but that's how it looked from the outside.
Immediately, a huge number of scientists, politicians, journalists, and people from all sorts of fields came knocking on the door of the Lushaka Kingdom's Foreign Ministry.
There was nowhere else fitting to go besides the Foreign Ministry.
The Ferma Planet wasn't just restricted on the planet itself—the entire star system was off-limits, so that made sense.
"We're from PBC! Could you explain about the fleets that entered Holy Union territory?"
"Has imaginary space been proven?! Does that mean my theory was right?!"
But common sense dictated...
Why would they share just because someone showed up and knocked?
This wasn't a question about how their day was going; there was no way they'd casually share such technology.
Still, we decided to announce the successful implementation of dimensional jumping.
Rather than hiding it, the idea was to maximize its value as asymmetric power when it was deployed.
After all, technology is most valuable when only you possess it.
"The Lushaka Kingdom has successfully achieved limited practical use of dimensional jumping."
"Selling it! Are you planning to sell it?!"
Before long, the growing crowd was fixated solely on the mouth of the Hirak in charge of diplomacy.
"Of course. The Lushaka Kingdom is a member of PATO, after all."
In reality, no.
However, we did plan to provide it in a very limited fashion.
As long as the monopoly was maintained, that is.
Disassembly would naturally be off-limits, and it would have to be used under Hirak supervision, or something like that.
Even if they tried disassembling it, I doubted they could replicate the technology I'd created through countless trials and errors as the 'Dimension Engine' myself.
Though the world does occasionally produce geniuses that defy imagination.
"Since it's still a technology with high risks, Her Majesty the Queen and the staff will convene to select buyers."
Obviously, it couldn't be bought with money.
There are things in this world that money can't solve.
If money can't solve it, reconsider whether you have enough of it.
This was a famous quote I held deep in my heart, but it was a proposition that only held true because no one had more money than I did.
"Those interested in purchasing should formally submit their intent to the Lushaka Foreign Ministry, and we will review it."
A flood of purchase requests immediately piled up at the Foreign Ministry, but most went unread.
Why bother when they weren't even for reference?
"When can we expect a response?"
"Are you rushing us?"
"Oh dear, haha. No, sorry for interrupting your busy schedule."
Ahem, wait patiently.
We'll let you know when the time comes.
The official acknowledgment that dimensional jumping was possible...
And the announcement of intent to sell it brought massive changes to how other nations treated Lushaka.
First and foremost, it influenced the judgments of the Holy Kingdom and the Empire.
That was also why those two nations had so readily ceded the surrounding regions of the Lourka Star System.
Border star systems armed with all sorts of fortresses and shields were now useless.
Any star system within jumping range could become a target.
Even the capital system itself.
During regular PATO meetings or encounters with key figures from other nations, I could feel their heightened respect for Lushaka.
Whenever a new agenda came up in PATO, it often swayed toward Lushaka's position without any need for maneuvering.
This was the taste.
The sweet flavor of asymmetric power.
The United States must have felt this way when they first developed nukes.
Even Britain, who developed them alongside, didn't get any warheads from them.
It was a way of life that sacrificed diplomatic ties to secure hegemonic status.
So what about me, who developed it alone?
No one could complain if I chose not to share.
Still, I decided to sell a couple.
The current instability of Lushaka's makeshift dimensional jumps was a concern.
The Holy Kingdom and Empire couldn't pull off makeshift jumps, but they might have made some progress.
By boldly sharing now, we'd have leverage later if another nation took the lead.
The engine for dimensional jumping was 'me' anyway, so it couldn't be abused or reverse-engineered.
Do you know how intricate the process is for this makeshift version to even work?
The moment they try reverse-engineering by disassembling it, the engine loses all value.
I can't disassemble it myself.
I don't even know why this design works.
You need to understand each component's contribution to make modifications.
The first—and only—sales targets were the heads of state from PATO's major nations.
The Varisa Space Company president, the Amphibian Cooperative leader, the Deneb Federation president, and the Galactic Peace Committee chairman.
They occasionally caused trouble, but as PATO members who'd advanced the organization together with Lushaka for decades, they were true allies.
We dispatched a single overseer and explained that dimensional jumping still had error margins, with a very low but real chance of not returning to the original universe.
They immediately understood the overseer was there to monitor.
But were such minor drawbacks important?
They weren't fools blind to the technology's value over petty flaws.
It wasn't sharing the technology itself, just providing engines attachable to specific ships—but beggars can't be choosers.
In response to this gracious decision, each leader bowed their heads in an unprecedented show of respect.
"We deeply thank you for Lushaka's magnanimous decision."
Of course.
It was only natural as true friends.
So, as true friends, I had one small request.
I hoped they'd vote in favor of the current agenda: banning individual treaties with non-PATO nations.
We're a shared destiny community, right?
Diplomacy should move as one heart and mind.
I trusted the other nations would make bold choices like Lushaka had.
In the unclaimed space between PATO and the Empire.
This was the area Lushaka had begun expanding into recently, thanks to dimensional jumping.
Unlike the early space age when our tech was primitive, we'd now advanced as far as we could.
The expansion speed was incomparable to previous eras.
We devoured every visible star system in sight, unleashing pent-up expansion desires without restraint.
"Start the engines! Whatever we step on becomes our land!"
Aliens who had settled in Lushaka, passing through generations, now fully considered it their home.
Many were willing to brave the side effects of dimensional jumping for new lands.
These pioneers were the friends who developed my newly expanded planets without me lifting a finger.
They saw themselves as Lushaka citizens, flew under the Lushaka flag, and drove planetary growth with ambitions for advancement.
And word of Lushaka's aggressive expansion quickly reached the Empire's ears.
The Empire's expansion plans were on hold.
They'd poured total national effort into the Holy Kingdom-Empire war once, and considering PATO's expansion direction, they figured there was still plenty of distance left—no rush.
In truth, if Lushaka hadn't developed dimensional jumping, the Empire could have leisurely resumed and claimed plenty of star systems.
But seeing Lushaka's moves, they hurriedly restarted plans—only to fail in resuming expansion.
"Welcome to Lushaka. Are you entering the country?"
Somehow, the Empire's border and Lushaka's had already touched.
No matter how fast they advanced by seizing stars, they couldn't achieve that speed.
Naturally, we hadn't expanded to the Empire's border at breakneck speed.
We'd simply occupied star systems adjacent to those borders, since there was no law saying a dimension-jumping Lushaka had to stick to its own frontiers.
The moment we could ignore hyperlanes and seize systems, I had nest eggs planted right in front of the Empire's border systems.
In real-world Earth terms, management issues might prevent it, but nest-egg tactics are always effective.
The Empire initially considered ignoring borders and creating enclaves but quickly dropped it.
Unlike Lushaka, which could access enclave systems anytime via jumps, they couldn't.
If Lushaka sealed the border, those systems would wither.
Machines wouldn't die off short-term, but there were limits.
They couldn't protest claiming unowned systems.
Thus, the Lushaka Kingdom secured a stable foundation of vast star systems without competition.