Summoning America

Chapter 85: Anniversary

April 19, 1641
Washington DC

"My fellow Americans," Lee announced, overlooking a crowd that filled the National Mall. He scanned the audience with somber eyes, reminiscing. "I greet you today, on the anniversary of the Transference, to remember those we lost. One year ago, the skies across our great nation darkened, lashing at us with the elements as we were whisked away to a world not our own. When the storm clouds finally parted, we found ourselves unable to contact the people we love. Everyone in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa — everyone not in one of our territories — was now gone. Although a void now fills our hearts, there is still hope.

Brought from Earth to Elysia, navigating this new world was challenging. The first few weeks were incredibly treacherous, with concerns of a devastating economic recession and a total societal collapse. However, we recovered thanks to the new friends we made. Beings known only to us through fiction — elves, dwarves, beastmen, and the like — accepted our offers of friendship, bringing us bountiful trade deals to keep our economy afloat. Among the gifts we've received from them, none have been as fantastical as magic.

Magic was once a fantasy. Now, it serves as our realest beacon of hope; our light at the end of the tunnel. In the spirit of this hope, I want to announce the official integration of the arcane into our society, starting with an expansion of the Magical Research Department and its operations. In time, we may finally understand the anomaly that brought us here, and how we can reverse it to get back home.

Of course, this undertaking won't be possible without the people of this world. Their friendship and cooperation are valuable, and I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that it is due time for us to finally see these new friends. As of today, the Bureau of Consular Affairs has officially lifted travel bans to dozens of key economic partners, including Mu and the Holy Mirishial Empires.

The future ahead is still uncharted, our destiny ours to forge. With the help of our allies, we will write our own fates and find a way back home!"

Thunderous applause met Lee's speech.

He smiled at the crowd, waiting for the sounds to dwindle before he resumed, "In the meantime, we will continue to rebuild our economy. We've begun importing raw materials from allied nations and resource deposits discovered in uninhabited regions. It will take some time before these efforts bear fruit, so we will be distributing another round of subsidies to bolster essential goods and services. As a result, we expect prices of food and water to return to pre-transference levels. Thanks to imports from the Quila Kingdom, energy prices are now at a new low, with gas prices reaching the lowest level we've seen in decades!"

The audience reacted positively to this revelation, glad that the Transference's impact on their wallets was finally dissipating, and even providing a boon in some regards.

Lee raised a finger in the air, "Let it be known that this excessive usage of fossil fuels won't last forever. Earth was subject to decades of pollution, and we have been given a second chance here. Our researchers will work on finding new ways to integrate magic into our infrastructure, to make for a cleaner America! In addition, my administration is currently working on the development of new clean energy facilities, with fifty billion dollars alone allocated to nuclear plants. We will have these facilities up and running by the time prices stabilize, and transition to an energy grid that can power the America of the future!"

Yet again, his words were received well.

"This Transference took many things away from us, but it also gave gifts back. Among these gifts, the greatest one is a fresh start. We will take the lessons we learned on Earth to achieve a better future not just for the United States, but for the entire world. God Bless you all! God Bless America!"