Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

The security measures around the mansion of the former Governor-General of Dutch Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur, Henri, are usually tight since the mansion has taken on a new role after its modification to serve as the headquarters of the Bharatiya military in the Malai Peninsula, with both the Navy and Army under it. However, the security is stricter than usual, with a squadron of special forces continuously patrolling the area. But everything is probably for the best since all of the most important people in Southeast Asia are going to gather in the very same mansion.

"Kreek!"

luxurious carriages all built by Raya Mobility arrived one by one in front of the mansion. The various kings of Southeast Asia got down from the carriages, looking around in curiosity.

King Narai of the Ayutthaya Kingdom stepped out of the vehicle, wearing traditional Siamese turmeric-coloured elaborate Chong Kraben adorned with precious stones and a few layers of exquisitely tailored outer garments made of the rarest of silks imported from Bharat, looking brave and majestic.

He had a smile on his face as he stepped on the red carpet in confidence and walked towards the mansion.

"Your Highness, please, could I have your interview?"

Suddenly, a sweet voice was heard in King Narai's ear. He turned around and was surprised because it was a woman who was looking at him with a smile on her face.

He was taken aback. He thought that the woman was only there to sprinkle rose water on the guests or something, but now, as he looked around and saw no one coming forward to take the woman away, he quickly understood that he might have misunderstood.

He became interested in the woman and went forward. "What is this interview you speak of, lady?"

Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire

Sushmita Hassan suddenly felt uncomfortable as the guy came too close to her—so close that she could even smell his body odour. She cursed the guy in her heart but smiled outwardly. She stepped back imperceptibly, one inch at a time.

"Your Highness, it is simply that I ask a few questions about yourself, something that only you can answer."

"Eh!?"

King Narai's heart immediately skipped a beat, his eyes became sharp, and his hair stood on end. 'God! Damn! Am I a prisoner? Why should I answer the questions asked by this woman? This is too much.' He suddenly regretted accepting the invitation. When the invitation came to him, he felt like it would not be a problem to attend since he had nothing the Bharatiya Empire wanted, but now it looked like the Empire wanted to hold him, hostage, bring out all the information from him, and then occupy his kingdom.

He gritted his teeth and looked around, seeing if there was any optimal chance to escape, but looking at the soldiers armed with advanced firearms tightly surrounding the mansion, he became desperate. He could imagine the moment he stepped a foot out, a thousand holes piercing his flesh and making him a human fishing net. Then he looked back at the woman who was sent to interrogate him with a fierce light in his eyes. When cornered, even a rabbit would fight back, much less him—a king who was seen as extremely brave by nature. 'Should I hold this bitch hostage?' His mind was running quickly, coming up with various solutions.

Sushmita had no idea how wild the thoughts of the young king standing opposite her were, but she took the opportunity to take a step back when he was distracted. However, it was then that she noticed the look in the man's eyes was somewhat wrong. She felt palpitations in her chest and knew that something ominous was going to happen, so she quickly raised her head and blurted out,

"Your Highness, you don't have to answer the questions if you don't want to, and your answers will be published in the newspaper for everyone in the Bharatiya Empire to read."

Seemingly out of nowhere, she pulled out a newspaper and gave it to the Siamese king.

"Oh!" King Narai was taken aback. Like a balloon that was punctured, all the adrenaline that had put him at his peak reaction ability immediately dropped, making him lightheaded and almost lose his footing. Fortunately, using his will and determination, he stopped himself from embarrassing his nation. As if nothing had happened, he reflexively took the newspaper and read through it. He was familiar with Sanskrit, so reading the newspaper written in the Bharati language was not too inconvenient. Except for a couple of words here and there that did not make sense to him, everything else he got the gist of.

"Oh, so it's like this. In that case, do ask your questions. I will tell you the answer as much as my knowledge allows me to."

He said with a smile, but in his mind, he kept wondering what material the newspaper was made of and if he could get it in his kingdom. As for the printing, he thought that it was pressed manually by the people, one word at a time.

Sushmita let out a sigh of relief and took out a pen and a piece of blank paper. "Your Highness, the people of the Bharatiya Empire always wondered why your kingdom is named Ayutthaya. Is it just a coincidence that it has a similar pronunciation to the holy place Ayodhya, or is there a deeper meaning?"

"Hmm!" Narai fell silent, then after a little consideration, he answered, "It is not a coincidence. Both are linked. The epic Ramayana and the culture of Bharat had an immense impact on my kingdom and the surrounding kingdoms. My kingdom's name is indeed inspired by the holy kingdom of Lord Rama, Ayodhya, and even the founder of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, His Late Great Highness Ramathibodi I, is named after Lord Rama."

"In fact, many people do not know this. Narai is not my only name; Ramathibodi III is my other name, naturally inspired by Lord Ram. Also, even my first name, Narai, is taken from the Narayana Roopam of Lord Vishnu."

"Although most of my kingdom is Buddhist, the culture and philosophy of Bharat had a lot of influence on my kingdom, for which I am thankful," His expression was very sincere.

Sushmita was taken aback. She never knew these things. She got excited—she was in for a promotion.

"That's very surprising to hear, Your Highness. That means the connection between our nations goes back hundreds of years into the past."

"That is very true," Narai nodded in agreement.

"One more question, Your Highness. Do you know why all the kings from Southeastern nations have been invited by His Majesty? Could you please tell us?"

"Huh!" Narai was surprised. "I never expected that even the people of the Bharatiya Empire would not know what this meeting is about."

Sushmita was taken aback. "Your Highness, does that mean you have no idea why His Majesty invited you?"

Narai nodded. "That is the case."

Sushmita was a little disappointed, but she felt very fortunate afterwards because it meant whatever His Majesty was planning was very big. In the corner of her eye, she could see the officials from the event organization rushing her to hurry up. So she quickly skimmed through her questions list and asked,

"Your Highness, one last question—what is the favourite food of the Ayutthaya king?"

Narai's eyebrows were raised. "That's one unusual question," he laughed, but being as suspicious as he was, his mind immediately wondered whether someone from the Bharatiya Empire would use this information to poison him. However, even thinking about it made him feel ridiculous, since this information was not a secret to begin with, as most of his subjects knew it, and it was not difficult to get it out of them.

"I usually like Pad Thai, Miang Kham, Tom Yum Goong, and several Gaengs."

"Especially the Gaengs. I like the ones my royal chef makes. They're so spicy and flavorful—exactly my favourite."

"Oh, I heard that his hometown is from the region of Tamils, so you can say that one of my favourite dishes originated from the region of the Tamil people."

"Haha!" Sushmita laughed like a bell and covered her mouth because she could see a little drool coming out of Narai. Looking at his leaving back, with a hint of red still visible in his ears, she felt like the guy was not too unapproachable after all.

A couple of hours passed. All the kings and rulers of Southeast Asian kingdoms entered the mansion and got seated in their positions according to the labels on the seats.

King Narai sat down, unbothered, but King Narathi Hapate, King Soriya Reachea II, and King Sourigna Vongsa were all staring at him unhappily.

The three kings, with an average age of 60, staring at a young man less than 28 years old as if they wanted to devour him was a little weird. However, since they were in the presence of other kings and leaders of Southeast Asian countries, they restrained themselves from causing trouble. Normally unfriendly with each other, the three kings resolutely joined forces—at least in intent—to suppress the rising Siamese king. Their shared hatred toward King Narai alone was enough to show how much dissatisfaction he had accumulated from his neighbours.

The two kings from the region of Vietnam had a similar situation, as they looked at each other as if one party wanted to devour the other. The only exception was the President of the United States of the Philippines and the Queen of the Kingdom of Mindanao.

President Tamblot and Queen Lyla sat in their seats without any expressions on their faces. Except for the Bharatiya Empire, they did not have any close diplomatic relationships with any other country. And being island countries, they did not have any neighbours either—their only immediate neighbour was each other. However, with the strong presence of the Bharatiya Empire in the area, no major conflict arose. Both countries were busy rebuilding their economies and modernizing their production according to the standards of the Bharatiya Empire.

"His Majesty, the Emperor of Akhand Bharatiya Samarajya, Samrat, Bhopathi, Vijaya, Digvijaya, Rajyapati Vijay Devaraya Maharaj, has entered!"

The rulers of all Southeast Asian countries quickly put away their unusual expressions and stood up in respect.

Vijay, wearing a luxurious black sherwani embroidered with golden-threaded lotuses, walked to the central chair with his back straight like an unbending spear, leaving everyone looking at him with admiration.

"Please be seated," Vijay motioned with a calm smile on his face.

Looking at Vijay's face, the kings of various Southeast Asian countries lowered their self-esteem a little. Not because he was more handsome or beautiful than them, but because he radiated an aura that only an emperor could have. On weekdays, their subordinates would tremble before them due to their position, but now they felt like they could not even look at the man for too long without their hearts pounding loudly in nervousness.

This was the first time King Narai felt this feeling. He was known to be fearless, yet he felt a little uneasy in the presence of the Emperor of the Bharatiya Empire.

Everyone calmly settled down.

P.S. Felt lethargic today, and given that there was a minor inconvenience at home I couldn't get myself to write another chapter