There was an appeal in reaching out, trying to find if there was something there she could speak too. It was her first impulse even. But in the end she had to consider the practicalities. The Jin were opposed to both the Bai and the Xuan, their closest external allies, who she already had friends in. While she couldn't say that was an intractable problem. It absolutely wasn't one she could afford to spend the time working on right now. In the end it was another way in which she simply wasn't strong enough yet.
Oof, hopefully this isn't as strong a signal that our choice means we'll be skipping over the Ducal politics as it looks like. That's a significant part of what Bai Meizhen and Xuan Shi had to do here, and something we've been getting hints and cues towards for actual years. Bummer if it's a missed opportunity.
Anywho, interesting options here. Bit annoying that we're being faced with this choice before being told what the Bao, Diao, and Jia asks are. It limits our ability to tailor our efforts towards our domestic needs/priorities pretty badly. Which sort of makes this more of a character vote than a practical one, probably?
[ ] Seek out information on history and culture to better understand the forces at play here. (better understanding of the factions within the White Sky their disposition, and potential cultural flashpoints)
This one immediately jumps out to me because the very start of the meeting we're having right now highlighted the friction caused by different cultural expectations. Here, on the importance, form, location, and ritual of hospitality.
There's also the matter that we sold the effort on the basis of shared historical ties, specifically with the Sibiar who make up part of the White Sky(and possibly Seared Land? We were told they lay to the east in the White Sky, iirc, but it's not clear of they cross the boundaries of federations significantly). Having a bit more information under our belt to shore up our initial premise, and maneuver around protests that arise, seems useful. It's also appealing in terms of Ling Qi's specializations, interests, and what she can respond with in kind. We don't really have the info to calculate trade-offs here, not knowing the full picture of our side's interests, so I admit my instinct is to lean into what's "Ling Qi-y".
I'm also interested in what's up with the Seared Land and their Gessiar. Their gender politics appear to differ from what we've seen so far from the Polar Nations, and in some ways more closely resembles the Empire's. It's plausibly even more different in other ways. Still, it could be very useful to get a better handle on their differences, because the subject is very likely to be a topic of tension, and having an familiar example that is in some ways an intermediate would be useful in smoothing issues that crop up. Analogy is an extremely potent tool, but we need a knowledge base to use it effectively.
Lastly, this seems like the best opportunity to identify any factions that are opposed to we and ours on ideological/spiritual grounds. Which are mostly what's in play within the context of the summit, given the distances involved.
[ ] Seek out information on material things, structures of government and institutions at play here.(better understanding of the likely material demands and potential flashpoints of conflict between your institutions)
This one's interesting to me. It's obviously important, but I'm not sure how
imminent it is. Our nations don't actually border each other, so opportunities for conflict should be minimal, at least at this opening stage of relations. We've already committed ourselves to soothing tensions between building crews and defence forces not knowing what their counterparts are doing, which seem to be the institutions that are imminently relevant.
That said, there's things to be learned from more practical, grounded concerns, even if they're far off. For instance, the Tangled Pines are interesting from a geographical perspective. Them being in the west puts them very isolated from other Emerald Seas players compared to us. The Meng are isolationists and explicitly neglect their own southern lands(where we're building up influence via Hanyi's performances anyway), and we're the next closest Imperial presence. Their name also implies access to woodlands, meaning lumber. There's some potential for conflicting interests there, since lumber is one of our assets too, so feeling out the issue in more detail might avoid the pitfall of presenting ourselves as a rival if we're too careless in boasts or promises concerning the resource.
These are longer-term matters, but long-term concerns will colour the short-term support of people looking forwards.
[X] Seek out information on history and culture to better understand the forces at play here. (better understanding of the factions within the White Sky their disposition, and potential cultural flashpoints)
Since we're going in half-blind on what our side actually cares about, I'm mainly picking what's more relevant to Ling Qi's interests and the capacity of her role in the proceedings.
She's been doing long meditations on history and culture, and the quirks of fate in her cultivation makes her the best placed to act as a cultural ambassador for the summit. Broader knowledge of history and culture can further refine her personal thinking and insights on their nature, and how they relate to her worldview, her Way, and what it is she's really attempting to accomplish here on the border. Arming Ling Qi with greater cultural knowledge of the Polar Nations' peoples makes her more effective at the role that only really she can perform. She's an Emissary between two alien cultures, and the only one really around, so the less alien she makes them to herself the better she'll be able to do the job.
Reciprocation is also a factor. Ling Qi asking after certain subjects is naturally going to invite them to ask her about them in relation to the Empire. And, uh, "material things, structures of government and institutions" aren't
really Ling Qi's wheelhouse. She's much better equipped to comment on matters of history and culture, and to present those comments in a way that her audience will be receptive to. If for no other reason than Sixiang is here to hold her hand through it.
Maybe they can do cool
powerpoint holograms while we're talking.
