Knowledge is Power
*A crowded square surrounding a central fountain in the City of Parnam.*
Vortex: Ah, here's a good spot. Come, have a seat Taylor.
*Looking around at all of the unusual people surrounding them.* Taylor: Wow, do those people have wolf ears? Did that kid have a tail? What is this place?
Vortex: We are currently in the Kingdom of Elfrieden on the continent of Landia. I believe that you would view it as a fantasy setting. Dragons, magic, and multiple races living together or apart depending on the area. Elfrieden is actually one of the most progressive countries, having been formed under the principle of integration and cooperation between species.
Taylor: Oh man, that is incredible!
Vortex: Indeed. However, far to the North, a demonic invasion ten years ago conquered the top third of the continent. The Demon Lord's Domain has been in a stalemate with the largest human empire in the world, the Gran Chaos Empire until this very day. In an effort to meet their obligations to the war effort, the King of Elfrieden used the Royal Family Magics to summon a Hero to help bring about a new era. They got a young college student from Japan. Specifically, a version of Japan on a world without powers of any kind.
Taylor: They just kidnapped him to solve their problems? That is kind of fucked up.
Vortex: Luckily, the technique had a number of parameters incorporated into it. Someone who had strong ties to the world would never be summoned. Souma Kazuya lost his parents when he was very young, only to be raised by his grandparents. His grandmother passed away a few of years ago and his grandfather passed maybe three weeks before he was summoned. He had a few friends, but no one incredibly close, and no girlfriend. So he wasn't exactly broken up by things.
Taylor: Well, that was lucky, but it was still a dick move.
Vortex: The thing is, the Gran Chaos Empire is much more powerful than Elfrieden, and has been acting as a unifying force for all the various kingdoms in the area against the demonic invasion. Elfrieden, because of its location, relies on the Empire to keep the Demon Lord's Domain in the North away from their interests. So they either had to provide war funds or do the Hero summoning and turn said Hero over. Without that protection the kingdom would have been in trouble.
Taylor: Okay, that still sucks but they were desperate. Why are we here though?
Vortex: Well, Kazuya impressed the King with his depth of knowledge and tenacity to the point that he abdicated, making the Hero their interim king and engaging him to the Princess for legitimacy. The new king has been working his butt off to be the Hero that this land needs.
Taylor: Wow, this is something out of a fairy tale! Mom...might have been pissed about the arranged marriage, but the thematic ideas sound like they would have been right up her alley. Still, you didn't answer my question.
Vortex: Sorry, sorry, the background is necessary for this to make sense. Today, Kazuya is going to take steps to further cement his place in history as a legendary leader of men. He is going to use a communication device to speak with the people here shortly, along with some of his strongest supporters, and I thought you might learn something from his brand of heroics. What do you say?
Taylor: Well, that sounds awesome! The Heroic King of a fantasy land addressing his subjects, surrounded by his closest advisors. It's the stuff epic poetry is made of! Count me in!
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*Three hours later walking on the road outside of Parnam.*
Taylor: Why are we even here, Vortex?
Vortex: Oh? Whatever do you mean?
Taylor: You built up this king as some amazing person. You said he would be cementing his place in history with some of his closest advisors. But all Kazuya did was apologise for bad things happening, beg everyone to last as long as they could, and have an overweight guy make food for a bunch of cute girls! What was so heroic about turning a magical communication device into a cooking show?
Vortex: Hmmm, that is one way to look at it.
Taylor: I mean, people seemed happy and everything, but it just looked like more of the PR bullshit the Protectorate did back in Brockton Bay. Looking nice for the cameras to distract people from how shitty the city really was. How is that heroic? What can this guy, pulled here from another world, even do with magic and dragons everywhere?
Vortex: Well, the summoning technique did grant him a magical ability. Living Poltergeist. He can infuse his will into objects and direct them using his mind. The lighter the object the more dexterity he can utilize. He also has the ability to infuse human-like dolls with his power and operate them independently.
Taylor: You see? That is a really flexible power! He could control weapons! Lead a personal squad of doll warriors! Why don't people focus on that?
Vortex: Well, he mostly uses it to complete paperwork faster by infusing pens.
Taylor: Argh, just tell me the point of this is already!
Vortex: Taylor, what do you think was the main cause of death for Elfrieden citizens until recently?
Taylor: Well, they are fighting a demonic invasion, so I'm guessing fighting on the front lines?
Vortex: No, the Gran Chaos Empire is fighting on the front lines and already has a military that rivals the populations of some of the smaller countries. They didn't need bodies, they needed money. Try again.
Taylor: Well, it looks like a medieval society, so maybe disease?
Vortex: Not a bad choice, and that's actually number two. No, the main reason was starvation.
Taylor:...what?
Vortex: Ah, here we are.
*The two look out on a field below. Nearly half the plants have been harvested, and are being removed.*
Taylor: What is going on?
Vortex: I know that your exposure to history was fucked because your school sucked, but I'm going to point out a chain of events that was ruining this country. The military expenditures of the Gran Chaos Empire created a number of demands. One of which was cotton for uniforms. Does that make sense?
Taylor: I think so. You would want your soldiers properly outfitted, and cotton is probably easier to cultivate than leather if the numbers you implied are accurate.
Vortex: Indeed. And don't you ever bring up Dragon Hide Armor on this world. Their country would get very, very pissed. Anyways, trying to make more money, the farmers in Elfrieden devoted more and more of their fields to cotton production because the market price was high. They made more money, their nobility made more money from taxes and the royal family would make more money from their tithes. Sounds like a good idea, right?
Taylor: Maybe...but something about that sounds familiar.
Vortex: It should. Parts of America ran into similar business models back in the day. So did the Dutch with tulips. It created an economic bubble. Now, normally, bubbles like that burst when supply outstrips demand. That didn't happen here. Instead, the development of cotton overtook all other farming practices, under the assumption that food could be acquired elsewhere for the right price. The thing is, in a wartime economy, everyone is motivated to make money, so surrounding countries were producing similar products and unwilling to trade their food away.
Taylor: Then...no one has food even if they are getting money for the war supplies.
Vortex: Exactly. Kazuya planned on being a civil servant after graduation. He had an eye for these sorts of things and loved to study history. When he was first summoned, he worked with the former king and his chief advisor for days, getting a feel for the financial issues of the country. He managed to find the funds to pay off the Empire relatively quickly, but then worked to gather resources for further reforms. When they made him the king, one of his first objectives was to establish hard limits on how farm land could be used for so called cash crops, and mandated that they revert to food production.
Taylor: I never thought about stuff like that before.
Vortex: Why would you? Earth Bet has issues, but it has gone through several more development ages than Elfrieden. Stuff they believe to be common sense is alien to you and vice versa. But that is why the workers down there are clearing fields of the cotton plants. They want to feed their people.
Taylor: Okay, that makes sense, but why did you make such a big deal about the cooking show today?
Vortex: Taylor, the people are still starving. Even with the fields being repurposed, that doesn't magically make food appear right now. The large fellow you mentioned? The slightly nervous chap that the pretty lady was hosting with? He has spent his entire life on the road, trying all sorts of delicacies. It might break your brain a little bit, but the citizens here can't just pick up a phone and order pizza or Chinese. Real money and effort is required to try food outside your comfort zone. The king made him part of the inner circle in order to share his experience with the people.
Taylor: But octopus? What is so special about that?
Vortex: Most fishermen on this world view octopus as a useless creature that just gets tangled in their nets. That show presented a number of easy, simple methods to prepare the stuff. A completely new protein source to fill the bellies of the masses. Without the knowledge that something is safe to eat, why would the average citizen risk it?
Taylor: Huh, that makes a lot of sense.
Vortex: Taylor, I know that your world has made a Heroic culture based upon fighting the enemy. What I want you to learn from this is that heroics do not always involve beating up the bad guys. They don't have to involve conflict at all. Please, keep that in mind.
Taylor: Okay...
Vortex: Good. Now, we are going back to the city and staying there for about a week. Please, listen to what people are saying about the changes the king is putting in place? I think you will be surprised what you learn.
Taylor: Hey, Vortex. Do you think I could have been a Hero here?
Vortex: Are you kidding? If you were working with your normal capacity, I'd bet the King would have done anything to make you a part of his plans. Insect production and control would have so many applications, it is ridiculous! Military, domestic, and espionage applications just to name a few. Even with your current, limited capacity, he would welcome you because you can do basic math. Barely a third of the population is litterate for goodness sake. The only question would be if you would join the harem or not.
Taylor: What?!?
Vortex: Yeah, funny thing about Elfrieden law there...