Y12 of the king, M4
Wow that's quite a list, but since talking is a free action... we'll see.
You finally made up your mind to go to Bearland first then Queenland. Before that, though, you have left some standing orders for the labs to create two kinds of armor, namely the Sailor Safety Vests and Army Battle Vests. You just gave the main details - namely, what is their expected performance, what kind of materials to use, etc.
You, the foreign minister and the navy chief then set off to the civilized world for a business and diplomatic trip. As agreed bearland will be your first destination.
Bearland, while not landlocked and has a long, long shoreline, most of it is just facing the ices and arctic wastes. While it is blessed by having good mineral and food resources, they are too heavy to move by air economically (at least of today). Most of its trade is conducted through the port of Ursaton, but the Berlandians are not too focused on this. A good part of the shipping is foreign-owned. If there is any sign of growth its on the side of the steam-horses, or railways, as it continues to spawl across the vast Bearlandian wasteland.
As for the trip proper, the naval minister visited a few shipyards and had a chat with the naval chief of Bearland. By his remarks, its pretty diplomatic in nature: just short of dismissing this as a waste of time. Lacking real rivals (and the need of them), they are pretty content with second hand ships, You and the navy chief conclude that the best you can do is to grab one or two third-hand vessels - extremely outdated but is still better than what you have. He suggested that you should rather listen to him and invest in Queenland.
On the foreign minister's front its basically disastrous. His Gentleland education and their new tradition of insulting kings had betrayed him and the Asgardian cause. In fact, the great Grizz (that is their emperor) had decreed that no new trade deals will be signed. That is, no new mineral deals for a year, and no more foreign students until further notice.
As for you, you sneaked back into your alma mater - even you didn't get your degree - for more insights on Exotic Materials, especially on its connection with Vulcanology. You then remembered that perhaps Asgardian metallurgy is even more advanced - after all the steel of your sword exceeded all materials in Bearland.
You wanted to get in touch with your friend Igor - but you heard that his father was demoted as his troops mutinied in a battle against... Ball-land. Igor lost most of the privileges of a minor, minor noble and is now serving on the front-lines as a rank-and-file soldier.
You think you still have the time for one or two subject before you leave for Queenland.
TELEGRAM!
The situation in Asgard is still largely stable, but reports of a warlord smuggling in caches of modern firearms should not be ignored.
As for the Safety vests, they considered that a easy job as this is not too much different to armormaking a few centuries ago. The sailor vests is entering the detailed design stage well; on the other hand there seems to be confusion on the exact length needed for the Army Battle vests, and balancing protection and mobility is a delicate affair.