The Martial Unity

She heaved a deep sigh after a minute of thought. “Your words are…hard to refute. However…”

“I understand.” Rui closed his eyes, leaning back. “It is extremely difficult to change your nomadic ways after centuries of living in such a manner. It will be extraordinarily difficult to adjust to such a drastic change in life and lifestyle.”

She nodded, deep in thought.

“However, think about what you lose if you don’t choose to go this route,” Rui replied, staring at the ceiling. “I just sparred with Senior Huldah. I wonder how many years of her lifespan she lost in a simple short spar?”

Matriarch Nephi winced at his words. “That…”

“Besides,” Rui spoke. “I haven’t even told you all the benefits of joining the Kandrian Empire and the Martial Union. There is a realistic chance that you will find a way to mitigate or possibly even erase the price of the forbidden technique with the Martial Union’s Martial Art techniques, principles, and training resources.”

Her eyes widened with surprise. “What?!”

“Think about it, Grandma. I don’t mean to be rude, but the Silas Clan only has a handful of Mindforgers,” he replied. “On top of that, you don’t have any resources to train because you’re disconnected from human civilization and are constantly migrating and resettling over and over. The Martial Union receives techniques and contributions from across the Kandrian Empire and even beyond. Many Martial Artists sell their techniques and an exclusive license to the Martial Union. You cannot even begin to fathom the ocean of Martial Art techniques and principles that the Martial Union has. That’s not all…”

He leaned forward. “The Martial Union dedicates an enormous amount of wealth and resources into research and development of Martial Art. It has been doing this for centuries. There is a reason that the Martial Union is one of the most powerful Martial Art organizations in the entirety of Panama.”

Every single statement he made was rooted in absolute fact. She knew that because she did have some understanding of the Kandrian Empire and the Martial Union, but also because she could plainly see that he was uttering the truth and nothing but the truth.

She would be lying if the prospects of getting rid of the greatest shortcoming of the Eye of Prophecy did not excite her. Unfortunately, he was right in that their circumstances made any research and development extremely difficult.

“I haven’t even covered all the incentives and benefits, to be honest,” Rui heaved a sigh. “There are so many in addition to the benefits that I have already told you about. Just the fact that you are reconnected to human civilization is an enormous blessing. Medical services, education, Martial resources, technology, and quality of life. There are so many benefits that I don’t think I can cover all of them even if I spend the entire day.”

Frankly, the logical side of the argument was so overwhelmingly favor in joining the Kandrian Empire in so many dimensions that she did not even bother contesting the rational soundness of the reasoning that he espoused.

The biggest issue was how the clan would handle such a drastic shift in lifestyle.

“With sixteen Martial Sages, the Kandrian Empire will have the greatest number of Martial Sages on retainer than any organization in the entire world, I think,” Rui lightly remarked. “Even the Britannian Empire has only fifteen Martial Sages. In other words, external threats will reduce drastically.”

“Enough,” she raised a hand. “I have heard enough.”

Rui stared at her silently.

“I have heard your offer,” she stated officiously. “Your reasoning is deeply compelling, I admit. However, this is not a decision that can be committed by myself at this moment.”

“I understand, grandmother,” Rui nodded. “Unfortunately, I will only be around in the Kandrian Empire for about a week or so. After that, I must depart for the Divine Doctor. You have a week to make your decision unless you are willing to approach the Kandrian Empire without me guiding the deliberations. I wouldn’t recommend that, personally. But it is an option if you are confident in your diplomacy.”

She wasn’t.

She couldn’t remember the last time that she or anybody in the Silas Clan had ever needed to employ diplomacy. The very concept didn’t even exist in the Silas Dialect, which was how foreign it was to the Silas Clan.

“…If we choose to accept your offer, we will certainly need your help to navigate the diplomatic negotiations with the Kandrian Empire, my grandson.”

Rui smiled warmly. “I will do my personal best to ensure that the Silas Clan will not be disenfranchised in any way whatsoever in finding its place in the Kandrian Empire. I swear an oath to that.”

He was sincere about that. He sincerely believed that both the Silas Clan and the Kandrian Empire would benefit greatly if the Silas Clan was able to integrate into the Kandrian Empire.

It was upto the Silas Clan if they were willing to break away from the inertia of their nomadic life and strive for a better life in the Kandrian Empire.

“However, I do believe that it is, frankly, a separate matter from my earlier request to you, my induction into the Silas Clan, and the exchange of techniques. These can happen regardless of whether you join the Kandrian Empire or not,” Rui replied. “So, please help me find the Divine Doctor, grandmother. It is quite important to me that I find him. It will be to your benefit as well if I find him, as long as you are able to put aside your dislike for the Emperor of Harmony.”

She finally relented, heaving a sigh. “Fine. I will find the Divine Doctor regardless of our decision. Tell me everything you know about him. The more I know, the more I will be able to scry about him and supply you with crucial prophecies.”

“That might be a bit of an issue,” Rui frowned.

He had yet to receive the information package from the Beggar Sage; thus, this requirement was a bit inconvenient for him.