The Martial Unity

”What is the meaning of this, Your Highness?”

A man fashioning a custom-tailored suit was seated before Rui. His grey hair and beard only accentuated the elderly aura of wisdom he radiated. The man gazed at Rui with askance, having gone through the documents that Rui had produced before him.

“It is an application for birth certificates, government-issued ID, and statements of recognition of citizenship on behalf of the Silas Clan, Minister Kramen.”

This was the same man whose contract Rui had fought the Gatekeeper to terminate. The Minister of Domestic Affairs was part of his faction and had the power to grant citizenship and official recognition from the state of Kandria to any given asylee seeking asylum.

With this man in his faction, Rui had never been worried about the official process. The minister had the power to expedite the process very rapidly, allowing him to make the Silas Clan a part of the Kandrian Empire within a day if he really wanted.

He also garnered deep loyalty to Rui ever since Rui fought to have him.

Still, that did not mean he was not shaken by the weight of what Rui had done.

“The mythical Silas Clan,” the man incredulously went through the various profiles with pictures and names that Rui had painstakingly acquired from the Silas Clan. “Have you truly found the clan with the power to scry the future?!”

“You heard what my father said during the Royal Addressal Ceremony, didn’t you?”

“I did, but…” The man murmured. “I could not have imagined that you would have tracked them down so quickly and even got them to agree to join the Kandrian Empire!”

Rui smiled. “I can understand your shock. But I require you to put it aside and get this done as soon as possible.”

“Of course, Your Highness. Your wish is my command. But…” He murmured. “This is not going to go unnoticed. The power of prophecy is something that would drive the world crazy. Just the fact that the Silas Clan has been able to avoid being found by every single force and power in this world with the power of their prophecy is proof that it is extremely powerful.”

That was true. After all, he was pretty sure that not even the Beggar’s Sect knew the location of the Silas Clan or any of the intelligence organizations.

Despite only being comprised of Martial Masters for centuries, they had managed to evade every single powerhouse Master-level and Sage-level force that exerted its power to track and hunt them alive. Time after time, they evaded capture and discovery by simply foreseeing danger in the future and negating it ahead of time.

In that regard, it spoke to his father’s sheer ingenuity and competence in tracking down the Silas Clan.

“Your Highness, the world will not ignore this,” the minister murmured.

“Ignore, no. But they cannot do anything,” Rui calmly replied. “The Kandrian Empire would have a whopping fifteen Martial Sages, equal to the Britannian Empire which previously held the highest number of Martial Artists in each Realm, even if by a small margin.”

He, of course, discounted the existence of Sage Sayfeel.

He steepled his fingers. “In other words, no Sage-level force is stronger than us. On top of that, we can foresee any danger that strikes us thanks to the power of the Silas Clan. While an increase in the magnitude of events makes them harder to foresee, a prophetic Martial Sage will undoubtedly not fail to foresee any attack, giving us a priceless stream of information from the future itself.”

That was why the Silas Clan was so sought after.

Any nation that gained the power of prophecy gained an enormous advantage in information against everybody else, allowing them to manifest events that would be considered miracles.

The Minister of Domestic Affairs could not deny how attractive Rui’s words were.

“I shall be sure to get this done as soon as possible!”

“Good,” Rui smiled. “Ensure that you yourself do all the work. Do not offload it to anybody else. There are ears and eyes everywhere.”

“Very well, Your Highness.”

Once the citizenship was granted, they were officially citizens of the Kandrian Empire.

Of course, there was more that needed to happen. The Kandrian Border Patrol Force was undoubtedly going to raise a fuss at the prospect of an unknown Martial Sage being allowed in the nation under the Kandrian Asylum Act.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t inform anybody of the news of the Silas Clan joining the Kandrian Empire.

It would spread like wildfire, and the chances were high that the Sekigahara Confederate, the Britannian Empire, and the Republic of Gorteau would do their best to prevent the Kandrian Empire from gaining this priceless asset.

Interceptions. Ambushes. Traps. Assault. Assassinations.

Furthermore, these would not be skirmishes. Martial Masters and perhaps even Martial Sages would be deployed to kill the Silas Clan before they entered the Kandrian Empire. That would be the bare minimum necessary to overpower them.

It could easily become a trigger for the third East Panamic War.

Rui had no intention of sparking another continental war between the Sage-level powerhouses of East Panama.

Absolutely not.

That was why no one could know ahead of time.

The only reason he told the Minister of Domestic Affairs was because it was absolutely necessary. Days passed as Rui grew nervous. He had been coordinating with his grandmother for exactly when the Silas Clan would arrive at the Kandrian Empire. He had also cautioned certain parties of a major decision that was to come soon, even if he didn’t tell them exactly what.

Eventually, the day of arrival came.

“Rui, who exactly are you waiting for?” Master Ceeran frowned.

“You’ll see,” Rui smiled, closing his eyes.

He was seated in a VIP section meant for official delegations meant to greet important political delegations or parties. He was surrounded by eight Martial Masters tasked with ensuring his safety as well as an enormous staff who had been briefed and tasked with catering to the Silas Clan after they arrived.

He also had another administrative staff that would provide various official documentation to appease the forces that would undoubtedly be pissed.

Rui felt his nerves tingling as the time was nigh.