The Martial Unity

One would think that the excitement from the return of the Emperor of Harmony

would subside in time.

One was wrong.

Shortly after the announcement of the Return of the Emperor of Harmony, the Emperor himself issued an announcement.

An announcement of three addresses.

A public address, private, and a governmental address.

The former was issued to the citizens of Kandria and the entire state.

The Emperor of Harmony would address each and every single citizen and convey his message to them.

The second was an exclusive meeting with the stakeholders of Kandria.

He had invited each and every single one of them, just as he had many years ago.

The Martial Union, powerful corporations, banks, conglomerates, and consortiums across many industries that held great sway on the Kandrian economy, the powerful maritime and seafaring sector of the Empire, the many smaller unions, associations, and guilds that existed with some significance in the Empire.

The third was to all governmental branches of the Kandrian Empire. He needed to reaffirm and restrengthen his grip over the government as the legislator and supreme commander of the Royal Army and the Royal Navy.

He also announced the calling of a C16 Summit.

This sent ripples across East Panama.

The C16, shorthand for Circle of Sixteen, was an intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of the sixteen Sage-level nations of East Panama, including the four Sage-level powerhouses and another twelve Sage-level nations with one or two Martial Sages such as the Shionel Confederation.

As the returning leader of the Kandrian Empire and the head of state, one of his most important responsibilities was maintaining internal relations, diplomatic, and foreign affairs.

It was especially important in East Panama.

These four events immediately after his recovery sent a message to the rest of the world.

The Emperor of Harmony had returned.

One of the most formidable and powerful players of all of human civilization had returned to the world stage.

And he demanded acknowledgment.

And he got it.

Within hours of the two back-to-back announcements, each and every single nation save for the other three powerhouses had already issued statements and sent

delegations to the Kandrian Empire to personally kiss Emperor Rael’s ass.

“Popular,” Rui muttered as he carefully read through the flood of intelligence reports that the intelligence department of his faction had been feeding him.

It was no wonder that his return had been greeted with so much positivity, even putting aside that it would be stupid to piss off someone as powerful as his father.

For one, an overwhelming majority of nations in East Panama were genuinely grateful that the Emperor of Harmony had returned.

Of the three Sage-level powerhouses, the Kandrian Empire was the least tyrannical and the best to all of them.

Within the Age of Martial Art, the Britannian Empire and the Sekigahara Confederate had a long history of exerting tyrannical Martial power within their domain of influence. The Britannian Empire, prior to Emperor Arthur breaking through to the Transcendent Realm, engaged in colonialism while the Sekigahara Confederate ravaged their domain of influence with war.

The Republic of Gorteau, on the other hand, engaged in economic and financial dominance, using debt to trap nations into economic subservience while draining them of capital and resources. It artificially inflated the value of its paper currency by leveraging its debt traps and Martial dominance to force all nations to trade essential resources and goods in the Gorteau Dollar,

The Kandrian Empire, thanks to the Emperor of Harmony, was the least horrible nation, although not entirely clean itself. At the very least, Emperor Rael was a man who made them actually want to engage in a relationship with the Kandrian Empire.

Three centuries of a diplomatic approach centered around harmonious globalization, the Kandrian Empire gained the largest number of powerful allies and synergetic growth that, at the very least, did not leave any parties disenfranchised.

“Now then…” Rui glanced at the time. “He should be seeking my presence any time soon.”

Rui knew that he would be an important part of the Emperor of Harmony’s return to power. After his father fell into a coma, the faction and power blocs that he had monopolized fell away from his grip and were soon lobbied by the likes of Princess Rafia, Ranca, Prince Randal, and Raijun.

And then later, by Rui.

Currently, Rui monopolized a great deal of the influence and power that once used to belong to his father. The two of them would need to coordinate carefully to ensure all that power returned to his father.

His father would need to time his re-monopolization of that power simultaneously as Rui dissolved his faction, bit by bit.

This was not a simple process, unfortunately.

Rui would need to void many of the exclusive contracts that he had signed with the stakeholders of his faction while also slowly freeing up all the resources that belonged to the Rui Foundation and returning them to his father.

Only after that was complete, could his father truly return to the pinnacle of power he once held long before his decline.

He had absolutely no problem giving it all away; he looked at it as an exorcism, a process of emancipation.

He would finally be savoring the fruits of five years of painstaking efforts in the Beast Domain. Considering everything he had suffered through, he was determined not to let anything take away from him.

“It’s not going to be easy.”

The deep voice of the Emperor of Harmony echoed through the empty throne hall, rich with power. His aura of ephemeral authority and power returned with the Royal Crown of Kandria adorning his head and the Royal Throne supporting him.

“I know, Father,” Rui replied. “But, I intend to cut myself away from all these shackles and burdens. If I’m to understand who I am, I cannot be hampered by all this nonsense.”

The Emperor of Harmony smiled wryly. “You cannot be hampered by all this nonsense,

hm?”

He closed his eyes.

“Then let’s get started, shall we?”