The Martial Unity

That day, the ruling class of East Panama braced itself for a tumultuous period. The abrupt introduction of such a powerful force in the equation of Kandria's future rendered all predictions about the outcome of the throne war null and void.

Many analysts and pundits rated Prince Rui Quarrier Kandria's probability of winning at over sixty percent due to his outsized prominence and support from the Martial Union even before his identity as prince was revealed.

Very rapidly, the Martial Union organized a set of recruiting events for qualified individuals with the necessary education and experience with management and bureaucracy so that they would form the basis of his faction.

Nearly a hundred thousand people applied.

Why would they not?

This was the opportunity of a lifetime.

The prince or princess that succeeded the throne would usually delegate the most important bureaucratic, administrative, and managerial roles of the Kandrian government to their most trusted staff.

Since Rui was currently evaluated to be the most likely candidate for Emperor, anyone who became his chief of staff or secretary could potentially go on to become important bigshots in the Kandrian government, such as the Executive Minister or the Royal Chancellor.

It was an extraordinary opportunity for the most qualified people in the field of management and administration who had high career ambitions.

Over the next week, the Martial Union worked furiously to separate the very best of the best and most qualified individuals, screening out the very best of the best. A few thousand remained at the end of this process.

It wasn't just qualifications that were important. It was also credibility and trustworthiness.

As per Rui's request, Martial Masters from different factions and sects of opposing interests personally verified the intent of the highly qualified individuals one after the other to root out those who were spies or had malicious intent.

"Ninety percent were rooted out?" Rui's eyes widened with shock.

"Yes, Your Highness," The head of the division assigned to screening candidates for Rui's staff and administration told him. "It appears that most of the people who applied were spies sent by rivaling royals, national and international powers who wished to get reliable intelligence on your campaign and potentially sabotage it."

"Tsk tsk," Rui narrowed his eyes. "And these remaining two hundred are completely vetted with background checks that are completely verified?"

"Yes, Your Highness," The man nodded.

He was lying.

Rui knew he was lying.

The Martial Union would never fail to use this opportunity to plant their own secret agents amongst the ranks of his administration and staff.

"I'll be verifying them myself," Rui remarked. "I appreciate the administrative support from the Martial Union in handling this tiring process, and you can deduct the amount from my account."

"This is a service that the Martial Union has offered free of cost as a token of friendship to reaffirm the powerful partnership between yourself and the union," The man smiled pleasantly.

"…Token of friendship, hm?" Rui smiled wryly. "I appreciate that."

Rui had already felt the change in the dynamics of his relationship with the Martial Union. At this moment, the Martial Union was treating him like an equal and not as a son. He had gained a tremendous amount of power simply by virtue of possibly ascending the throne, even before Emperor Rael had yet to pass away.

While the process for the creation of his administrative staff was ongoing, Rui had also taken it upon himself to set up the Rui Foundation, the avenue through which his patrons and benefactors could support him through donations. It was also open to the public, should anybody feel the need to support him.

Eager to please Rui, the National Bank of Kandria swiftly streamlined what would be a long process, ensuring that the financials of the foundations were set up within a single week.

"…And here it is." A well-groomed man seated before Rui smiled, opening a small chest.

At its center lay a golden-silver card.

"This is proof of ownership; it is highly important, Your Highness."

The CEM, chief executive merchant of the bank, had taken the opportunity to personally deliver the key card to the account of the newly-established Rui Foundation.

"I appreciate that Chairman Fellingel," Rui replied calmly as he inspected the card. "Thanks to your swift services, I can begin my campaign immediately."

"We are pleased to hear that you are satisfied with our services. It was not easy prioritizing your process at the cost of others, many of whom are quite powerful. We hope that you won't forget this."

Rui smiled perfunctorily, yet inwardly, he was already cursing. He hadn't even begun his campaign, but the ass-kissing and implicit bribery had already begun. He was sure that the man before him expected a 'favor' when the time came.

However, that wasn't the only issue he had to tackle. He also needed some business real estate to establish his faction headquarters.

After all, it was not like he could manage his faction from his extended room in the Quarrier Orphanage. He needed a proper place to work and to meet prospective patrons and benefactors.

That wasn't the only issue.

He also needed to hire a bunch of other professionals, including legal, intelligence, data analysts, and diplomats.

Fortunately, the staff that that the Martial Union had provided, which he had Master Reina further chop down by rooting out the planted spies of the Martial Union, could greatly aid in handling these matters.

"There are an additional twenty-one agendas on our docket in addition to the ones that you mentioned, Your Highness." A woman by his side remarked. "Creating a faction emblem, public persona management division, establishing rigorous administrative protocols, hierarchies of power, command, and security clearance. As well as inventory and schedule management. Not to mention, we also have to…"

Rui groaned inwardly. This was what he dreaded when it came to faction-building and kingdom-building as Emperor. He could not deal with things this boring without losing his mind bit by bit.

That was why he had hired excellent staff with extraordinary benefits and incentives.

This was his new head of staff, Mikhaila Jeaun. She had passed even the harshest round of competence evaluation, vetting, and verification with the highest credibility and transparency.

"However, you can leave it to me, Your Highness," She enthusiastically smiled at him. "I will ensure that this faction runs as smoothly as a well-oiled machine!"