The Martial Unity

"Are you suggesting that the Silas Clan partake in the Martial Union's brokering system to earn Martial Credits through missions and earn the Martial Union's resources in that manner?" Matriarch Nephi frowned.

"Yes. It is the norm," the Flickering Elder remarked. "There are several Martial Families with Sage-level leaders similar to the Silas Clan. When it comes to the Martial Union's services, the members of these families work for themselves and earn their resources. Their families do not bail them out; it is not part of the Martial culture in the Martial Union to give bailouts to our Martial Artists."

"Hm," Matriarch Nephi considered the Martial Union's words. "…In that case, I suppose I shall conform to the norm. How good is the Martial Union's system?"

She turned towards her grandson.

"The best," Rui replied. "I have especially learned of how good its system is after spending time outside of Kandria. Nothing else even remotely compares to the sheer convenience that the Martial Union has to offer. It isn't absolutely perfect; nothing is, but it is the closest to perfect that I have ever seen. You would be hard-pressed to find any other system that so seamlessly and speedily connects millions of Martial Artists to millions of clients across the world, accounting for all their needs and preferences and adhering to all constraints."

That was high praise, but Rui meant every word he said. Even when one compared Sage-level powerhouses, the other three in East Panama possessed systems that were not as efficient and effective as the Martial Union.

Although Rui was not an expert on each of them, he knew they had deep flaws compared to the Kandrian Empire.

The Republic of Gorteau had a powerful commercial and finance sector that somehow managed to gobble up the Martial sector. Martial Artists were hired by Martial contractors who then essentially pimped them out to clients and customers or the government, and there were also Martial Insurance Companies that not only required hefty investments but also took a cut from taxes for emergency supplies of Martial Art services and security at low prices.

It was extremely exploitative to younger and weaker Martial Artists as well as the citizens of Gorteau.

The Sekighara Confederate was basically a state run by Martial clans that effectively functioned as Martial mafia gangs that controlled who could learn Martial Art and who couldn't. Only younglings who swore loyalty to a Martial Clan could earn the right to pursue Martial Art. Pursuing Martial Art without authorization was actually prohibited. The clients within the nation were extorted with outrageous taxes for the services of the Martial Clans that ruled over them, and the status difference between non-Martial Artists and Martial Artists was the greatest.

The Britannian Empire was a Martial nation where the army was the only organization allowed to hire Martial Artists and the only opportunity for Martial Artists was moving up the ranks in the military. Martial Artists had no freedom to choose their clients and instead would be forced to undertake designated missions or be charged with treason.

In comparison to these horrific systems in place, the Kandrian Martial Union was a breath of fresh air. It gave Martial Artists maximum freedom and opportunity in all dimensions of Martial services, including freedom to choose their customers, freedom to choose their missions, and freedom to choose any other parameter that they pleased.

It had the least and minimal amount of coercion and only at the lowest level, and even then, it was not genuine coercion, as Marital Artists could swiftly terminate their contracts at any given moment as long as they were not mid-mission. They could also pursue different kinds of contracts and arrangements with the Martial Union.

It was, as far as Rui was concerned, the best system in East Panama.

In that regard, he was undoubtedly very blessed and privileged to be born in the Kandrian Empire, even if he was biased by that fact.

"Hm, in that case, we shall endeavor to be a part of the system and conform to tradition," Matriarch Nephi readily agreed. "However, we are unaccustomed to working in such a situation."

"Rest assured that we can very much help you with that," the Mountain of Fortitude nodded encouragingly. "The language barrier may prove to be tricky but not insurmountable; we will undertake the burden of handling those."

Matriarch Nephi nodded. "In that case, I have no issue with my clan acquiring the Martial Art resources of the Martial Union."

With that, the core interests of both parties had been fulfilled extremely quickly, just as Rui had hoped.

Of course, writing out the contract would still take time and require effort, but he was grateful for the fact that the most important stuff had been dealt with.

"Well, I'm sure our legal teams can hash out the details of the contract," Rui heaved a sigh. "And with that-"

"-Not yet!" The Hugging Hegemon interjected firmly.

RUMBLE

Rui shook under the wave of pressure that erupted from her.

Rui glanced at her with a dubious expression.

"…Your Sagehood?"

The air grew tumultuous as her grin widened.

Rui gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his composure.

She wasn't even flexing her aura.

This was just a consequence of the weight of her emotion!

"We have yet to address the most important matter of all!" She declared.

The Mountain of Fortitude and the Flickering Elder scowled at her, fully understanding her intentions.

"Sto-"

"-A MARTIAL CONTEST TO DETERMINE SAGE RANKING!" She bellowed with excitement.

The weight of her voice contained the power to annihilate a mountain range.

It threatened to crush Rui.

WHOOSH!

Matriarch Nephi narrowed her eyes, waving her hand as she conjured up a barrier of heaven to protect her grandson while the Mountain of Fortitude neutralized the devastating power with ease.

"This is why I hate the Fire Sect," the Flickering Elder glared at the Hugging Hegemon.

"What is the meaning of this?" Matriarch Nephi glared perilously at the Hugging Hegemon.

The air boiled as the Hugging Hegemon threw all civility out the window.