The Martial Unity
chapter-2265

As Rui left the Royal Palace of Vargard, he could not help but direct his gaze to the town around him that stretched as far as the eye could see. The town of Vargard was the capital of the Kandrian Empire and was one that was worthy of its status with its illustrious streets and well-adorned buildings that gave the entire town a vibe of power and glory.

Yet, when Rui spread his senses across the entire town, he couldn't help but notice that it was muted in its energy that particular day. The streets were more silent than he was accustomed to while the air tingled.

"I suppose civilians found the evacuation to be more stressful than expected," Rui lightly observed. "It's been a month, and the effects of the battle with the Sekigahara Confederate still linger in the air."

It didn't even matter that they had won that battle.

Just the prospect of being at war put many people in a tense state.

Not without reason, of course.

Anything could happen in the war, and the fact that they had picked a war with three opponents weighed down on people.

As Rui ascended in elevation, he could feel the mixed emotions of the people of the town. The victory had been positive, but there appeared to be a constant anxiety that everything could go wrong in the background.

He heaved a sigh as he headed about his way to the headquarters of the Martial Union. There was nothing he could do to help the mood of the people aside from continuously ensuring that he supplied them with victories in war.

As long as the Kandrian Empire continued informing its citizens about the successes it made in defending itself and pushing back against those who sought to destroy it, they should eventually get used to the state of war the nation was in.

Eventually, he arrived at the Martial Union headquarters in Vargard.

He noticed the changes immediately.

"Move out of the way!"

"I must make a commission today!"

"How much longer is this going to take?!"

As large as the headquarters were, they were flooded with people entering and exiting the massive estate. Never before had he ever seen such a rush at the location. The Martial Union had experienced a little bit of a spike in demand recently—the number of people who wanted to commission Martial Artists for certain services was large. Whether it was to hire some bodyguards for safety or a security detail for a convoy, the number of people who required Martial security was huge.

The war had very much become something that was no longer limited to merely the upper echelons of humanity; even the average person had come to learn the sheer scale and intensity of the third Great East Panamic War.

It was no wonder that many of the middle class and above increased their reliance on Martial Artists for security.

After all, the situation outside of the Kandrian Empire was quite grave. A lot of businessmen who frequently traveled outside of the nation most certainly required Martial security.

The sudden spike in demand for Martial Artists would normally cause inflation in the price of Martial services but that was actually offset by the increase in the supply of Martial Artists in all Realms due to the flood of breakthroughs.

Thus, Martial services remained relatively stable and affordable in their prices, which allowed many people to actually go through with their decision to acquire some Martial protection anywhere outside the Kandrian Empire.

STEP Rui landed before the VIP entrance, entirely avoiding the rush to enter the Martial Union through the conventional entrance.

"Wait, is that…?"

"It's the Void Prince…!"

"I can't believe we get to see him in the flesh!"

Rui ignored the cooing and cawing as he made his way past the entrance of the Martial Union, heading deeper into the massive infrastructure of the Union Headquarters.

An air of urgency had taken over the staff and employees of the union, so much so that many of them were too busy to be observing the protocol of bowing to a Martial Artist of the Upper Realms when they saw one. Not that Rui was vain enough to point that out.

He made his way deeper and deeper, past the point where outsiders and ordinary employees were prohibited from entering.

STEP

He found himself before enormous gates.

He could sense the overwhelming power and weight of the Sage Realm past them.

The Martial Sages awaited him.

CLACK

The gates opened to reveal several Sages and Masters seated at a table, immediately glancing at him when the doors opened.

"You've come just in time," Sage Roschem, the Flashing Flier, calmly declared. "Come, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

This was one of the Sages who hadn't been present in the Kandrian Empire during the battle with the Sekigahara Confederate, having been deployed to the Beast Domain on a bit of a long-term mission.

"Thank you, Your Sagehood." Rui took a seat near Master Sera and a few other prominent and powerful Masters, glancing at the Sages present at the table.

He earned a regarding gaze from his grandmother, a curt nod from the Sloth Sage, and a few others with whom he had a little bit of personal rapport.

Some of the others were new Sages who had been a part of the Martial Union meetings for the first time. Evidently, the other Martial Sages of the Martial Union were trying to involve them with Union matters so that the organization did not feel alien to them. It was better that they find their place in the Union so that they fully integrate into the Kandrian Empire.

"Now then, with the arrival of the Void Prince, we can address the matters that we have all been concerned about," the Flashing Flier calmly remarked. "Our biggest priority is figuring out how to deal with the leaked intel about his capabilities and how the Martial Union is to address the flux of commissions centered around it."