The Martial Unity

That was why, after careful consideration, he was not concerned about the Martial Union finding out.

The truly bad outcome would be other parties finding out.

Specifically, the Shionel Confederation.

Specifically, Chairman Deacon.

Thankfully, it was almost entirely impossible for such an outcome to occur when he logically and rationally evaluated the probability of such a thing happening. Firstly, his Martial Art past the Squire Realm was not public. The reason for this was that he actually hadn't done many public missions before being assigned as a lead diplomat in the diplomatic expedition to Vilun Island. Soon after he headed to the Shionel Confederation to partake in the dungeon raids.

The latest truly public information on him was his performance during the Serevian Dungeon War. However, not only was that information outdated by about seven years, but it was actually misinformation when it came to extrapolating what his Martial Art was like now. Many of the prominent techniques that he used back then were no longer things he used today.

Things like the Stinger, Mirage Step, or Tempestuous Ripple. These were techniques that he used to use all the time back then, but had long abandoned once he reached the Squire Realm.

Most of the techniques that he used these days did not even exist back then. Pathfinder, Flux Earther, Gale Force Breathing, Lightning Tap, Thundercoil.

These were techniques that he had created, many of which he created from scratch. Furthermore, with the addition of the Metabody System to the VOID algorithm, his Martial Art bore absolutely no resemblance to his old Martial Art in the Apprentice Realm because it was just so different fundamentally. It was easy to mistake the Metabody System being the core of his Martial Art. This was a mistake that even someone as insightful as Master Deivon made.

It was just too easy to assume that his Martial Art and Path were fundamentally centered around some form of body modification. And since that would be the prevailing theory on what his Martial Path was, he was actually quite safe for the most part.

Of course, he had a bit of a paranoia when it came to Chairman Deacon discovering nonetheless since he had already managed to discover Rui's identity before when he didn't expect it to happen. Even if it happened because of dumb luck for the most part as opposed to merit, it was still something that left an impression on him and made him analyze the situation over and over again.

However, he was still quite sure even after all that his precautions were more than adequate.

It wasn't even several hours later before he was summoned to the main church for departure. He carried a bag that contained everything that he needed when it came to traveling elsewhere.

"Ready?" Master Deivon asked him.

He had servants carrying all his belongings for him into a strange-looking carriage.

"Yeah, I packed everything I need, so I'm good." Rui nodded.

"I meant whether you were ready to fight in the Martial Contest," Master Deivon smiled. "Frankly, even if you tossed that bag away right now you would be fine, you know? Each representative will be assigned luxurious quarters and will have access to the finest services and commodities."

Rui shrugged. "That's all well and good, but I am attached to my belongings."

"Suit yourself. Let's get going then."

The two of them boarded the strange yet remarkably large carriage. The luxurious vehicle was divided into multiple sections, two of which were personal quarters for Rui and Master Deivon. It was almost like a single train bogey but shaped like a carriage.

"I've never been in such a fancy carriage," Rui remarked.

"It's a form of transportation we use for fast and effective travel over long distances. This carriage is going to accelerate at remarkably extreme speeds by relying on some particularly potent esoteric technology. It will move far faster than what even Martial Squires like yourself can achieve. It's only because of technology like this that travel over long distances if feasible for non-Martial Artists." Master Deivon explained.

Rui knew that carriage technology was quite developed and ubiquitous among the upper class of society.

He recalled the Shionel Confederation where the carriages were also empowered with esoteric technology that allowed them to cross the many thousands of kilometers between the Shionel Confederation and the Kandrian Empire in less than half a day. The average long-distance carriage was capable of that level of speed and distance, let alone specialized carriages meant to carry VIPs like Master Deivon.

Rui got to enjoy a rare luxury as he had servants tending to his every need. This was something that he would never go out of his way to get, he simply found it too pretentious to have a staff of people do basic tasks like pouring him a glass of water. However, it appeared that Master Deivon was entirely accustomed to such treatment that he didn't even think twice.

"Nervous?" Master Deivon asked while he was reading through some documents.

"Right now I'm just bored," Rui replied once the carriage reached its top speed, zipping through the land. "Hopefully I'll feel excited by the time we reach our destination and run into my opponents. I have high expectations from the champions of other towns."

"There will be a banquet one day prior to the Martial Contest that will feature all contestants, patrons, and other sponsors and investors." The Master explained. "You'll get a chance to interact with all of them, including the current reigning champion."

Rui groaned. "This is a Martial Contest, not a party. Why bother with such things?"

Master Deivon smiled, amused. "I agree with the sentiment, but it is an important event for the Virodhabhasa Faith. This religion does not and cannot exist in a vacuum. Events like these are not for the contestants but for our various partners, benefactors, and dependants. At the end of the day, we exist in an ecosystem that helps us sustain ourselves, and measures like this are necessary to maintain it."