The Martial Unity

Some distance away in a recently constructed hall, Rui listened to the chieftain declare his ultimatum for the diplomatic settlement that they had correctly guessed had something to do with their techniques.

"First of all, brilliant job Kane," Rui nodded at the Martial Squire. "The fact that the G'ak'arkan Tribe's technology is practically non-existent is very useful when it comes to espionage. It also helps that your stealth has grown to the point where you are able to sneak in and place a wiretap that would have been discovered by most modern security measures!"

Like almost all technology, the wiretap technology of the Kandrian Empire and of the Panama Continent was derived from various esoteric substances that had properties that effectively allowed them to record sound. The wiretap in question was a particular substance whose physical characteristics were partially altered by sound. The wiretap functioned by exposing the substance to sound before figuring out exactly what sounds it was subjected to based on its end shape.

However, it had also become common enough that most security departments or agencies of most states on the continent had developed means to detect it. Thus, it had become a little obsolete.

Yet, they were still useful against technologically primitive groups such as the G'ak'arkan Tribe.

Rui had had Kane sneak it into their little hall at a time with his formidable stealth when each of the Martial Seniors would be assured to not detect him. It was still a risky move to deploy Kane, even if two of the Martial Seniors were outside the village in a rare coincidence and the third was in a slumber. However, after having listened to the entire conversation, Rui could say it was worth it.

"Why was the conversation so grainy? It's hard to make out everything everyone is saying," Rui frowned.

"That's because it becomes increasingly difficult to extract information from the sound recording Derium Jelly that is used to record sound the longer it is exposed to sound," Special Agent Cravis explained to Rui.

"I see, that's a shame. Still, it has served its purpose well, I heard the most important parts after all. And that is good enough," Rui nodded.

He had much to think about. He did not expect the chieftain to take such a bold stance and force an ultimatum such as that. This was not something that he would expect from any normal group that was in a friendly relationship with the Kandrian Empire. Normally, that group would do everything in its power to ensure that its relationship with the Kandrian Empire was friendly, but Rui had long known that the G'ak'arkan Tribe wasn't part of this group.

Still, he didn't expect them to be this decisive on how to proceed with their relationship with the diplomatic settlement.

"This is going to take a while, that's for sure," Rui sighed. "Just sitting around peacefully isn't going to help either."

He could see that the settlement plan was a little inadequate, now that he actually heard the senior most members of the G'ak'arkan Tribe speak unhampered. He needed something more shocking, in addition to basic demonstration.

His eyes widened as he came up with an idea. "If we want to show them that our techniques are highly useful to them. Then we need to demonstrate its value in the one activity that they spend more energy, time, and power to than any other…"

"Sir?"

"Rui?"

Kane and special agent Cravis exchanged a look before turning back to him.

"We need war. Conflict. Not that different from what they regularly engage in with the other tribes across the island," Rui grew more certain. "That is much more effective than the passive plan of simply hunting and playing defense and safe. That is much likelier to impress them more than anything else is likely to."

"I need to speak with my team, and Senior Ceeran… and commissioner Derun too…" Rui murmured as he got up with an excited expression.

The idea of actively entering into conflicts with the other Martial tribes of Vilun island was one that he should have come up with earlier, but unfortunately, he had never seriously considered it due to the fact that the Martial Union had painstakingly built even a decent relationship with the native indigenous of the island. Even reaching a stage where they weren't enemies was one that took several years of courting.

Waging war would instantly and forever ruin all of that hard work that the Martial Union had put in, thus Rui never considered it. But now that it was a potential necessity to achieve his mission, Rui had to admit that it was an actually alluring option.

He was also quite optimistic about the chances of it being well-received.

The Martial Artists assigned to this mission were, frankly, bored. There wasn't a whole lot to do, and their presence in the mission wasn't actively needed beyond some mundane duties and some simple hunts to gather food.

Rui knew that because he was starting to feel the same way. Yes, he had been chosen as a diplomat, yes, he was the leading authority in this whole operation. But he was a Martial Artist first, and exercising his Martial Art was something that he needed to do otherwise he would feel suffocated!

He could imagine that even Senior Ceeran wouldn't have a problem with picking a fight with other Martial Seniors if it not only didn't clash with the interests of the mission but also fulfilled them. He simply needed to ensure that it remained in control and within proportion so that it aided the mission, and didn't completely blow it away. If he ended up sparking a conflict with the G'ak'arkan Tribe inadvertently, then he would be screwed big time and would have to take responsibility for the complete failure of the diplomatic endeavor that was of interest to the entire Martial Union, but particularly the Longranger Sect, the Martial Artists of which were all around him at the moment.