The Martial Unity

"Is there a need to go that far?" Nartha raised an eyebrow.

"I'm just being careful." Rui replied.

"I see... careful indeed. It's a shame personally, but I accept these conditions." Nartha replied. "Anything else?"

Rui pondered for a bit. "There is the matter of the frequency of the fights." Rui said. "I do not wish to fight daily. However, I am unsure of the exact precise frequency of fights that I'm willing to fight in as of this moment."

Rui had yet to finalize when he was going to do his other missions. He did not want to accept a high frequency of fights, otherwise he would not be able to complete his other missions.

"I'll have to consider the matter for quite a bit." He said. "I'll get back to you on that issue shortly at a later date."

"That's not a problem at all. You can just send me a letter or a crystal message." She replied, referring to the crystal esoteric technology that was used to was popularly used to communicate remotely in the middle and upper echelons of society.

"Will do." Rui replied.

"Well then, it was a pleasure talking to you." Nartha said, smiling as she got up, performing a mild curtsy. "Unfortunately, I have some matters to attend to soon, so I must put an end to our conversation, regrettably."

"I'm sorry for imposing on you." Rui said smiling, bowing briefly. "I'll take my leave then."

They bade farewell to each other as Rui headed back. The meeting had taken place in the town of Hajin, so he wasn't too far from home. He had planned to head back straight home so that he could spend time with his family at the Orphanage.

"RUUIIIIII!" Alice screeched when she saw him approaching the Orphanage from within.

Alice ran out, giving him a big hug.

"You're crushing me." Rui squeezed out.

"Welcome back!" She beamed with a smile. She dragged him in as he was swarmed by the children who all pestered him for attention.

"Big brother Rui, teach me Martial Art!" Max, one of the children who adored Rui the most, said.

"Me too me too!" Mana, another girl who had been enraptured by Rui's Martial Art chimed in.

Rui chuckled as he patted their heads. "Alright alright, not now though."

They pouted as Rui walked in, greeting the others.

"You had an amazing run in the Martial Contest." Horatio told him smiling.

"It felt like just yesterday we were helping you with balance training in winter on the frozen lake." Mica sighed.

"He's come a long way." Farion greed.

Rui smiled at those words. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for all of you."

"Rui..." Lashara appeared.

"Mom."

She immediately pulled Rui in a hug.

"My precious baby..."

Rui smiled awkwardly as she held him there for several seconds. "Are you feeling okay? You got hurt in that contest didn't you?"

"I'm fine mom." He laughed. "Those wounds healed a long time ago."

It took him a while before he was able to placate her, however.

"Welcome back Rui." Julian smiled. "Congratulations on your performance in the Martial Contest. It was truly amazing to see how far you've come in the past two years."

"Thanks." Rui smiled.

Soon things died down as Rui settled back, relaxing. He spent some time with his family. It was always refreshing to be able to relax in their presence without any worries.

"I've wanted to talk to you for some time now." Rui told him.

Julian threw him a knowing smile. "I know."

Rui raised an eyebrow at that. "You do, do you?"

"Of course." Julian said as he sipped tea. "I've been assigned the head researcher of the research project if you accept the research commission."

Rui was surprised by that. "Wow, you've reached the position of head researcher this early? That's impressive."

"It's not all that much." Julian smiled modestly. "So what are your thoughts on the matter? For the record, you can speak freely. I'm not obligated to reveal anything to them. The project wasn't proposed by me either, I don't have that kind of authority yet."

Julian was a brilliant scholar who had managed to reach the position of a full-fledged scholar from apprentice scholar in the span of merely two years.

"I see... I'm not sure yet." Rui spoke hesitantly. "Frankly, as of right now there are more detriments to benefits at my current stage. Even if I do accept, no amount of money is enough by itself."

Julian seemed intrigued at that. "What do you mean specifically?"

"I need to benefit from the research as much as the Institute does. The exact avenue of research needs to receive my approval, and I want access to all data collected."

Julian's eyes widened as he understood. "I see, that's thoughtful of you... Hm. That goes against the Institute's norms, but nothing is impossible, I suppose. I don't have anywhere nearly enough authority to take the matter into my own hands so I can accommodate your needs unfortunately."

"That's fine." Rui had replied. "I don't plan on accepting it any time soon anyways. I have far too many matters that require immediate attention."

"Busy as always." Julian smiled. "Why not take it a bit slow? You've just finished the Martial Contest, after all."

"It's because I finally finished the Martial Contest that I'm rushing." Rui replied. "All of the things that I would have done if it hadn't been there have been postponed because of it, it's time get on it and finish it. I urge to take a step forward and reach higher Realms."

A hint of surprise flashed across his face as he understood what Rui was referring to immediately. "...Already? Most Martial Apprentices do not reach this stage until much later." He noted.

"I've been blessed with fortunate circumstances in that regard." Rui said, sipping his tea.

Julian could immediately sense that Rui did not want to divulge anything specific. He did not push the matter out of consideration for his brother's privacy. But he could not help but be curious regardless.