The Martial Unity

He discussed the prophecies that he had seen with his grandmother some more. It was interesting that his grandmother did not see everything he had seen. Apparently, when it came to delivering prophecies to another person, she used her Martial Embodiment so that the prophecy would be built from both her and her target's subconsciousness.

This resulted in a mutually-fueled prophecy that would also include the information and the instinct of his target, resulting in a more accurate prophecy.

Thus, some of the visions that Rui had seen were based on his knowledge and instincts and were restricted only to his mind.

Yet despite both their subconscious minds combined, they were unable to scry anything concrete about the Divine Doctor.

For a powerful Martial Sage like Matriarch Nephi to be so deeply hampered showed that the Divine Doctor was in no ordinary location.

Of course, the information that his grandmother had given him was game-changing.

"Somewhere deeply cut off from the world…" Rui narrowed his eyes.

He also recalled what the Divine Doctor had said to him in the prophecy.

'Welcome to my prison.'

That was an important clue.

The two pieces of information together pointed towards the fact that the Divine Doctor was potentially trapped or heavily hampered in a location that was deeply disconnected from the world in some manner.

If that was the case, it could explain why the Divine Doctor had been in there the entire time.

"Hmmm…" Rui narrowed his eyes.

It did help narrow down the possibilities even more, if this was the case.

In addition, when he added the information he had gleaned from his prior visions, he could further narrow down the possible locations of the Divine Doctor of the Beast Domain. Then, if he combined the information of the Beggar Sage and the Adventurer Guild, he could potentially trace the path that the Divine Doctor had walked.

"It's time."

His declaration contained a hint of finality.

He had completed every single task that he had left in the Kandrian Empire. Fortunately, the matter of the Silas Clan and the Martial Union had been completed rather quickly. Both parties were able to come to a very solid middle ground where they each acquired what they desired from the party in a mutually beneficial exchange system.

While the contract had yet to be signed, it was merely a formality. The fact that his grandmother had begun to grow comfortable in the Kandrian Empire was a sign that she didn't foresee anything negative for the Silas Clan with her tremendous prophetic ability.

That meant that he could leave the Kandrian Empire and head for the Adventurer's Guild and the Beast Domain with peace of mind.

"It's going to be time soon, Master Reina," Rui replied to nobody in particular.

Master Reina appeared out of thin air, standing before him. An amused smile emerged on her face. "Hmmm, I'm not sure if I am inclined to spend months, if not years, replacing you. In the first place, it won't work because your grandmother will see right through me, as will the other Martial Sages."

"The Sloth Sage will handle the others," Rui remarked. "My grandmother knows."

"True, but…" Her smile widened. "What's in it for me?"

Rui turned to his assassin teacher with a dubious expression. "There's not much in it that you care for. If you cared about wealth or capital, I could give you more than you could ever dream about."

"Meh, boring," she waved him away dismissively.

"Unfortunately, the only thing you care about is amusement and entertainment," Rui scoffed.

"True."

She didn't even bother denying his accusations.

"That is why I have a proposal," Rui replied.

"Oh?" Her eyes lit up with interest. "Pray tell."

"A game," Rui replied. "I dare you to interact with every single person in the orbit of my life, except the orphanage and the Sages, and see if you could get away with it. You've been following me around for a year now in secret. Thus, you have borne witness to all of them."

He turned to her with a grin. "The entire world will be watching Rui Quarrier."

"The entire world will be watching, and you will fool every single one of them…or is it too much for you?"

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Hehehe…you have a way with words, Rui Quarrier Silas Kandria."

Rui smiled wryly as he managed to bait her well. "Thanks, I suppose. So, what do you say?"

"…You got me," she remarked lightly. "It should be fun playing those idiots for fools."

Rui chuckled lightly. "You're going to have a tough time during the fiscal budget allocation meetings, you know?"

"Heh, those will be the most fun; I'm sure I can fool every single one of them with some preparation."

With that established, he immediately returned to his bodyguards on standby, heading back towards his office in the Town of Hajin.

"Mikhaila, has the appointment with the guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild been finalized?"

"Yes, Your Highness, the meeting is due soon. The guildmaster has expressed an eager desire to meet you for a variety of reasons."

"Hmph," Rui snorted. "He wants my political support and capital. He's hoping that I become an investor and patron of the Adventurer's Guild."

His father had been somewhat against the Adventurer's Guild and had maintained the position that the Adventurer's Guild was harming the Beast Domain by facilitating and even perpetrating the constant encroaching and colonizing of the Beast Domain and that it was dangerous for the future of humanity.

Thus, the guildmaster must have been overjoyed when Rui, the guaranteed next Emperor, had expressed interest and sought a meeting for him. The Adventurer Guild would rather not have to sustain pressure from a powerful Sage-level powerhouse that had recently gotten yet another Martial Sage and the power of prophecy; it was too much political pressure that they were unable to bear or withstand.

It would soon be time for Rui to depart from the Kandrian Empire.