The Martial Unity

"I thought you didn't care about the elections," Kane asked one day when the fateful day was arriving sooner, raising an eyebrow as he watched Rui reading one of the campaigning ads of Chairman Deacon.

"I didn't before, but…" Rui's eyes narrowed. "That was because I thought Guildmaster Bradt had it in the bag without any shadow of a doubt."

"You're telling me he doesn't?" Kane raised an eyebrow. "I thought Guildmaster Bradt was the most kick-ass merchant in the Shionel confederation and no one could possibly trounce him head-on."

"These things don't work like a Martial Art fight, you know," Rui replied, amused. "Political and economic competitions are such that their personal capabilities matter less than you think. Yes, Guildmaster Bradt is extremely competent as a merchant, but the same can be said for Chairman Deacon. They have their own strengths in the way that they operate. The differences in their personal capacities as merchants and political leaders are not going to be tie-breakers. There are other variables that are arguably far more important."

Kane glanced at him. "Like…?"

"Circumstances," Rui replied shortly. "Opportunities. Even plain old luck."

"Circumstances like the Shionel Dungeon?"

appearance of the Shionel Dungeon must have completely ruined each and every single one of those plans. It also threatened to give Chairman Deacon exactly what he had wanted all these years; a wide-open opportunity to

the sheer amount of unfathomable growth that Chairman Deacon was getting thanks to the Shionel Dungeon. The Shionel Dungeon empowered the man's field and industries to a level that it did not boost other fields

a titanic disadvantage, when his

extraordinarily bold risks, without willing to bleed

not be enough in and of itself. The reason for that was that Guildmaster Bradt's opponent was known to be a relentless bloodhound that never let go. He possessed the trait

Shionel Dungeon, and his ability to create a

the next elections in the bag when he had signed the deal with the man. What he hadn't expected was how well Chairman Deacon would be able to cope and keep up even

he was, they were fierce competitors and he was unlikely to have ever been able to gain their political support. After all, he dominated them in the market,

and that's just

obnoxious enemy that was obviously partnering up with the Guildmaster that was dominating all of them, Chairman Deacon had managed to win over his previous rivals and competitors with a common enemy, buying more

out with it as he aggressively bought over foreign stakeholders

be used

employed his massive

efforts appeared to