The Martial Unity

Master Ceeran eyes wandered about for a few moments as he thoughtfully considered his answer to Rui's question. "Princess Ranea is a…visionary. Her vision for the future is one of prosperity and hope. It is one that I sincerely hope will unfold, even regardless of my vested interests in it as a long-range Martial Artist. She wishes to enrich trade by reducing tariffs and customs on maritime trade and seafare, doing so will weaken the Royal Treasury considering that the sea industry is second only to the Martial Art industry, but it will significantly enrich the economy according to her. I am not an economist and my understanding of these matters is quite limited, but my personal secretary has informed me that the policies are indeed quite effective."

He turned towards Rui. "She believes that the Maritime sector is much more fundamentally important to the Kandrian Empire than the Martial Art industry. Naturally, she does not intend to disenfranchise Martial Artists. She has no strong opinions and aside from increasing the Martial Union's engagement and cooperation with the Kandrian Seafare Association, she does not have any strong views regarding Martial Art aside from the norm."

"So…under her rule, the maritime sector will likely rise to prominence, more prominence than the Martial Union," Rui noted. "Interesting."

He didn't strictly mind that. He wasn't egotistical about the exaggerated status he had as a Martial Artist. If another industry became more prominent than the Martial Art industry, Rui would welcome that.

He didn't strictly mind that. He wasn't egotistical about the exaggerated status he had as a Martial Artist. If another industry became more prominent than the Martial Art industry, Rui would welcome that.

"She plans to expand the Kandrian Empire's shipbuilding capabilities aggressively and has already begun working on that. Building new schools and academies in port towns to educate students in the art of shipbuilding to produce more shipwrights in the long term," Master Ceeran informed Rui. "For the short term, the Ranea Foundation has funded and overseen the development of more harbors and shipyards to facilitate greater maritime activity. She has even announced Project Seaflate, which aims to create entirely new port towns across certain uninhabited or sparsely-habited regions across the Kandrian Empire's coast."

the information he purchased from the Beggar's Sect and the Martial Union. "It's quite ambitious. But it will drastically increase the Kandrian

extravagant project. After all, if he

11:04

only measures. She has worked side by side with her biggest patron to establish concrete sea

"That's

should be familiar with, if I'm not mistaken," Master Ceeran remarked. "It is

eyes widened with surprise. The information he had purchased did not cover their various associations and individual patrons, but he was nonetheless taken

No wonder the guildmaster has decided to throw his weight behind Princess Ranea. He has probably negotiated an extremely sweet deal with her that allows him to make use of Kandria's seafare and maritime infrastructure free of cost and free of tariffs

something like that, I think,"

to their ship technology," Rui remarked. "He undoubtedly has among the best there is to offer as far as commercial and cargo vessels go. As expected of him, he's a man who knows how to

merchant that he had known him to be. They hadn't met since the Virodhabhasa Martial Contest

to worry about the man competing for the position of guildmaster, although the man's son had indeed taken over the company, just his