Months passed.
The tensions between the three powerhouses continued to rise as the intelligence war was succeeded by a trade war. The three Sage-level powerhouses sought cripple Kandria's economic reach within East Panama with sanctions, tariffs, and tax hikes. Together, they had the power to box the Kandrian Empire.
This was why one of the main three agendas that Emperor Rael had espoused when he addressed the Kandrian governnt three years ago was economic independence. Thus, the sanctions by his enemies didn't hurt the most vital parts of the nation. However, the Kandrian Empire's ability to trade with other nations outside of its own domain of influence was heavily hampered.
Unfortunately for the three Sage-level powerhouses, he had foreseen this three years ago. Every military war was preceded by economic, information, intelligence, and public relations
wars.
He knew that there would co a day when his enemies would try and suffocate him as a thod of pressuring him into surrendering the mass Apprentice breakthroughs.
That was why he had set into motion a solution three years ago.
"Are all the preparations complete, my daughter?" Emperor Rael gazed at Princess Ranea from atop his throne.
"Yes, father," she smiled. "In the past three years, the mariti and seafaring capacity of the Kandrian Empire has been increased fourfold. We have built many shipyards, vessels, and ports across our eastern coast that can support an enormous number of ships at once. I have overseen the developnt and securing of highly safe and reliable trading routes with countless coastal hubs across East, North, and South Panama. Our mariti trading relations with Esocline Federation and the Gen Temple have greatly increased, firmly solidifying our political relations with the two Sage-level powerhouses."
"You have succeeded with the task I have entrusted to you quite well," Emperor Rael nodded as he read through the latest reports that she had provided him with. "This will allow us to dodge the sanctions, tariffs, and taxes that our enemies seek to suffocate us economically with. The Kandrian economy will only continue rising as it has thus far."
He had entrusted the developnt of the mariti and seafaring sector of the Kandrian Empire because she had greater expertise on it than even he did.
He wasn't arrogant in that regard; while it was true that no one understood the Kandrian Empire as a whole better than he did, he did not dispute that there were people who understood certain sectors better than he did. When it ca to the mariti sector of the Kandrian Empire, she possessed a more intimate understanding of the matter than he did.
A good emperor could do everything.
A great emperor chose not to.
By allocating the managent of sub-sectors to vetted, trusted, and known individuals with greater competence in those narrow fields than he did, he made the most of all the resources available by allocating them in the most efficient and effective manner.
Princess Ranea gratefully accepted the opportunity to lead the mariti and seafare sector of the Kandrian Empire as she once had after she was ruthlessly defeated by Rui in the Kandrian Throne War. She had faithfully perford her duties well in the past three years, allowing the Kandrian economy to overco its economic restraints.
Yet, as he predicted, that only added more heat fuel to the fire, which was the tension between the three Sage-level powerhouses.
A PR war, an intelligence war, and now an economic war.
All three preludes to an actual military and Martial war were underway.
The political sphere of East Panama gritted its teeth as it buckled its seatbelts.
When the powerhouses warred, the smaller nations could only hold on tight and hope they didn't get wiped out in dialectic. Oftentis, they would suffer heavy losses simply due to the side effects of the imnse war. They would catch strays in the form of a vengeful Martial Master and Martial Sage destroying integral parts of the nation.
Of course, there was rarely genocide or sothing on heinous that scale, for no one wanted to rile up the Panamic Martial Federation, but centers of power, assets, and infrastructure were all fair ga.
Only Sage-level nations could retain so agency when the powerhouses fought. Yet, even they had no choice but to bend to the closest Sage-level powerhouse.
Everyone suffered when wars on this scale unfolded.
Hell, everyone suffered even before wars on this scale unfolded.
The impending war lood heavily on investors and banks, who withheld lending and investing, and it lood on businessn and consurs, quietening down economic activity. Consurs withheld spending, anticipating tough tis, and businessn slowed down expansion and began preparing for downsizing, anticipating the downturn.
A deathly silence spread through East Panama.
Even the common folk, who were the slowest and latest on the uptake, began to sll the impending war that lood over an entire section of the continent.
The Republic of Gorteau and the Sekigahara Confederate began slowing down and reducing investigative and intelligence operations into the mass Apprentice breakthroughs and the inexplicable streak of lottery hits in the Beast Domain ventures of the Kandrian Empire.
It was a sign.
A sign that they were done.
They were done with snooping around Kandria in hopes of finding the secrets to attaining the miracles of the Kandrian Empire. They were tired of the countless wild goose chases that the Emperor of Harmony had kindly prepared for them.
Enough was enough.
The tensions that had begun rising long ago, the vaunted Silas Clan joined the Kandrian Empire many years ago during the throne war had reached their zenith.
Sothing had to give.
And sothing did.
The Gorteau Bureau of Intelligence ca across a truly shocking discovery by chance.
Sage Kole Kellin, who had mysteriously resigned as Pri Minister after she exiled the Dawnbringer from the Panamic Martial Federation, had been healed from her Shivering
Disease.
Simultaneously, the Nindo Clan learned that many of the newest Apprentices of the Kandrian Empire had already broken through to the Squire Realm just months after becoming
Apprentices!
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