Soon enough, Rui's preparations had co to an end.
It didn't take him too long to absorb the data in the information package that his father had presented to him. With the Mind Palace technique, morizing it was easy. Fully
understanding, assimilating, and applying that knowledge only took days.
"I'm glad to hear that you're finally ready," his father remarked from atop his throne. "Are you confident in your ability to fulfill this mission?"
"I am, father." Rui's tone was one of certainty. "I will ensure that the Shionel Confederation will ally with the Kandrian Empire."
"Good," Emperor Rael calmly replied. "Now then, as Emperor, I hereby authorize you to be a Royal Ambassador of the Kandrian Empire."
As he finished his words, a Royal Maid appeared before him, carrying a gold and silver tray upon which rested an amulet bearing the insignia of the Kandrian Empire.
"With this, you have the full authority to represent the Kandrian Empire as if you were emperor yourself. Only I have the authority to revoke your words," his father explained. "However, I do not believe that there will ever co a need for to do so. I believe you understand your mission well enough to know what you can or can't get away with."
Rui gazed at the beautiful artifact that lay on the tray.
"I humbly accept."
He picked up the amulet before a frown appeared on his face. "This..."
His father smiled. "It appears that you have noticed."
"I sense so powerful esoteric substances within it." Rui's eyes lit up with realization. "Ah, I see. This must be what you told about."
His father nodded. "It is indeed the instantaneous transportation artifact that I told you about. Destroy the amulet with physical force, and it will transport you to a secure location in the Kandrian Empire."
Rui nodded as he studied the artifact with curiosity. "I will keep it with at all tis."
"We have leaked information of this artifact to our enemies, as planned," his father continued. "Now attacking you is useless, as you are able to instantaneously escape. Your grandmother foresees that you will not be attacked by Martial Sages."
It was at tis like this that the Silas Clan's power was indispensable.
The sheer impact on the strategic outlook that they could provide by peering into the future was truly extraordinary.
Rui smiled. "But she does foresee that I will be attacked by Masters, right?"
"She does."
"And what does she foresee of my mission?"
His father shook his head. "That is not for you to know, only ."
Rui tutted but didn't argue.
His father had strategic considerations that could be disrupted by additional complications if Rui turned out to know and acted differently than he would have otherwise, causing the future to veer off unpredictably.
In fact, Rui could make more deductions and inferences from the way that his father spoke about the transportation artifact.
"...If I had to guess, Grandmother foresaw my death on this mission a few months ago, didn't she?" Rui narrowed his eyes.
His father, to his credit, didn't so much as twitch at Rui's words.
"It is odd that you proposed the transportation artifact as your first idea," Rui remarked. "If I had to infer from the information at hand, you consulted her about the outco of the mission, and only after she told you that I would die did you co up with the transportation artifact. You must have gone ahead with the plan after she confird that the future was altered thanks to the presence of the artifact."
His father smiled. "Correct. I didn't think you would catch on that quickly. The transportation artifact, indeed, was not a part of my original plan. I had been worried about your safety and consulted her to gain so insights, only to discover that, indeed, you would die. It was only after I added this elent to the plan that she inford that death was no longer part of your future."
In other words, the deterrence of the transportation artifact was indeed the primary reason that he would not die in his mission to make an ally of the Shionel Confederation. "Additionally, Sage Damian, Sage Roschem, and Sage Glacken will accompany you as your bodyguards."
Rui frowned. "...Seriously?"
Emperor Rael heaved a sigh. "The Shionel Confederation is the most powerful Sage-level nation among the nations that haven't decided their affiliation. In other words, if you succeed in befriending the Shionel Confederation, our enemies will instantly dispatch extrely powerful Sages to attack the Shionel Confederation. Do you want to be caught off-guard by the consequences of your own success if you happen to succeed?"
Rui stirred at his father's words. "...Fine."
He didn't strictly mind being protected by Sages. Still, it made him feel less like he was on an adventure.
However, he understood the rationale.
It made sense.
He was an extrely important asset to the Kandrian Empire, and his life was beyond invaluable; he was one of the treasures of the Kandrian Empire that would raise it to greater
heights.
"This is great and all, but when the ti cos, I'm fighting off the Master-level force myself."
He refused to be babysat in the battlefield; he would much rather scrap the whole mission if he couldn't fight against the strongest Masters that the enemy alliance had to offer. Emperor Rael nodded. "That is your prerogative. It is no secret to you that I would rather not have you anywhere near the battlefield, given how important you are to the Kandrian Empire. However, your will is more important. Furthermore, as it was in the battle against the Sekigahara Confederate, containing the Master-level forces will be just as important as containing the Sages. This is especially so because the Shionel Confederation is much smaller than the Kandrian Empire. If a single Master enters the territory, they can wreak havoc within
it."
Rui's deanor grew serious. "I will make sure that I protect the Shionel Confederation
should I befriend it."
"Good, now go. The ti has co."
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