Rui found his exploration of the Nest of Terra to be rather thrilling.
He found, even outside of the city, through a tunnel network that was so complicated that it could be its own labyrinth, there was Terran Civilization thriving in darkness. These were people who were unable to afford to live in the big hundred ga-cities of the Nest of Terra and instead had chosen to carve their own hos in off-shoot paths of their own building.
Considering that expansion was extrely difficult, he was sure that the population of the Nest of Terra had risen much faster than available land, causing real estate in the Nest of Terra to be extrely expensive and precious.
There was no doubt many millions of people had to make makeshift hos outside of the big cities, causing unofficial labyrinths of people forming hos in tunnel networks in between cities.
He spotted little huts, caves, and hos across tunnels. Even larger spaces that harbored sothing like a small settlent within them. "The population estimate of the Nest of Terra," Rui wondered aloud, "does it include people living in off-shoot tunnels outside of cities?"
"As far as I'm aware, it does not," Sage Kyria freely inford him with a composed tone. "These are undocunted people who are unofficial citizens of the Nest of Terra. Eventually, one of the spaces that you have sensed far off into the tunnel network will grow larger and larger, at which point it will be officially recognized as a city and will co under the strict managent and regulation of the Council of Cities and the two ruling consuls. Until then… they will simply receive unofficial aid and support from the state."
Although it might have felt a little cruel to exclude people who didn't live in the big cities, Rui could understand why this policy had to co into place.
"It must be a logistical nightmare tracking people across this expansive labyrinth," he noted. "So much so that it's not worth it until they gather enough people in a large enough space over ti. But it's fascinating to know that the Nest of Terra does not regulate these people. Considering how precarious life underground can be and how many systems are in place just to ensure basic survival."
She nodded at his words as she led them through a corridor at a considerable speed. "All the big cities, like the City of Nagara that you have just explored were created this way. It has been our way of expansion for centuries now. We have discovered the hard way that organic and natural expansion is better than a state-planned expansion. It gives our people more freedom in a way of life that is restricted compared to most other nations above the surface."
Rui nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. This is a truly fascinating nation indeed."
"We have finally arrived, Your Highness," Sage Kyria remarked.
WHOOSH
They erged from a tunnel, sky-walking into the air above the city of Martia.
"Wow…" Amare's eyes lit up with amazent.
"This is remarkable." Rui nodded with an approving expression.
Although this was the one and only city out of a hundred that was dedicated to Martial Art, it was trendously enormous, exceeding the many Martial tropolises of the Sekigahara Confederate. It even exceeded the Grand Martial Chambers within the manifold of the Kandrian Empire.
It was second only to the Panamic Martial Federation's eastern headquarters.
Countless training chambers and battle arenas stretched across the entirety of the massive city, each larger than the next. A vast majority of the training chambers were gigantic chambers ant to harbor a small number of individuals relative to their size. They were training chambers for Martial Artists of the high Realms.
Rui's eyes lit up as he managed to catch an open training chamber with a Martial Master training within.
His body moved gently and smoothly.
It flowed.
And with it, so did the land beneath his feet.
Rui's interest heightened as he watched the Master exert a trendous amount of fine control over the soil beneath his feet. "That…"
He could sense a profound exertion of sound, pressure, heat, and electromagnetic fields to manipulate the earth beneath his feet in ways that Rui didn't even know was possible.
And yet, what followed next was truly unlike anything Rui had ever seen.
RUMBLE…!
A clone of the Martial Master made of rock erged from the land, facing the earth-bending Martial Master, taking a fighting stance.
It was nothing short of a magic spell in Rui's eyes.
And then, they began fighting.
Or rather, they began dancing.
Both the original and clone began shifting around with srizing footwork in a soulful yet fierce dance.
"That is the Dance of Terra."
Sage Kyria's tone was profound.
"The Dance of Terra?" Rui's eyes widened. "To us, Terrans, the Martial Art is an art form." Her voice was solemn. "We believe that the 'Art' of Martial Art is more important than the forr half."
Amare's eyes brightened with wonder while her expression lit up with delight. "That's beautiful!"
"An art form?"
"Indeed," Sage Kyria replied. "Watch him, Prince Rui. Watch his movents. Watch his expressions."
Rui paid closer attention to the man, even going as far as to use his Martial Mind to sense his emotions.
What he sensed was enlightening.
It sent chills across his skin.
"A trendous love…" He murmured. "A trendous love for the world around us."
"We stoke our emotions, gathering them in our heart, harness them into our movents, and then…" her tone grew profound as her eyes narrowed.
"And then, we unleash them onto our opponents."
BOOOOOM!!!
Rui's eyes lit up with amazent as the man ended his dance with a firm stomp, unleashing a trendous tsunami of land onto his own clone. The sheer power of the technique easily breached grade-ten territory and continued as he turned earth into a liquid and obeyed his will.
"This is the Martial Art of the Nest of Terra," Sage Kyria told him with a proud expression. "We harness our connection to Gaia and express our love for her through our art."
A profound flush of thrilling excitent flushed through Rui. "Incredible…!"
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