His words left a dark expression on Sage Kyria's face. "…Unfortunately, we don't have the resources needed to support a large number of initiates and help as many Martial Artist aspirants break through," she remarked with a sharp tone. "As you are already aware, the Nest of Terra is unable to invest as great a proportion of its resources towards Martial Art as we'd like it to. Unfortunately, it's too much of a burden on the governnt, and thus, due to the limited resources, we are unable to give our initiates the available Martial resources they deserve, which would have otherwise increased the rate of breakthroughs. Major projects such as expanding the ventilation and water systems, increasing the subterranean transportation system, and so on and so forth reduce Martial Art's share of our resources."
"…I see," Rui heaved a disappointed sigh. "It's truly a sha, to think that you have such a unique and special Martial culture and it is unable to receive the support that it surely deserves."
"I feel so bad for these poor initiates," Amare murmured with a sympathetic and pained tone. "To work so hard only to have a slim chance of breaking through to the Apprentice Realm."
Rui, on the other hand, was made aware of a fault line that surely existed within the Nest of Terra. The good old technology versus Martial Art fault line.
There was no doubt that most nations and polities had this faint tension over which side would receive greater resources.
However, the Nest of Terra appeared to be one of the few places where Martial Art was losing the battle.
Only one percent of the territory of the Nest of Terra was dedicated to Martial Art. That was far lower than even neutral nations like the Kandrian Empire. It appeared that the impact that technology had on day-to-day life was valued more than the power of Martial Artists in the Nest of Terra.
On top of that, as slick as she had been, he had not missed her attempt to make him aware of this tension.
Her choice of words was pointed.
Just based on that alone, Rui's sharp mind was able to deduce the political state of affairs of the Nest of Terra.
Given that one of the consuls was undoubtedly responsible for having deployed Sage Kyria to shadow him, he could infer that at least one consul was pro-Martial Art. Given that she had tried to subtly not only ensure he was aware of the poor state of affairs for Martial Art within the nation but also get him to be sympathetic to their condition, he could infer that they wanted his political power.
With all these inferences together, he could also infer that, most likely, the other consul was not pro-Martial Art but was rather pro-esoteric technology. After all, if both consuls were pro-Martial Art, then Martial Art would have never been in this deprived state in the first place.
He could further infer that the technology power bloc included many different powerful factions and parts of the governnt that wielded a trendous amount of influence due to how important technology was for the fundantal survival of people in the Nest of Terra.
And just like that, he had managed to deduce a remarkably accurate understanding of the political landscape of the Nest of Terra.
He could further figure that while he was still welco to the Nest of Terra for giving them his priceless services for cheap prices, most likely, the pro-technology bloc was wary of him and the power that he could give to their opponents, the pro-Martial side.
There was just one question in his mind.
'Do I want to get involved?' he heaved a sigh.
It would be good for him if the pro-Martial side grew stronger so that it could produce stronger Martial Artists that could serve as whetstones for his Adaptive Evolution. But that was a vague incentive, at best. In truth, he didn't particularly care either way.
The only good thing was when there was competition, he could hike his prices up and get so goodies in return. Even if Martial Art was deprived and malnourished in the Nest of Terra, he could still clearly see that these people were both unique and powerful. The fact that their Martial Art was very different from others gave him hope that they would be able to help him grow stronger.
'Yes, that is my ultimate objective.' His eyes narrowed. 'Project Water must be fulfilled. I should find sothing that only these people can give to help with my Adaptive Evolution.'
What he was particularly interested in was their earth-bending, followed by their Martial philosophy. Within these two, he was sure that he would find sothing that would especially aid his Martial Art in growing stronger.
"It has been truly interesting to see how unique your training thods are." He turned towards Sage Kyria. "But, if possible, I would like to move on to exploring the unique earth-bending and Martial philosophy of the Nest of Terra in the higher Realms. Specifically…"
A smile arose on his face. "I'd like to see Martial Masters train and fight."
Sage Kyria seed hardly surprised at his request. "Very well then, allow to show you where our Masters engage in their art."
She descended deeper into the city as Rui and Amare followed her.
"The training premises of Martial Masters are large and expansive and occupy the second inner-most ring and the second largest division of the City of Martia," Sage Kyria explained. "Martial Masters, as I'm sure the two of you are especially familiar with, require great arrangents to ensure that they can safely train without spreading mass harm."
RUMBLE…
Tremors passed through the land beneath their feet as they grew closer and closer to the Master-level ring.
"We have arrived," she remarked. "This entire zone circling around the entire city is dedicated to Martial Masters exclusively. We hope that you find it to be suiting, Prince Rui."
What he saw stunned him.
"This…" His eyes widened. "What is this?"
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