Emperor Rael heaved a sigh as he put down his pen, brushing aside the paperwork he had been buried in. His hair was disheveled, while dark bags had begun developing under his eyes.
His table was ssy and cluttered, while his clothes were crumpled.
He lacked the usual luster that he possessed as the Emperor of the Kandrian Empire.
He gazed out his window as the early light of dawn illuminated his office, dispelling the darkness of night. Sage Sayfeel silently stood behind him in an alert position, monitoring his environnt to ensure that his charge was safe.
Emperor Rael inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.
He had been inordinately busy in the past six months that had passed since the Unfolding.
Much had happened in the months that had passed since then, making for an extraordinarily pressuring period.
He had devoted himself to learning more about the true world as the True World Intelligence Organization had ford, gathering information on the true world at an increasingly efficient rate.
He had also been paying attention to the many polities, races, and power blocs that existed in the true world and their reactions to the arrival of a new continent and untold treasures within it.
Over the past five months, he had focused on internal developnt and internal relations. Rui’s deal with Jormungandr had allowed for free trade to unfold between continents; thus, the Emperor of Harmony had rushed to try and broker as many armistices, treaties, and trade deals as he could.
The success of the treaty with the dark elves had been an assuring first step, but it was not enough.
Because they were pacifists, they were unwilling to go to war for the sake of human civilization. This ant that the deterrence that they provided was not as heavy as the Emperor of Harmony would have liked.
The enemies of human civilization comprised powerful entities, each of which was as strong, if not even stronger than, all of human civilization as a whole. This ant that for human civilization to succeed, they needed a greater deterrence in the form of more willing allies that were also powerful.
After the finalization of the Genora-Panama Treaty, human civilization had received the spontaneous wood expansion technology from the dark elves, and the Emperor of Harmony had rapidly accelerated the corridor network project, along with the help of the Elder Tree, who had been given authority over the Beast Domain.
Simultaneously, the Panamic Alliance had also expended many resources into the space station that the Esoterist had spent years designing, along with the Astromind in the manifold.
From improving continental connectivity to improving the Panama Continent’s space presence, the Emperor of Harmony had many, many priorities that each demanded ti and attention, burdening him as the de facto leader of human civilization.
"Huff..." he heaved a deep breath, before returning to his work.
BZZT BZZT!
His commpad buzzed, drawing his attention.
His eyes sharpened knowingly.
"So, they’ve finally done it, have they?"
BANG
The door to his office flew open as an official entered his office, saluting the emperor.
"Your Majesty, we have received word from the dark elves that His Highness has been kidnapped by the light elves via teleportation! According to the dark elves, the light elves have comnced an assault on him. According to them..."
The official gritted his teeth.
"His Highness is unlikely to survive!"
The air grew grim.
The atmosphere grew electric with peril.
And yet, the Emperor of Harmony maintained a calm expression.
"He will survive."
The official’s eyes widened. "Your Majesty...!"
"Still..." Emperor Rael’s tone grew unpleasant. "Teleportation, was it? Smart and doesn’t give us a chance to intervene, unless..."
His golden eyes lit up as he recognized an opportunity.
"...I will leave it to you, Rui."
Emperor Rael had long known that his son had daredevil tendencies when it ca to pushing his adaptive evolution to the limit. He knew that Rui intended to use the Eye of Prophecy to foresee danger when he was away from the Panama Continent so that he wouldn’t be caught off guard.
Ideally, he would have preferred if Rui were more careful and cautious, and less prone to bursts of irrational battle thirst.
However, given that he couldn’t change that part of him, he knew that there was no point in even trying to worry. The best he could do was simply account for it and plan around it so that he could make the best possible outco.
Within minutes, his office had been filled with concerned officials who gazed at him with desperation.
"Your Majesty, what should we do?!"
"We must act quickly!"
"Those damn long-eared bastards dare attack our prince!"
"Calm down," Emperor Rael instructed them with a composed tone. "You all should know how strong my son is. It is indeed true that he is in trouble, but killing him will be extrely difficult. Have faith."
He didn’t rely console them, however.
"Prepare the World Bridge," he remarked with a steely tone. "Gather a battalion of powerful Martial Sages with the sole intention of committing a targeted and discreet operation against the light elves in the event that they cross into dark elf territory as my son retreats from East Genora and returns to the west. The mont the light elves cross the boundary of the two civilizations..."
His tone grew stronger.
"...we will have gained the mandate to intervene as per the Genora-Panama Treaty."
The officials standing in his office widened their eyes as they understood what the Emperor of Harmony wanted to achieve.
"We will show the world that we are powerful allies who leap to our ally’s aid for even the slightest provocation." Emperor Rael’s golden eyes narrowed. "We need to establish a powerful precedent for the many nations and states of the true world who are on the fence about forming a trade or alliance with us. We must show them that we adhere to our agreents religiously. This will undoubtedly move at least so of them off the fence and onto our court, willing to forge an agreent with us."
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