The Martial Unity

Emperor Rael mulled over the Elder Tree’s words carefully.

He hadn’t considered that the Elder Tree would not only be aware of who he was beyond his relationship with his son but also appreciate him for his philosophy. He could see the parallels between them based on the understanding that he had gotten from Rui and the Divine Doctor. This was a creature whose survival was contingent on the stability of the ecosystems of the Beast Domain. It had sought to maintain them by protecting the balance of life as much as possible.

There were parallels between the two of them in so far as how they exercised their power in relation with others that they could influence.

It was a rather strange feeling to be told that he bore a resemblance to a giant intelligent tree. Still, regardless of the nuance, this was a good thing.

It meant that they had a good starting point for their correspondence.That was a good opportunity for building a good rapport. He instantly gained a higher certainty that he would succeed in extracting value from the Elder Tree as a super asset. “Tell me, you negotiated aid from my son for your ecosystem management in exchange for the inheritance of your knowledge, information on the Divine Doctor, and general intelligence aid to us,” Emperor Rael continued. “How much do you need precisely? And how much do you offer in return?”

It was important to specify the details when it came down to it. Rael’s planning needed to be extremely precise and accurate if he had any chance of succeeding with his immense ambition.

I do not require much, the Elder Tree replied. What I only require is aid with South Panama. I am situated in the North of the Beast Domain, as you are undoubtedly aware. Because of that, my domain of influence is strongest in the North before lessening in western and eastern parts of the Beast Domain. It is minimal in the Southern parts, where I truly have to strain myself to extend my influence.

Rael sighed with relief as he shook his head.

He was worried that he would have to expend immense Martial capital across the entire Beast Domain. However, the Elder Tree being limited to the South of the Beast Domain was a good thing; it limited how much help the being needed from them.

“And how much are you able to offer in return?” Rael asked with a hint of eagerness.

Everything. His eyebrow rose.

I possess immense awareness across the entire Beast Domain, although it lessens in precision the deeper one goes due to the anti-sensory suppression of the region, the Elder Tree elaborated. Thus, I can tell you about the location of precious resources that you humans love so much. I can tell you the whereabouts of certain species of flora and fauna. As well as the location of all undiscovered mines of precious esoterics. I can direct you to other esoteric phenomena that you humans regard as priceless.

A smile emerged on Rael’s face.

This was exactly what he was hoping for. This resource was something that would make traveling the Beast Domain far easier. Normally, the difficulty of the Beast Domain matched its rewards; however, with the intelligence of the Elder Tree, it was far easier.

However, there are limitations, the Elder Tree cautioned the Emperor. The resolution of my senses is not the highest. After all, these are indirect senses through flora and fauna. Thus, I can get you to within a radius of a human village of the desired target, but you will have to search for the target within said area.

Emperor Rael shook his head lightly. “That is not a problem. The fact that you can narrow it down to such a degree is quite amazing in and of itself.”

Rael was already thinking of the many ways that he could employ this network to maximize its impact yield. In fact, he didn’t need to delay the utility of the Elder Tree network for too long either. As long as he could keep its gains subtle, he could avoid too much scrutiny over time. This was unlike some of the other treasures, whose benefits were much more direct and could not be hidden too much if used to the maximum.

He was certain that he could use it to benefit the nation and stock up on war capital before the actual war.

In particular, what he was interested in was the fact that while the other two resources aided Martial Artists, they did not aid non-Martial military power. This meant that the Martial Union soaked most of the benefits while the Royal Army and Navy lagged behind.

That was the reason that he put such an emphasis on the Elder Tree. It was the only resource that benefited esoteric weapons technology more than it did Martial Art. That was why he needed to ensure that he used it to accelerate the development of weapons technology to keep up the growth in Martial Art.

Without this, his power as Emperor would be undermined, increasing the tensions between himself and the Martial Union. In order to maintain the balance of power, he would have to go all out on the Elder Tree’s intelligence. Martial Art had been making an astonishing amount of progress, really showing off why the entire era was named after it.

It was also in part due to his son empowering Martial Arts with his thought techniques while also making contributions like the Hungry Pain technique.

While he was inordinately proud of his son for such accomplishments, it put him in a tough spot. He continued negotiating with Elder Tree about the details of their agreement before finalizing it. While he was wary of the fact that there was no enforcement mechanism disincentivizing violating, it was ultimately not a deal breaker. Based on the two sources that he had consulted on the matter, there was no need for such a thing, after all.

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