The Martial Unity

Rui frowned at the Britannian Prime Minister’s words.

He didn’t buy them.

“If your words had any semblance of truth, you would not have failed to defeat my father even a single time in all the times that you have clashed against him militarily and politically,” Rui scoffed. “What, were all those times luck as well?”

To his credit, Prime Minister Edward didn’t appear to be moved by his provocative words. “No. Your father… is extraordinary. I will give him that, at least. There is almost no one in the entire world who possesses the endless proficiency and prowess in every field relevant to our roles as leaders. And admittedly… he is more rational than I am.”

Rui found it to be surprising that the Prime Minister Edward was willing to admit that after going on a spiel about how being egoless was just as bad as being egotistical.

“However, my point still stands. Your father has a blindspot that he is not aware of,” Prime Minister Edward continued. “Worst of all, he thinks it’s his greatest strength.”

“If the only advantage of ego is being able to understand the ego of other people better, then I’m not convinced that it is worth all the downsides of ego,” Rui retorted. “The fact of the matter is that even if I grant you that the Third Great East Panamic War may have ended with you being the last one standing, that’s one victory among many more defeats. Ultimately, my father is able to emerge victorious far more often than not.”

“It is easy to speak confidently of events you weren’t there for,” Prime Minister Edward snorted. “Regardless, it isn’t worth my time to correct your many misconceptions of the events of the past. For now, let us return to more relevant matters. I have already heard of all the details of your agreements with the Sekigahara Confederate, so I know what to expect. You seek reparations, correct?”

Rui didn’t like how easily he seized the flow of the conversation but nodded nonetheless. “There won’t be any chance of you getting my help unless you make reparations for all the crimes you committed against the Kandrian Empire.”

“War is not a crime.” The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes.

“Only the victors get to decide that,” Rui counters. “We won. We also hold all the leverage. We will decide whether or not what you did required reparations, and we have.”

Prime Minister Edward was clearly extremely displeased, yet he couldn’t deny it.

“What do you want?”

Rui fell into thought. “Your national treasure. It was, if I’m not wrong-“

“The Cornucopia,” Prime Minister Edward replied. “And, no. You cannot have it or partial ownership of it. Unlike the Sekigaharans, we are not nearly as lacking in Masters for us to grovel for your blessings. We are Britannians, lad.”

His aloof, cold attitude reflected that he was well aware of the dynamics of power. The Kandrian Empire and Rui were certainly at an advantage, but not an overwhelming one like they had against the Sekigahara Confederate.

On top of that, Prime Minister Edward was truly strong in negotiations with far greater experience and proficiency. He seized the initiative by batting down suggestions before Rui could even make them by looking at his negotiations with the Sekigaharans.

On top of that, the Kandrian Empire truly needed the Britannian Empire to join the unified Sage taskforce. After all, the Britannian Empire served as a geographic shield. If it didn’t send Sages to intercept and eliminate its fair share of quasi-Transcendent beasts and monsters, then the Kandrian Empire, which was the closest Sage-level powerhouse to it, would also not fair well against the destruction of quasi-Transcendent beasts when they did emerge.

The Kandrian Empire needed the Britannian Empire to partake in the solution just as much as the Britannian Empire itself did.

Prime Minister Edward had understood this very well, so he knew that while he was at a disadvantage in the negotiations, it was not overwhelming.

Although a part of their nation had been destroyed, the Britannian Empire still retained all its Sages and most of its Masters from the war. This meant that it could truly hold out while it recovered from its devastating wounds in the long run. The Sekigahara Confederate had been entirely lacking in the Master department and had become truly desperate for Rui’s blessings and had acquiesced to his domineering demands.

Additionally, with the Cornucopia, the Britannian Empire was not short on supplies either. It supplied them with all the food that they could ever need. With the Esoterist’s esotractor weapon, they were able to gain access to the esoteric resources they needed due to having the greatest exposure to the Beast Incursion.

“So, what’s it going to be, Dawnbringer?” Prime Minister Edward broke the silence that had fallen between them.

Rui fell into thought as he tried to come up with proposals that met the Kandrian Empire’s needs while also remaining within the Britannian Empire’s limits.

“The Cornucopia’s food supply…” Rui muttered. “Does it have limits?”

“The only limit it has is time. It produces a large amount of consumables at a continuous rate, but aside from that it doesn’t have any limits,” the Prime Minister replied.

“How great is the export industry of the Britannian Empire?” Rui asked.

“Decent, it used to account for about eight percent of our gross domestic product, but I do not deign to use the Cornucopia for exports for it increases supply and results in deflation, causing our native exporters to suffer. Our colonies also suffer and thus we benefit less. So, we used to ensure that prices of agricultural products remained high to make as much profit as possible.”

Rui wasn’t surprised that the Britannian Empire deliberately restrained application of the Cornucopia for exports to maximize their profits.

“Which means that aside from domestic consumption, you do not utilize the Cornucopia for much,” Rui continued. “Well, then how about supplying us with the excess?”