The Martial Unity

Having found his path to contributing to the world, Julian was all but ready set out on the voyage of integrating true world technology with the esoteric technology of the Panama Continent. Rui was glad that his brother had found a way to make his vast knowledge base and skillset uniquely useful for the future of human civilization.

The fact of the matter was that there were many shortcomings in the technologies of the Panama Continent that could benefit from true world technology. The material scarcity of esoteric matter was not something that the true world suffered from because ordinary matter was everywhere.

That was why the evolutionaries could afford to build and rebuild their base over and over again, even after it was destroyed or damaged.

It was why the tekvores could rapidly build multiple seabases in the Great Nam Ocean in less than a month. It was why the dark elves could build a tree bridge between the Panama Continent and West Genora.

Rui knew that if human civilization wanted to achieve the kind of scale of technology that the true world had, it would need to learn to harness non-esoteric technology.

He even briefly considered giving his brother all the scientific and technological knowledge he had on the matter to boost his start, but ultimately decided against it. The reason was simply in that the technology of the true world exceeded his understanding. It was far superior to the technology that they had on Earth, and he had never been a technologically inclined person in the first place.

It was better for his brother to start off without incomplete knowledge and learn from the superior technology of the true world.

The two of them chatted until dawn, exchanging stories from the eleven years that they had been separated from each other. Rui wanted to hear more about how the world had changed in the time since he was away, especially so when he hadn’t really had the chance to reckon with all of them.

“This town…” Rui murmured. “It’s incredible. I didn’t think the village would develop so much in just a short span of time.”

Julian smiled. “We have had increasing immigration rates to this place ever since your identity as a prince was divulged more than twenty years ago, and it only increased after you became the Dawnbringer and a Martial Sage. People want to live where you grew up and that has caused this town to blow up to the extent that it has.”

Rui stirred at those words.

“I wonder what mom would think about this.”

Julian pondered the words before smiling.

“She would probably be happy that so many people have chosen to live in a place that she decided to make her home.”

A nostalgic smile emerged on Rui’s face.

“That sounds about right.”

He gazed out of the window in the living room as the earliest light of dawn pierced through the darkness of the night, gently warming the chilly as. The sight of it reminded Rui of the days he would get up early as a kid to go out and start training for the eventual Martial Academy entrance exam that he would partake a few years later.

More than six decades had passed since then.

He had returned as one of the very most powerful Martial Artists on the entire continent.

“Where is Max and Mana?” Rui raised an eyebrow, turning back to Julian. “I’d like to meet them at least once before I go about my list of people I need to meet. I don’t sense them here in the orphanage.”

Julian smiled. “They’re training with Arastia.”

Rui raised an eyebrow at the name.

It didn’t ring a bell.

“Is that a young kid from the orphanage who has great promise for Martial Art?”

Julian smiled knowingly at Rui’s words. “You’ll see. They’re training far away in the woods from here, you should be able to find them.”

“Alright then,” Rui got up, “I’ll catch you later.”

It wasn’t long before he took the skies as his senses spread far and wide across the forest outside of the Quarrier Town.

“There they are.” His eyes lit up as he sensed the Master-level presences of Max and Mana.

As well as a third presence.

A strange presence that was different from any other he was familiar with.

WHOOSH

In a matter of second, he soared through the sky, arriving at their location swiftly.

What he saw, however, surprised him.

Max and Mana stood by a child, overseeing the training of a child.

A child with blood-red hair and eyes.

It took a single glance to understand what he was looking at.

“A blood human.”

WHOOSH

He lowered himself from the skies.

“Big brother Rui…!” Max and Mana grew stunned with delight at his arrival. “You finally woke up!”

Rui’s attention returned to his adoptive siblings with an amused smile. “Technically, you’re older than me, so you’re the older ones, big brother and sister.”

The two Martial Masters stiffened at those words.

“Don’t call us that!”

His gaze shifted to the blood human child who gazed at him with a stunned expression.

“It’s the prince!”

She gazed at him with stars in her eyes as her expression lit up with ecstatic excitement.

She donned an adorable little Martial attire for practicing her Martial Art, gaping at him with recognition, largely thanks to all the pictures and images of Rui that had long been circulating the Kandrian Empire.

Rui smiled at her enthusiasm, before kneeling down before her and patting her head.

“You must be Arastia.”

She beamed at being recognized.

“You must be the prince!”

Rui chuckled at her words. “I suppose that’s correct.”

“They say you’re the strongest Martial Artist alive!” She grew increasingly excited. “Is that true?!”

Rui smiled wryly. “Maybe. I have heard they are very strong as well. Maybe you can defeat me in a fight.”

“Ehhh… no, I haven’t even broken through to the Apprentice Realm,” her expression fell. “I can’t fully control all my strength yet. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Rui’s smile grew amused at her sincerity of concern.

“I think I can somehow manage.”