The Martial Unity

Chapter 3832: Forgotten Contributions

His words brought about approval and relief among many of the gathered government officials. Unlike his father, who even experts deferred to thanks to his vast ocean of political knowledge, skill, and experience, Rui was the exact opposite. Their biggest concern had been whether he would try to take matters into his own hands the way that Emperor Rael was capable of doing in some vain attempt to live up to the Emperor of Harmony.

Thankfully, Rui conveyed humility and self-awareness. He was not Rael. He would need to be hand-held like a baby learning to walk when it came to governance and policy.

He even intended to create a chief minister position who understood his will and his intentions and could handle most of the day-to-day problems for him, but that would have to wait until after he became Emperor.

”To answer your earlier question, yes, there is a plan on how to fix this in the short term.” The Minister of Finance continued. ”We are currently feeding and housing our people with our massive emergency food stocks and the vast underground shelters that your father created in case of an emergency, such as this. The economic crisis would be much worse. For now, there is no immediate fix that can stave off the crisis, and I would advise against even attempting to do so. This crisis emerges from damage to our foundations as a nation, and it will not go away until we restore those foundations. And the person in charge of that is one whose support you have already won.”

Minister Danes nodded at Minister Varnen’s words before turning to Rui. ”I have already shared with you Project MetroVision, Your Highness. That is the long-term solution to fixing our economic and people crisis.”

”In the immediate short-term, there isn’t much you can do outside of cutting interest rates,” the Minister of Finance continued. ”Director Milian here of the Kandrian Reserve Bank has already cut interest rates by three points to fuel demand and keep the economy going despite the wounds that the nation has endured. But we predict that this will cause tremendous inflation in the short term due to plummeting food imports, destroyed maritime infrastructure, and rising money supply. Our emergency food supply will only last a week with many millions of people displaced and eating three meals a day.”

Rui frowned. ”What about importing food through land if not sea?”

”It would raise the cost significantly, causing supply-side inflationary pressures anyway.” The Minister of Finance remarked with a more severe tone. ”We must choose between a famine or hyperinflation driven by food import costs, falling food supplies, and rising demand.”

”What about the economic corridors my father worked on?”

Rui remarked with a recollecting tone. ”That was meant to streamline international trade, among other things, right?”

”Yes, but it has not been completed yet beyond the Martial Transit System, which has saved us in the war.” The Minister of Trade and Commerce, a woman in her thirties, remarked. ”It will not ameliorate the most intense and immediate phase of this crisis.”

”How did we deal with this during the Era of Darkness?” Rui frowned. ”I don’t recall us having a famine.”

A wave of laughter emerged across the high-ranking government officials as they all shared in a moment of humor that completely eluded him. He tilted his head with a hint of confusion.

”Do you not remember your own actions and contributions, Rui?” Princess Ru smiled in a good-natured manner. ”You were the one who solved the food crisis for the entire continent during the Beast Incursion.”

Rui did a double-take at those words. ”I’m pretty sure I did no such thing. I have absolutely no memory of—”

He paused as his ethereal eyes lit up with recollection.

”It seems that you finally remembered,” Minister Danes chuckled. ”You were the one who convinced that bastard Edward from Britannia to share the Britannian national treasure with the entire continent.”

Rui’s pitch-black irises grew hazy as he thought back to his visit to the Britannian Empire all those years ago. ”That’s right, I got him to share his Cornucopia with the entire world. It’s been so long.”

It had completely escaped his memory due to all the more exciting and significant events that happened in his journey throughout human civilization, whether it was his fights with Martial Sages as a Martial Master, meeting Amare, discovering the Scripture of Terra, or obtaining the Blood Goddess’s eggs.

In his mind, those events completely dwarfed the little pact he had signed with Edward to share the Cornucopia with the world. It was a Transcendent-grade treasure that could magically produce infinite food in the form of grains or pulses or even meat. Rui had managed to get the selfish prime minister to share it with Kandria, and indirectly the entire world, in exchange for his mass-triggered breakthroughs and his Hellbringer Model.

”To you, it may have simply been a simple deal, but that deal allowed billions of people around the world to be fed. That agreement prevented famine from consuming our civilization across the entire continent,” Princess Ru remarked with an appreciative tone and a sincere smile. ”Of all the gifts you have given to that continent, it ranks in the top three, above even your mass breakthroughs. It is why you are a net positive despite all of your deep flaws.”

Rui scratched his head with an awkward expression. ”It wasn’t that big of a deal, you know? I’m sure my father would have managed.”

”Unlikely,” Princess Ru remarked. ”At the time, Edward hated our father due to being deprived of a victory due to the Beast Incursion. ’His ego is too big,’ I recall our father complaining. You could only imagine our surprise when he contacted us, offering unlimited Cornucopia supplies out of nowhere. We never got to thank you for that because your journey through human civilization continued for several more years, but since it has come up...”

Her voice grew more sincere as she smiled at him earnestly. ”I sincerely thank you on behalf of all of human civilization.”

It was a sentiment that was shared by everyone in the room.

”Alright, alright, you’re welcome.” Rui gestured with his hands as an awkward smile emerged on his face, before his eyes grew more serious. ”More importantly, if I can convince that man to give us an abundance of food from the cornucopia, then we can fix our crisis, right?”

”Yes, but...” Princess Ru heaved a sigh. ”He’s a political mastermind. He knows we are in a vulnerable position and he’ll squeeze great concessions from us.”

”Leave Edward to me,” Rui remarked with a serious tone of voice. ”I’ll get the food that our nation requires. I still have some cards that I haven’t played yet.”