"Frankly, you surprise us time and time again, Squire Quarrier," The man began speaking a little more freely. "I have spent many years working with many Martial Artists, yet I have never come across an individual like you. Frankly, if not for the confidential information that we had on you, we probably would never have even noticed. You most likely took this measure to throw off foreign parties who may be looking into the Voider, or even native Kandrian forces, and you most certainly accomplished that."
"You flatter me," Rui replied simply. "You've made your point, Commissioner Reze. I admit to nothing as of this moment. However, I am interested in hearing what you are actually here for. I am aware that you did not go through all the trouble of coming here in such a clandestine manner only to brag about how you allegedly found us. Please continue on to the main point."
Rui knew the Martial Union well enough to know that they would not any heavy-handed methods to stop him. The biggest reason for that is because that would cross lines that they themselves had set with the expressed intent of never crossing in order to build a reputation and track record of being trustworthy with their word and not overbearingly domineering.
Forcefully halting the entirely legal international business ventures of one of its external members when it possessed absolutely no right or directive to was an extremely gross violation of a number of rights of a very gifted and promising Martial Squire. Even if they were willing to risk the credibility that they had painstakingly built over long periods of time, such a move could not be hidden from everybody and would spread like wildfire in many circles in the Kandrian Empire.
This gave Rui a lot of leeway. He knew that even if they knew, there was nothing they could do to him.
Or to be more precise, it was not worth shattering their credibility in a gross violation of his rights as an organization that was created to protect them. Even if they halted him, it wasn't as though they would instantly start succeeding in the Shionel Dungeon just because the Voider was gone.
Even if they did, the material benefits would not be worth it.
Of course, Rui was very well cognizant of the fact that everybody had a price. For example, if the Martial Union found out that he could exponentially increase the rate of breakthroughs to the Apprentice Realm, then the Martial Union would not even hesitate in the slightest to detain him.
Still, this situation wasn't anywhere nearly as extreme as that.
They could not afford to use the stick, thus which left them with a carrot.
"You're perceptive, Squire Quarrier," The man smiled. "You are correct. The main reason that I am here today is to make you an offer."
"I am listening,"
The man paused for a moment before his demeanor became more serious. "Things are going to get rougher for the Voider from here on out. Chairman Deacon has roped in all the freelancers and independent Martial Squires with a bounty that grows larger almost every day. He has united the merchants of the esoteric supplier industry local to the Shionel Confederation in their mutual interests to get rid of the Voider that has infringed and dominated their sector, as well as foreign suppliers. He has also roped foreign stakeholders with a special interest in the esoteric supplies of the dungeon, such as nations interested in them for national interests, these are strategic substances after all."
He paused for a moment. "Frankly, the probability that it is going to overwhelm the Voider, at one point or the other, is not low. Frankly, I'm still amazed by the sheer amount of success that the Voider has achieved, it's utterly baffling now that we have come across the true identities of the Voider. It's even more surprising how they managed to lock in the biggest bigshot in the nation to partner with them, and even pass a bill for their sake. However, it's clear that that connection will not be able to protect the Voider."
"What if the Voider is extremely confident in their capabilities?" Rui shrugged.
"We would be surprised, yet we would bid the Voider good luck," The man shook his head. "We do not act against one of our own. You may have a dim view of our motivations, but ultimately the Martial Union exists for Martial Artists and Martial Art. The proposal that we have to offer is truly in the mutual interests of both sides."
Rui didn't respond immediately.
He had to admit that he was feeling the pressure recently. It was literally as though the whole world, or the parts of it close enough to matter, was against them. Asides from Guildmaster Bradt, it seemed as though everybody inside and outside the Shionel Confederation was his enemy and was hunting him alive.
"I'm open to considering your proposal," Rui spoke openly this time, dropping the pretenses. "But that doesn't mean I will take it. If I decide not to, then I won't."
"That is understandable, Squire Quarrier," The man smiled eagerly. "The proposal I have for you entails an exchange of aid, relief, and protection from the aggressive search for the Voider that Chairman Deacon has set out on, in exchange for a cut of the resources of your harvests, as well as some other minor conditions. We can get into the specifics if you want, but essentially, The Martial Union can accept Chairman Deacon's offer and will join the alliance and engage in just the right amount of sabotage to guarantee that they never catch on to you without revealing themselves. We can drastically obscure your traces, misdirect their attention, confuse the investigation with well-timed misinformation, and engage in a lot of counter-intelligence sabotage. You can rest assured in the capabilities of our Covert Operations Department, we have excellent agents and Martial Artists, as I'm sure you know firsthand."
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