"…Alright, if that's how you want to go about it, then go ahead with it," Rui replied. "Let's put aside the matter of the Kandrian Throne War for now," Julian heaved a sigh. "I did not come here to talk about such heavy topics."
He turned to Rui. "Tell me, what do you plan to do now that you're back here?"
Rui considered the question wordlessly. "…In the short term, I think I just want to it a little slow for now. I have been away for nearly eight years, and I just want to experience a bit of what I've missed all this time."
It was quite surreal to think that he had already returned home. He couldn't quite get enough of it, especially considering it hadn't even been a full day since he arrived.
"That's understandable, I'm glad you're not going to run off on some other long-term distant commission or something like that. It's good to take things slow when you've been living fast and hard," Julian gently coaxed Rui.
"After that…I'm going to work on reaching the Master Realm," Rui replied. "I also have plenty of business and matters to handle."
He knew that the Martial Union was undoubtedly waiting for him. Though he was glad that they had enough tact and respect for his personal liberty that they didn't try and send a messenger summoning him to the head office of the Martial Union. That gave him a better impression of them.
"Isn't it a bit too soon for you to think about the Master Realm?" Julian asked hesitantly. "The youngest breakthrough to the Master Realm occurred at the age of sixty, after all."
"I don't intend to take that long. I have a more immediate need for that kind of power," Rui thought about the matter of Master Uma long and hard.
There was no way she wouldn't find him before he turned sixty. Although the Panama Continent was enormous and the information connectivity across the continent was shit, it was still only a matter of time before she found him.
The main reasons for this were that his facial features were rare, and he was going to be more famous than he ever had been before. It would probably take years, but eventually, Master Uma would run into a picture of Rui Quarrier and recognize him.
That's why Rui needed to delay that from happening. He had just gotten back to a peaceful life, and he had no intention of losing it yet again. He already had some pretty good ideas on how to prevent that from happening. This time, he had no intention of taking any half-assed measures to ensure that he wasn't discovered.
And once he broke through to the Master Realm, he would kill her the very day he did.
For now, that was still a while away.
"I also intend to familiarize myself with the Kandrian Empire more than I already have," Rui replied. "Although I wasn't necessarily unfamiliar with this nation, I only realized how great this empire is after visiting other places. While far from perfect, the people of the Kandrian Empire are generally not unhappy, I've even ventured to say that this is a happy nation, all things considered. I'd rather nothing happen to the peace and harmony within the Empire."
Of course, he knew that was already false. With the cold throne war silently brewing at the highest echelons, it was only a matter of time before it escalated even further, threatening the pace that he had come to belatedly learn the value of.
Then there were bastards like the Carnil Mafia, who also threatened the peace and harmony of the Kandrian Empire.
Unfortunately, Rui lacks the power to deal with these events. Even if he was a Martial Sage, it was unlikely that he would be able to do anything. After all, there were fourteen Martial Sages in the Kandrian Empire.
He shook his head. 'Rather than focusing on things that I can't affect, I should focus on things that I can.'
Rui chatted a bit more with Julian as the two of them broached lighter topics. "Ah, I've meant to ask you… That Martial Senior…is she your girlfriend?" Julian peeked at Rui curiously.
Rui did his best to maintain a composed expression. "…She's special, but we're not in a committed relationship. There are practical impediments. We want different things in life. I can't stand stagnating in one place for too long, especially after what I've experienced in the past eight years. I know for a fact I would be much weaker had the fiasco of the Shionel Confederation not occurred, derailing my life."
He probably wouldn't even be a Martial Senior.
"I see. Your lifestyle differences are too great, are they?" Rui nodded. "I enjoy her company, she has a funny sense of humor and is fun to talk to. But she's the type who enjoys peaceful monotony. But I have ambitions in life that require me to push myself, to subject myself to danger to stimulate myself. And that usually means not being in the Kandrian Empire."
"It is hard to imagine a Martial Senior associated with the Martial Union experiencing grave danger on a daily basis inside the Kandrian Empire," Julian admitted. "The Kandrian Empire is too stable for me to feel any sense of danger," Rui replied. "It's why I began doing foreign missions as a Martial Apprentice in the first place. The Martial Union may as well be nigh-omnipotent within the boundaries of the Kandrian Empire. What could possibly make me feel desperate?"
The only thing he would find as a Martial Senior in the Kandrian Empire are bodyguard jobs for the most powerful figures in the nation. Perhaps some business magnates and tycoons like Charles DiViliers. Important bureaucratic figures within the government and Martial Union.
The kind of people who were rarely truly in danger with the obscene amount of protection they received.
"Sounds like you'll eventually get bored of the Kandrian Empire," Julian smiled wryly.
"Eventually, probably. But for now, I'm here to stay. I've been away for far too long."
