1554 Seven
The one that came next on the list was Princess Rana.
According to both reports Princess Rana was supported by the coastal sector of the nation. The Kandrian Empire bordered the Great Nam Ocean for thousands of kilometers, shaped like a strip. This meant that the coastal sector of the Kandrian Empire was extremely developed and large. It accounted for a meaningful chunk of the entirety of the national GDP.
Princess Ranea had earned the support of the Kandrian Seafare Association, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, and various sub-
sectors all relating to the ocean and coast in one way or another, be it transport, manufacturing, supplies, or information.
This gave her the capital to stand against even the Minister Princess who had the most authority among all the princes and princesses, as well against even the Martial Prince who had gained immense Martial capital from the Martial Union, and against the Underworld Prince with the support of the Underworld.
Another one of the list was Princess Rafia. She was, to put it briefly, the Corporate Princess. She had earned the support of the Kandrian Merchant Guild and the most support out of the top one hundred corporations and companies within the Kandrian Empire. Her greatest strength was her sheer monetary capital which was arguably the highest out of all the princes and princesses.
Prince Randal was a colonel in the military. Out of all the candidates, he earned the greatest share of support from the Royal Army. The only issue that hampered him from taking complete control of the army was that his rank was too low. The military was an institution where hierarchy was absolute, it was difficult for a lot of higher-ups to accept that they would be commanded by someone who was of a lower rank.
This hampered him from gaining absolute control over the army.
Of the remaining four, one that drew his attention the most was Prince Raul. Prince Raul did not have any corporate backing, nor any heavy Martial capital. He didn't have any authority within the government.
Yet; he had massive support amongst the people.
Prince Raul was known as the People's Emperor in many places. He create a non-profit known as the Kandrian Ruffians. A beloved group that traveled across the Kandrian Empire engaging in all sorts of small-scale and large-scale projects to help the citizens of the nation.
The funding came purely from the humble and modest donations of the people. The manpower came purely from good-hearted able-bodied men and women who were inspired by his people-first ideology and worked hard to realize them, even if they weren't always remunerated for their efforts.
Had the Kandrian Empire been a democratic Republic, he would have been an absolute lock for the ruler if it came down to an election.
But, alas, this was not the case.
The Martial Union's description of Prince Raul was clinical and rational. Many considered him to be the weakest out of all the seven prime candidates because he was sorely lacking economically, politically, and Martially.
The Beggar's Sect, on the other hand, spoke wonders of the man. If what they said was true, then Prince Raul was an angel in human form. Born with a heart large enough to wrap around the entire world, he was a man of godly benevolence and righteousness. He glowed with a luster that only those pure of heart possessed!
'Come on now,' Rui scoffed when he read the report. 'I get that you support him, but really?'
They didn't even need to specify that they supported him, and they didn't do so either. But Rui knew from his time with the Beggar's Sect that Prince Raul definitely appealed to them the most.
Perhaps that was why he was considered to be among the top seven. It was because he had information on his side. Rui would not be surprised if the man did not even know he was being supported by the Beggar's Sect!
According to both reports, he had the least political acumen out of all the princes and princesses. While he possessed a fierce drive for that persevered and inspired his followers to persevere through all challenges that beset them, he did not possess finesse, he did not possess the calculating nature to understand how to leverage what he had to win the elections.
He was arguably the most unique and the one that Rui was already fond of. According to both reports, he had been the one to contribute to fighting back the most against the recent Noremin, Clackamol, and Dresatone narcotic drug epidemic.
Rui's eyes widened. These were the three narcotic plants that overwhelmingly populated the Great Forest of Hypnonarak.
'I see…so while I was fighting the Carnil Mafia in the Great Forest of Hypnonarak, he was fighting the Carnil Mafia in the Kandrian Empire,' Rui's opinion of the man had grown even more.
In fact, he was almost certain that the Kandrian Ruffians run by the man were responsible for helping to rehabilitate Farion when he had become addicted to Noremin. The Beggar's Sect had probably approached him from within the organization.
That made Rui like him even more.
Regardless, Rui had gained a good overview of the dynamics of the seven prime candidates for the throne.
Prince Raul, the People's Prince, the prince who had earned the love of the citizens of the nation.
Prince Randal, the Colonel Prince, the man with a significant chunk of the mighty Kandrian Royal Army standing behind him.
Princess Raemina, the Finance Princess, the Finance Minister with the highest authority within the government.
Princess Ranea, the Coastal Princess, the prince that had won general support of Kandria's sea industry.
Prince Raijun, the Martial Prince, the Martial Apprentice had tapped into the desire of many people to see a Martial Artist rule the Kandrian Empire.
Princess Rafia, the Corporate Princess, the princess that was backed by an ocean of wealth from the corporations of the Kandrian Empire's powerful economy.
Prince Rajak, the Underworld Prince, the prince that had earned the full support of the Kandrian Underworld.
Seven princes and princesses stood far above their siblings. One of the seven of them would one day be crowned the next ruler of the Kandrian Empire.
