1558 Invitation
She certainly didn't waste too much time getting the point. That was to be expected, Rui supposed. She was a chief executive in the Raemina Administration, she probably had an endless list of agendas to be tackled for the day.
"It is a modest event that Her Highness has decided to hold for patrons and sponsors, as well as potential allies that may be interested in Her Highness' campaign," Miss Vilmentine explained. "We would be delighted to see the two of you there."
"…I appreciate the invitation," Rui smiled. "We look forward to the occasion and meeting Her Highness."
"Her Highness does look forward to meeting you," Miss Vilmentine directed a pointed look at Rui in particular. "Not only have you made great contributions to our economy, but you have made our country proud by being the youngest Martial Senior in history. Her Highness has also heard rumors about your significant contributions to Martial Art and the Martial Union, it is a shame that the Martial Union has been extremely secretive about the nature of this contribution."
She brought up the Hungry Pain contribution to the Martial Union that Rui made, revealing her ignorance about it. She was clearly trying to probe Rui's reactions to see if she could grasp any more information about it.
Much to her surprise, Rui didn't so much as twitch. His demeanor was unchanged, as though he was sitting in silence and nothing had happened. He exhibited a level of control over his nonverbal communication that she rarely saw among Martial Artists in the Lower Realms.
"Her Highness is well-informed," Rui smiled, limiting himself to that much.
"…I see the rumors about your diplomatic performance in the Martial Union's ventures were not unfounded," She remarked carefully as she studied him deeply. "It is not hard to see why the Martial Union is so fond of you. However, the Martial Union is ultimately an organization that puts distance between itself and those who haven't committed to it. There are limits to its goodwill unless one joins its inner corps and becomes an inner member. That usually means a degree of subordination until one breaks through to the Upper Realms."
Rui knew what she was trying to do. She was throwing shit at the wall, seeing what stuck. A low-effort and potentially high-
reward effort to put enough of a wedge between him and the Martial Union.
'She's worried that I'll naturally lean towards the Martial Prince because he's earned the highest amount of support from Martial Artists among the seven princes and princesses,' Rui mused. 'However, she's hoping the fact that I have abstained from joining the Martial Union all this time is a sign that I am not attracted by the Martial Union.'
"I am aware of that," Rui replied. "I have weighed the pros and cons of joining the Martial Union and made my choice regarding the matter. I am satisfied with my current relationship with the organization."
This was the truth. However, he didn't clarify whether he was or wasn't going to support the Martial Prince. He left that lingering in the air.
He didn't want to inform the executive that he had no intention of supporting the Martial Prince. He didn't want to make himself a more alluring target for poaching.
"While the Martial Union is limited in how far it is willing to go for Martial Artists who have merely signed out a royalty contract with the Martial Union, the same is not necessarily true for joining the Raemina Faction," She outright said. "We do not require absolute commitment from our patrons or supporters. We will offer benefits and remuneration that are proportional to the contributions that our patrons are willing to make. Rest assured that while Princess Raemina aims to become the dictatorship of a communist nation, we do not intend to treat Martial Artists and plebeians alike."
Both of them sensed Julian stiffening ever so slightly at her statement. He didn't have the perfect control over his body language that the other two had. Miss Vilmentine instantly understood that she was treading into sensitive territory for her two hosts.
"Martial Artists can secure property rights and tax cuts for not only themselves but also their family," She replied. "This is especially true for highly-valued Martial Seniors like yourself. We can even offer many more benefits for you and your kin exclusive to all of you."
Rui sipped his tea, considering her words. "That is not unalluring, however, I am a man who prefers that my right to freedom and liberty are not dependent on my utility."
"That is to be expected. However, Her Highness' economic doctrine is also one that benefits the lowest class of society the most," She pointed out. "We believe in true equality and fairness. The current paradigms favor those in power over the lowest class of society. Limitless private ownership has allowed many powerful individuals who own an absurd amount of wealth and capital despite certainly not contributing anything worth everything they own. They mooch off hard-working laborers not unlike the caretakers of this orphanage, profiting from their hard work simply through ownership of appreciating assets and stakes in publicly traded companies. Her Highness aims to ensure that such a thing will never be possible under her regime. People will be given what they have genuinely earned and what they genuinely need."
There were elements of communism that were alluring on paper. It was why it had support, even if not widespread. Still, Rui hated the intervention of the state in his personal life under such a system. On top of that, history on Earth had demonstrated the many deep socioeconomic shortcomings and evils that could be born under such a system.
"I do not wish to engage in a debate about politics or economics. Let's just say that I have very fundamental qualms about the nature of Her Highness' political and economic doctrines," Rui replied. "Nonetheless, I do look forward to meeting her at least once and hearing what she has to say."
Miss Vilmentine smiled perfunctorily. "That is all we ask."
