The Martial Unity

Chapter 3158: Lead Us To The True World

“That’s not all,” the Emperor of Harmony remarked with a knowing expression. “The fact of the matter is that space is the only frontier for expansion without conflict. We have gained intelligence from the dark elves that the timing of the Unfolding of the Panamic Manifold and our introduction to the true world came at a critical time.”

His golden eyes sharpened.

“One where civilization on this planet was soon to expand to the frontier of the universe itself.”

His tone was ominous.

The air grew heavy as the implications of his words bore down on them.

“A space race.” Emperor Rael gazed deeply into his son’s eyes. “A space race driven not by idle curiosity but ambition for territory and power, as well as fear of that very ambition for territory and power.”

Rui directed a knowing gaze at his father.

He was already familiar with this dynamic to an extent from Earth.

Two superpowers egging each other on in a space race, fueled by the fear of being left behind and losing out on a crucial advantage.

“If we don’t keep up with them, then we will stagnate while they gain vast unconquered territories, resources, and energy,” Emperor Rael remarked with a grave tone. “They will surpass us in time. And just what do you think they will do to us when they gain the power to decisively overcome us?”

Rui heaved a deep breath.

“They will conquer this continent, once and for all.”

“Correct,” the Emperor of Harmony remarked with a knowing tone. “And they will do so, once again, bypassing the Great Nam Ocean through space. When that happens, we will be sorely unable to defend ourselves unless we have a powerful space defense system set up. However, that alone will not be enough.”

His father’s tone grew determined.

“We will need to partake in this space race ourselves.”

The imperative for the Panama Continent not to fall behind in this dimension could not be overstated.

Up until now, attacks could come from the North, West, South, and East.

In the Age of Unfolding, however, attacks come from up.

It was something that the militaristic and Martial paradigms of war were simply unprepared for due to how unprecedented it was.

“Of course, the space race will be a more long-term competition,” the Emperor of Harmony clarified. “The fact of the matter is that our enemies still think they can defeat us while remaining relatively within Gaia and within her domain of influence. We have received troubling intelligence that the tekvores, the evolutionaries, the therianthropes, and the giants are consorting with each other to wage an allied war against the Panama Continent.”

The air grew tense.

The atmosphere grew a little perilous.

“Do the giants even have a space presence?” Rui asked with an incredulous expression. “Everything I foresaw was nothing short of utterly primitive from them. They came here in a boat, no?”

“They are intelligent but more irrational than other species,” Emperor Rael remarked. “However, what they lack in rational sophistication, they make up for with absurdly dynamic, versatile physicality. Giants are known to be able to traverse space freely due to their lack of necessity for air and their extraordinary constitutions. Although they are hungry, they can go a long, long time without any sustenance due to all the biomatter they have accumulated that can function as stored food.”

Rui stared at him, stunned.

“Man… we are so lucky that they are not rational.”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” the Emperor of Harmony remarked. “Regardless, with the four forces potentially allying up, we are under grave danger. They were hard enough to deal with when competing for the Panama Continent, but if they coordinate and join forces, then not even the Great Nam Ocean will be able to save us from the ensuing destruction.”

Rui didn’t doubt that.

Each one of those forces was an existential threat to the Panama Continent by itself.

Together, not even Rui would be able to save the Panama Continent from destruction this time.

At least, not as he was now.

“We need allies,” the Emperor of Harmony remarked with a serious tone. “Unfortunately, the dark elves are pacifist by nature, for nature. They despise war, and while they are very much willing to defend themselves fiercely, they will not partake in any conflict that doesn’t threaten their own life. So far, our cooperation has been limited to information. However, I intend to trade with them to get my hands on their botanical biotechnology. The power to spontaneously build sturdy bridges between continents is one that I deeply want. It can accelerate my Economic Corridor Initiative.”

The point of the economic corridors was to create bridges and nexuses between as many centers of power in human civilization to restore the global economy that had been utterly destroyed by the Beast Incursion over seventeen years.

And also to transport Martial Artists across the continent in small timeframes without abusing the power-hungry World Bridges.

“I can help with that as well,” Rui pointed out. “By commanding the beasts and monsters to help with the plan.”

The Emperor of Harmony’s eyes lit up. “That will greatly reduce the time needed to implement it. That, along with the elven biotechnology, we should be able to create it far sooner than the projected five years. The sooner we do that, the more secure we are. Being able to swiftly concentrate Martial Artists from one end of the continent to the other will greatly aid us. But…”

He shook his head.

“That alone will not be enough. We need allies who are willing to fight for us and with us, which the dark elves of West Genora are simply unwilling to do,” the Emperor of Harmony heaved a deep breath. “We need to establish friendly relations with all non-hostile powers, establish trade with them, and eventually, some form of military mutual-aid agreement. Given that our communication technologies are incompatible, we need to send a powerful delegation that is capable of defending itself if it is attacked while also containing individuals with enough power and enough of a mandate to represent the entire continent. And there are very few people who satisfy that condition.”

He gazed deep into Rui’s eyes.

“You must be the one to lead us to the true world, my son.”