Chapter 2162: Crazy plan

"Is it a matter of Martial Contributions, then?"

"I'm afraid that we cannot force an honored Martial Sage to answer Your Mastery's calls. I hope you understand."

"Is there no way that I can contact her?" Rui furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm afraid not, Your Mastery. Not through any official channels in the Panamic Martial Federation, at least," she answered. "I cannot speak for any unofficial channels that may or may not exist."

Stepping away from the counter, Rui fell into deep thought as she made it abundantly clear that she was unable to help him in any way after several more exchanges.

It was annoying that he had already hit a speed bump, unable to even meet Sage Kole, let alone convince her. Normally, had it been an ordinary reason, he would have given up and gone home, however, his mission was not something that he could just give up on.

"I need to get in touch with her through some other means," he thought to himself. "Something that will get me in touch with her face-to-face."

It was silly that there were no official means by which he could guarantee a meeting. After all, surely the Panamic Martial Federation would ensure that even its high-ranking members did not reflect poorly on its attitude towards highly important figures.

Which he was, by all reasonable means of evaluations.

He was a particularly powerful Martial Master and a pretty influential member of the Martial Union. Furthermore, he was part of the Kandrian Royal Family and had even been the bonafide emperor before he had headed for the Beast Domain to find the Divine Doctor.

Surely this extravagant status should give him enough political clout to speak to any Martial Sage on demand, or so he thought.

There were some people who simply didn't care, it appeared.

"She should have some personal contact with the others," Rui thought carefully. "Is there any merit in trying to get to her through her personal contacts?"

The idea died as fast as it had been born.

"That's not going to work." He shook his head, heaving a sigh. "It's too aggressive. Not to mention, kind of creepy."

If he couldn't get in contact with her informally or through the official contacts in the Panamic Martial Federation, then the only choice with which he could get into contact with her was through her duties as a member of the Panamic Martial Federation.

She was a member of the advisory council and the sole High Martial Judge of the East Panamic branch of the Panamic Martial Federation, possessing the authority to judge and sentence Martial Masters.

As an organization by, of, and for Martial Artists, humans had been deemed unworthy to judge Martial Artists. Especially Martial Artists of the Upper Realms.

All the Martial Artists of the Panamic Martial Federation had unanimously agreed that only those with greater power possessed the right to judge those with lesser power. In other words, the only ones who possessed the right to judge Martial Masters were stronger Martial Masters.

And perhaps the only one that could judge a Martial Master as strong as Rui was...

"...A Martial Sage."

The reason that she was a High Martial Judge at all, according to the intelligence that his father had provided him, was due to the fact that one needed to be to Martial Sage to judge high-grade Martial Masters whom no retired Martial Masters serving as judges could be qualified to judge.

"In other words, I can guarantee myself a meeting with the Sage as long as I violate the law of the Panamic Martial Federation." He calmly analyzed his circumstances to decipher the best option to get this mission done as soon as possible.

It didn't take him long to arrive at the quickest method to get a meeting with her.

However, violating a law of the Panamic Martial Federation was not a sane method to get a meeting with someone who served as a judge.

At the same time, all other methods were too slow or too infeasible. He found himself between a rock and a hard place.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure there are any ways to meet her any time soon," he remarked. "And based on my estimations, this cannot be delayed all too much either. I need to ensure that I have her bagged as an asset for the Kandrian Empire by the time I head back home."

Even though his father had not divulged the timelines of when the war was projected to start, Rui was sharp enough to deduce the due dates that his father had to adhere to based on the fact that he had shamelessly asked Rui for yet another favor after having already benefited from him greatly in the first place. The fact that his father had requested him nonetheless at this particular point in time was evidence enough for Rui to figure out that they were on a schedule and couldn't afford to fall behind.

"Hmph, what a needy father," Rui grumbled.

Thus, Rui's options were reduced significantly. His powerful mind had conjured up many plans to get in touch with Sage Kole, including breaking into her personal quarters if things got truly desperate. Yet each of these plans was only viable if he had time. The only way he could get in touch with her within the duration of his visit, according to his estimations, was if he obligated her to come before him as a matter of duty. According to the intelligence that his father had given him, she was deeply duty-bound as a matter of her personality.

This was a product of her time as a member of the military of her now-deceased nation. It was one of the reasons that his father wanted her services. He wanted the power of another Martial Sage who was deeply loyal to him.

Rui had no doubt that his father would succeed in earning her loyalty if given an opportunity to succeed. However, he was not welcome aboard the Panamic Martial Federation by virtue of being a human. It did not matter if he was the Emperor of Harmony or the ruler of a Sage-level nation. If anything, that simply made it even more difficult than if he were a normal human.