The Martial Unity

"Ah, Squire Quarrier. I'm afraid the client's commission contract includes the conditional-approval clause that requires them to approve of any and all Martial Artists that apply for the commission," The staff member apologetically informed him.

Rui sighed, he'd forgotten that this was closer to the norm in the Squire Realm than it was in the Apprentice Realm. The clients who had the capital to commission Martial Squires were much more particular about the qualifications and inclinations of the Martial Artists that they had commissioned.

"And will they contact me and give me a location to meet up with them?" Rui asked tentatively.

"I'm afraid not, Squire Quarrier. It seems they cannot physically meet you. They have offered to communicate via a video call as their most preferred means of communication." He informed Rui dutifully.

"Video call?" Rui's eyes widened. "That's a feature?"

Rui felt like a country bumpkin. At that moment, he regretted not knowing the extent of the technological development of this world, but alas, it was not easy gaining an understanding of the best of what technology had to offer.

Part of this was because the best of what technology had to offer was highly restricted, expensive, and highly resource intensive, even for a Martial Squire like himself prior to recently.

For example, the accounter that he was currently in possession of was considered a luxurious and high-class product that only the upper echelons of society could afford. This was because the resources required to construct the device and to maintain its functionality were prohibitively scarce. Yet, its functionality was much inferior to even that of the earliest touch-screen phones produced at the dawn of the twenty-first century back on Earth.

Rui knew that his accounter was unable to perform video calls. However, he wasn't aware that the technological development of human civilization on the Panama continent had reached a level where they could achieve video calls.

It was surprising because it was highly unlikely that his client was particularly elite from the perspective of human civilization. After all, someone who chose to commission a Martial Squire was unlikely to be able to also commission Martial Seniors, which put a hard ceiling on how rich they were.

This meant that the general public and even ordinary rich people were likely unable to get their hands on such technology.

"Yes sir," The man finally replied after a while, from Rui's perspective. "As far as I'm aware, only higher-grade Martial Squires tend to have accounter models with such a feature."

"I see," Rui nodded. "I'll apply for the commission anyway."

"Understood sir."

Rui swiftly breezed through the paperwork before heading down to the utility department, taking a good look around. It resembled a posh and lush version of the market districts in the town of Hajin. There were various shops of different tech manufacturing companies that set up highly monitored outlets within the Martial Union for purchasing utilities, products, gear, and equipment relevant to Martial Art and missions.

"Could I purchase some accounters with a video call feature?" Rui asked at the store if he had purchased his current accounter.

"Of course, sir," The saleswoman nodded with a courteous smile. "Are there any other parameters you would like to select by?"

"Affordability, portability, and user-friendliness, I suppose," Rui replied. "I don't want to buy extravagant options, and I want an accounter that won't get in my way in missions while also one that is simple to use as far as its core functions go."

She presented several options.

"I recommend the FRN-W31." She told him, presenting him with a product. "It, more or less, ticks all the boxes you're looking for..."

Rui nodded after a brief explanation. "Alright, I'll take this one."

"That will be forty-thousand Martial credits, sir,"

Rui almost double took at her words. "I thought you said it was affordable."

She gave him a sheepish, apologetic smile. "I'm afraid that this is quite affordable as far as rates of accounters with video call functions go."

Rui couldn't be bothered to scour the entire department to test that claim. He wouldn't have even dared to consider purchasing one in the past, but his recent windfall made it practicable to purchase.

Once he purchased it, he immediately logged into his account, only to find a message in his inbox.

[Squire Falken, I am Feruir Cerni, the individual who commissioned the mission that you applied for. Please accept the video call that I have initiated with you so I can converse with you regarding the mission.]

('I probably shouldn't hold this conversation in an area filled with people.') Rui realized.

It wasn't long before he was sky-high in the air, mingling with the clouds, using them as a cover. He used Tempestuous Feel to make sure that there were no Martial Artists sky-walking within a kilometer of him.

Once he accepted the invitation for a video call from the client, it wasn't long before a choppy image of a man appeared on the screen. Rui cringed inwardly, the quality was quite low. It appeared that the technology wasn't refined enough for more affordable accounters with this feature to have a more refined feed.

"Squire Falken?" The man spoke, his voice nearly drowning in a sea of white noise. "I am Feruir Cerni. It is a pleasure to speak with you, are you alone?"

Rui felt like he was using a walkie-talkie.

"I am, rest assured." He assured the man. "You can speak freely."

"That is good to hear," The man nodded. "Let me begin by thanking you for accepting the commission. I have gone through your profile, and your skill set is more than satisfactory for what I have in mind. While your experience since becoming a Martial Squire is a bit lacking, your success rate is quite impressive. As long as you are able and willing to abide by certain conditions, I am more than willing to accept your application for our commission. These conditions are laid out in the contract, of course."