The princess continued talking about the extent to which she intended to expand the Kandrian Empire's maritime and trade sector with not just more submarines but everything. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
By that time, Rui was unable to even keep track of just how much she was spending, but it was already starting to reach the sum total of the total annual budget every year!
She was going to spend the entire nation's total resources on expanding the maritime sector of the Kandrian Empire!
The entire nation was going to slowly crumble from malnutrition while the maritime sector would boom in turn. Admittedly, this would not strictly lead to the destruction of the Kandrian Empire, but it was going to result in a very rough, painful, and perhaps even violent transition to a maritime nation. It would slowly erode away all other sectors of the nation, amplifying the maritime sector instead. Rui didn't even know how much damage this would cause to the nation before it finally stabilized into the image of her dreams.
"…And that brings an end to my Royal ambitions, distinguished guests. Today is the first day I have openly revealed the extent of my full plan for the future of the Kandrian Empire." She remarked. "The Karokann submarine is just the first of countless to come, mark my words. Please take it upon yourselves to enjoy the Karokann; tours of the Karokann have been prepared all day long once it docks at the port. Each of you can experience the incredible experience of being in a submarine. I would like to offer a special thanks to the Kandrian Seafaring Association and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs for this day, for it would not have come without their tireless support. I thank you all for partaking in this little unveiling event."
A thundering round of applause followed as she concluded her little speech, dispelling the formal air of the event.
Rui simply stared at her with sharp eyes, throwing a little side-eye to Guildmaster Bradt, who simply stared at him knowingly. He turned back to the Princess of the Seas with a skeptical expression.
She immediately noticed their gaze, smiling at him as she approached him.
"Master Ceeran, I am pleased to see you here. Did you enjoy the unveiling of the Karokann?"
"It was truly fascinating, Your Highness," Master Ceeran smiled.
"I am pleased to hear that, Master Ceeran," She smiled warmly at him, turning to Rui. "It is truly a pleasure to meet you. I have been looking forward to it for quite some time."
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Your Highness," Rui smiled courteously. "I truly appreciate the invitation to this event. Your speech was…interesting, I wished to speak to you about it and other matters as well."
"As did I," She smiled. "Why don't we find ourselves a more private setting to discuss sensitive matters?"
"That would be just fine."
As he interacted with her, he got the hopeful sense that she could be reasoned with. Perhaps there was something that he was missing about his estimations of the economic burden that her plans were bound to put on the Kandrian Empire.
He would hope that that was the case.
Eventually, they found themselves seated in a room with a glass wall featuring the Karokann that was now docked to the harbor.
"It's quite the vessel," Rui remarked, breaking the ice. "The fact that our Empire is among the very first to develop this technology is indeed a source of great pride and optimism."
She beamed at his praise as she beheld the Karokann with loving eyes. "It is an endeavor that I have done my very best to pursue. While I may not have worked on the submarine myself, it brings me great joy and pride to know that my efforts contributed to this day unfolding in such a fashion.
She openly admired the submarine even as they spoke to each other. It appeared the information he purchased from the Martial Union was factually accurate. She did indeed care a lot about all things sea-related.
That didn't inspire a lot of hope in him.
"Your Highness," Rui drew her attention. "The revelations of your royal ambition earlier…were you perhaps exaggerating some of the numbers and figures that you presented earlier?"
"Why, not at all," She tilted her head, looking at Rui strangely. "What makes you say that?"
"Well…It's because I was hoping they were exaggerated," Rui narrowed his eyes. "Even now."
She made his sharp gaze head-on. "And what makes you say that?"
"Because your ambitions are too great for the empire," Rui replied. "Simple and even conservative estimates of the total expenses of your ambitions have already soared into the trillions of gold coins. That's already a substantial fraction of our fiscal year and our GDP. The Kandrian Empire cannot sustain such a titanic expenditure of wealth. You will cripple entire sectors of our nation."
"I do not intend to increase the taxes on our people."
"In that case, you will be hampering the other sectors of our nation that require funds that you will be redirecting towards commissioning and subsidizing the seafaring and maritime sector," Rui replied, narrowing his eyes. "The Martial Art sector is the only sector powerful enough such that it will not be affected by this whatsoever, but other sectors of the nation that rely on these funds…They will be crippled."
"I disagree with your evaluation," She firmly said. "Once the maritime and sea sector arises, the Kandrian Empire will depend on the sea sector more than any of the other sectors in our empire."
"Do you know how many people will suffer before the Kandrian Empire stabilizes from your volatile and violent shift in focus?" Rui stared at her in disbelief. "You cannot just uproot the order of our empire and replace it with a new one and hope that no one gets hurt."
"It does not please me, but it is a necessary sacrifice to elevate the empire to even greater heights," She remarked. "It is not impossible for the Kandrian Empire to become the richest empire in this world."