The Rise of the Black Plain

Meanwhile, in Mirabella...

After receiving Minos' call to go to the Dry City, Linette and Jade promptly guaranteed their husband that this would probably be no bad thing.

At first, he was concerned about this as even considering Minos' relatively respectful actions over the past four years, that was no guarantee trouble would not come in the future. King Carline would not forget the terrible things the ruler of the Black Plain did in the past!

But being assured by his women, he felt that perhaps there was not so much danger and sighed.

Unfortunately, those two could hardly hide their excitement at being able to meet Minos again after more than four years without seeing each other. And King Carline could not help but notice the redness in their cheeks.

He clenched his fists, considering what such a sign meant. 'They are scared internally but still calm me with their words. I truly don't deserve women this good!'

'Ah, I hope nothing bad happens...'

While he had thoughts regarding those two, both harem sisters silently thought about Minos.

'I wonder how he has grown in that period? Has he reached level 60?' Jade wondered as she looked at the trees in their garden.

On the other hand, Linette felt a slight heat in her body, with her head so hot that sweat was already dripping down her pores. But she was not only excited but apprehensive. 'Will I still be enough for him? Jade is still very young, but I'm past my prime.' 

She swallowed her saliva in nervousness. 'If Minos has already reached level 60, I'm afraid he won't see me the same way as before...'

King Carline then sighed and said. "In any case, be careful on this trip. Even if Minos is not plotting against us, I have heard some frightening news coming from that place."

"Oh?" The two put their forbidding thoughts aside to pay attention to their husband.

The king continued. "Countless Albano Spiritual Kings are infiltrating the Black Plain, Cromwell Kingdom, and the Brown Kingdom. From the news, this does not seem to be something friendly, and the government of Minos is already considering the possibility of a major confrontation happening in the next few years."

"Them, be careful on this trip. Former regional peak specialists can no longer travel freely through the region. The dangers there cannot be underestimated!" He said firmly, looking at the two women sitting on a wooden bench.

Jade nodded in agreement after KIng Carline finished speaking. "Don't worry. We have never been so bold as to move without caution."

"Hmm," Linette then said. "On the other hand, we will be traveling through the northern part of the Black Plain, an area away from these troublesome border areas. So, we should have no problem getting safely to Dry City."

"I hope so..." He sighed in defeat, as he could only accept Minos' orders. 'If only I were stronger... Damn it!'

Jade then remembered the subject they were dealing with earlier. "And what will we do about the Black Plain Tournament? I have a feeling that the talents who join Minos' army will become the bases for future regional leaders outside that state."

"Hmm, if we don't move, we will lose our position." Linette agreed, already with the Stone Island changes in her mind. "If we don't get Spiritual Emperors, it will be a matter of time before Minos occupies our state and then take away our position."

"Uh? But what about the agreements we signed?" King Carline did not quite understand what his wife was getting at.

She laughed and said. "Minos obviously won't act directly against us, but what will happen if other powers do?"

"That..."

She continued. "On the other hand, MInos might simply use the excuse that he needs to have high-level people protecting our kingdom. From then on, it would be a matter of time before we would be controlled by the people positioned in our state."

"Finally, we would be replaced by a higher level organization when our contract with him spirals." She finished.

Jade saw no problem with Linette's theory and said. "That's why we must have our members in the Black Plain Army. That's the only way we can jump levels and maintain our regional position."

"Sigh..."

"Well, that's fine. I was already thinking about sending people to this tournament anyway, so let's just give it a little more importance." King Carline made up his mind.

He remembered the recent letter he had received shortly after Minos' call and said. "At least, in general, Minos' actions will not be so unfair to the region... That bank of his might helps us more than it hurts."

"Hmmm." Linette nodded and said. "I thought we would have problems with our business, but the Bank of the Black Plain will help us a lot."

Their family specialized in regional crystal trading, being behind the most prominent regional bank before the rise of Minos.

But even if Minos' bank was a competitor that would eventually destroy their business due to his decisions, this was not a problem for regional banker families. 

After all, bankers were known to have almost unlimited funds, which guaranteed that if a dangerous competitor emerged one day, they could use their advantages and buy out the other side.

In the case at hand, they could not buy Minos' organization, but they could become partners with a large share of the profits of that organization. With their 'infinite' crystals, they would naturally get good dividends!

At the same time, they could get away from the risks of this kind of business, making the wealth of hundreds of thousands of years secure the future of their families.

On the other hand, with the possibility of financing their projects through this bank, the Carline family would gain much more than they would lose in this change brought about by Minos' policies.

Therefore, they and other banker families in this state were not worried about the Bank of the Black Plain expansion!

"Anyway, when are you leaving?" The worried husband asked as he looked sentimentally at his wives.

"Right now!" Jade stood up and said that decisively. "We already have everything prepared, and Minos doesn't want us to delay. So, let's leave right away."

"Hmm, my love, Jade is right. We have to say goodbye here to avoid trouble." Linette also prepared to leave, approaching that man and kissing one of his cheeks.

"Don't worry. We'll be back."

...

On the other hand, in the Cromwell Kingdom, the royal family of that place had not received the news of the Black Plain Tournament well.

For that organization, that was a bad sign. Unlike other royal families that had maintained the difference in power between themselves and their vassals, this royal house had not achieved this after the previous war.

The Brown family had maintained its power due to the extermination of all the other Spiritual Kings in their state. On the other hand, the Carline and Snow families had been the least damaged royal houses in the war. As for House Walker, several of their vassal families had been exterminated or moved to the Black Plain.

But House Cromwell was not as fortunate. Besides losing most of their high-level Spiritual Kings, their subordinates had not weakened as much during the war or even with Minos' punishments. Because of this, an unusual situation arose in this state, where today, royal power and a few noble houses had practically equivalent forces.

Thus, Cade Cromwell, level 57, feared the day when these families would overtake him and eventually rebel!

That was the problem with the tournament of Minos, the possibility of rising vassal powers in this state!

Because of this and the possible high-level confrontation with the Spiritual Kings coming from Albano, Cade could hardly sleep lately, being stressed about the future.

'What can I do now?' He thought as he watched the dark ceiling of his room, ignoring the two women lying beside him. 'I guess I can only act the same way these families will act...'

'Help Minos get even stronger in the hope that something good enough will be left for my family.' He sighed.