The Rise of the Black Plain

"Your Highness, you should be careful when talking to His Majesty Minos Stuart. He is not a person we can play with." A level 76 elder said in a low voice to his leader while riding on a brown-furred horse.

The crown prince of Blackrock, Godfrey Blackrock, level 75, heard that and remained quiet, feeling the wind on his face, making his long black hair sway in the air.

"Elder, do you think I'm crazy? Why would I talk nonsense to someone who can seriously hurt a large portion of my state's leaders?" Godfrey asked the royal guard responsible for the safety of his group on this trip.

That man could do nothing against Minos. But the journey between Blackrock and the Black Plain had its dangers, so someone as prominent as the heir to that state had to be protected by one of the strongest men in his kingdom.

"Just reminding you, Your Highness." That man said, while the other three individuals in that group,  passing through the avenues of Dry City, listened to everything in silence, looking at their surroundings with interest.

"Our situation is delicate, and any slip could cost us our fate!"

With the blow they had suffered from Minos and Mortimer's ascension to the 9th stage, King Blackstock had no choice but to send people to the Black Plain to negotiate a deal with Emperor Stuart.

Now the condition of these people was not only weakened by Minos' attack. They were terribly endangered as, at their worst moment, one of their worst enemies had achieved a breakthrough.

Blackrock's advantage due to Harold's absence had simply disappeared, and now the tensions between the four territories and the Flaming Empire had increased again.

Because of this, that state's sovereign had not taken long to make the decision that was left to him.

Ask Minos for help!

"I know..." The Crown Prince said after the worried words of his elder.

During this dialogue, they were intercepted by members of the Black Plain Army and some of the Gray Clouds Sect.

"Well, well... Look at these high-ranking members of the Blackrock family..."

"I never thought I could see one of them outside that state..."

"I've fought on our sect's battlefield with that territory, but I've never heard of the Crown Prince going out to battle...

There are rumors that he is not brave."

Immediately, Godfrey looked in the direction of those people coming in the opposite direction from his group. "Who are you? I want to know where the..."

But then, the level 76 old man in that Blackrock group stopped his leader from saying more. "Cough... Uh, young people, we are lost in this city. Can you help us find a way to the capital's core?"

One of the local army soldiers, impressed by the lines of those individuals from the Flaming Empire, members of his group, looked at that old man and nodded.

Meanwhile, another army member asked their group mates from the Gray Clouds Sect not to provoke those visitors.

After months since the peace and integration of forces from Oswald's sect with Minos' army, these people had been working together with soldiers to supply the local demand.

As such, not only in Dry City but throughout the empire, groups with a composition similar to this one were not uncommon and worked to maintain order and peace, with both sides learning in the meantime.

For the soldiers in the army, this was a chance to learn from people who were more talented or used to a higher level of difficulty in some subjects. For the members of that sect, this was a chance for them to learn more about the state that would be the future of their sect.

So when one of the soldiers said something to those individuals with a history of hostility with Blackrock, they stopped talking nonsense and moved on, leading the way for Godfrey's group.

"Why did you do that? Do you by any chance think I would take such offenses quietly to the point that you would stop me, and I would not be offended?" The prince asked the strongest man in his group.

That elder said while he had an ugly expression on his face. "Your Highness should get used to the new times. When Minos Stuart is involved, be humble and don't look for trouble in this place or any other.

That will avoid pain for yourself and loss for the family!

That is my advice, Your Highness."

...

After a few moments, Godfrey's group arrived at the local government headquarters, where Minos, Sarah, and Gloria were gathering and having lunch.

Minos couldn't be bothered to do two things at once when he was as busy as he had been lately. So he promptly ordered his guards to allow those five people to enter the dining hall of his residence.

Within minutes of their arrival in that building in the heart of Dry City, the Crown Prince of Blackrock and his four traveling companions were in front of the table where Minos, Sarah, and Gloria were sitting around.

"Your Majesty..." The five said, with Godfrey saying the same after a few seconds of his fellow travelers.

The four were naturally more in awe of Minos and respected him more since they had seen him in action that fateful day.

As for the prince, he had not seen the same to be so respectful to Minos, so he had been a bit distracted not only by Gloria's beauty but also by the quality of those people's food.

Minos already had medium-level grade-3 cooks in his city, something he had gotten through the elders of the Gray Clouds Sect, not because of his own local men.

His head cook, Alex Shepard, was currently at level 66, close to becoming a medium-level grade-3 cook. But he could not compare with the elders of that sect, who were between levels 70 and 75, so he had been learning from these people in the imperial palace while temporarily no longer cooking for the local leader.

Anyway, due to the food quality on Minos' table, Godfrey lost some of his concentration and felt saliva forming in his mouth.

His family had medium-level grade-3 cooks. But it had been long since he had tasted a delicacy produced by beings of this classification.

Gulp!

While this fellow was distracted, Minos asked as he cut a piece of meat on his plate. "Visitors from Blackrock, to what do I owe this visit? Are you here for something important? Unfortunately, I am very busy, so I must receive you at lunchtime..."

"Your Majesty need not worry." The level 76 man said while smiling and trying to ignore the level 78 Spiritual Saint guarding the entrance to that dining hall. "We are here on a critical matter."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Minos asked while Sarah had already dropped her cutlery to observe those people.

"We need Your Majesty's help to keep the peace in Blackrock. So we are naturally here to surrender." That old fellow said, not expecting the prince to say such words.

...