The Rise of the Black Plain

On the last day of their boat journey, Minos' party enjoyed approaching the continent, finally free from the dangers of the dark sea between Ganaway Refuge and Oqia.

After the many trials and tribulations of the group's months-long boat journey, everyone was a little more seasoned for the future challenges this continent had in store for them.

The group still needed time to stabilize their cultivation and become truly competitive against those of the same cultivation or even stronger individuals. However, these months of travel have allowed the group to progress much faster toward their goal of becoming stronger.

To give an idea of the group's growth, Lily had reached the third of the four levels of her newly acquired technique, having completed two progressions toward full mastery of the technique much earlier than he had expected.

But that was to be expected. After all, the greater the dangers, the greater the rewards for those who survived the trials along the way!

So, eight members of the group now watched the coast of Oqia with gleams in their eyes, eager to see more of this glorious world.

Minos and his five Armhands companions were also eager to dock on the continent, especially to return to the guild, where they would surely have many duties to perform.

Among the things they were most interested in were recovering their Flashdrain parasite and seeing their old companions, who were expected to be much stronger and in better positions within the guild.

Minos, in particular, had several local tasks to complete as quickly as possible so that he could finally embark on the journey the seraphim hoped he would complete.

As he approached Oqia that afternoon, the seraph's spirit reappeared after years of absence.

'You're back in Zocarro. That's good.' Said the seraph's remnant will within the wing tattoo on one of Minos' hands. 'Prepare well before you leave. We've been together for so long, a few more years won't change much. Don't rush it.'

'Can you tell me a little about our departure for the seraph's world? It would be good if I could prepare while I'm in Zocarro.' Minos communicated with this spirit while no one had any idea what he was doing.

'I can't tell you much about this place. The world of the seraph is not like Zocarro. This place where I will lead you is more like The Red Expanse. So there are certain details I can't talk about. You'll have to see for yourself.' 'This...'

The seraph explained. 'My ancestral home is a dimension only for my lord. There are ways to get there, but to enter the dimension, one must meet several requirements. You don't have to worry about that. I have the key to enter, and since we have an agreement, you will be able to come and go without worrying about the problems of entering such a place.

As you can imagine, all the Celestials have their own special dimensions that are directly controlled by them. The Red Expanse is one such dimension, as is the seraph's world.'

'Is it okay for me to enter the dimension of another Celestial?' Minos asked.

'No. Because we are connected by an agreement, both the Celestials behind The Red Expanse and the Celestials behind my dimension see us as one. They can tell what you and I are, but that would require them to pay attention to us. But even if that were to happen, there would be no problem. The dimension I'm taking you to is not an exclusive place like The Red Expanse. Non-natives can come and go as long as they meet the requirements.

However, the journey to my home world is not far away. Once you're settled in Armhands and have your family in order, I'll only need 10 years. That should be enough time for you to go back and forth to the artificial moon.

You'll just have to travel to another high-level world, about 2 years away from the artificial moon. From there, I'll bring you to my world.'

'What about the dangers?' Minos had many questions, but he left them to learn more about in the future and asked only the most important ones now.

'The dangers are the same ones you've already faced on your journey to and from the Spiritual World. Just keep getting stronger. There's nothing special you can do to improve your chances other than what you will do without my help.' The seraph said before disappearing and falling asleep again in the wing tattoo on one of Minos' hands.

Minos sighed and wondered what his next journey would be like. 'It won't take me less than 10 years to clear my backlog of mandatory missions. Then I'll have to secure my future absence and the positions of my companions.

Hmm, I'll probably be able to improve another 2 or 3 levels before I go on my next journey. That should be enough to deal with the dangers of such a journey.' He imagined, aware there were things he would still be vulnerable to, like the sea creature that had nearly wiped out his party months ago.

As he thought about the future, the hours passed and soon the crew would park their boat at a port in The Bland Gulf.

Once in Oqia, the group would thank the crew for bringing them to this area before saying goodbye and actually entering the continent.

Once ashore in the continent's northernmost city, Minos and his party soon set out to explore the trade center in search of information.

Having been away for so many years, there were things they needed to learn before heading south.

As much as they had Minos' old travel map from their trip to the Spiritual World, that map might be very outdated compared to the events of the last eight decades in Zocarro.

Fortunately, the group currently had enough funds to pay for the services of local informants and thus plan their trip to the Armhands' headquarters in the central area of the continent.