The Rise of the Black Plain

Two days passed, and Minos had already reached level 9. With this, now he was preparing to reach the next stage today. However, before this, he would have a somewhat unusual meeting today.

Despite being the local sovereign, Minos had not yet found any local traders. This, of course, is related to the fact that previous governments generally didn't have much to negotiate, being only a regulator for a few activities.

But today, a Stone Island merchant would meet with him.

And Minos was excited about this, as there was only one possibility for such a thing to happen, that is, that she knew that he had solved the Black Plain problem!

The young Stuart was waiting in his office, along with the butler Dillian, when someone knocked on the door and then came in. It was Mia. "Young master, Ms. Elen Nash is here to see you."

"Hmm, tell her to come in. I was already waiting for her." Minos said with a satisfied expression.

After that, a young blonde entered the door.

She was gorgeous, with a thin face combined with graceful curves that were neither small nor large. In fact, her measurements were simply the best to 'catch.' She was also very well-dressed, which made it easy to see that she did not live in the Dry City.

There was also a man following her. He was tall, muscular, and had a very relaxed look. 'This must be a guard or a companion for the young blonde.' Minos thought.

At that moment, Dillian whispered to Minos. "Young master, these two are already in the 5th stage of cultivation, Spiritual General. The young woman is at level 42, and the man must be at level 47."

After hearing this, Minos thought to himself. 'As expected…'

After that, they introduced themselves. "Nice to meet you. My name is Elen Nash, and this is my bodyguard, Eduard." Said Elen with a smile.

"Hmm, nice to meet you, I'm Minos Stuart, and this is butler Dillian."

"So, Miss Elen, I'm curious to know what a Stone Island merchant expects from my Black Plain." Minos said with an expressionless face.

Elen then began to speak without hiding her intentions. "Well, as a trader, I'm always looking for opportunities, and the Black Plain seems to be an excellent chance for me."

"For the past few weeks, I have been doing business at the Brown Kingdom. Then, when I was finally returning home, I stopped in the Dry City to rest."

"However, despite always passing through this city when I come to the Brown Kingdom, this time I heard some interesting rumors about a new local sovereign. Of course, this frequently happens when you travel as much as a trader, but knowing the news from wherever you are is critical in our profession."

"However, the story I heard was just too unbelievable. Yet if it were true, it would be something to turn the sky and the earth upside down. So, I decided to stay here for a few more days."

"And now that I know that the rumor is well-founded, I intend to do business with your territory." Elen said calmly.

"Hmm, I understand. But there are many problems for a big deal to be made for now. I estimate that it will take a few years before I can do big business with other regions." Minos spoke vaguely.

After thinking for a while, Elen continued to speak. "I understand that you are just getting started, and any business that is done for now would have to be something small."

"But I am willing to help you with these smaller things, even if I don't make a big profit, in the hope that we can form a bigger partnership in the future."

"And as a gesture of sincerity, I can invest four high-level grade-1 spiritual arrays focused on gathering spiritual energy."

After hearing this, both Dillian and Minos were impressed with how much this young woman was willing to invest in this relationship.

To give you an idea, the spiritual arrays are subdivided into 4 degrees, and each degree was divided into low, medium, and high levels. The difference between these classifications was the power of the array.

The array could be of any type, such as spiritual gathering, battle formations, defensive shields, etc. But the power of each array would be defined by the classification it was in. For example, a high-level grade-1 array was 50 times more potent than a low-level grade-1 array.

That meant that the high-level grade-1 spiritual gathering array would be able to create an area of ​​spiritual concentration 50 times larger than the area of ​​a low-level grade-1.

As for the spiritual density that this array would provide in that area, it would depend on the region's spiritual concentration. It could also depend on the quantity/quality of the spiritual crystals provided and how well classified the array would be.

A high-level grade-4 array would have an efficiency of 100%. It would either concentrate all the spiritual energy in the area or convert all the energy contained in the spiritual crystals supplied to the array into free power within that area.

The high-level grade-1 array would have an efficiency of 20%. But the difference in price between each was colossal. For an array with a measly 20% efficiency, the cost would be about 15,000 low-grade spiritual crystals!

And for an array of the highest quality, you would have to shell out 100,000 high-level spiritual crystals!!

For this reason, investing in a place that barely started to develop four high-level grade-1 arrays was something very high by the standards of the Northern region of the Central Continent.

Minos then calmed down before speaking. "Oh! It seems that Ms. Elen is convinced that the Black Plain will be successful."

"But I want to know what you want to get. I don't want to sign a blank check." Minos said with a solemn look.

Elen then responded quickly. "As I said, I only want a place at the table when the Black Plain develops. I would be pleased if I were your only contact within Stone Island."

"That would be enough for me."

"You are talking about the Black Plain, but what about your side? Will you be able to handle the entire turnover of my region with your Stone Island? Don't get me wrong. I'm not looking down at you. I just don't know you." Minos told with doubt.

He wanted to know with who he was dealing. He didn't want to receive 'small' help now to have big problems in the future!

And Elen was not angry. She knew that this young man did not know her background, so she just said. "I understand your side. Naturally, you do not know who I am, considering your past. But I can assure you that when the Black Plain is a major influence, I will not be a hindrance to your relations with the Stone Island."

"In fact, if you look for the Nash family on Stone Island, you will find that it is one of the largest merchant families in our region."

"Hmm, OK. Thanks for the honesty, Ms. Nash. I will think about your offer and give you feedback in a week. I guess that's not much, right?" He said as he looked into the young woman's eyes across the table.

"Okay, a week is not much. I'm staying at the Four Seasons Hotel. You can send someone to let me know when you're ready."

After that, Elen and her bodyguard left, leaving just Minos and Dillian in the office.

Soon after, Dillian spoke. "If I'm not mistaken, the Nash family is indeed a big family on Stone Island. I once heard a rumor that they even had relations with an empire."

"Oh! So, it looks like there should be no problems. But just in case, investigate it, grandpa Dillian. We have to know if she is not a member with a lot of problems within her family."

After all, an exclusive business relationship like the one Elen wanted was no different from a wedding. If one of the two sides had a problem, then it would affect both parties because when you marry, the other's problems become yours too!

Thus, Minos wanted to know with whom he would be associating, avoiding possible problems.

…

Two days passed, and Minos' group was still researching Elen Nash's past. But today, Minos had a significant thing to do. He would move to level 10, the start of the Transition stage.

The young Stuart was very excited about this and had already chosen an attack technique that he would learn at this stage.

It was a technique classified in Golden-grade, with 10 phases, called Spatial Sword. It demanded that the user use a sword-like spiritual tool. 

When the technique was activated, the space surrounding the user would stop for one second, trapping all objects and living beings for that period, as long as no one exceeds the user's cultivation level. If that happened, the technique would have a diminished effect on that individual.

This technique also increased the power of attacks made with swords during the activation interval.

As for the space around the user that would be stopped, this would depend on the technique's phase. In the first phase, the region within a radius of up to 10 meters from the user would be influenced by the technique. This space would double in the following phases, reaching up to just over 5 kilometers around the user when the technique reached maximum performance.

With this technique, Minos would have a significant advantage against those at the same level as him. Even if he faced someone stronger than him, there would still be a slowdown if the strength difference was not too big.