The Rise of the Black Plain

After three days of travel through the western part of the Brown Kingdom in twelve carriages carrying Minos Stuart and his subordinates, they were now just over a day from their destination.

At that moment, inside the most elegant carriage, there was a middle-aged man and a teenager actively talking.

They, of course, were Minos and the butler Dillian.

The young Stuart was understanding the general situation before he reached the Black Plain. Obviously, they were talking about the broader issues, such as the average strength of the region, the kingdoms near the border, and other relevant information that could already bring the young sovereign closer to understanding the reality of that region.

Of course, they did not have the most accurate data on local problems since a regent appointed by the king governed the region. As a result, they would only be able to obtain the necessary information once they assumed control of the local command, which could only be accomplished after arriving in the Dry City, the largest city on the Black Plain.

"Grandpa Dillian, what are the trade options for the Black Plain?"

"The Black Plain isn't expected to export almost anything nowadays, since there is no agricultural production, and as for mining, the region consumes what little it has. Also, with the current spiritual concentration, the production of spiritual crystals must be deficient. As for imports, they must do business mainly for food."

"Therefore, the Cromwell Kingdom, which is south of the Brown Kingdom, must be the largest food supplier in the Black Plain region, since this region borders this kingdom."

"The Cromwell Kingdom also has prosperous agriculture, which supplies some neighboring regions, including ours. They are also the main trading partners for the Stone Island, which lies northwest of where we are going."

"The Stone Island is critical for all coastal kingdoms in this region, as the island's economy is quite prosperous due to the area's abundant mineral reserves and the high caliber of its spiritual blacksmiths." 

"But despite having an excellent economy, they hardly produce food in their territory and are, therefore, dependent on other kingdoms to supply their food demand. That is why the Cromwell Kingdom is its primary partner."

"As for the Black Plain, it doesn't have much contact with the Stone Island since there isn't a great demand for spiritual equipment in its territory."

"To the north of the Black Plain is the largest kingdom in territory that borders the Brown Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Waves. This kingdom has many activities because of its large territory, so it is very active in the regional economy."

"As for contacts with the Black Plain, I have no information about that."

"So, Grandpa Dillian, what is the main activity of the Black Plain?"

The middle-aged man replied with an uncertain face. "In fact, as far as I know, the region's sovereign must earn resources mainly from the residents through taxes. If there are other activities, I don't know."

The Black Plain region, despite having the smallest population of the Brown Kingdom, still had about 50,000 inhabitants. Most of these people didn't have an extraordinary talent, usually common White or Blue talent, and so, for them, staying in a region like this was the best.

This is because, rather than taking risks in an environment where individuals are 1,000 times stronger than you, it is preferable to live in an environment where the strongest individuals are only a few tiers above you.

It was a matter of limitations.

Thus, a population resided mainly in the Dry City, and this demanded some services provided by the kingdom. That is why the local sovereign could collect taxes from citizens on the grounds that they would need the money to provide the primary conditions for living in that place.

The Black Plain also did not have to transfer funds to the kingdom.

This was because the region had very little revenue, and if it still had to send its few spiritual crystals to the king, then there would be no profit. In fact, the situation was bad enough that no nobleman wanted to come to this place.

Such was the situation that the place was not independent because nobody wanted this burden!

As for the current regent, he was just a public agent who had received the king's order to administer the region while the sovereign was absent. But even he was not happy to be sent to a sterile place like this for six years!!

Hell, his cultivation would be delayed if this continued!

"When I was at the Spiritual Academy, the teachers said that the average strength of the surrounding kingdoms was 4th stage, while the strongest specialists were in the 6th stage, Spiritual King. Is there anything else, grandpa Dillian?"

"Hmm, that's right. In these kingdoms, the sovereign and some ancestors are generally around levels 58 and 59, which are the strongest in the region. These older men are generally over 500-years-old, with some bordering on 1,000-years-old. But despite more than 1,600 years of life expectancy for a Spiritual King, they have little chance of reaching the next stage without having to leave their kingdoms for decades or even more than a century."

"This is because the spiritual energy of this region is well dispersed, and those most talented families have left this place for thousands of years ago."

"As you may have heard, talent is often passed on from parents to children through their genes. As such, the talent of the average individual in the north of the Central Continent has waned over time, with only a few thousand with Black talent nowadays. As for Silver talent, it must be very few, and these people leave this region quickly, sometimes even before they are 'discovered' by any power in this areas."

"And as talent is necessary to avoid bottlenecks in cultivation, which appear between the end of one stage and the beginning of the another, the leaders of the region are stuck at the final levels of the Spiritual King."

"This happens because they have Black talent, which makes it possible to cultivate without bottlenecks until the 5th stage, with only a 50% chance of reaching the 6th, and still less of reaching the 7th."

"As a result, without powerful external resources or a higher level of spiritual density, these experts cannot ignore these bottlenecks in cultivation."

"Therefore, hardly any sovereign will have the cultivation of a Spiritual Emperor in these parts of the Central Continent. Leaving their kingdoms is very dangerous for their families and themselves."

"As for the Black Plain, since it is a low-level spiritual region, the strongest ones must be at Level 39, Spiritual Warriors. Unless, of course, if there are external forces sent from other regions."

"But even though I am not specialized in fighting, the safety of the young master should not be a problem for me since I am at level 45, and there should be no greater threats than that."

When Minos heard this, he thought of the Golden-grade cultivation technique that he had picked up from the Spatial Kingdom for the butler Dillian. However, he decided to wait until they reached the Black Plain to deliver to him. Since he would undoubtedly have to explain where this technique came from, and he did not want to explain it now.

Soon after, the carriages stopped for them to rest. The sun was already setting on the horizon, and by the distance, they were from the Dry City. If they continued to travel, they would end up arriving at dawn at their destination. Thus, they decided to wait until the next day, improvising a camp near the road.

Minos hardly had much time to cultivate in these last three days, but he still managed to reach level 2. And as the differences between the initial levels were minimal, no one noticed the advance in the strength of the young Stuart since he was also not trying to expose that.

Finally, night fell, and the following day Minos would arrive at his new home, where he decided to build his forces. With the knowledge inherited from the God Henricus Longus, Minos knew several ways to strengthen a region. He just needed to investigate the Black Plain situation to finish his planning thoroughly.

He had already decided to transform his new home into his own kingdom, creating a powerful force that could compete with even the greatest empires in this world!

...

Hours passed when the young Stuart finally saw the Dry City in the distance. It was a place that lived up to its name. Dry!!

The environment around the city was utterly arid, with almost no trees throughout the city.

It was a small town, with many typical houses and some commerce located in the central region. There was also an average mansion, right in the middle of the city. This was the seat of the local government and also the future home of Minos.

The streets had a good movement, with several people passing by and with few carriages. In fact, besides those of the Minos group, there were only two others in the whole city. Some individuals passed on their spiritual beasts, but they were low-level beasts.

At that moment, the group of Minos finally arrived at the mansion in the middle of the city.