The Rise of the Black Plain

"By the way, Minos, your name is the same as the finalist in the Spiritual Tournament..." Mirya commented to him while leaning her head on one of the young man's shoulders. "Don't tell me you are the same person?"

"Oh?"

"I've always had this question in mind since I met you, but I've never asked it before as it was improbable. However, after all this time I've been here in the Dry City, I realized that there are several similarities between you two."

Hearing this, young Stuart smiled and said without much pretense. "Hmm, as expected from a woman as experienced as you, hehe, you are indeed correct."

"Is this true?" She asked this just to confirm what she had heard. After all, despite her suspicions, the truth would always be far more significant than mere speculation.

For that very reason, upon hearing Minos' confirmation, Mirya had elevated her upper body and stood face to face with that man, staring into his eyes. If he wasn't playing with her, then Mirya had discovered the shocking reality of the Spiritual Tournament finalist!

Instead of doing what most people thought, namely training in one of the sects of the Flaming Empire, such a person was ruling his own territory in the north of the Central Continent.

But had he traded one of that empire's sects for this place? Or maybe he was receiving external resources? Perhaps it was something much deeper?

Mirya didn't know the answers to these questions, but she was eager to learn.

"Hmm, it's true." Young Stuart said once more, seeing the look on that beautiful woman's face.

He didn't mind telling the truth about it to Mirya, as she would sign a Soul Contract with him in less than two months and also didn't have a free pass to leave the Dry City by then. So, there was no need for this young man to worry about her knowing about it.

"Incredible!"

"But what are you doing in our region? Wouldn't it be better for you to be in the empire right now?" She asked Minos, still watching him intently.

"I didn't join any of the Flaming Empire sects, as I participated in that competition just to test myself and meet some influential people."

Hearing such a thing, Mirya almost felt as if she had been slapped on the head. "You did what?"

It was tough for her to believe such words. Who in this impoverished region wouldn't do anything to have such an opportunity?

What's more, the chance Minos had thrown away was not a safe passage into an empire, as an ordinary disciple of a sect. No, what he had given up was the chance to become someone valued by the sect he joined as a future expert!

"Why did you do such a thing? You are one of those who doesn't care about…" She was saying something but then stopped talking as she thought better of her words. 'Nonsense, if he didn't care about the power, he wouldn't be so strong and wouldn't force me to stay in this place!'

After a moment of trying to recover from her tumultuous thoughts, while the young man was still watching her with a smile on his face, this woman spoke again. "Minos, I don't understand you..."

"I thought I was good at reading people, especially men like you. But now I realize that you are very complex!"

"Haha, is that a compliment?"

"Yes… But answer me why you didn't go to the empire. There has to be a reason..."

"Of course there is!" He calmly said as he expressed his seriousness to Mirya, making a dismayed expression and looking at her intensely.

Seeing this, Mirya swallowed her saliva and watched him closely, putting all her attention on the following words he was about to say. 'I can see that this is a big secret!' So, she thought for a moment, just before she heard that young man's voice.

"I didn't go to the empire because…" He paused as he adjusted himself on that bed, getting into a sitting position. With that, he placed one of his hands on Mirya's shoulder and completed his answer. "Because I don't need..."

After that, Minos couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Mirya's face turn completely red as she pressed her jaw and gazed at him.

"You bastard, you're kidding me..." After saying that and throwing a few punches in the chest of the young man in front of her, she fell into his arms again, being held hostage by that young man.

"Mmmm~"

After kissing for a moment, Minos watched her for a moment and laughed. "But I'm serious. I don't need the empire. Look at my current level. If I were relying on resources from one of the sects, I would probably still be below level 45 at this point!"

And hearing such a comment, Mirya couldn't help but be silent, not knowing what to say to this young man. After all, as much as she didn't know about the workings of the empire's sects, she knew that Minos was only level 39 at the end of that competition.

With the time that had passed since that final match between Minos and Troy, no one else she knew, including those regional historical figures, would have advanced as fast to level 48!

Not even famous cultivators from this region, like Dennis Red, managed to grow so fast!

'Well, that makes some sense... But will you keep that good speed after becoming a Spiritual King?'

'There aren't many resources for people above that level in our region…' She pondered this but didn't say anything to Minos.

Mirya understood the potential of the Dry City and knew that this place if it had a chance to develop, could in the future become the greatest force in the northern part of the Central Continent. But she didn't think that would be enough for this young man's territory to compare to the sects of that empire...

'Ahh, forget about it. If Minos wants to stay here, I'll be here to see what he'll do when he sees the local Spiritual Kings problem. Even royal families…'  She thought about it, as she suddenly remembered something that related to that subject with Minos.

She then opened her eyes suddenly and said to him. "Speaking of the Spiritual Tournament, did you hear about what happened in the Snow Kingdom? It seems that some of the events of that competition ended up resulting in the death of a prince of the royal family in that state."

"Snow Kingdom? Death of a prince?" Young Stuart asked, not understanding what this woman was talking about.

He naturally didn't have much information about what was going on in the Snow Kingdom. After all, this state was one of the most distant from the Black Plain in this region, thus posing a minor threat to Minos and outside of his temporary interests.

Consequently, this young man was not concerned with obtaining crucial information from that state.

Knowing about external relations and the positions of the noble families in that place was enough for Minos. He then continued. "I heard about some problems in that state over a year ago, but I don't know the details. How does this relate to the Spiritual Tournament?"

"I see... Well, actually, what I'm talking about happened over a year ago. But to make a long story short for you, at that time, one of the princes of that state was kidnapped and tortured to death and then had his remains displayed in public!"

"What?" Minos was surprised by this.

"It's tough to believe, especially because that person was very peaceful and was said to be a bit... How can I say... Different." Mirya commented while making a gesture typical of this region to indicate non-traditional relations.

"And what is the relevance of this?" Minos asked, not understanding why Mirya spoke of the late prince of that state's sexual options.

After all, who would care about other people's preferences? Each one does what he pleases, and as long as it doesn't harm others, then it would all be worth it in a world like this.

"Calm down, let me finish talking!"

"The problem is not that he was different. The fact is that his relationship with a certain young man who participated in the Spiritual Tournament was possibly the cause of his death...."