The Rise of the Black Plain

Listening to Minos' questions, that Spiritual Sage of the Eastern Empire was not surprised that someone like this young man understood his motivations so well.

But what good would it do to talk to Minos about what his group was pursuing? This young man could indeed search more efficiently for anything in the northern region than his group, given the fact that he was from the area.

However, the limitations for Minos' forces to find the item he was after would not be any less than his. So this man did not know whether or not it was worth trying to talk to this young man.

Minos then suggested. "If you need to find something, we can make a deal. As long as you go back where you came from, my people will search in secret for whatever it is."

Still, that man stayed silent and said nothing.

After a moment of silence, Minos asked. "Tell me one thing. How far will you or your group go to support Abe?"

Upon hearing that question, the Spiritual Sage became interested and looked at Minos. "Why the question? Aren't I already doing too much?"

"I mean, would you and your group go so far as to fight the forces of my state to help Abe?" Minos questioned, trying to scare that person a little. "Let's say the day comes when that fellow can no longer escape me with your current support. Think about it, if one day you have to fight to ensure his escape. Would you or your people be willing to engage in a conflict with us?"

Finally, Harold and that man realized what Minos was getting at.

Harold was impressed with how tough Minos thought he was, considering that this young man was basically saying that he thought that day would come before he lost.

In other words, Minos was, in a sense, saying that he could fight this man head-on in a few years!

That Spiritual Sage smiled at Minos' confidence and said sincerely. "No, we wouldn't be willing. At this point, I think that fellow from Vogel would perish."

He knew that if he acted, someone from the Spiritual Church would act back since that was all that such an Evergreen Empire organization was waiting for to counterattack.

It was not in his organization's interest to risk losing its experts at this delicate moment. So, this man knew he would have to give up Abe when it happened.

Hence his answer!

Minos smiled upon hearing those words and said. "Well, if we don't come to an agreement by talking, the day will come when that will happen. Then you will lose all your efforts invested in Abe..."

"Isn't it better to simply let me help you now? Maybe if we ally, we would be stronger together!"

After those words, that expert could not help but appreciate Minos' efforts, feeling that such a young man knew how to make threats without causing trouble.

This man knew about what was happening in the Flaming Empire, in particular, the Saints Killing and Gray Clouds Sects. Thus, he was aware that Minos' threat was not at all exaggerated.

'If some of the leaders of that organization act in concert against me, and this young man uses that fusion of techniques, I might be forced to fight in a matter of months...' He pondered how long it would take for such a problem to reach him.

'In months, my group probably won't be able to find that thing.' He looked at Minos and frowned. 'But I also can't say whether he will still be alive and well by that time...'

"What exactly do you have in mind?" That expert asked after a while. "I don't know if I can believe you. But I am willing to hear a proposal at least."

Minos smiled and said. "You can tell me what you are after. Then, if I know how to find it or have the skills to do so, we can sign a Soul Contract. You will promise not to help Abe anymore, while I will secretly do the search service you want."

Emperor Stuart then looked back to where Harold stood. "I imagine those you don't want to draw attention to having no relations with him, right?"

Harold saw such a person nodding to Minos as he sighed in relief. 'Maybe this person won't do anything against me...'

The expert from the Eastern Empire then said to Minos. "Very well, we can strike a deal if you and Emperor Edwardstone promise to heaven never to tell anyone about what I'm after."

In the Spiritual World, Soul Contracts were the surest means of making agreements. But others, such as oaths to the heavens, also worked.

These others were not as complete and had several flaws that could get those involved into trouble in certain situations. But a simple oath worked well for smaller things, such as promising not to talk about something.

With that, Harold and Minos soon vowed to Heaven, under the observation of Natural Laws, that they would never speak of what this man was pursuing with other people.

With that done, that expert from the Eastern Empire finally said. "Well then, my group is searching for a map belonging to the Spiritual Church. That map was supposedly lost long ago in this region. Still, that organization has been searching the area for it in recent centuries through the imperial family's secret arm in the church, the Blood Triangle Pirates."

"That is a map that is a key and..." That level 80 man then started talking about every detail of the map, teaching Minos how to identify such a thing.

But he would not even have to. Minos knew what this person was after since such a map or key was in the Spatial Kingdom at this very moment.

'So they want it...' He felt extremely disappointed since he did not want to hand over such a thing to other people.

If such powerful groups and people were after it, then that map he got from Darell Silva's spatial ring was worth a lot!

'Damn it!'

'I won't be able to solve this matter!' He lamented deeply, feeling that he would have to continue suffering, for this man would continue to be at Abe's side.

Then after such a person even told Minos about the mechanism their group had for finding such a device and the strangeness of it not being anywhere, he said. "It seems your map is in some ancient heritage in the region."

"Ancient heritage? Why do you say that?" Such an individual asked.

"That is the only justification. What other dimension in this region could justify the disappearance of that thing?" Minos said, trying to get away from the problem. "Because of that, I don't know if I will be able to help. Currently, I have no way of venturing into these heritages."

"Do you know of any?"

Minos then said. "Sort of. I read a story I found in an ancient dungeon in this region that told of the inheritance of the Goddess of Life, which was located in the capital of the Kingdom of the Waves."

"But that inheritance was completed by the person who wrote such a story... Yet, there must be others. That person said in his records that his group was on the trail of another." He sighed. "Then perhaps such a map is in one of those heritages. Someone who found it may have fallen into one of those special dimensions."

After hearing that, such an expert's eyes narrowed.

...