The Rise of the Black Plain

While Gloria was struggling to update herself on the Church in Dry City, Minos, Ruth, and Abby were together with Sarah and Kendrick, going about some local government business.

Minos and his wives believed that daily their children had to participate at some point in their jobs to learn the modus operandi of the Stuart family. So some of them occasionally had Sarah or Kendrick around to watch the local decisions that could influence the empire's future.

Sarah was already an adult, so she participated more actively in these moments, asking questions and sometimes giving her opinion. But Kendrick just watched and listened, always silent when his father or mothers spoke.

In particular, he looked at his father with pride every time he stayed with him to learn how a ruler handled things.

Usually, Abby was always with him at these times since even though she had stopped breastfeeding a few months ago, she was the only one who fed this kid.

Anyway, this was supposed to be just another day for this family, but before they even entered the imperial throne hall, men from the Black Plain Army stopped and alerted them to the arrival of two groups.

One of them had not identified themselves, only saying they were in Dry City to visit the place. At the same time, the other came from Sista, intending to talk to Minos about some important matters.

Since both groups had people of a higher level than what was accepted in Dry City, Minos' men soon warned him about both groups of newcomers.

Kendrick and Sarah heard this and became interested in getting to know these people from Sista.

This was particularly true for Sarah, who felt she could soon visit that state!

"Very well, let them come here." Minos allowed these people in, who were following the local rules, unlike some individuals who had entered Dry City without permission recently.

"I wonder what that's about?" Ruth asked her husband while looking at him seriously.

"It probably has something to do with the Eastern Empire and what I've become involved in over the past few weeks." He said as he looked at Ruth and Abby.

News of the meeting of the leaders of the Eastern Empire, Western Empire, and Sista had not yet reached the Black Plain.

Minos' state still didn't have good enough connections for such news to reach him as quickly as it happens with other powers around the Spiritual World.

But he was no fool, and noting the coincidence of this unexpected visit just after his return, he judged that such a thing had everything to do with the map of the Seraphim Ancient Sarcophagus.

"How do we solve this?" Abby asked. "With the emergence of Maximillian, we will be protected from Demigods. I do not doubt that. But many states friendly to Black Plain may turn against us.

That man must not have good intentions for the continent."

Minos and his family judged that Maximillian would follow part of his old plans to take over the Church and start wars of conquest across the continent.

Since he was closely associated with this man, his forces would undoubtedly suffer from the consequences of siding with such a person.

Minos himself agreed with this and said. "We can do nothing but try to handle the situation as best we can.

Maximillian may get in the way of some of our relationships. Still, he will also provide us with the strength to develop in peace.

If we are isolated and hated, that is the cost of not worrying about Demigods.

In any case, there is no way to disconnect our position from his, and anything he does will have consequences for us. So we'd better prepare for the future and accept that we'll have problems."

"Then we're going to follow his side to the end?" Ruth asked as Sarah and Kendrick listened.

"We will follow that until the time of his promise. Then, after I become a Demigod, we will revisit the matter." Minos said, not wanting to give a definitive position now.

Maximillian could become an ally of his even after he reached level 90, but the opposite could also happen. Minos knew this and wanted to wait for things to develop before deciding.

Until then, Maximillian could develop, but so could he and his people!

Shortly after he showed his intentions to those four, the group from Sista entered the imperial throne hall, where each of the Stuart family members was already positioned in their seats.

Minos was on his throne, with Ruth and Abby sitting on his sides, Sarah slightly behind, and Kendrick in his mother's arms.

The imperial guards and some high-level members of the Gray Clouds Sect were standing there when the three visitors from Sista stopped 30 meters away from Minos.

The three looked up, ignoring the steps before them, and focused on the figure of the level 77 man who had supposedly unleashed a great evil on the continent.

They already knew of Minos' return alongside Maximillian and Darren since news of this was already spreading across the continent.

The Church had been the first organization to receive this news. Still, other areas of the Central Continent were gradually hearing about the unusual allies that Minos had obtained.

The news had not yet reached the Eastern Empire, but those people who had left Sista a day ago had already heard such a thing after passing through Vogel three hours ago.

"Now he seems much more impressive than the rumors say..." One of the men, a level 91 Demigod, thought as he looked into Minos' brown eyes.

On the other hand, the member of royalty among the two royal guards there, level 85, looked at Minos and then at each of the members of that family, passing his eyes quickly, noticing Kendrick and Sarah.

He paid little attention to them and introduced himself to Minos. "Your Majesty Minos Stuart, my name is George Sista. I am the youngest son of Queen Sista, the Third Prince of my kingdom.

Those beside me are Basil and Calvin, my bodyguards."

"Your Highness George, I am happy to welcome someone from the Sista family to my city. Just recently, a nobleman from your state came here to make an agreement between our states regarding the Continental Tournament about to take place in a few decades.

Is that what your visit is about?"

"In a way, yes." That blond-haired, blue-eyed man said, smiling bitterly before getting to the point. "But our visit is also about your search for the Seraphim Ancient Sarcophagus.

My mother has some questions that I hope you will answer. Emperor Vico Travisani suspects that you were after this place and found it. Is that true?"

...