The Rise of the Black Plain

When Minos saw the first mermaid of his life, he opened his eyes wider, for the beauty of that being was truly magnificent.

The skin of the first mermaid they saw on their way was like a precious gem of a tone and texture that an ordinary man would definitely feel in heaven just by touching her hands.

Her eyes were a bit large, but that was normal for her size. However, because they were large, it was easier to look at her beautiful irises, which looked like blue starry skies with black holes in the center.

Her fin was incredibly adorable, and even though it was the non-human part of this being, it could make men adore her, for it hid what this mermaid would have when transformed into her humanoid version.

Seeing how thick this mermaid's fin was, some of the men in Minos' group couldn't help but swallow their saliva as they imagined her dimensions when she was in her humanoid version.

Her nose, mouth, and ears were perfect, neither too big nor too small, allowing her to use her hearing and breathing abilities both underwater and in the air.

Mermaids had super-hearing that allowed them to hear things being said up to 30 kilometers away. In addition, they could emit a sound pulse that could reach up to 100 kilometers away from them, making it an outstanding special ability for communication.

"Mermaids are gorgeous. Even our people can't say otherwise." One of the level 90 men from the Sea Folk commented to the humans and beasts in Minos' group, seeing that most of them were looking at the first mermaid in their path with shining eyes.

"But don't stare at her too much. Some of them can accept being watched and even enjoy it. But if you stare at them for too long, you might incur the wrath of one who isn't so patient and understanding." The woman in charge of the boat advised the weak-willed humans in the group.

Gulp!

Minos said. "Come on, guys, don't scare our potential traveling companions. There are few mermaids here, so we don't want them to think we're a bunch of perverts."

The Fish People tribe was not large. There were about 50,000 members, and of them, about 27,000 mermaids.

This race's members could cultivate to the limit, but only a few could go beyond level 97. Moreover, only a fraction of those few members of the race could reach level 90, the ideal level for traveling companions in this group.

If they offended a particularly powerful mermaid, they could easily find themselves in a situation where they couldn't get any support in this place!

The men in the group listened to Minos' advice and tried to control themselves a bit, which was not so complicated for them, considering their level.

It was inevitable not to be enchanted at first contact, but by controlling themselves, they all managed to put aside their strange looks from a few seconds ago and become more serious.

Even so, they couldn't help but admire the abilities of these creatures.

'I just saw a level 85 mermaid, and even then, I almost got lost in my thoughts...' The level 91 Demigod hired by Minos thought to himself, shocked by the seductive abilities of the female members of this race.

Amidst the thoughts of the members of this group, they soon arrived at the center of the village, a place where coral reefs served as the home of the local inhabitants.

The place wasn't huge, but with a few tens of thousands of inhabitants, this tribe had a bustling city that covered an area of about 100 square kilometers.

But unlike a human city, there were no streets in this city. On the contrary, there were waterways where some could swim at high speed and quickly get from one side of the city to the other.

There were also a lot of lights on most of the coral reefs, with shops in the city center and some very nice residential areas on the city's outskirts.

The tribe was somewhat isolated from the outside world, so there weren't many members of other races around. The only exception was a subordinate race of the tribe, which was used by them and whose members also lived there.

But visitors and tourists were practically non-existent there, and Minos' group was definitely the majority of visitors to the place that day.

Stopping in the center of town, the merman said to him. "Leave your boat here. Come with me to the tribe's central square. There, you can try to recruit people for your voyage."

The Fish People tribe was very liberal when it came to the freedom of its members. As much as there were rules that everyone had to follow, if one wanted to leave the tribe to venture out into the world, that was a personal decision that the tribe would not interfere with.

Since it involved members of the Sea Folk, no one there would see a problem with a foreign group looking for traveling companions.

With that said, they soon arrived at the indicated spot, and the female leader of the group sent by the elder level 97 member of the Sea Folk said. "Minos Stuart, it's up to you now. You must convince the mermaids we come in contact with on your own."

She and her group had already done a great job in getting the group to this place, where they certainly would not have been able to go without their help.

Minos thanked her and took the lead on the matter, quickly putting up some posters and signs and placing them around a military tent he had in one of his spatial rings.

This has already attracted the attention of many beings passing by in the area. Still, soon after he had finished, Minos stopped in front of the tent and began to speak loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, come closer! We are a group of travelers passing through your tribe to bring you opportunities!" He said with a smile. "We have several opportunities for those who wish to try their luck. In particular, I will give a Saint-grade medicine to the mermaid who manages to defeat me in an arm wrestle!

That's right! Saint Medicine! It's not a lie, look at it!" He displayed a medicine of the promised quality while talking like a market vendor trying to attract customers.

Seeing a level 88 mermaid looking at him, even though he wasn't interested in someone of that level, Minos didn't underestimate the potential of attracting someone like that and said. "Miss, come and test your strength. It's not a lie. If you beat me, you can keep this medicine.

You can use all of your skills to defeat me, while I'll only use one of mine!" He smiled, showing this beauty that it would be very 'easy' to obtain the medicine in his hands.

"Are you serious? What's the catch?" She asked as several creatures at the square's edge stopped what they were doing to look at Minos.

Even the merman accompanying their group looked at Minos strangely.

Minos replied. "The trick is that you have to listen to my proposal before the showdown, and if I win, you have to do me a favor that's within your power."

...