The Rise of the Black Plain

After leaving Littlemere, Minos' party traveled for another six months, finally leaving behind the area where Strin's language was dominant.

They were stronger and better informed after their passage through Littlemere, so their losses during these months of travel were far less than in this region of Strin's people.

Still, two group members died during this time, one being the native of The Adamant Land and the other being the weakest robot in the group.

These losses came from traps in special areas the group had passed, where the robot that died had gone to save Minos and Ruth, while the alien had died in an 11th-stage bandit trap.

There were many groups of bandits in Zocarro, and Minos' party had encountered several of them on the roads of the Oqia continent. Most of the time, they had been able to defeat their opponents, most of whom were space explorers. However, in some situations, the group suffered greatly and even had their belongings stolen.

Fortunately, the region they were now in was less dangerous for travelers, and the dangers on the roads were gradually increasing.

But this was not out of kindness to the local people. The area they were now in, to which Examire belonged, was run by high-ranking Sovereigns and was also friendlier to space explorers.

There were dangerous places in this area, but the roads there were already much safer than those in the territory of Strin's people.

The number of living beings traveling through the area was also much higher, and even members of the local oppressive forces were present at many points along the roads.

But amid this less problematic route for travelers such as space explorers and traders, Minos' group came across an opportunity this afternoon!

...

Stopping for the night at a place not far from the road they were following toward Examire, Minos' party had been there for almost a full day when someone keeping an eye on the area noticed something changing.

'Guys, I'm sensing a strange fluctuation coming from a few kilometers ahead.' Said the person in charge of monitoring the area where the change was coming from.

'What happened?' Asked one of the other observers.

'I can't explain it. It was quiet a minute ago, and then suddenly, this overwhelming aura appeared before us.' Said the person who had focused on the direction of the sensation. 'Now I see a bluish glow coming from the area where that aura is. What should we do?'

The strongest robot in the group listened to the mental conversations of the observers and asked. 'Is this aura from a living being or something else?'

'I can't tell. It could be from a special creature, but it could also be something else. It's quite confusing.' Said the man standing guard over that area.

'Then, keep an eye on it. I'll talk to His Majesty and see what we can do.'

The robot quickly reached Minos and informed him of the situation one of the guards in the group had noticed.

"Maybe we should find out what it is." Maximillian looked at the brown-haired young man beside him. "This could be a cultivation opportunity for us."

"Or a faster way to die," Ruth said as she took one of Minos' hands.

But Minos couldn't deny the possibilities. "Well, let's carefully observe what this might be. If it's someone dangerous, we'll flee immediately."

He smiled at Ruth, for this woman understood that they couldn't avoid danger if they wanted to grow up and return to their plans to end the war.

Minos quickly alerted the whole group and got them into battle formation while he and Maximillian headed toward the area where the powerful aura was coming from.

The place wasn't far from where they were, so after only four minutes, the group was at the place where something was making a big blue glow coming out of the area between the trees and rocks.

Minos and Maximillian felt the sensation better as they got closer, and soon, Emperor Stuart put his wings into fight mode.

"This is really powerful," Maximilian commented to Minos. "If it's not a monster, this could be a great opportunity for us!" His eyes sparkled, and he couldn't help but marvel at his advancement to level 101.

"Hmm, let's take a closer look." Minos agreed as he cautiously raised his level to 96 with the help of one of his level 99 party members.

With his cultivation at a higher level, Minos motioned to Maximillian, and they both moved in the direction of the bluish glow simultaneously, leaving their group ready to act on the outskirts of the area.

Once they had cleared the vegetation and relief from their path, they came upon a strange place they hadn't expected to find so close to their resting place.

"This..." Maximilian kept his guard up but looked around with a less tense expression when he saw a place that looked like the entrance to a cave.

From there, they could see the entrance to a rocky area where crystal clear water, which they could easily see at the bottom of the shallowest parts, covered a good part of an area slightly larger than an ordinary training platform. Deep down, they couldn't see what was there because a strong blue glow was coming from there, indicating that something or someone powerful was heading in that direction.

The plants around that cave entrance were experiencing intense spiritual fluctuations and seemed to have developed unusual characteristics. At the same time, the energy there seemed to be flickering as if something special was drawing a lot of energy from the surroundings to the entrance of that area.

"What could that be?" Maximilian asked aloud.

"Maybe it's the birth of a valuable resource?" Minos said in an inquiring tone. "In our world, it's common for the birth or maturation of powerful resources to emit phenomena similar to what we're witnessing."

"It's possible this is it... What should we do?" The level 100 guy looked at the young man with the golden wings on his back.

Minos then said in the minds of everyone in his group. 'Form a defensive belt over this area and use all our defensive and hiding forms.

Maximilian and I will enter this area to explore it further. But if it is what we think it is, we may all have opportunities here.'

The people in the group quickly did what they were supposed to while Maximilian and Minos cautiously entered those waters, heading towards the blue glow.