The Rise of the Black Plain

Hearing Abby's curious question, Minos smiled but said nothing. Of course, he wasn't going to tell this friend of his that Emlyn was now in the Spatial Kingdom, but there was also no need for him to create a lie in an attempt to hide the fact that that fox was on his side.

Such a thing would be ridiculous to anyone listening.

They could all feel Emlyn's strength before, so they knew she was a 6th stage spiritual beast. And there was no way such a being would go around helping the unfortunate and still listening to his requests...

Emlyn was clearly in that place to help Minos and his forces, so the excuse that she had nothing to do with him wouldn't work here.

So, Minos paused to think about what to say, not to lie but also not telling the whole truth.

While young Stuart was silent, Eda was also curious about the subject of this beast. She was much more experienced than Abby and knew how rare the beasts of the 6th stage of cultivation were in the north of the Central Continent.

In this region, few powers had beasts from this stage of cultivation in their ranks. Still, even those few organizations could not make such beasts work as escorts.

As spiritual beasts, these beings were far stronger than those humans on their level. Thus, these beasts would not be treated as mere escorts through this region.

As can be seen from the people Minos came into contact with, even young masters from large families usually had only Spiritual Generals as escorts.

Leroy was the only exception, but that was only because his guard, Jeff, had reached level 50 during this young man's escort mission to the Spiritual Tournament...

Thus, no family would put a 6th stage specialist to accompany a youth. Instead, they would pass some territory for them to defend, like was with the ruler of the City of Waters, Mirya.

That was the principal role of high-level specialists, humans or beasts, not just in the north of the Central Continent but across the continent. They were the protectors of many families and cities spread across this domain!

However, it was not easy to have a beast of this level.

The first problem was that there weren't many breeds that had the potential to reach the 6th stage. Ultimately, most of these higher-ranked beasts crowded into tribes and were much harder to find for trade.

Another problem was that they used to be more intelligent and harder to tame. After all, spiritual beasts could cultivate faster than humans, meaning they could reach the 5th stage in less time.

Obviously, some humans with high talents and high-level techniques could be faster in cultivation. Still, when compared to humans of the same potential range as beasts, beasts would win at cultivation speed!

As a result, powers such as those responsible for the kidnapping of Emlyn and her late husband attempted to deprive these beasts of their freedom, not only on the Continent of the Beast but also on the Central Continent.

Anyway, there weren't many beast powers of Emlyn's strength level in the Minos region for all that. Most of these beasts would only be found in other parts of the continent, where organizations like the Blood Triangle Pirates sold them!

The Miller family itself had none, and the strongest beast of this power was only in the 5th stage. In fact, apart from the royal families of this region, there were almost no organizations with 6th stage spiritual beasts in these areas!

And after a few seconds of not answering Abby's question, Minos finally started talking. "I helped her in the past, or rather I'm still helping her. So, therefore, she has become a member of my forces, but she is not my subordinate..."

He answered, not giving much information or saying where Emlyn was. Abby could only consider the mother fox to be nearby, outside the group's spiritual sense space.

Hearing this, the two women of the Miller family said nothing at once as they considered Minos' vague response. There wasn't much they could discover, but it seemed that the young Stuart wanted to clarify that Emlyn had a different status within his organization.

'What do you mean she is not your subordinate? Doesn't she have to do everything you say?' Abby wondered, trying to make sense of the situation.

In this region, all the noble families treated their spiritual beasts as underlings, even if they were intelligent and could even speak the human language.

Of course, some people treated them as part of their families, but this was much more like a parent who wants to choose their child's fate than parents who give their children the freedom to follow their fates on their own.

As for Abby's bodyguard, Eda thought similarly. However, as a woman who spent most of her life as a subordinate of the Miller family, she almost felt a particular appreciation for Minos' attitude.

In a way, subordinates or spiritual beasts were just pieces in the regional political schemes, which could be replaced and forgotten. Consequently, she felt a little better listening to what Minos said, even though she still found the behavior a little odd.

It was difficult to ignore certain ingrained habits...

Because of that culture, mindset, Abby was curious that Minos behaved so differently. She then thought of something and asked. "So, what is she?"

Minos then looked into his friend's eyes and then spoke while massaging his chin. "Good question. I guess I can say she's a friend. Even though I give her something, and she gives me something in return, I don't see her as a subordinate, nor does she see me as her boss."

"And if I get into your force, what will I be?" The young woman with blue hair and eyes asked, looking steadily at Minos.

"Hehehe, of course, you will continue to be my friend! Nor would it suit me if you were a subordinate of mine…" He responded with a flirtatious smile at Abby.

Minos would never have sex with a woman who was his subordinate. But he had been friends with Abby for years, and even if she did step into his organization, he would still see her more as a friend than a subordinate.

Obviously, there was a big difference between Abby and Mia, for example. While Minos met his secretary as a boss and subordinate, it differed with the young woman of the Miller family. The two already knew each other before and already had an established relationship.

That's why he couldn't see the two women alike, no matter how attractive secretary Mia was!

Anyway, after hearing Minos' sincere response, along with the glorious sight of this young man's face, who was smiling slightly and pleasantly, Abby felt a little warm at this point.

She wasn't completely naive about the things in life and could easily see Minos flirting. After all, even if she is a maiden, many young men at the Miller family headquarters courted her and tried to gain her favor...

On the other hand, while Abby blushed slightly, Eda was a little embarrassed by Minos' attitude, but that was more because she was still there... As an experienced woman, Eda had her adventures, and despite not being a 'hunter,' she wasn't against occasional flirting...

And that was how her and Dillian's relationship had started, back when Minos and Abby were studying at the Spiritual Academy in the City of the Setting Sun.

'Ahh, the youth…' She thought to herself as she looked out of that carriage, trying not to notice the two youths standing there with her.

'But this young Minos is very dangerous for Ms. Abby. She always wanted to protect herself. I don't know if he is still a good influence on her…'

And quickly, time continued to pass. Then, Minos and Abby extended talking about various things in their lives, information not relevant to their cultivation and position, but that could bring a relationship between the two.

Getting to know how someone really is was what made a relationship evolve into something more meaningful!

And so the two were sometimes laughing, sometimes with grave expressions, as they enjoyed the calm night of travel. They still had a long way to go, but there was no shortage of things to talk about.

Life in the Spiritual World was not easy, but it would hardly be monotonous or would allow someone to have nothing to talk about. There were myths, stories from a remote past, and even some living legends...

Strange phenoms, forbidden regions, historical individuals, information that could teach or frighten young people.

And as they conversed, the darkness of night gave way to the first rays of daylight, as dawn approached that region of the Cromwell Kingdom, just a few hundred kilometers from Chambers' base...