The Rise of the Black Plain

Hearing Minos' words, it wasn't long before the three people sat down on chairs at that table, close to where the young sovereign and Abby were.

Minos and Abby were seated side by side, opposite the three guests at this dinner. Other than that, they were both dressed nobly and formally but without being too flashy.

And such a thing was expected. Minos had always been a discreet person, as was Abby too. But, of course, with the beauty of this young woman, she would draw attention wherever she went, no matter what set of clothes she was wearing.

However, Abby was not the type of woman who would wear very tight or small clothes that would enhance her feminine gifts. Instead, she dressed very well but demurely.

Anyway, after introducing themselves to each other, soon the group of five people started to eat. At the same time, they got to know each other gradually.

And even though Abby wasn't originally part of this meeting, she actively participated in the conversations. Minos had already told her that this didn't involve official business and that it was just a conversation to get to know each other, so she hadn't held back her curiosity to ask questions.

Of these three people, two came from the distant Kingdom of the End, and one came from the famous Stone Island. And precisely because of that, Abby, a young noblewoman who had never been to these places, was asking a lot of questions about their past in those states.

"So, you are from Stone Island. I went there only once recently, but I didn't have time to get to know that place in detail." Minos commented as he looked towards Robin.

After that, Abby looked at that young blonde and asked. "Robin, were you part of any noble family on Stone Island?"

Finally, as the other two people ate and drank, looking at her and Minos and Abby, Robin began to respond. "No, I'm not. My family cannot be considered a noble house in that state. However, it is also not subordinate to any power in that place."

"About 500 years ago, my grandfather managed to find a Black-grade technique in an excavation on land he had purchased, and which happened to be focused on cultivation. With this, as the family already had a business that yielded a good amount of crystals and with this technique, we never tried to join forces in that region." She finished her explanation while looking carefully at Minos and Abby.

She didn't know the relationship between these two, but she would answer anything Abby asked for now. Maybe this was their savior's wife?

Robin and the other two thought this way...

As for the reality of Robin's family, this was to be expected. In the north of the Central Continent, most of the people who subordinated themselves to the noble family were individuals who needed to do this.

That could be because of guaranteed wages, which were generally better than in activities not related to these powers. It could also be related to better quality spiritual techniques since few Blue-grade techniques are available for the standard population to buy and almost none Black-grade.

However, if an individual already had these two conditions, had a well-paid job, and at least a decent cultivation technique, then few would be willing to give up their freedoms. And this was just the case with the family in which Robin was born.

They weren't wealthy like some prominent noble families, but they were doing pretty well financially. So much, so that Robin had gone out to travel in the north of the Central Continent...

And due to the Black-grade cultivation technique that Robin's grandfather had found, most of her relatives made it to the 5th stage of cultivation with relative ease.

But that was not all. Most of these young woman's relatives were not warriors and just cultivated to live longer. Their activities did not involve the use of spiritual techniques. Therefore, they did not have to worry about getting other better techniques.

Anyway, because of all that, there was no need for them to subordinate themselves to the noble family of Stone Island.

"Oh? That's nice. But tell me, what is the activity that your family practices on Stone Island?" Minos asked, interested in this young woman's past.

It was perfect for him that his subordinates had nothing to do with noble families. That's because, that way, Minos wouldn't have to worry about disputes or the possibility of being bothered by influential organizations.

But not only that, if these people's families were not subordinate to noble families, it would also be easier for you to bring them to the Black Plain!

And hearing this, Robin put on a proud expression and then said. "Our family is in the shipbuilding business!"

'Hmm, that's good. There are no shipbuilding companies in today's Black Plain...' Minos thought for a moment, already planning what could be done with this family of Robin. But he didn't want to talk about it with her right now.

Robin had just arrived in the Dry City, and this was all very new to her. Nevertheless, considering her past, coming from a power free from relations between subordinates and bosses, it would not be suitable to push her back.

Minos intended to let her get used to this place and decide for herself to bring her family here. After all, the present-day Black Plain was attractive enough that she could see the opportunities her family would have in this place.

As much as they weren't greedy people looking to grow at any cost, Robin's family wouldn't be stupid enough to waste a chance to get better!

Anyway, upon hearing her answer, Abby soon continued her questions in an attempt to find out more about Stone Island. "I learned that the naval industry is powerful in Stone Island. So, your family must face a lot of competition, no?"

"Yes, this is truly a very developed area on Stone Island. According to my father, the naval industry is the second most profitable activity in that state!"

In fact, that state had the best naval industry in the north of the Central Continent, so they exported their products to the entire region of Minos.

Only the profession of blacksmiths could surpass them, as this was the main economic activity in that state.

Because of this reality, some noble families from Stone Island were involved in this activity, generating great competition there. Of course, none of them focused exclusively on this sector, but most of them had been doing this for a long time and could be considered high level.

In fact, it was said that ships produced on Stone Island by noble families could be considered as good as those found in second-tier empires such as the Flaming Empire.

"In the region where my family lives, our biggest competitor is the Hersey family. However, even though they are a medium power noble house in our state, my family still managed to thrive in that region!" Robin completed proudly.

"Oh?" Abby exclaimed in surprise. She might never have been to Stone Island, but she knew very well the names of the noble families of that place and their respective peculiarities. After all, she, a noblewoman of the powerful Miller family, a merchant power, couldn't help but learn about these details.

"Then your family must be competent. Despite being a medium-sized power, I hear that the Hersey family can still be considered one of the eight oldest families on Stone Island. And they've always been involved with the marine industry…" Abby commented in awe.

Stone Island had 17 noble families in total, 3 of which could be considered high level, on the same level as the Silva and Miller families. Other than that, the royal family of that place was quite powerful, not being weaker than the other royal houses in the north of the Central Continent.

Of these three, one was the Nash family of the young Minos ally. Another was the latter's biggest competitor, the Allen family. Thus, what remained was a military force from that region, very close to the royal family of that state.

'Looks like the cultivation technique your grandfather found must have been very important to this factor…' Minos thought to himself as he thought back to Robin's family's past.

In non-spiritual specialties, what mattered, in the end, was the level of the workers and the knowledge related to the activity. With this, a family with members who could cultivate faster and lives longer would undoubtedly have a more significant development than other powers.

Living longer, they could preserve the best builders, pass on and develop knowledge more efficiently. Finally, there would be an improvement in the quality of the products they produced!