The Rise of the Black Plain

After the arrival months ago of the Reid family troops on the Black Plain, Minos had fought a few times against the first enemies coming from that organization.

At first, they were not numerous, being only a few hundred fighters, a few Spiritual Kings. But after coming across a particular couple that seemed to have an irreconcilable hatred for him, Minos had realized that things had changed tremendously.

It had been strange before that the Reids had gotten involved in the mess of war, but after killing with a single glance one of those two people, a young man who was at level 50, things had gotten much worse.

All of a sudden, the hundreds had turned into thousands, and never again had Minos seen the stunningly beautiful woman who seemed to have something against him, even if he had never seen her in his life.

With that, for no reason at all, the madness of war took over relations between Reids and the Black Plain, with both sides desiring the destruction of the other.

Minos did not know it, but by killing the first young master of that family, he had drawn the anger of some members of that house. But by killing the second young master, he had thrown oil on the fire and earned the hatred of everyone in that organization of the Kingdom of the Waves.

That was the motivation behind the involvement of this noble family of the late Tristam and Christian.

In any case, Minos had put the name of that organization on his blacklist, something he would definitely take care of as soon as he had the chance!

They had attacked him repeatedly, so he would do what was necessary and help them achieve their end!

So, he went on his way until he reached his mansion with that in mind.

...

Upon arriving at his residence, Minos immediately made his way to the kitchen, where the chefs were preparing a meal at this very moment.

As he did so, he quickly grabbed from a refrigerator array a glass bottle that had cold water inside.

"Ah! It's boiling today, isn't it, Wendi?" He asked the young chef who was working with two other women there, as he held the bottle from before in one of his hands.

"Yes, young master, the day is perfect." That level 42 chef, someone Minos had met almost six years ago on his first trip out of the Black Plain, said.

"Well..." And while talking about some small day-to-day things with his chefs, Minos was tasting some snacks there, something that would be served later during dinner.

He then asked about something more relevant. "By the way, how is her mood today?"

"She seems content, young master..." Another chef commented on this as she answered Minos' question about Brooke.

Brooke had naturally stayed in this city for all this time since her arrival.

The same was true for her father, who, even now with his status as an ally, could not leave this place since he was supposed to be a hostage of enemy forces.

In any case, Brooke had stayed these months here, having, in a way, enjoyed herself in Dry City, unlike her father who even today, still saw this place as a prison.

But even though she had spent her time here in a much better way than her father, who had to swallow his hatred for Celeste constantly, Brooke still had her low moments, even with old friends.

Not necessarily because of her mother and Neal, since these two rarely came to this building. But, on the other hand, both were on missions outside Dry City, so she rarely had to think about them.

But the trauma she had to overcome was not slight.

So, even though she lived in Minos' mansion, where she frequently ate and talked with Minos or Abby, she still had her bad days.

That woman was still very reclusive, with particular difficulties trusting other people, which sometimes made her feel lonely and down.

That was why Minos had asked how Brooke was doing to those women, the ones that usually had more contact with her when he or Abby was not around.

"I see..." He said as he picked up another snack and walked toward the place in which he was sensing Brooke's presence.

...

Upon arriving at one of the recreational areas of his residence, Minos immediately saw a woman with tanned skin lying on her back beside a pool, without the top of her bikini.

Women in the Spiritual World took great care of their bodies, even if cultivation could partially ensure their youth.

And having tanned skin was something that a portion of the Spiritual World's population valued, and many sought to achieve by exposing themselves to the bright rays of the star that illuminated this world.

But only those weak enough not to have the ability to alter themselves by their own will did such a thing.

However, Brooke had a long way to go if she wanted to take advantage of the benefits of being at the 8th stage. As such, she used to do that from time to time, which made her happier with her appearance and the pleasant feeling of doing that.

And seeing this, Minos could not help but admire the sight in front of him, of that slender-bodied, shapely woman, with short brown hair and a small mark on her lower left cheek.

Brooke was beautiful, and just like her mother, Celeste, she had a stunning body, a charm that was hard to ignore. In fact, the only thing she lacked was her mother's mature personality.

And for Minos, a young man full of desire, this did not go unnoticed.

'That's truly nice to see when you get home!' The young Stuart admired the health that Brooke exuded while lamenting in his heart the fact that such a woman had matters to attend to.

Minos was naturally not prejudiced against beauties, and he did not lack 'appetite' either. But doing certain things with people in weak moments, with trust issues, could become a big problem.

But he already had so many problems that adding another one would only make him 'lose his youth' faster!

And so, he preferred to keep some distance from his old friend, Brooke.

But that does not mean that he did not admire her or did not have his fantasies.

After all, young Stuart was only 22.

However, he wanted the woman in front of him to face her demons and recover from her traumas before he tried anything.

Only then could he try something without risking adding one more problem, perhaps even worsening Brooke's condition.

"Minos?" She asked as she felt the presence of someone right behind her.

And as she looked back, she soon saw one of her favorite faces staring at her, as if thinking of something of utmost importance.

"Hehehe, are you surprised that I reached level 46?" She asked naively.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Hmm, of course, hehe."

"Congratulations on increasing your level, Brooke." He said with a discreet smile on his face as he sat down next to that woman that was still lying in the same position as before.

"Hehe, I am doing as you told me. I'm cultivating more while you and Abby are away..."

"Oh? That's good. If you keep it up, you can become a good soldier for my army in the future."

"Who will be your soldier?" She said in a joking tone.

Minos had invited this woman into his organization, of course. But she had refused several times, saying that she could not join an organization at war, something she was morally against.

"All you people think about is war, fighting left and right, killing without blinking... I disagree with your ideas."

"To me, they are all wrong!" She said in conviction.

"It is easy for one who has always been on the side that oppresses to judge the struggle of the oppressed..." Minos said to her in a serious tone. "But sooner or later, you will realize that on your own, Brooke."

"Tsk!"

"You are so serious..." She turned sideways, not caring to show part of her body to Minos.

"Here." She handed him a tube that contained some kind of liquid. "Pass it on my back, please..."

Gulp!

"If that's what you want..."