The Rise of the Black Plain

Emlyn then began to answer Abby's questions. "Yes, dragons are powerful. In fact, their race is the third most powerful in the entire Spiritual World."

"Only the third?" Abby's eyes widened in surprise, as she had not expected to hear something like that.

From the legends that reached this part of the Central Continent, dragons were supposed to be ultimate existences to which only elves could compare themselves. Not only did they have majestic bodies, with scales as powerful as the strongest metal alloys of this world, but they were endowed with unique spiritual abilities.

But surprisingly, Emlyn said there were two races above that of dragons...

That was unexpected!

"Yes, there are two races. The first one is that of elves. I don't know what kind of rumor is circulating around this region, but elves are more powerful than dragons."

"Every elf, even those of lower bloodlines, are already born with an innate level of power. Some of the most talented are already born at level 20!"

"Dragons are also born with innate power, but in general, this is less significant than is the case with elves."

"On the other hand, dragons spend most of their lives sleeping, while elves only sleep as much as humans. So, that's another advantage for this race of heaven's chosen ones."

"Also, this race's compatibility with spiritual energy is almost similar to that of plants. That means they can live much longer than fellow members of other races on the same level as them. Because they can live longer, they can accumulate more strength than dragons..."

"For any race, it's hard for us to find Gods. But as far as Spiritual Demigods are concerned, almost any elf with above average talent can reach that stage."

"That's what makes them so powerful!" Her eyes widened as she remembered the teachings of the elders of her Nine-tailed Foxes tribe.

That was a proud tribe of powerful beings relative to the average power of this world. But even so, the elders of her tribe taught their youths from an early age not to get involved with elves unless they had to, and if they had to, never to stand against one.

They were creatures blessed by heaven, chosen by spiritual energy!

"Anyway, besides the elves, there is also a race of sea beasts that I don't know their name. I only know that it is a type of whale. Anyway, that one is definitely the strongest of all in terms of raw power. They are not as talented as elves, nor can they live as long as elves. But their power is matchless."

"Uh? Whales? I've never heard of whales before." Abby commented as she rose from her seat.

"Hmm, whales. You've never heard of them because sea beasts are less famous in the Spiritual World than land-based ones. Besides, they sleep even more than dragons..."

"But whether you believe it or not, whales of that breed are terrifying. It is said that if they all went crazy, they could even create tsunamis capable of covering even the highest peaks of the Spiritual World!"

"This race is the only one that could truly destroy the entire world if they wanted to!" She said this with a sparkle in her eyes, the pure respect she had for beings of that divine species.

"Anyway, lucky for us, those whales are extremely weakened on land, just like other races of sea beasts. So, rarely would one of them step foot on the mainland."

"Then, you don't have to worry about their incredible power. They are also known as very friendly and quiet."

"Really? That sounds strange. Beings that powerful are usually more violent, no?"

Emlyn smiled and said. "That's because of the dragons. They are very proud, have a lot of power, and members of their race are fanatical about battles."

"But not everyone is like them. For example, Qilins, in general, are as peaceful and quiet as those whales. Unless someone acts against them first or violates their principles, they hardly cause trouble on the continent, even considering they are one of the strongest races."

After she said that, suddenly Minos' voice sounded in both of their ears. "Abby, I will take you to meet some of these beasts in the future..."

"Oh? My love, what are you doing here? I thought you were working." Abby rushed to his side.

"Hmm, I came to tell you that Gloria just arrived in Dry City."

"Do you want to go talk to her about the details of the wedding?"

"She finally arrived?" Abby asked with a wide smile on her face, feeling a little anxious about working out the details of the wedding with that woman.

"Hmm, I just got a notification that she landed on the city's south side and is coming right now."

"Is that so? Then let's go. I want to get this sorted out as soon as possible..."

"You don't know how much my mother is bothering me these days." She pouted as she hugged her man's waist.

Minos laughed and then said goodbye to Emlyn. "See you later..."

...

Meanwhile, in the area under construction on the south side of Dry City, Gloria had just landed on the outskirts and was already in a carriage heading toward the area protected by the local dome.

"Incredible!" She muttered under her breath, seeing thousands of people in her surroundings working.

People were working on constructions that had only the underground completed, little by little rising to the skies. Yet, at the same time, when walking toward the dome, anyone could see that the situation developed, and the foundation work changed to painting and decorating.

Finally, in the areas within 300 meters of the dome, there were no more buildings under construction but places ready to live.

There was already a typical movement of functional places there, with several carriages passing through the streets, people walking along the sidewalks minding their own business and affairs unrelated to construction.

Noticing all this, Gloria was mesmerized, positively surprised at how fast Minos was in developing this place.

'I was right all along...'

'The rise of the Black Plain is a chance for the entire northern region to experience a qualitative breakthrough!'

'It's just a pity that the fools in power in this region needed a war to understand that they shouldn't fight against Minos...' She lamented, remembering that she had advised the local powers to accept Black Plain independence on more than one occasion.

On the other hand, Gloria was feeling pretty good. After all, she had made a great deal with Minos, and this place seemed to be growing faster than she had estimated necessary for his promises to be fulfilled.

'Thinking about that, now I feel I've underestimated this place a bit...'

'Could it be that Minos has fooled me?' She laughed, finding that possibility interesting.

She was obviously acting for the church's good, but she had already signed an agreement with him. On the other hand, the church would undoubtedly gain from Minos. So even if their gains were not the best possible, she was okay with it and laughed at the possibility at hand.

After that, her carriage entered the part of Dry City protected by the local dome, where she immediately felt the difference in her surroundings.

'Hmm, the people in this place are much more vibrant than before, without that war tension...' She observed her surroundings, realizing that not many changes had happened in the months since Minos' coronation.

'I wonder how he is doing?'

But her question was soon answered when her carriage stopped beside the local government mansion, a place that was currently already ten times the size of it when Minos took over the Black Plain.

Upon arriving there, Gloria noticed the presence of level 59 Spiritual Kings in Dry City. Still, she put that aside to pay attention to the handsome level 55 man who was waiting for her next to two women at the entrance of that estate.

"Your Grace, I'm glad to see you looking so well." She said formally, laughing gracefully at having to use those titles to talk to Minos.

Minos laughed as well, nodding to her in appreciation.

After that, she looked at Ruth and then at Abby, feeling slight envy in her heart at the position of the two. "Well, your wedding is just around the corner, so let's talk about the details..."

"I think you'd better get on with your business, Your Grace. I will come and talk to you later."

"That's better, hehe..." Minos avoided his responsibility, quickly letting those three women move on to his residence while he went to his work.