The Rise of the Black Plain

"A dozen Spiritual Emperors have emerged in our region!" She said with eyes shining in excitement, wondering if one day she too could reach the 7th stage.

"Haven't you seen the recent news from Stone Island? No one knows the exact total power of the current Stone family, but it's no longer a secret to anyone that King Stone has reached level 60!"

"As for the Black Plain, several Spiritual Emperors of His Majesty, Minos Stuart's organization, are known throughout the region."

"So, even so, you still ask if the Black Plain is everything our parents said?" She looked a little irritated at her younger brother. "Francis, behave yourself while we are in this place!"

"The Black Plain is so amazing that our origins have no importance here!"

"If you are careless, our entire family could be destroyed!" She grabbed the right wrist of the young man in front of her, emphasizing that point.

"Tsk!"

"Sister, do you believe that? If that is true, then why has the king not shown his face in public for almost three years?"

"Humph!"

"Little brother, you should read more!" She said in an annoyed tone. "The major cities in the Black Plain main territory already have teleportation arrays for high-level people."

The current Black Plain already had more than half a dozen cities with more than 1 million inhabitants each. And precisely those locations near the borders of the Black Plain's main territory were the teleportation arrays in question.

"So just because no one has seen His Majesty traveling around doesn't mean he's standing still or hiding."

"Teleportation arrays?" The young man rose from his seat, surprised to discover such a thing. "But isn't that kind of array classified as grade-3?"

"How can they have something like that?"

"There are low-level grade-3 professionals in Dry City. Why do you think our parents come here twice a year?" She felt even more disappointed by her brother's ignorance. "They are trying to make deals with these professionals, but getting close to one of them is a great difficulty!"

"Few people have access to Old Dry City, the capital's core."

Old Dry City was nothing more than the original part of this city, the area protected by the local dome.

After these years, this area had become the home of the upper echelon of the local forces, where most of the region's Spiritual Emperors lived and where the grade-3 professional stores were.

Such a place had become so important that the government made property purchase programs to encourage citizens unrelated to the government to leave the area but still with the privilege of access to it.

As a result, the area had lost a lot of population, increased the concentration of residents connected to the local forces, and had become almost a headquarters city.

Anyway, after the brief dialogue of the siblings, their family's high-standard carriage finally left the stop-post and entered the satellite city ahead.

Today, the belt of satellite cities of Dry City had already been completed, with a fully built urban ring only a dozen kilometers from the capital's outer area.

In this gigantic ring, a grand boulevard circled the entire area in a course without end or beginning, from which the more than 7 million citizens of the belt could move as they wished.

Their carriage then entered this grand avenue. There were two lanes separated by a corridor with trees, where there was also a lane for people to run. At the same time, each lane could hold up to three carriages passing side by side simultaneously.

Watching this place from side to side, the two felt their hearts beating faster while their eyes shone in excitement.

"This place is so beautiful!"

"Just look at those buildings... I've never seen any models like those!" The woman said this to her brother, pointing toward a theater near their carriage.

On the other hand, her brother was looking at the front of the carriage, where he could see an endless avenue. "This place truly is the Infinite City!" He commented in a low voice, remembering the fame of this urban area.

The belt of satellite cities had its limits. But if a person did not stray far from the main avenue, he could easily think that such an urban area has no end!

As such, this place had earned the reputation of an Infinite City.

"Look at that, sister. There are even casinos around here!" The young man pointed toward a building with a giant scoreboard advising of the previous night's results.

"Of course, apart from brothels, there are all kinds of businesses related to the entertainment of the population in this place."

Minos had nothing against brothels. But since no one had taken the initiative to build such a business in his state, there were no such places around.

As to why this was so, no one knew for sure.

There were theories among the younger people of this state that the women of the Black Plain simply had much better opportunities here than using their bodies to satisfy other people.

But there were those rumors that this was due to the queen, who did not want any service related to this in her territory.

In any case, the fact was that there were no brothels in the principal area of the Black Plain!

"Why did you decide to come with me? The way you talk, you sound as if you don't know what's good here..." She spread her arms, finding it strange that her little brother had come to this place without knowing about the many local tourist wonders.

"Tsk!"

"I was only interested in learning about the strongest state in the region..." He said unhappily. "Anyway, where will we stay, big sister?"

She then replied. "There's a big hotel called the Four Seasons Hotel in this G City. I've heard that the rooms on the top floors have a magnificent view of the plantation areas to the south and the parts of the ring of cities."

"Then let's go there!"

"OK!"

...

As those siblings followed their path, in the now Royal Palace of the Black Plain, Minos and the most important people of this state was in a large dining hall.

Some people were eating and talking there in that very well decorated place, with high plants on the sides, paintings painted by King Stuart on the walls, and a big table with several dishes.

Minos and his wives were sitting at the end of the table, with Abby on his right side and Ruth on the left.

At the same time, Dillian, Eda, and Mia were near the trio, across from Abby's parents.

Besides them, some high-ranking royal guards stood at the exits of that area while a man dressed all in white pushed a metal cart containing some desserts.

"Your Grace, Your Majesties." This cook, who surprisingly was already at level 60, said to Minos, Abby, and Ruth as they discovered the dishes on that cart.

"Oh? It looks like you made a new dessert, Alex?" Abby asked with a sparkle in her eyes, already wanting to taste the delicacies prepared by that man.

This man was Alex Shepard, the spiritual cook whom Minos and Abby had met years ago when they first traveled to the Kingdom of the Waves in search of spiritual techniques.

The two had been to Alex's restaurant in that state and had subsequently done business with him.

In any case, Minos had invited this man to become the royal cook after the establishment of the Black Plain as an independent state and the end of the royal honeymoon.

At the time, Alex readily accepted that. Thus, he had already been serving the Black Plain royal family for over three years.

"Yes, Your Majesty. As you recommended, I have developed a new dessert based on the pineapple fruit." He said politely, delighted with his new position.

Without Minos' help, he would never have become a low-level grade-3 cook. Consequently, his gratitude for this king was immense.

Minos, who had reached level 60 two months ago, tasted that dessert and said. "It's delicious, Alex. Keep it up."

"Thank you, Your Grace!"

After that, while the trio was already savoring that dessert, Alex distributed the dessert to the other people without interrupting those people's conversations.

Abby's father, level 59, then said. "Minos, after Ruth's advancement to the 7th stage a year ago..."