The Rise of the Black Plain

"Maximillian..." Callie commented as she approached the man, while Abby stood next to her, looking seriously at the black-haired man.

"Where is Minos now?" Abby asked, drawing the attention of the four who knew that even though she was at level 105, she was definitely not to be underestimated.

With the ability to resurrect the dead and use them as subordinates, Abby was a living battalion that had to be handled carefully.

"Abby..." Maximillian muttered as he looked at the blue-haired woman, wanting to know how she had grown so much in such a short time.

One of the questions on his and his companions' minds was how these individuals had cultivated faster than Minos in the last nine decades.

'Something happened during that time. Minos faced some problems and then benefited greatly from resources.' Maximillian estimated as he considered the current level of Minos and the situation of this team.

"We saw him and the others in the inner guild area a few minutes ago... They're probably waiting for you or on their way here." Said one of the three men next to Maximilian in response to Abby's question.

"Is that so? Then we'd better talk later." Abby motioned to Vico and Callie, preferring to give her group more time to find out where Minos stood in relation to Maximillian and these three men.

Maximillian sighed when he heard this. "Then I'll wait until you have some time, haha. The guild has many rules and things for you to learn.

When you've adjusted, come to me whenever you want. I'll be there to guide you and help you if you need it."

Before he and his companions left in defeat, he saw Gloria finish the guild entrance exam and identified a pendant on the woman's body.

"It seems that Gloria has taken my place in the Spiritual Church..." He commented as he saw her look in his direction. "Can you tell me about the situation in the Church?"

Gloria knew she had to be careful with Maximilian, but as a former ancestor of the Spiritual Church, he at least deserved the information in question.

She said. "The Church should be well. I only held the position of Supreme Pontiff for a few years before passing it on to my daughter, Sarah. We'll leave her in charge of the Church when we leave the Spiritual World."

"Sarah Stuart is the current Supreme Pontiff? That's good. The Church will have a brilliant future with the Stuart family at its side. Perhaps one day I'll return to the Spiritual World to learn more about the history this girl will leave behind."

With these words, Maximilian thanked Gloria and took leave of the group, wishing them luck on their journey.

Once the group of four mid-level Sovereigns had left, the man in charge of introducing the guild to the group showed them the way to the city, down the mountain they were on, and through the fenced area.

As the group members chatted about Maximillian and the three humans allied with him, they entered the outskirts of the city, where they would receive their records and the Flashdrain parasite.

Already familiar with the entire process of joining the guild, the group made it easy for the man to guide them, until they encountered Minos and the rest of his group outside the post where they would receive their parasites.

"So you've already completed the entire entry process, huh?" Minos smiled as he looked at his eight companions and saw the Officer who would be in charge of them.

The alien looked at Minos without recognizing him at first. Many of the guild's Junior Officers had been promoted over the past nine decades. The positions in the guild were constantly changing, with new members joining, old members being promoted, and the deaths that always occurred in such forces.

Maybe this alien was already a member of the guild at that time, but considering the size of the headquarters city, it was possible that some lower-ranking members didn't know Minos and his allies back then.

As soon as he spotted this person, Minos greeted him and invited him to join the faction.

"Come meet us in a few days. I'll send someone with the address of our faction and give you some resources to help you on your journey." Minos squeezed one of the alien's fists and made him realize he wouldn't be dealing with normal people.

The man in charge of the group of eight smiled and said. "Of course. Now I have some business to attend to, so I'll see you later."

As the alien left, Abby approached Minos and said. "We met Maximillian and three natives from the Spiritual World. They were interested in having dinner and talking with Vico. He also offered support."

"Looks like he's nervous." Ruth commented as she looked at Minos with narrowed eyes.

"That must be the case." Otis, the robot, said in agreement.

Minos told his eight companions. "Maximilian abandoned us and avoided trouble by ignoring things that could have kept us safe. Anyway, it's a long story. Let's find a place for you before we talk about it."

With that, he left at the head of the group and led them to the cave he had bought from an old acquaintance in the guild.

Upon entering the cave, Minos and his group organized themselves to determine the order in which they would divide up the area before talking about Maximillian and the problems he and his five companions were facing because of Jembei.

After half an hour of discussion, everyone understood why Minos no longer wanted to deal with Maximillian, and some of them were even surprised that he didn't seek revenge against the man.

But with bigger problems on the horizon, everyone agreed it made sense to ignore Maximillian and focus on the mandatory missions at hand, as well as the power play within the guild.

Minos and company had yet to face Jembei, but they knew it was only a matter of time before they did. They would also have a hard time growing within the guild, whether it was through business or opportunities for class upgrades.

Minos advised the eight newcomers to focus on staying out of trouble, fulfilling their responsibilities, and taking advantage of the opportunities he and his five fellow officers had created for them. When they became accustomed to the guild and stronger, they would be able to help them more lovingly.

In the meantime, they could only continue with their plans and wait for answers from Jembei's group!

As the more influential side, Jembei would certainly not hesitate to act!