The Rise of the Black Plain

As she arrived in the city, Ruth heard a warning from one of the guards patrolling the city's surroundings. "Miss, spiritual beasts like your eagle are allocated at the western entrance to the city. There, you can rent an area for your beast to rest."

After that, Ruth passed the city to the specific location on the west side of the Old Stone, which was a place where city visitors could leave their big spiritual beasts.

That is because, in the capital of Stone Island, it was not allowed to fly around the city with beasts. As for terrestrial beasts, they were limited to a specific size. And since White was a flying beast, it wouldn't be helpful in the city, so Ruth planned to leave her beast there.

After a while, Ruth left White and went into the town.

'Mnn, this place has a decent size. So, I think that walking around here until I find a hotel would be problematic...' After thinking about it, Ruth decided to rent a carriage at a location near the western entrance to the city.

"Good evening, miss. Where do you want to go?" Asked the coachman with a sympathetic expression.

Then Ruth replied with an indifferent look on her face. "Good night. I don't know the Old Stone city, so just take me to the best hotel here."

"Oh! So, this is your first time here. In this case, I will take you to the Hotel Olson. I can't say if it is the best in town, but it definitely won't displease you."

Ruth shook her head and said. "Mnn, Hotel Olson then."

Soon after, the carriage began to move towards the central part of the city, where the hotel was located. Ruth then began to observe the details where they passed.

This was a good city. Despite having a much lower spiritual concentration than large cities in the Flaming Empire, it was still a good place for less talented cultivators to live. Ruth thought about it as she crossed the town.

She could see many buildings on the horizon, and because the city was mountainous, she could even see places that were very far away, which could give you a feeling that you were in a real jungle of buildings.

As for the streets, it had ample space for the passage of up to four carriages simultaneously, and there was also great afforestation, which left a good impression on anyone who saw it for the first time.

'This place is fascinating. It seems to be as big as the capital of the Cromwell Kingdom.' She thought to herself as she assessed this place.

And it didn't take long before the carriage arrived at the Hotel Olson of the Old Stone.

That was a building that, to anyone looking, would appear to be covered entirely in glass. It had about ten floors, with a garden rich in spiritual plants of different types.

Looking at the building in front of her, Ruth could see several lights from different floors. She then walked into the building and soon went to check-in. She was tired and wanted to take a good shower, then go out to eat.

After passing a group of 4 men who were leaving the hotel, she entered the building.

Ruth then looked in the direction of the men and thought to herself. 'Mnn, have I seen them somewhere?'

'Ahh, never mind, I'm all sticky. I want to take my shower soon...'

…

A few minutes before…

Minos had just woken up and was planning to go out to dinner. Although he stopped to sleep, it was only for 3 hours, enough for him to rest at his current level.

After he woke up, Minos decided to find a place to have dinner. After all, although he slept for a few hours, there was still a lot of movement on the street at this moment, so he could choose a good place to eat.

"Sergeant Pyke, bring two other soldiers to accompany me." Minos spoke shortly after leaving his room and seeing Pyke sitting on a chair in the living room.

"Okay, young master."

After a few minutes, the four men came down from the apartment that Minos had rented at the Hotel Olson, heading towards a restaurant not far from where they were.

As they left the hotel, the group passed a young woman with provocative curves and a delicate face. She was wearing a beautiful green dress and had a distant look on her face.

When he saw this, Pyke thought to himself with a doubtful expression on his face. 'Did I ever see this young woman somewhere?'

However, Sergeant Pyke did not care much about it. If she were someone important to him and the Black Plain, then he would not be in doubt. In this case, it wouldn't make a difference not to recognize her.

Minos and his group then headed for a restaurant called, The Barbecue Temple.

That was a location that Hotel Olson indicated to their customers, who were visiting Old Stone for the first time.

After some time walking through the beautiful city, Minos arrived at the restaurant, The Barbecue Temple. This was a place with a 'design' quite different from what one could see in this town.

It was a large temple with many columns at least 15 meters high, while it had a triangular roof.

There was a large red sign with the restaurant's name outside the building, while a smaller building could be seen below the structure made with the large columns.

Minos and his group walked casually, seeing the magnificent beauty of this construction. Shortly after, they stopped in front of a young attendant, who directed them to a specific area.

The restaurant was subdivided into several parts inside the building, with tables of different sizes and fixed benches around the tables. It was a delightful setup for most people who came in groups of different sizes.

It didn't take long, and a few dishes with appetizers arrived at Minos' table while his meal was being prepared. There were portions of 2nd stage spiritual beast wings, breaded with spicy seasoning, served with crispy celery, and a portion with a giant golden onion, accompanied by the sauce.

After experimenting, Minos and the three men who had been invited to eat enjoyed the peppery flavor of the wings, which warmed the body while enjoying the portion of crunchy onions.

Crunch!

"Mnn, the amount of spiritual energy in these onions is not so bad." Minos said while comparing this appetizer with the products planted in his territory.

"It is true, but despite the loss of spiritual energy for the products from the Black Plain, the taste is truly incredible. Worthy of a city as developed like this."

After that, it wasn't long before the main meal arrived at Minos' table. It was a large rib of a 2nd stage spiritual beast, covered with a barbecue sauce, with a portion of rice prepared with almonds, champignons, chives, and red peppers.

There was also a portion of vegetables with grilled pumpkins, carrots, broccoli, and peas. And to top it off, there were four large mugs with a golden draft beer.

It didn't take long for the group to get lost in the rich aroma of the food and the distinct taste of each dish.

Chomp! Nhoc! Nhac! Nhec!

Minos' group devoured the food as soon as it arrived, and it wasn't long before they finished.

'Ahh, the food here is delicious. I almost feel like kidnapping the cooks and taking them to the Black Plain, haha...' Minos thought to himself as he had the corners of his lips pointed up.

After a while, the four men decided to return to the hotel when they were delighted.

As they walked back to the Olson Hotel, Minos thought. 'Ah! Now that I've rested and eaten, when we get to the hotel, I'll go straight to the Spatial Kingdom.'

…

Not long after Minos and his group left The Barbecue Temple, a sensual young woman with black hair entered that fateful place.

As she followed the young attendant into the restaurant, Ruth thought to herself. 'After trying the food in this place, I'll get some sleep, and then I'll cultivate until dawn. Then, tomorrow morning I'll go to that Nash family to see if I can find Minos.'

…

Time passed quickly, and the night gave way to the rays of dawn light.

Not long afterward, Minos and the beautiful Ruth would head towards the Nash family headquarters on Stone Island, which was on the southwest side of Old Stone.