The Rise of the Black Plain

In the blink of an eye, more than three years have passed since the problem with the Law Enforcement Hall judges was resolved.

Minos and his companions haven't had any problems with those two judges since then.

After Maximilian joined the Law Enforcement Hall, he played his role exemplary, just as Minos had promised. With all the experience and talent of such a person, it was unlikely that he wouldn't take advantage of such an opportunity.

Being a member of the Law Enforcement Hall wasn't just a way to earn merit points on a regular basis. It was one of the best jobs to grow up in Armhands. The men in this group were highly respected by the guild and had access to information and opportunities that were difficult for ordinary members to obtain.

Of course, the Law Enforcement Hall was very strict, and the competition within it was even greater than in other parts of the guild. However, as long as one followed the Hall's rules to the letter and had the potential, growth was something that would come naturally over time.

Maximilian understood this and took advantage of the opportunity, overcoming the trial period in which he had to prove himself.

After overcoming this period, he was now a regular judge in the group, who would only lose his position if he left for personal reasons or committed an infraction.

Meanwhile, Minos had continued as the supervisor of the post where Maximilian was now a judge. He had spent the last few years preparing to leave the guild for the Spiritual World while waiting for his companions to grow stronger and improve their ranks within the guild.

These three years were basically about the growth of his allies, as he was already in the position he needed to be in and couldn't get much stronger than he was now.

Three years wasn't enough time for all of Minos' Spiritual World companions to accomplish what they needed to, but several of them succeeded in their plans.

Of the little more than ten people left in the group, in addition to Minos and Maximillian, three more had become Junior Officers during this time, while four people had improved their cultivation during these years.

The group currently had Elite Soldiers as its lowest-ranking member, which meant that anyone in the group who wasn't a Junior Officer could now compete for promotion. It was only a matter of time before opportunities arose for these people to achieve what was necessary for them to have the freedom to leave the guild headquarters to settle their affairs.

Ruth had grown during this time and was on the verge of reaching level 99, something she wanted to accomplish before attempting to become a Junior Officer.

Meanwhile, Minos' companions had finally decided whether to join the group and return to the Spiritual World or stay in Zocarro to continue their cultivation journeys.

Like Maximilian, others in the group were honest with Minos, showing little interest in returning to the Spiritual World. Some of them were already elders without families when the war began, so returning to this planet would have a different meaning for them than for Emperor Stuart and the others.

But some of the group had seen their children, wives, and friends die on the battlefield on the first day of the War of the Worlds. They wanted revenge as much as they wanted to become stronger!

So even though it wasn't time for Minos' group to leave to return to the Spiritual World, his team was ready to return to his planet.

Of the more than ten survivors of the group that had reached Zocarro, the robot that was currently at level 102 would travel with Minos, Ruth, and three other natives of the Spiritual World on the group's next journey!

...

Today, Minos had finished his duties for the day, so he changed his clothes and went to a fancy place in the guild's inner area.

The alien who had invited his party to the guild had invited him to dine with Rhett that evening.

Minos arrived at the appointed time and was soon escorted by the restaurant staff to the table where the two individuals were waiting for him.

When he arrived and saw the Intermediate Officer and the Senior Officer sitting at a table for four, Minos greeted his two superiors respectfully, even though he had had many meetings and conversations with them over the years.

As soon as he took one of the two empty seats around the table, the Senior Officer got right to the point. "Minos, you intend to return to your world soon, right?"

"Hmm." Minos shook his head in the affirmative, not hiding the fact. "I intend to settle some business from the past and return to the guild. After that, I'll focus on my journey to try to reach the Upper Realm alongside my superiors one day."

"When exactly are you leaving?" Rhett asked.

"I can't say. It could be six months or two years. It depends on how much time my companions who will travel with me need. But I'm ready now."

The two Officers looked at each other.

What Minos wanted to do was very common in the guild. After decades of working as an external member, internal members would seek to settle matters outside of headquarters shortly after their promotions.

The guild didn't mind. As long as you followed the organization's rules and returned to the guild after accomplishing your goals, everything was fine.

What worried these two was how long Minos would be away and how much it would affect the young Emperor Stuart.

"How long will you be gone?" The Sovereign, who was currently at level 108, asked.

Minos answered directly, "That depends on how long it takes me to reach my planet. My journey in the Spiritual World shouldn't take more than a few months. However, the passage of time between that place and where we are is different, so I really don't know. For me, it might be a few years, but for you, it will be a few decades."

"Won't that slow you down too much?" Rhett asked.

Rhett knew that even if it took Minos only 20 years to go to the Spiritual World and return, given his enormous talent, he could use that time to reach level 102, in Zocarro. But if he went to that world, he might not even reach level 100 in the meantime!

"This is something I have to do. And once I do, I won't have to worry about it much anymore." Minos said with determination. "Then I'm willing to slow down my progress a bit. It won't affect my talent or potential at all. It will just put me behind you and some of my companions."