The Rise of the Black Plain

After following the advice and information from the aliens they had met earlier, Minos' group continued on their way to The Bland Gulf.

They traveled more cautiously, making a few detours here and there as they cautiously approached their final stop on the continent. After another 15 months of traveling north, the group finally reached their final destination in Oqia.

It was time for them to finally find a crew to take them to Ganaway Refuge, the island 8 months' boat ride from The Bland Gulf!

...

At the dawn of this new day, Minos and his five traveling companions finally glimpsed the great sea they were about to cross.

From where they stood, there was no way to comprehend the terror of that sea. From there, one could only see the beautiful surface of this extreme point of Zocarro, where if one went a few dozen kilometers from the coast, it would be enough to see what it was capable of.

But the Bland Gulf had a beautiful coastline, with pink waters that perfectly matched the sky of Zocarro.

The area's tropical vegetation gave it a special warmth. In contrast, the spiritual richness of the area rivaled even some of the best places Minos and his people had been to in the decades they had lived on this planet.

But even though the place was beautiful and held many possibilities and stories, the group wasted no time admiring it. As soon as they sighed at reaching this point in their journey, almost five years after leaving their guild, they headed for the road that led to one of the entrances to the city built at the northernmost point of Oqia.

...

As they entered the city's first busy avenue, Minos and his companions noticed a large number of advertisements for crews leaving daily for the Ganaway Refuge.

Although this was a large city with many services and opportunities for both natives and foreigners, the city's main business was transportation to Ganaway Refuge and the reception of those coming from that island.

Several local businesses sold information about the continent and the states, and many individuals were willing to teach the local languages to aliens newly arrived on Zocarro.

This city was a transit point for aliens arriving on Zocarro and locals going to the Ganaway Refuge with the intention of going to the Artificial Moon.

Consequently, advertisements for these services could be seen throughout the city, but there were also several locals working the streets, advertising their services to both aliens and natives.

Even without the group looking for information about crews traveling to their destination, they quickly heard half a dozen names of local groups working to take cultivators to the Ganaway Refuge.

"What are we going to do?" Ruth asked her husband. "How will we know who has bad intentions? It's very difficult to identify troublesome people with ulterior motives."

"Don't worry, I'll do it," Minos said as he thought about his incorruptible heart. "Let's talk to these local sailing groups and see what it costs to go to the Ganaway Refuge. As soon as we find someone honest to take us there, we'll go from there."

The group didn't have much to do there, and they were in a hurry to leave the planet. So, as soon as they found a crew to take them to the Ganaway Refuge, they would leave without much hesitation!

The group soon made their way to the first shop they had heard about from a group of sailors.

...

Less than 20 minutes after arriving in this city, Minos and his five companions entered a shop near the magnificent local harbor.

This place was shaped like a boat and was so large that Minos could even use his Soul Avatar form in relative comfort in this immense place.

Despite the size of the building, the interior was relatively simple. There was a reception desk where two attendants were waiting to greet customers.

There were no customers there at the moment, so as soon as the group entered, they were greeted by one of the two individuals.

"Hello, I'm interested in transportation to the Ganaway Refuge." Minos got right to the point.

"Oh? Isn't your group new to the continent?" The Zocarro native, a slug-shaped water creature, asked curiously. "No. We're planning to go to the Ganaway Refuge." Minos said without giving any details.

"I see. Well, we have a boat that leaves our town every week. The cost of transportation depends on the type of contract you sign. There's the exclusive contract, where only your group leaves with us, and the joint contract, where we wait to complete a crew with other groups before we leave.

The first method is more expensive but faster and more convenient. It costs 3 million Qilnats. The second option costs 500,000 Qilnats for a group like yours." This individual said.

"Are you part of the crew?" Minos asked.

"No, we're just salesmen. If you would like to meet our captain, we can show you where he is." Said the native.

"Please, I would like to speak with him. I have some questions about the voyage."

Minos quickly got the location of the captain's boat from behind the shop.

He set off with his companions, first going to other establishments like this one to try to get more options. But there wasn't much difference in the services offered. Practically all the places they would pass in the next few minutes charged between 10% more and less than this group, and they also had two options, the exclusive and the common.

Of the six groups they would pass that morning, they managed to locate the captains of five ships, all of which were moored in the city's gigantic port.

With these five locations in mind, the group would soon head to Oqia's largest port, where more than a thousand ships were moored along the gigantic local coastline.

There, they would soon make their way to the first captain they would speak to.

...

"Hmm? Are you here to see our captain?" A suspicious-looking being asked as he looked at the group of low-level Sovereigns and high-level Grandmasters. But after seeing Minos' confirmation, this native wasn't too bothered by the strangeness of these people wanting to travel to Ganaway Refuge and quickly called his capital.

Three minutes after Minos' group arrived, a being with a humanoid body and the head and arms of an octopus appeared in front of their group.

"Are you the ones who want to talk to me?" The ship's captain asked.

"Senior, I'm curious about the journey to the Ganaway Refuge. I've already discussed the values with your staff, but I'd like to know what I can do to prepare for this journey." Minos said, trying to see if this creature would be greedy.

As soon as Minos finished speaking, this creature showed that he couldn't be trusted.

'Don't they know about the Ganaway Refuge? Maybe they came to Zocarro another way?' This being wondered, wondering what he could get from these weak individuals compared to him, a level 110 Sovereign.

"Heh, as for that, the journey is quite simple. Despite the rumors about this area, it's only dangerous for people who don't know it. You just need to get a good crew and relax, my little friend." Said the captain.

"What do you say? That's enough for you."

"Hmm, I'll settle the payment with your people." Minos lied as he smiled at the man, seeing what he was.