The Rise of the Black Plain

A month after the entire group gathered in The Adamant Land after the conquest of four worlds, Minos' spaceship arrived in the Spiritual World this afternoon!

Returning to the Spiritual World after almost a whole year away, the group returned to the Central Continent as soon as they left the quasi-Spatial Kingdom in the North Sea.

Given the capabilities of Minos and his fellow Sovereigns, it would only take them a few minutes to cross half the planet, arriving above the Dry City.

"Minos, I will return to my empire. I intend to settle the affairs of my state and my family for the next few months before our departure. I'll see you in a year." Vico greeted Minos and his wives, thanking them for the opportunity and wishing to see them again soon.

He didn't intend to leave his state until the moment of his departure from the Spiritual World, so he only planned to see them all again at the end of next year.

Before he left, the level 103 Sovereign of the human race told him to wait. "Your Majesty, I will accompany Vico. I intend to visit some places in the Spiritual World to better understand the changes brought about by the war. When it's a few days before our departure, I'll return to the group's side."

Minos merely nodded to the two, watching them leave shortly afterwards, both heading for the south of the continent.

Standing next to his three wives, the level 103 robot and 20 Demigod robots between levels 95 and 97, Minos made his way into the quasi-Spatial Kingdom of his capital.

Most of the 200 robots that Minos had revived in The Adamant Land he left behind to rebuild the infrastructure lost on that planet during the War of the Worlds.

But aware of the Spiritual World's current weakness, he brought 20 individuals that he intended to leave in the main territory of the Black Plain Empire to support his people after his departure.

As soon as the group entered the Dry City, the strongest people in the area, as well as Minos' relatives, noticed their return, each of them sighing in relief.

As strong as Minos already was, after discovering that there were monsters several levels above Minos' current cultivation throughout the universe, many of them couldn't help but be a little worried about him traveling the universe.

But seeing his return alongside several robots, every person who spotted him flying over Dry City this afternoon smiled in relief, seeing that all the empire's enemies had been killed, and now it was time for them to grow up more peacefully.

Kendrick and Sarah approached their father, both eager to hear the news about the last few months of Minos' travels.

"So? How did it go? Can we get ready to leave now?" Kendrick asked.

He was the most interested of Minos' sons in leaving for Zacorro. Seeing his father back with new robots, he couldn't help but imagine it was time for the family to prepare.

"Let's start doing that, yes," Minos replied to his heir. "We're leaving the Spiritual World in 12 months. That's the time to decide who will go, who will stay, who will join the troops that will colonize The Adamant Land, etc. Make your decisions in that time. You won't be able to turn back once we leave for Zocarro."

Kendrick became excited, while Sarah asked, "How many of us will go to Zocarro?"

"I can pay for the trip for 13 people, counting my group that came from Zocarro." Minos got straight to the point, considering not only the resources he had brought with him from Zocarro but also the things he had got in Irpoll, but also what he was sure he could conquer in the middle of his return journey.

He was already planning to stop to advance his cultivation on the planet of his superior in Armhands, so he thought his group mates could carry out missions there and eventually get more resources.

With all that, he was sure he could support the trip to Zocarro for 13 people.

"So there are seven vacancies..." Sarah muttered, counting her siblings and mothers. "That would mean that only we in the family will go." She thought of her husband, unsure whether to go or stay.

Unlike most of Minos' children, she had her husband, as well as intentions of having a family, now that the war was over. Being only at level 84, she still had a lot of growing to do in the Spiritual World if she stayed behind.

'I'm sure my family will have ways of giving me access to Zocarro in the future. If I don't go with them in a year, I can join them later when we have better conditions to take more people to that world.' She thought to herself, not having decided anything yet, just thinking about the possibilities.

But she wasn't the only one thinking about leaving for Zocarro. While Minos was meeting with the core of his family in the imperial palace, Rowan was also thinking about whether to go with his siblings and parents.

Lily and Hollie had little to think about. Both were keen to join Minos on his journey through the universe. This was particularly true for Lily, who had lost too many people in this world to want to stay behind.

Minos' wives would obviously join him, which could make two spaces left on their spaceship during the departure, should Rowan and Sarah decide to stay behind.

But for the moment, nothing had been decided.

Minos did not know what his children were thinking. As soon as he joined his government staff in the imperial throne room, he talked about what his group had achieved in recent months.

"Irpoll and the remnants of the Mechanic Empire have been completely annihilated. Those with the potential to connect to our civilization are also defeated, granting our people four new worlds that will help us build the galactic empire in the future.

Now we can turn our attention to rebuilding and strengthening our forces. I'll be sticking around for another 12 months and helping to establish our forces in The Adamant Land.

Hopefully, in a year, everything will be ready for me to leave without having to worry about the empire in the short term."

At the end of Minos' words, everyone in the hall applauded him, with people like Dillian, Oswald, Patience, Maisie and others feeling their eyes water, moved by the moment that had arrived.

Some of them summed up the things that had happened in their world during Minos' absence, things that were only good news.

In about a year, the Spiritual World had changed a lot with the help of the two level 102 Sovereigns and the absence of disputes in those lands. During that time, 9% of the infrastructure destroyed during the war had been recovered, while Minos' previous orders had been implemented.

The group of individuals who would go to The Adamant Land was already ready, while the special battalion that would take care of universal travel, the exit and entry of beings into the Spiritual World, had also been formed.

The empire's professionals were producing spaceships similar to those of the Mechanic Empire, to enable the space exploration about to begin, while the economy of the empire and the planet began to function normally.

With only good news, the group continued to exchange information for the next few minutes, both sides updating each other before taking the next steps in the empire's expansion.