The Rise of the Black Plain

After Gloria gave those people the opportunity to express their thoughts, it did not take long for practically all those Bishops to start suggesting interventions.

"Archbishop, I think the most practical thing to do would be for the church itself to take action against the devil Minos so that the region quickly returns to normalcy!" The first of them said this aloud.

Then others of them gave similar opinions.

"I believe that although problematic, an action by the church is what can stop this conflict before more innocent blood is spread throughout the Brown Kingdom."

"As for me, I think we should just give the local organizations a pass to call their descendants back from the Flaming Empire. That would bring in enough powerful forces to solve the problem, and we could still wash our hands of any responsibilities." 

"Let's accept the return of these people for a certain interval of time, and then we can return to neutrality..."

"There is also the option of an ultimatum..."

"We can directly negotiate peace with the devil Minos, using the pretext that we will act if he does not put down his weapons!" Another of them said in a slightly lower tone.

But as soon as such a thing was said, other Bishops turned to that person, not understanding what such an individual was suggesting.

One of them then asked. "Bishop Piers, what do you mean by that? What would happen to the devil Minos if he accepted such a thing? Would he have to surrender to the local forces? Or would he stay on the Black Plain?"

"Uh? If we can get a ceasefire, we can end the war and regain regional stability... As for what would happen to him, I don't think he would ever surrender to anyone, so it would be better just to make a deal with him so that he is restricted to the Black Plain."

After hearing this, those previously doubting Bishops finally understood what that individual had in mind.

'Absurd!'

'A deal like that would be like giving the independence this Minos wants so badly!'

'What the hell is going on in Bishop Piers' head? It wouldn't be of any advantage to anyone but Minos himself!'

'Crazy!'

Several individuals thought similar things as they watched with cold stares in Piers' direction. 

One of them then objected to such absurdity, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Hmm, I agree. There are no advantages in doing that!"

"Yes! Only the devil Minos would gain anything from something like that."

"True!"

"I think it's much better if we just kill him. That way, we solve the problem all at once!"

"Yes, I agree."

"Me too..."

Several people objected to the proposal of that Bishop, who soon became silent in that place while being suppressed by his various colleagues.

The strongest one there then said to Gloria. "Archbishop, why don't you act directly against him? That would solve the problem in a few days, and we could make a deal with King Brown to give the authorship of this action to the experts under his command."

"No one else in the region would know about the church's involvement, and we would restore peace to the region!" He said as his eyes sparkled, feeling truly intelligent at this moment.

'What an amazing plan!' He thought about it, thinking how genius he had been in coming up with such an idea.

But Gloria did not seem interested in most of what she had heard from those people. 

She then said. "I have nothing against the Black Plain or this Minos. After all, he has never done anything against the church. So, why would I act against him?"

"Just for the sake of the regional families?" She asked emphatically.

"But..."

"I don't mind what you guys are doing around here, but you can't use the church in favor of your friends!"

"As for what we will do regarding it, I will think about it and talk to some of the regional nobility and royalty members."

She then stood up from her armchair, giving a cold glance in the direction of those people. "After King Walker's funeral, I will give my verdict."

"With that, I expect none of you to come to me to talk about this matter in the next few days."

"Do you understand?" 

"Yes, Archbishop!" They all responded simultaneously, nervous about what this woman of troubling ideas would do next.

...

After a while, Gloria left the temple of the Spiritual Church in Athela. She then went directly to the royal palace, where she intended to say her words of sympathy over the death of William Walker.

And after walking through the streets of the central part of this city, which were not as 'lively' as they usually were, she arrived at her destination, where the royal guards promptly escorted her.

It was not common for Spiritual Emperors to go to the royal palaces in this region. So, when someone like this appeared, the local kings and their guards treated them very well, regardless of their origin.

And since the current situation was somewhat unique, the moment Gloria arrived in that palace, those individuals had quickly realized her identity and taken her to the right place.

So, she had quickly reached the royal hall, where usually, the king of this state gave his orders.

In that place that looked like a large rectangular room, with beautiful designs painted on the ceiling, and several pillars on the longer side, Gloria came across several people standing around something right in the middle of that place.

As she got closer, this woman finally saw William's golden coffin, which at the moment was open for everyone there to see the body of the deceased king.

William looked thinner than he should have been. He did not resemble the person who previously should have been one of the strongest in this region. But this poor appearance was not due to the death itself, since a dead body of a Spiritual King could be kept preserved for months.

The problem with his appearance was not coming from death but from the cause of death, which degraded his physical condition for about five years.

And as soon as that redhead noticed the well-dressed body in that coffin, the people there also noticed the presence of this powerful woman.

The crown prince and his older brother were among them, this one who had lost an arm and given up the competition for the throne.

In addition, Willian's five widows were also there, as in the case of Wilfred's mother, the queen and strongest woman in this kingdom.

Finally, the ancestor of the Walker family was also there, Emmett Walker, level 59.

"You are..."

"Oh? your Excellency must be the Archbishop of our region, right?" Emmett asked this in a tone full of reverence, respectful not only for this woman's position but also for her incredible level.

"Hmm, yes, that's me. But please, just call me..."

And as Gloria started talking to the stronger people there, Charles watched her with a silly expression on his face, in disbelief that existed such perfect women in this world.

Gulp!

He swallowed his saliva nervously, feeling that he had learned a new meaning for the word beauty. 'What a perfect woman!' 

'Ah, but it's a pity she's off-limits to me...' He deeply lamented as he hugged the waist of one of his close friends, Ava, level 47, someone Peter knew well...

'But...'

'Maybe I have a chance!' He cheered up, thinking of what his old father had once told him about some cases of regional Spiritual Kings who had managed to have relationships with 7th stage women.

'I will take over my old man's position in a few weeks. After that, I will have several opportunities to interact with this woman during my next centuries!'

'That's it!'

'One day, I will make it!' He smiled as he nodded to Gloria and thanked her for the words she had just spoken to his family.

'For now, I won't do anything since I'm just a lowly level 51 cultivator who hasn't even taken command of a state...'

'But in the future, I will get the minimum to at least try something!'

With that, it was not long before Gloria got to know a little more of the 'great' story of the person who had died, feigning interest in the story the widows had to tell while maintaining a respectful disposition.

'Ah, I wonder what Albert is doing now... His mission is as boring as mine?' She wondered as she nodded in agreement with what one of those people there was talking about.