The Rise of the Black Plain

"The Great Migration happened about two million years ago when the spiritual energy in our region suddenly began to decrease." Minos said, attracting the attention of those people in his office.

"At that time, the spiritual energy of our region was not so different from the rest of the Central Continent. In fact, during the Golden Age of cultivation in the Spiritual World, which begins in the era of the first human God, this region was home to some of the strongest powers on the continent."

"There were several Demigods in these areas, and even Henricus Longus established his family in an area of this region, a part that is currently occupied by the Black Plain, Brown Kingdom, and Albano."

Currently, Albano could be considered the largest state outside the northern region of the Central Continent and bordered the Brown Kingdom, the current Black Plain, the Cromwell Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Waves, and the Snow Kingdom.

Besides Albano, three other high-level kingdoms bordered this region. One of them further west, bordering the Cromwell Kingdom to the south, Vogel.

Another state was neighboring Vogel to the east, bordering the Cromwell Kingdom to the south, the Rosser Kingdom.

Finally, bordering the Snow Kingdom to the south on the east coast of that part of the continent was Blackrock.

"Is that serious?" Abby asked as she showed a silly expression, the first time she had heard that such a region had been so important in the past.

The officials besides the two were also as surprised as Abby, but none of them questioned their ruler.

Minos nodded to Abby and continued. "But that was a long time ago, and virtually every trace of those experts and their families left the region even before the Great Migration."

"At that time, the spiritual energy that was already weaker than in the era of Henricus Longus suddenly began to decline. Because of this, this place that could give birth to even Spiritual Sages before the Great Migration became a place where the limit had changed to Spiritual Saint stage."

"Fearful of what would happen in the future and being trapped in this place while slowly degrading along with the rest of the region, the powers still in those areas began a grand migration."

"This migration was so impressive that it is said that a great shadow covered the region at that time, while the skies for months were filled with beasts and people flying, leaving towards the south."

"According to the Feathered Serpent I talked to about this, more than 300 million people left this region at that time." He said this impressed by that number, also thinking how he had exaggerated comparing the current migration to such a thing.

'Well, maybe this migration will come close to that when I finish my work...' He smiled, looking at Abby's shocked face.

"Three hundred million? Is that serious? So, almost the entire region left in one fell swoop? How is that possible?" She said after a moment in silence.

"Hmm, from what I've heard, the region was practically deserted after the Great Migration." Minos nodded at her. "But that did not last long."

"This region was ruled by powerful people who suddenly fled in a span of a few years."

"In other words, a region, yes, limited, but that still had what to offer was abandoned by its leaders..." He paused a moment, looking into Abby's eyes.

"Weaker people from that era took advantage of the power vacuum, coming to this region from other parts of the continent or simply elevating the position of their organizations that were already here." She said in realization, understanding why this place did not turn into a complete desert area. "Is that it?"

"That's essentially what happened." Minos closed his eyes, shaking his head in agreement.

"And what happened after that?" One of the officials there finally said something.

Minos looked at that person and summed up what little he knew. "Well, those powers that stayed or came here grew up and were eventually limited by the region. So with that, another migration happened."

"Eventually, all the experts above the 7th stage in this region died of old age or left for good, bringing us the recent history that the regional powers know."

After hearing all that, Abby suddenly wanted to know the reason for all that. "Why has the region weakened so much? I thought our region had always been like this, so I never questioned why we didn't have areas as good as those outside the region. But..."

Minos then took Abby's left hand, massaging it reassuringly. "That I don't know."

"Perhaps it is a natural process. Anyway, there is not enough information for me to try to guess at such a thing."

"Who knows, maybe we can figure that out in the future..." He muttered, thinking about how he would sooner or later meet with stronger, more knowledgeable people.

Even with contacts with people from outside this region, like his mother, Ruth, and Gloria, Minos had never talked to any of them about such things.

Not because he was worried about generating doubts in these people, but because the opportunity simply did not arise.

However, he did not think that these people could help him. The Church certainly had information, but Gloria was only a Spiritual Emperor. There was no way that someone of her level could understand or even have access to such high-level information.

As for his mother, Maisie probably knew nothing either since the powers of the Flaming Empire were all from the Decadence Age.

The Decadence Age was the current one, the one in which one part of the continent had been decaying while others could not improve. In fact, outside of this northern region, the rest of the Central Continent had been stagnant for hundreds of thousands of years.

Considering that and the fact that the Flaming Empire was not a high-level one, Minos did not have high expectations about his mother, or Ruth, regarding such profound matters.

"In any case, let's prepare for this Second Great Migration. Maybe we'll get close to the numbers of the first in a few decades." He smiled, wondering if he could achieve this ambitious goal.

"All right, Your Grace." Those people said simultaneously.

"Well, since the migration is developing so well, it's time we sent the subordinate and allied families of the Black Plain in Dry City to their future territories." He looked at Abby, intent on sending her family to take care of some area around his main territory.

"The Gill, Parkinson, and Austin families will settle in three different locations, where we will build new cities in addition to the satellite cities of Dry City."

"We will place these families near the old Black Plain border to take care of movements coming towards our main territory."

Those people there heard this and took note of Minos' orders.

He then said to his fiancée. "As for the Miller family, we will establish this house on the northernmost coast of our territory, in that area that was formerly near the border of the Kingdom the Waves and the Black Plain."

"You mean that area where pirate groups previously acted?" Abby asked, remembering where Peter had been taken during his capture, a place that Dry City mercenaries had already ravaged.

"Yes." Minos nodded in agreement. "That area is already being affected by the Black Plain's increasing concentration of spiritual energy and is a good area for port construction."

"For a power focused on trade like your family, that will be a good place."

"But the core of your family can stay in Dry City. So, I am only passing that territory to your family to take care of it for me. Pirates previously plagued that place, so I want your family to help me take care of an important area and deal with these outlaws."

"Oh? I see."

"I'll talk to my family about it later then." Abby said, not finding such a thing bad, not least because that area in question would become better than her family's previous territory in a few years.

She remembered an army issue and then said. "By the way, we can get on with your plans for the regional pirates now that the war is over."

"Hmmm." Minos' eyes sparkled as he remembered a map in his spatial ring. "True. Let's step up the pursuit of those outlaws. I want to find out exactly what those people are after..."

"Anyway, that's all for today." He looked at his local government officials, giving them space for them to leave.