The Rise of the Black Plain

Simultaneously with the population of the Dry City becoming aware of Minos' battle, the three people who had traveled with Peter to this location had become familiar with local advantages in the preceding days.

There were many possibilities in Minos' city, and they had also talked to many people during this period. However, even though it was only a short time, the three already had a good sense of how actual Peter's earlier words were.

It was tough to believe everything the young Sergeant had said to them. After all, it seemed too good to be true!

But soon, they were able to ascertain those words of Peter, getting to know the local services and talking to ordinary citizens.

And even if some localities attempted to control their inhabitants by portraying them as something they were not, it would be impossible to repress them all.

People were always willing to talk about lies and local problems, even in the most dictatorial places. Hence, the three people who had been sold together with Peter knew that this place could not be considered that way.

If it were, they would have noticed something!

It was true! The whole facade of development and land of opportunity was just the raw, bare truth. Even some of the newcomers to this place from the City of Waters already deeply enjoyed life in the Dry City, to the point where they had almost as much to talk about as old citizens.

It was also not difficult for the three to meet with those people who already lived around here before Minos arrived. And by doing this, they were able to know that all this had happened in a short time, but in a stable way and without unnecessary exploitation.

Every investment in the city was made by increasing the profits of local agriculture and not just an investment made in the hope that this place would improve. In other words, it was something concrete and definitive, something they could trust and even hope for even greater heights!

Consequently, the three had been very excited.

...

It was night in the Dry City.

The climate was stable at this time, with a temperature in the range of 20º Celsius (68ºF), while gentle breezes passed through the streets of this city from time to time.

On the north side of the city, there was a small park with several trees of different sizes, which seemed to grow in height as one approached the center of this area.

The concentration of these vegetations was also not balanced by this location, as there were several spaces concentrated with these trees, while others were utterly 'open.'

In these 'open' spots, low green grass, which local gardeners regularly mowed, shrouded the ground, leaving no smudges of soil to appear there. Other than that, wooden benches were well distributed over there. Some stone paths, where small posts lit the environment, formed the way where people could walk.

In that place, on one of the wooden benches, in the middle of the darkness of the night, three people seemed to enjoy the good local atmosphere while they were talking.

One of the two women in the group was standing in front of the two people sitting on the wooden bench, her blond hair blowing in the air each time the breeze passed through her.

And at this moment, the man in the group, an old man with white hair on his head, continued his previous speech. "You girls, this place is the turning point in your lives. Barbara, you can get your revenge someday while you get stronger in this place. As for you, Robin, getting to know the north of the Central Continent will be a ride if you have the support of this place."

The young woman standing in front of him then nodded her head gently, agreeing with him. "Hmm, old Joey, I've made up my mind. You don't have to convince me. Starting today, I will stay in this city and join the Black Plain Army!"

On the other hand, Barbara had a solemn look on her face as she sat with her legs crossed, facing the side of these other two people. "Joey, why are you talking that way? Don't you by any chance think about staying here?"

"Eh? What are you talking about? Even before I got to know what this city has to offer, I was thinking about staying here!" He said in a relaxed tone.

And in fact, he was interested in staying in this place, even before he saw it all with his own eyes. Of course, he wanted to check out this town of Minos and the local forces, but that was just something to get to know better what Peter had spoken to him.

Joey was already an old man who had missed the best time to cultivate, so he already intended to 'live the life of a retiree' in this place.

The local army needs people in administrative roles, which could fit this man's profile well, someone older who couldn't cultivate so quickly.

Even with the resources of the Black Plain, it would not be quick for him to reach a high level, at least not in the short term. This was due to the biological limitations that living beings had to experience when they got old.

For example, the human body was continually changed by spiritual energy, which could even maintain one's youth for a long time. But that didn't work forever. Someday, someone would face bottlenecks in cultivation or other problems that would keep them from moving forward, and that would cause that person to start aging!

For each stage of cultivation, there was an ideal age range to cultivate, in which people would be considered 'growing youngs.' During this period, their bodies worked in order to increase the speed of cultivation, as if there was higher compatibility with this procedure during these periods of maturation.

For someone in the 1st stage of cultivation, this period ranged from age 10 to age 15, the beginning of adulthood in this world. For the 2nd stage, it went from 10 to 17. For the 3rd stage, from 10 to 22. For the 4th stage, from 10 to 31. For the 5th stage, from 10 to 50. And so on.

Each time someone's vitality increased, it would be as if the person gained a few more years into their maturing age. Their bodies would remain in the best possible state for cultivation, which could provide faster power boosts!

Because of this, for someone who had long passed the age of maturation, Joey was already facing the challenges of cultivating at more advanced ages.

He hadn't even reached half of his lifespan yet. However, regardless of the rank of technique he used to cultivate, his cultivation speed would still be affected by it.

Of course, with higher-grade techniques, he could cultivate faster. But that speed couldn't be considered good, as it would be with Peter and these two women.

Because of that, Joey knew that he probably wouldn't have such an active role in Minos' organization, as he didn't have high expectations.

But he was okay with it. Joey could still become a Spiritual King in the future and maybe even pass that level... He might not be someone who would fight on the front lines, but he could still live a long time because of it.

It could take time, but there was enough time for him to get there!

Anyway, Joey continued with his speech. "I just said it that way because I want to show that this place is very advantageous for both of you. Mainly for you, Barbara. I know you are more skeptical about it. Even now, knowing the whole truth and even being excited, you still feel doubtful."

He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked up at the starry sky in that region when he said. "Let's stay here. I have a feeling this place will soon reach the top in our region. At this time, you will have enough strength to go to justice for the family that raised you!"

'That seems like the best option…' She thought for a moment as she felt the wind gently brush her face. "All right. Anyway, I would still have to cultivate for years to come and deal with those bastards. So, I'm going to join this army!"

"Hehe, that's it, big sister Barbara!" Robin cheered as she jumped towards this other woman while sitting down next to Barbara and hugging her.

'Ah! That's a superb outcome. But it's a shame that Milton didn't come with us. When he finds out about this place, I'm afraid he'll be infuriated by the decision he made earlier...' Joey thought to himself, happy for the two young women beside him but sorry about that other guy.