Several days later...
After weeks since their departure from the Kingdom of the End, the group of war criminals from the Carline family forces and their vassals had arrived in Dry City to pay for their crimes.
As previously agreed, Minos and his men would cripple the spiritual cultivation of every member of those powers who had killed people from the revolutionary forces.
With this, after the Carline family and the Dry City government had agreed regarding those involved, these war criminals were sent to this city to pay for their crimes.
In the case of these people, unlike what had happened to the many Spiritual Kings who had been executed with discretion, these war criminals had received their punishment in public.
While many Spiritual Kings from the Brown Kingdom or the Cromwell Kingdom had not even participated in the war, these other people had damaged this place significantly. Therefore, their situation was utterly different from those individuals, and they had gone through their punishments in public.
That served as additional punishment for them and was also proof to the relatives of those killed in the war that justice was being done.
At the same time, as much as the local people were obedient and followed the rules most of the time, that did not mean there was no need for the local government to remind them of what happened to criminals!
The war was over, and in some time, some more troublesome people might think that the local government had only been cruel when extremely necessary. But thoughts like that were dangerous.
It was good that citizens followed the rules because living that way was more manageable. But to think that everyone would follow such things was naive, to say the least. Therefore, from time to time, populations always need to be reminded that they should fear their government in cases of violations.
For this, public punishments were necessary.
As such, the local government had used yet another public ceremony in this city, showing the thousands of local inhabitants the fate of criminals.
The war was still fresh in everyone's minds. Still, even so, the government could not miss the opportunity to demonstrate once again how strict it was.
And so, for three days, thousands of people from the Kingdom of the End had had their cultivation destroyed in full view of the local public.
In the end, each of those people left Dry City, returning with heads down to their state.
However, although depressed, those people did not feel highly wronged by what had happened. Not because they were masochists, they were not. But after what had happened to the Silva, Windrow, Reid, Collins, and Allen families, as well as the more than 200 sacrificed Spiritual Kings; their fate had been somewhat better.
They could no longer cultivate, true! But most of them were already in their final stage. As such, even if they could still cultivate, they would not be able to live any longer than now.
And no matter how much their strength had diminished considerably, most of them were still much stronger than the average citizen of this region. Thus, despite the melancholy of those thousands of people, they could still have a life ahead of them.
For most of them, that was already a lot!
...
At the same time as the melancholy war criminals of the Kingdom of the End were traveling back to their home state, the day had started sunny in Dry City.
However, as early as it was only early morning, tens of thousands of citizens were already leaving their homes, heading for yet another local government event.
This time, instead of execution or a presentation of the power of Minos' forces to the population, the government was holding a large ceremony to honor those who died in the war.
Previously Minos had ordered the construction of a monument honoring the dead of the Black Plains Army's naval base clash against the Collins family forces. But even then, he knew that sooner or later, he would fight a war of independence, something impossible to get away with without casualties.
Because of this, the monument built at that time had been enlarged, and finally, a few days ago, the names of each war dead were engraved on its walls.
Thus, with the resolution of most of the local problems related to the war, the local government finally notified the citizens about this event that marked the end of the war and the beginning of a new era.
That would henceforth be Remembrance Day, to be celebrated seven days before Independence Day!
With this, thousands of people were already gathered around a large square in the center of Dry City, where a 25-meter high obelisk stood in the central area of the square.
At the same time, several plaques of a dark golden material could be seen not only on the lower walls of the obelisk but also on the sides of the central part of that square.
This square had a quadrangular shape, with the obelisk in the center, a water mirror around it, and dark-golden borders separating the water mirror from the area where the inhabitants were.
On these borders were also engraved the names of the war dead.
Finally, the rest of the square where most people were at the moment was just green areas with passages leading from this place to the side streets in that part of the city.
Anyway, many local police officers were around that area, keeping order and lining up people who wanted to get closer to that obelisk.
Meanwhile, while well-organized lines could be seen in that area, many flowers were already near the edges of the water mirror, where people stopped to cry or say farewell.
Not all of the war dead had had the opportunity to have their bodies returned to their families. Therefore, many were experiencing a funeral for the first time.
With that, anyone passing by could feel a heavy atmosphere, including the young Stuart, who at the moment was walking in silence next to Abby, Dillian, and Eda.
Each of them was dressed in black clothes, walking through the less busy part of the place that had been prepared for their passage at this time of day.
And as they walked around several soldiers from the local army, Minos' guards at events like this, they finally reached the place closest to that obelisk.
Arriving there, Minos saw the plaques with the many names, seeing some words he knew.
'Spiritual Kings killed in the war.' The minor plaque, but also the tallest at that place, had 57 names written on it; among them, two that Minos knew.
'Pyke.'
'Lack.'
Minos read first the name of one of his first soldiers and then the name of that Feathered Serpent who had come to Dry City before the war started.
There were not only names of local soldiers who died in the war but also the names of subordinates and allies from the Black Plain who had to give their lives in that conflict.
Consequently, there were names of beasts, local citizens, people from Stone Island, and even individuals with the surname Gill, Miller, Austin, or Parkinson.
"Sigh..."
"We lost so many people in the war." Minos lamented in a low voice, feeling one of Abby's arms holding his left arm, side by side with the other two people beside them.
"Hmm, but there is nothing to be done, young master. We had no choice but to fight, and each of those dead people fought with everything they had for the future of the Black Plain." Dillian said deeply, lamenting such deaths but also recognizing their importance.
"Certainly, none of them wanted to die, but we all went into that conflict willing to fight for what we believed in. Pyke died. That was terrible. But he and everyone that died in the war made it possible to build the Black Plain as an independent state."
"So, we should not only mourn but celebrate the victory they made possible for us."
Eda then nodded and added. "On the other hand, that could have been the fate of many of us instead of these fellows..."
"So let's remember those people and live as best we can."
"The best way we can do to honor them is not to waste the chance they gave us." She said this as she held her man's arm like Abby.
After that, they stayed there for a while longer, reminiscing about the past, until they left, making room for more people to pass by.
