After some time being updated on local agricultural matters, Minos and Abby discovered that the number of hectares planted had doubled in the intervening period. However, since such improvements had not yet borne fruit, it would still be a few months before the financial result would affect the Black Plain.
On the other hand, the Black Plain food prices that had previously been at a significant discount on Stone Island were not going to stay that way. After all, Minos had only given that initial discount because he wanted to gain customers and crystals that his forces needed so urgently.
But in the current scenario where he and the Black Plain were free to act openly, there was no reason to keep the high-level food from that place at prices similar to the low-level ones!
With that, the local government was already working to raise the prices to Elen little by little. But, on the other hand, once they started doing business in the other five kingdoms in the region, the initial offering price would already be the maximum possible for the business to be profitable.
Minos still intended to keep a small discount for Stone Island, but for these other places, this would not happen.
In any case, the new values of the local products would still be lower than those of the imported foods from outside the region, something positive for both parties. With this, Minos could make a more significant profit on his business, while the regional nobility could buy high-level foods for lower prices.
It was perfect!
On the other hand, Minos did not miss the opportunity to order his government to communicate with the Night News about s regarding the price difference of high-level foods for citizens of the Black Plain and people from outside this state.
That was another chance for him to attract populations to his territory!
As for the price of food for the local population, well, that would also increase, but only for people living in Dry City. After all, most of these inhabitants had been around for years, so they had a higher purchasing power than the new immigrants.
As for the new cities, the citizens of each would experience the old discounted prices previously seen in Dry City for up to 10 years after each city was established.
With this measure, Minos hoped to maintain the opportunities of his territory, encourage the maturation of newly added populations, and even improve the collection of crystals among those more wealthy.
Not only that, Dry City was naturally the best place to live right now. But a state could not develop through just one city. So, this measure also served to encourage new migrants and even old citizens from the capital to spread out across this state.
Hence, after 20 minutes of conversations with those local government officials, Minos and Abby finished discussing the matter.
"Well, now that the subject of agriculture and the local economy has been discussed, I want to talk about the future of spiritual beasts on the Black Plain." Minos said as he looked at the individual responsible for this in his government.
"As I said before, I wish to create natural parks for spiritual beasts in the main territory of the Black Plain. Specifically, I want to build strategic places that will function not only as homes for our beasts and allies but also advanced surveillance posts."
The idea of satellite cities in Dry City was mainly to maintain a large population of farmers near the local fields. But such an idea also served to expand the capital's area of protection since having hundreds of thousands or millions of people in the satellite cities would already be a significant barrier to enemies trying to approach the capital.
And Minos intended to make more barriers like this around the Black Plain, some of them with beasts as the principal members of his forces.
The idea was to create strategically placed natural parks, where beasts would kill any human who entered such areas and did not have the authorization of the army. With this, in the future, anyone traveling through the Black Plain would have to use specific routes, facilitating the local forces' surveillance work!
With this in mind, Minos could not help but advance this matter by talking it over with those members of the local government.
The person responsible for that matter then said. "Your Grace, we already have the plans to move forward with your ambition. We have already chosen the strategic areas and designed the roads that will be built across the Black Plain."
"And with the reforestation plan for the Black Plain, now we just need the manpower and resources to start the work."
Despite the plantation fields around Dry City, the 200,000 square kilometers of the Black Plain's main territory was still basically desert. As such, for Minos' plan to happen, the local government would have to reforest several areas of the territory, build artificial lakes and rivers, and add living things to them.
It was neither easy nor cheap to do such a thing, so they naturally had not started yet.
Abby then said. "While we were traveling, we made contact with several groups of spiritual beasts in the region, and some of them showed interest in joining our plans."
"Besides, the beasts of the Flooded Valley are just waiting for our orders to come to the Black Plain to help with the preparations."
"Then communicate with them and try to do what you can without us having to invest many crystals at the moment. I am sure that these many species of beasts can help us get parts of the resources needed for the reforestation of the Black Plain." She finished.
"All right, Ma'am." That person made a mental note, ready to get on with that subject as soon as this occasion finished.
After that, a few more minutes of conversation passed, and Minos finally looked at one of those soldiers kneeling on the ground and asked. "Old Joey, your appearance is much better now that you have become a Spiritual King!"
"Congratulations on your advancement!"
"Hahaha, thank you, Your Grace!"
Minos then waved two fingers of his right hand and said. "Come on, get up. Your knees must be tired from standing like this..."
"No, Your Grace, it is an honor for each of us to be like this!" Joey said with a proud look on his face, followed by the comments of his fellow army members.
"Is it? Then tell me how my army is. The challenge of weeks ago was certainly important, so tell me, are there many wounded? What about the advances of the strongest soldiers?"
Old Joey then was the first to speak. "We have 20 Spiritual Kings from the middle part of this stage and 2 of the end who need a few months of medical care because of this last attack. But they will eventually recover without sequels."
"On the other hand, even considering the two dead we had recently, the number of Spiritual Kings in the army has increased by another 15 since the departure of Your Grace and Ma'am."
"Oh? That's good news." Abby commented with a smile on her face as she looked at her man.
Minos nodded in agreement and then looked at someone else there, a soldier who soon began to explain the army numbers, which had not changed since the last update.
But Minos was not disappointed since he had expected such a thing. After all, the recent addition of population had not increased the pool of people able to compete for places in the army.
Moreover, considering the Black Plain needed to focus on building cities, expanding the Dry City, and planting fields, there was not a large enough group of people to compete for army slots.
So, in this period of Minos and Abby's absence, no selection took place in the army, and such an organization only experienced a quality improvement.
Minos then looked at the two youths who were kneeling there in front of him and smiled. "Lee, you have finally become a Spiritual King. Very good! You must be the first to achieve this in this region under 21!"
After those words were spoken, everyone there looked at Lee with expressions of admiration on their faces, proud to have someone so promising in the younger generation of the army.
As for Alison, she was standing next to her husband, pouting since it would still take a few weeks for her to get past level 49 and reach the 6th stage.
"I am flattered, master!"
Minos then continued. "Now that you are already at that level and Alison is almost there, I will send you to one of the four satellite cities of Dry City that have already been built."
"You will take care of army affairs and some administrative matters in that place for the next four years. Then, if you do well, I will give you a city and territory to rule in my name."
"That will be the test for you to become Duke and Duchess!"
...
