By now, the Black Plain had reached a high level of development compared to the immediate period after the independence.
There was still plenty of room to grow, many areas to recycle, cities to build, and plantation fields to develop. That's only considering the Black Plain's main territory, which represents less than 20% of the entire area of this state today!
But even so, the main territory of Minos had reached the mark of 6 million farmers who cultivated more than 212,000 hectares daily, generating about 7.1 billion low-grade crystals annually.
However impressive this number might be, it was still small. That's because, during these four years, much of the state government's efforts had been focused on developing the cities, not just the plantation fields.
Because of this, this productive sector of the Black Plain had not developed as well as might have been expected, having grown only ten times in this period.
However, this relative growth in agriculture, coupled with the continued recovery of the spiritual root of this area, plus the growth of the Black Plain Sovereign Fund, already guaranteed large reserves of crystals for this state.
Considering the over 100 billion they had to make investments, Abby was confident that their forces could multiply the number of local Spiritual Kings quickly.
She then continued her previous words. "We last made the selection for new soldiers six months ago, but we currently have over 300,000 citizens with the requirements to compete for positions in our forces."
"So, I think we should launch a new selection and try to recruit at least another 50,000 or so soldiers. That way, we can improve the supply of Spiritual Kings in the army." Abby said as she looked at her husband.
"That can be done..." Minos commented as he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin. Then, he looked at Mia and asked. "How is the migration rate of people coming here from the other states in our region?"
"Currently, about 1 million new migrants arrive in the Black Plain each month, Your Grace."
"1 million... So, we will do as Abby said. But we'll do it every three months to increase the entrance of new soldiers into the army."
"On the other hand, it's almost time for us to have our own Spiritual Tournament." He smiled, remembering that such an event had already taken place on Stone Island in that period, and Warner had already come to visit him two years ago to talk about such a competition.
They agreed that such an event could take place on the Black Plain after the event's next edition. But after that man had come to the region to settle the affairs of the next edition, which would be in the Kingdom of the End, he discovered some of the development of Minos' territory and tried to advance the agreement.
But Minos was impassive, having used the pretext that his state had only grown in appearances and still had much to do...
He already had plans to stop the outflow of regional talent into the Flaming Empire, so there was no reason for him to complicate his situation!
"Oh? Are we going to do that already?" Dillian asked, interested in this event.
In the previous four years, competitions had occurred in stadiums of the Black Plain. But these events had not been intended to recruit but to test cultivators allied to the local forces.
As Minos had promised earlier, his forces held various military exercises alongside groups of allies or subordinates. But eventually, the simple military exercises turned into a more significant competition, played out in public arenas and with prizes for the winners.
Given the good results of these events, Dillian could not help but be interested in the possibility raised by Minos.
By doing this, the army could finally get regional-level talent, people different from the humble population of the Black Plain.
The people of this territory had undeniably become more vigorous, with many specialists rising among groups of former farmers, former workers without a promising future. But, of course, this was good for the state and would remain a possibility for many in the future. Yet, that alone was not enough!
The Black Plain needed people with Black talent, something still hard to find locally.
After all, the majority of the population of this state was made up of low-level talented people who were needed in ordinary jobs for local development.
But those people with Black talent that Minos wanted in his forces, except his subordinate or allied families, there were hardly any numerous groups of such people on hand for his forces to absorb.
As such, he could not simply rely on the population of the Black Plain. Instead, he needed to open the doors of his forces as the sects of the Flaming Empire did!
Minos nodded to Dillian and said. "I think the regional population already understands that there are as many or more opportunities here than in the empire. So, I believe there are many potential competitors, even considering our recent victory in the war."
Naturally, Minos' group expected resistance from the regional population to trust their forces, as they already trusted the empire's sects. That was because, besides the fact that the empire was far more powerful and wealthy than this Black Plain territory, there was a whole history between those organizations and the region.
On the other hand, the Black Plain Army was a force less than 15 years old and that only a few years ago had massacred countless millennial organizations in this region...
Indeed, resistance was expected from the regional forces!
However, after the emergence of several Spiritual Emperors in the ranks of allies, subordinates, and the army itself, the image of the Black Plain for the region had changed considerably.
Many were still afraid or distrustful, but it was undeniable that the Black Plain had achieved a foolproof method of producing Spiritual Emperors. And as much as that alone was not enough to put it ahead of the sects of the Flaming Empire, everyone in this region knew that their descendants who managed to go there usually did not go much further than the 7th stage.
To make matters worse, those who went to the empire could not fight alongside them, and even sending resources was complex.
However, with the Black Plain, it was different!
The church did not limit the Spiritual Emperors of the forces connected to this place. Even more, the Black Plain was many times less dangerous than the empire, which meant that the chance of talented soldiers reaching the 7th stage was very high.
In other words, this could be all that was needed for these regional organizations to make a loose grip on power!
Knowing this, Minos already had the confidence to launch this competition for his army without the fear of no competitors in it.
He then said. "Perhaps organizations badly hurt by us in the war will show some resistance and even try to discourage other families from sending their members. But I am sure small noble houses will not miss this opportunity."
Seeing the smile on the corner of her husband's face, Ruth shook her head, thinking about how this action of his would create revolutionary flames in a few years. "Are you trying to replace the royal families of this region? Don't you think that will create too much chaos?"
"Change the royal families? Why would I do that? They are already my subordinates. That would be a mistake on my part..." He opened his hands and looked at his wife.
"That..."
"But that will happen when one of those small families gets a Spiritual Emperor, and the royal family of that state doesn't have anyone like that." She said.
After hearing that, Abby's parents and Eda nodded in agreement, worried about it.
Abby then answered for Minos. "If they don't want to be surpassed, they can just send their talents here too. These people naturally won't have a chance to become Elite Squad soldiers, nor learn Silver-grade cultivation techniques, but they can still be ordinary soldiers."
"Considering the still large power difference between the royal and noble families in the region, there are full conditions for these organizations to maintain their positions."
"Oh? But little Abby, I don't think there's any chance of that happening... Do you think the Brown and Cromwell families will do it?" Nicole asked.
"That..." Abby looked at Minos in doubt.
He then said. "In the case of these two states, there truly is a chance for changes to happen, but for the rest of the region, things should develop, as Abby said."
"As for the possibility concerning the Brown and Cromwell families..."
