Minos listened to his people for some time, updating his knowledge on the situation on the continent and in the empire.
In short, the continent was weakened by the war between Vico and Maximillian. Friendly states of the Black Plain, such as the Flaming Empire and the Flowers Kingdom, faced various problems caused by the clashes on their borders.
Many cities were being abandoned in the vicinity of the battlefield while agricultural lands capable of supplying entire states were being left.
Without people to take care of them because of the risks of the remaining crashes from high-level cultivators, part of the production of these states had been greatly affected.
Meanwhile, the movement of people from practically every state on the continent, fleeing the war towards the Black Plain Empire or Divine Continent, had also been affecting the stability of every state.
Cultivators of all levels, including Demigods, were leaving their home states. And even though several of the strongest were heading to the Divine Continent, most had to pass through weaker states, like Blackrock, to make their way.
With Sages and even Demigods passing through states where the strongest were not even Sages, problems naturally occurred.
Amidst this, the Black Plain was the only territory controlling the situation well, receiving migrants and maintaining its projects.
This state already had a large population, and the number of migrants represented a small fraction of its numbers. At the same time, Minos had built up a state with allies across much of the continent, which was helping his people to control tensions with the arrival of powerful cultivators from the south.
Simultaneously, the maritime expansion of the empire had been going very well, having accelerated greatly in the time of Minos and Starclaw's voyage. To get an idea, currently, more than 2 million people of the empire already live in the underwater city northeast of the Ancestral Sea.
From there, hundreds of thousands of tons of resources flowed to the continent every month, helping to increase the supply of resources within the empire.
In addition, the underwater control of the Black Plain Army had increased more than 5 times in this period, and the group in that sea area was slowly moving closer to the north with their surveillance network.
After hearing all this, Minos was pleased with his state's recent progress, figuring they could make much of their plans in a few years.
He had long been waiting for the time to investigate the North Sea. Yet, finally, the conditions for this were beginning to emerge!
The conditions for the empire had been very favorable. Even though many hated Minos and his rising state around this continent, the powerful had no time to worry about him, given the problems in the south.
Who would bother with the growth of the Black Plain when level 99 Demigods were vying for something?
At the same time, those who might be interested in causing trouble for the Black Plain were no longer strong enough to threaten the people of Minos.
So amidst all the current instability, this state had not been doing badly, and Minos' forces were developing even better than he had expected.
Minos then said. "It seems that the foundations of the empire are supporting our growth well. That's good. I believe we'll have enough strength to survey the North Sea in two decades at most."
"Uh? Are you sure about that, Your Majesty?" Dillian stepped forward as the people coming from the Divine Continent waited for Minos' words.
They already knew about his fears regarding the threat predicted by Henricus Longus coming from the north. As such, everyone was already aware of his plans regarding that area.
Minos nodded affirmatively. "Yes. We must do this within two decades. I believe that the war to the south will not last as long as many think. In two decades, we will have several favorable conditions to get concrete evidence of what is to the north."
He then revealed some things that had happened in his recent passage through the Divine Continent.
"While on the Divine Continent, I came into contact with a high-level force called Pantheon Of Honor. This force is an organization that does not demand allegiance from its members and functions more like an association than a sect.
A level 97 elder invited me to join this group that has several level 99 Demigods in its ranks, and I accepted.
Don't get too excited thinking that these experts will help us out of pity or just because I have become a member of the organization. But through my joining the group, we will have access to people who can help us in the future, depending on the agreements that we can honor.
So I believe our prospects are promising."
Except for Abby and Isabella, all the other members of Minos' family and his subordinates in this city were surprised to hear this announcement.
Minos had left with the goal of only dealing with the Longus family threat. But he had not only solved that problem but also managed to get into a group that could give him access to so many peak specialists!
That was impressive!
Even if they weren't going to benefit immediately, the very possibility of Minos being able to negotiate with these people was already a great advance for the empire.
Thinking about this, Dillian smiled and felt the weight on his shoulders lessening, imagining there would be more alternatives for them in the future.
Minos continued. "So combining the advances we will achieve in these two decades, the possibility of business with this group, and our other plans, I believe we will be able to move forward with the North Sea investigation."
A level 80 elder formerly belonging to the Gray Clouds Sect, which currently only existed in the Flaming Empire, asked. "What shall we do first, Your Majesty? Information from the Church constantly reaches us saying that we are close to the opening of the Ancient Dragon Spatial Kingdom."
Minos had heard about this even during his passage through the Divine Continent, for this event would attract worldwide attention, not just from the Central Continent.
He said. "We will focus on our internal affairs until the emergence of the entrance to this lost cultivation shrine. When that happens, I will leave alongside my wives to take advantage of the opportunities.
I plan to travel to the Marine Empire and the Continent of Beasts soon after and finally return to the Divine Continent for some business.
When those plans are completed, it will be time for us to travel to the bloody North Sea!"
...
