After the previous months, Minos had given orders to part of the groups developing in the underwater cities of his empire to move to the central area of the Ancestral Sea.
Currently, more than 10 million living beings live in the underwater area of the Black Plain Empire in the northeastern part of the Ancestral Sea, and things were going very well for Minos' forces.
With the foundations of his marine empire developed, he had moved on to a new phase of his plans for the Ancestral Sea and given orders for groups to set out for the central part of that sea for two missions.
The first was to attract groups of sea beasts slightly stronger than those already living in that area under his domain. Acting in the underwater world was by no means easy, and the support of sea creatures helped a lot.
So Minos naturally wanted to attract stronger sea beasts, like the case of 8th-stage beings, organisms in very few numbers in his current underwater empire.
The second purpose was to explore the floating island that had fallen on Minos when he passed through the central part of the Ancestral Sea years ago.
So far, Minos had not sent any investigative party to that area to try to find out more about the Fah'um of Dunov. But he thought it very important to investigate the past of this being, who was probably even older than the Spiritual World he knew.
If the Spiritual World was only a fragment of the world of Fah'um of Dunov, then Minos needed to know more about such a place, to find out about its ways and customs, but also technologies.
Perhaps there was a way for him to at least recreate part of what had been the 99 race.
That was why the group sent by the army to that central area of the Ancestral Sea had left six months ago, and Minos was curious to hear from them.
Dillian answered his leader's question. "About that, they are still traveling to the central area of the Ancestral Sea. Unfortunately, they had a long way to go from the northeast of this sea region."
Traveling by boat could not compare to the flying speed of a high-level Saint, as was the case with Minos when he set off from the Black Plain to the Western Empire, from where he got a boat and set off for the central area of the Ancestral Sea.
From that point where Minos had left, the journey to the central area of the Ancestral Sea was shorter than the journey of the group that left from the vicinity of the western coastline of the End area.
Also, while Minos left on a yacht, the group traveling was on a large ship that was slower than their yacht, destroyed by a level 99 beast.
"But in another six months, the group should reach the vicinity of the area indicated by Your Majesty," Dillian said, using the army's estimates considering that crew's last statement.
"Six months? Then I won't have any results from them until I leave the Ancient Dragon Spatial Kingdom..." Minos put one of his hands on his chin, thinking this through.
But he was not worried about the strength of this group. There were high-level Sages among the crew, and this was also just a group of investigators who would do their best not to get involved in confrontations.
There were less dangerous methods of traveling through the Ancient Sea and others around this world, things that Minos had not used on his journey to the island of the Seraphim Ancient Sarcophagus because of his haste.
As for what might happen on the island of Fah'um of Dunov, which was now at the bottom of the sea, Minos already knew that many powers from the mainland and the sea itself were investigating the place. So no one could stop his people from trying to investigate the place.
With so many high-level powers sending investigators there, it had become an ownerless area where no one wanted to take possession of it so as not to be against all concerned.
"But some of our men traveling with the group have already managed to contact groups of mid-level sea beasts. According to the last report, we should have a first encounter with some of these tribes in the next few months.
Maybe we can get an alliance before Your Majesty even enters that Spatial Kingdom." Dillian said.
Obviously, Minos' group traveling through the Ancestral Sea had made some hard-to-refuse offers to attract the attention of the tribes they came in contact with.
Gaining the attention of some beings, they had skillfully directed these creatures to the vicinity of the area currently under Minos' control, as far as beasts had the courage to go. There, Minos' underlings awaiting these tribes would indeed negotiate the joining of new groups into his underwater domain.
"That's good. With more 8th-stage sea beasts, we will be able to raise the production and direction of minerals from that area to the mainland." Minos commented in a low voice.
The more relevant that undersea area was to his empire, the more specialists from outside the army would be interested in moving there, and the more of the soldiers would be on hand to maintain security and surveillance of the area.
This would help Minos in his purposes regarding the North Sea, so any advancement in that area had great potential in his eyes.
"Very well, continue as you are." He said as he stood up. "I will take a short trip through the northern region and set up some more defensive domes in important cities. When I return, I will enter seclusion for my departure to the Flaming Empire."
"OK, Your Majesty." The two stood up and said simultaneously, bowing their heads as Minos left.
...
Just like that, 3 months passed quickly, and it was finally time for Minos and his women to leave for the Flaming Empire!
With Minos at peak level 82 and Gloria at peak level 81, they would no longer wait in their state for the stabilization of the portals of the Ancient Dragon Spatial Kingdom.
After Ruth and Isabella decided to join the Stuart family group that would enter that place, they promptly said goodbye to those who would stay in the Black Plain, for even after leaving that Spatial Kingdom, they would probably not see them in a short while.
Minos made the appropriate personnel exchanges, sending to the Spatial Kingdom only those personnel with the potential for important advances in the short term but who would not jeopardize the stability of the empire.
After leaving his sons and some of their grandmothers in the Spatial Kingdom, he and his wives left the area of the Dry City's defensive dome and headed for the local wormhole port.
Departing from this place, in just a few minutes, they would arrive in Payton, the capital of the Flaming Empire!
