Three days after Minos' movements in Veora, news of his advancement to the 10th stage and his actions in that kingdom in the western region of the continent had already made its way to the Central Continent.
Some powers, even outside the continent, were already talking about the latest Minos-related matter, as he was very important worldwide, and his act was somewhat unexpected.
In particular, the powers in the western region were more interested in the topic than others on the continent or in the Spiritual World.
Because Minos had acted so close to them, the sovereign families of the other states in the Western Region were more concerned or attentive to the issue.
Among those most concerned was Sista, the state in that region that was most friendly to the Black Plain Empire since its sovereign families were married to each other through Sarah and George.
Perhaps for this reason, on Minos' third day in Veora, the first continental leader to relocate as a result of Emperor Stuart's actions arrived in Veora's capital.
At dusk in that city, Willow and her entourage arrived to meet Minos!
Other envoys from states in this western area of the continent were already in the city, and some had even spoken to Minos about their intentions, motives, etc. But none of them could compare to Queen Sista!
...
In the royal palace of the Veora family...
Willow followed the path to where she could feel the strong aura of a level 90 Demigod, passing many old acquaintances who had previously served the Veora family but now wore the symbol of a golden tree on their chest.
As she walked through the corridors of the palace, she also saw some representatives from Mairin, the Eastern Empire, and the Western Empire.
But none of the rulers of these states had traveled to Minos. Vico was probably in the South Sea, as the world's strongest Sky Whale was about to reach level 100. On the other hand, Emperor Quinn wasn't too worried about the Black Plain Empire, as he had a better relationship with that state than others in the region.
The king of Mairin didn't move because he was one of the weakest in the region and had no intimacy with Minos.
Willow saw the representatives of those states there to speak with Minos and greeted them before entering the king's office, where Emperor Stuart was with his three traveling companions.
Minos, who was drinking a typical wine of the region, felt the spiritual fluctuation of this woman very close to him and turned to this beautiful blonde whom he could finally meet in person.
"Lady Willow Sista, you are even more beautiful in person than the rumors say." He smiled at her as he rose from his seat to greet her properly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. It's just a shame it wasn't under better circumstances."
Willow looked attentively at Minos, feeling for the first time the magnificent aura of the famous Emperor Stuart while a serene look was on his handsome face.
"I say the same, young man. I would have liked to meet my daughter-in-law's father under different circumstances... But he's quite bold and powerful, so things didn't turn out so interesting." She bitterly laughed, seeing that Minos' fame had precedent.
He smiled back at her and asked as he showed her a seat. "Are you here to question why I acted as I did recently, considering the problems we will soon face?"
That was what the others he had met so far had asked him.
Willow, and the two level 98 men with her, closed their eyes as this woman explained that this was exactly what had brought them to this place.
"That's right... Everything was fine until a few days ago, and then you killed King Veora. What happened to make you act like this? What exactly do you expect by destroying the Veora family?" She asked as her two men stood behind the chair she was sitting in.
While the three relatives of the Goddess of Life watched her with concern, Minos answered Willow. "King Veora and I had a long history. It wasn't known to many, but my interest in dealing with him was long-standing. When I reached the necessary level, I moved here and allowed him to bow his head and accept my demands. I would leave after that and hurt no one...
He obviously didn't accept my proposal and tried to fight me. That brought him to his own end."
"So you had something against each other?" She asked in surprise.
"More or less. I didn't act against him by chance, Lady Willow. I planned the day I would face him for a long time. So, don't think that power went to my head, and I did what I did out of greed. I was just putting into action something I had planned for a long time.
Now, I'm ruling Veora because this state needs a strong ruler to guide it through the 'storm' that's brewing before us. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone so far as to start absorbing this territory."
One of the two level 98 Demigods found this very hard to believe. "Your Majesty Stuart is really different... You're not just going to leave this state without a ruler on the eve of the ice age and the arrival of the aliens."
Minos could tell by the tone of the man's voice that he didn't believe these words. "Yes, I will do my best to help this nation grow as much as possible in the coming years. Under my leadership, Veora will have a better chance of surviving the alien invasion."
Whether his motives were sincere or not, what he had just said was a fact.
Even though the Black Plain Empire didn't have as many experts as Veora, it had more capacity to grow and become stronger than Veora.
With the Stuart family in charge of this state, it would be difficult for this territory to weaken.
Minos continued. "Anyway, I've solved my problems with the former ruling family of this territory, and now I'm doing the work of integrating it into my state. I will do my best to fulfill the old agreements of the local powers but also to integrate the local forces with those who work hard in Dry City.
Perhaps we can make the best of this situation and grow together. That is my plan, Lady Willow."
She was already too close to Minos to do anything against him for something that could not be changed. So Willow just sighed before commenting in an advisory tone.
"Okay, Minos, I understand your motives. I disagree with all this. I don't think you should have done what you did, but I accept what happened.
The problem is what you will do from now on. Are you going to pick up every old fight? In your own words, you prepared yourself to do what you did. Are you going to go on a bloody journey across the continent? If that's your plan, let me tell you right now: it won't end well!
