After some time resting in that camp, Minos and Abby had already recovered from their previous energy expenditure and were almost ready to leave this place.
In the hours since the death of the last bandit killed by Minos, the newly freed captives had gathered all the items left behind in this place.
Everything had been handed over to Minos, with no flaws, no deceptions on the part of any of them. Obviously, none of these people were stupid enough to steal from the person who destroyed this place and freed them.
And after doing this, quickly, a large fire was made in that camp to cremate each of the human pieces scattered across that rugged terrain. There weren't many bodies, so this had all been done in less than an hour, leaving only the ashes behind.
Not even the dropped blood had been forgotten by those people who performed this task ordered by Minos.
Anyway, after receiving the fruits of his efforts, Minos finally accounted for everything he had achieved by facing these thugs since that previous incident.
In total, around 100 criminals had met their end at the hands of Minos and Abby, with the weakest being at level 43 and the strongest at level 47.
And due to the average strength of the group, most of them, 57 people, had grade-1 spiritual rings, which had been left without owners...
Also, counting all these dead thugs, Minos had counted 368 Blue-grade techniques and 3 Black-grade ones. All of them were focused on battle or spiritual cultivation, with none of the other professions.
About 40 high-level grade-1 weapons had been left behind, plus a single low-grade grade-2 artifact. But even that hadn't gotten much of Minos' attention, as the artifact was just a shield.
But for the soldiers in his army, surely these items would be very welcome!
In addition to the weapons, there were also some high-level grade-1 spiritual arrays and five low-level grade-2 arrays, similar to the previous one used against them.
In terms of crystals and pills, Minos managed to count about 340,000 low-grade crystals and 420 pills, divided between those of high-level grade-1 and a few low-level grade-2 ones.
And from this last part that Minos had collected, he had set aside 40,000 crystals for the newly freed captives, besides giving a recovery pill to each one of them.
Finally, those individuals had been delighted with this, and soon after receiving these resources of Minos, they began to cultivate in that place before trying to get out of this forest.
...
At this moment, Minos and Abby were already mounted on the back of that great spiritual beast that had been carrying them in this travel when they slowly began to leave that camp.
However, of the many people who were still recovering in that place, some of them had run towards this couple while asking out loud. "Sir, can you tell us where you come from?"
"What are your names?"
Some of them curiously asked as they tried to discover the provenance of Minos and Abby. Naturally, they wanted to know what great power had helped them. At the very least, they would be grateful for these two and the organization behind them!
But it was not just that. For those who faced the pain of slavery, there was sometimes a need for a greater purpose. Otherwise, some of them would not even be able to bear their memories...
Mainly for some women!
And knowing about it, even the most trivial thing, could already make some sense for some of them to continue living.
After hearing these questions, Minos looked back and smiled at those people who were screaming and watching him and Abby leave. "We come from the south, from a land of opportunity." He said vaguely when he finally looked in front of him and asked Abby to increase their speed.
Minos wouldn't just say his name or where he came from just because there wasn't much danger here. But he still gave a valuable tip to these people.
If they followed the path south from this location, then perhaps they would be lucky enough to see the Dry City. However, if that didn't happen, then they simply weren't destined to have the opportunities there.
In either case, it wouldn't affect young Stuart's life much, and so he was willing to give them that chance.
...
Quickly, the silhouette of that great beast with two youths on its back disappeared in the horizon of that place.
Meanwhile, Minos and Abby were talking, enjoying the wind in their faces, in the middle of the central parts of the Flooded Valley.
"This training is increasing my cultivation speed." Abby commented to Minos while she had a gentle smile on her face. "I think I will be able to learn a defensive technique in the next few days."
Minos then nodded and said. "Hmm, probably..."
The two talked about their previous battles, with Minos giving his friend several tips on how she could be even more effective. And eventually, after a while, she asked him, changing the subject. "What do we do next?"
"Well, we're already in the center of the Flooded Valley, so let's speed up our trip a little bit. We will leave this place in a few days and arrive in the first city after Diamond City. After that, we will travel to the first place where I will do some business, in the Gulf of Waves."
"Hmm, in that place, there is one of the top 3 culinary organizations of the Kingdom of the Waves." Abby commented, remembering the information about this place. "I always wanted to visit one of these places..."
In that region of the Gulf of Waves, fishing had spread and become one of the leading development engines in that area. And with such a thing, many people in that region had professions related to the food industry, including spiritual cooks!
Despite its distance from the Kingdom of the Waves' capital, the Gulf of Waves had developed into one of the best regional gastronomic centers due to its abundance of food resources and crystals.
And one of the most renowned culinary organizations in the northern part of the Central Continent was located in the largest city on the Gulf of Waves, Jalene City.
Minos was going there precisely to buy the Blue-grade and perhaps Black-grade techniques so that such a profession could develop in the Dry City.
A developed place could not depend on exports all the time!
And to fulfill this criterion, Minos wanted to develop each of the professions among the citizens of his region. With this, the Black Plain could count on other areas besides agriculture to support the 'weight' that a large state would naturally have.
He would start buying these techniques in Jalene City and intended to repeat this as he passed through other cities on his way to the kingdom's capital. And there, he intended to do his most important business!
Minos agreed with Abby and added. "Hmm, I also want to taste the delicacies of that place..."
The two continued to talk as they traveled through the central parts of that forest, heading north.
...
In the blink of an eye, a whole month had passed, and by this time, Minos and Abby had arrived in Jalene City, the main town in this region of the Gulf of Waves.
This place could be considered excellent, with over 1.5 million inhabitants and very well developed.
The city's total area was huge due to the presence of few buildings with more than six floors, and it had a long beachfront, which stretched for about 20 kilometers.
The smell of salt in the air could be smelled from almost anywhere in the city, while in many places, the pleasant culinary aromas made this city a great place to live. With restaurants among the best in the region, every citizen could enjoy a high standard in gastronomy.
Even the most humble ones!
And amid this seaside town, with an exotic natural beauty, Minos and Abby had arrived in this city a few hours ago and were already staying in one of the local hotels.
'Finally, we can start doing business…' Minos thought to himself as he admired the sunset in front of him from the balcony view of the apartment he'd rented.
