While Elen was acting for the good of the Nash family and the interests of the Black Plain, a few thousand miles away, four ships were sailing southward from the north.
In that region between the northern coast of the Kingdom of the Waves, the Peninsula of Waves, and Stone Island, that group was sailing at cruising speed, making their way to the Brown Kingdom.
But while these ships were traveling together, they were all very different from each other, as if they were from different organizations.
One of them looked like a large freighter, with several indications that it had been attacked. At the same time, its external appearance seemed much older than its internal.
On the other hand, the three ships that accompanied this freighter were significantly smaller, different from each other, and with various battle marks.
These three were in far worse shape than the large freighter, and anyone who saw them could tell that they were not only old but had also been neglected by their owners.
However, as much as they looked like ships from different organizations, perhaps pirate groups, these four ships were under the command of a single group.
Lee and Alison's group!
After the previous incident, that large ship crew had gone through some trouble, having fought against different pirate groups a few times.
But lucky for them, there were not many pirate groups in this region with the presence of Spiritual Kings. Because of this, this group from Dry City had escaped significant problems, perhaps situations that were going to cost them much more than just a few damage to their ships.
Hence, they had advanced on their return to the Black Plain, having reached the middle areas of the Kingdom of the Waves' territorial sea.
...
As the four ships sailed in formation, each with people at the end of the 5th stage to command surveillance of the surroundings, their crews had been having a quiet day.
Some crew members took care of feeding the beasts in transport on that large ship, while others cleaned up the waste left by those beings.
At the same time, several people were navigating those ships around the region, some in each of their control rooms and others around them, transmitting necessary information.
On the other hand, Peter, Alison, Lee, and Maxwell could also be seen in the vicinity of the largest ship, standing by to act if something happened.
As for the Feathered Serpent of that group, she could not be seen in the surroundings at this time.
"How long will it take us to pass the Kingdom of the Waves?" Peter asked such a thing to the captain of that ship.
Upon hearing this, that individual from the Snow Kingdom who had no idea that the destination of these people was the Black Plain thought for a while and answered. "About a month or so."
"After that, we will travel for a few more weeks until we reach the Cromwell Kingdom." He said, talking about the 'destination' of Lee and Alison's group...
"Oh? That's good!"
On the other hand, while they were talking about this, Alison had just gotten up from where she was standing, just after seeing a shadow in the sky a few meters away from there.
"Looks like he's back!" Alison said in satisfaction as she realized that the serpent that accompanied them on this mission had returned from a brief trip.
After they had reached this region near the Peninsula of Waves, the group had decided to temporarily split up, with that serpent traveling to the Flooded Valley, while the rest continued southward.
That served to give them better news about what was happening on the Black Plain, as they were no longer so far away from that place.
It was only for this such serpent had gone back and forth from its tribe's territory to get more detailed information!
Anyway, it did not take long for that being to land on the ship's deck while it had a tired look on its big head.
"Ah... I finally got here!" It said this as if it was freeing itself from a burden.
"So? What did you find out? Anything useful?" Peter was the first to ask, right after not only he but those other three gathered around that beast.
"Well, yes..."
"It seems that something big is expected to happen on the Black Plain in the next few days."
"From what I found out, the counter-revolutionary troops coming from other states are already on the Black Plain, gathering for the upcoming battles!"
Upon hearing this, each of them frowned, understanding the gravity of such information.
None of them were surprised by the arrival of the enemies on the Black Plain, but they could not help but worry for the losses the army would have in the coming weeks.
After all, even though Minos was powerful, he was only one and could not be on more than one battlefield simultaneously.
And that would give the enemies a chance to act!
"I see..."
"That's truly worrying. Will everything be okay?" Maxwell, the one who understood the reality of Dry City the least, asked this in concern.
"Maybe..." Peter said in a low voice, trying to understand what would happen from now on.
It was tough for them to understand the whole situation that Minos' forces were in at the moment. Without more detailed information, it would be impossible to figure out the chances of victory and probable costs that the Black Plain Army would have with all this.
The serpent then said. "In any case, we should avoid reaching our destination before the situation there becomes clearer."
"I have heard that there are many warships around our destination, a number that has, in fact, been increasing in recent weeks."
"Then we will have to wait for that big battle to break out before we complete the last part of this mission!"
...
Meanwhile, in Dry City...
In one of the local government mansion residences, Dillian was in the courtyard of his house, quietly cultivating in a meditative position, sitting on a blue cushion.
While doing so, his body contorted as if he was feeling a lot of pain, sometimes with involuntary movements that would frighten one without much knowledge about cultivation.
But the expression of pain on his face was much more due to the way his soul was rapidly expanding and contracting than to the effects on his fleshy body.
After all, the soul was the essence of the being, something that, when forcibly shaped, could generate unpleasant sensations for that individual.
And with that, as he slowly reached his advancement, Dillian was suffering, enduring all the current pain for the advantages he would get from it.
Crack!
"Ahhh!"
After a distinctive sound reverberated from the depths of his being, Dillian immediately opened his eyes and felt tremendous relief, followed by the sound of pain coming out of his throat.
"Finally!"
"Level 55!" He commented aloud as he moved his fists at chest height, celebrating for having achieved this breakthrough.
'Just one more level, and I'll become a high-level grade-2 doctor!' He thought about it just as he stood up from where he was standing and prepared to leave.
He might not be a Black Plain Army fighter, but as the best local doctor, the higher his level was, the better it would be for all of Dry City.
The greater his skills, the chances of the injured soldiers regaining their fighting condition and returning to the battlefield. Hence, this man was crucial for the Black Plain despite having a supporting role!
And knowing this, he could not help but strive to improve and be happy with each advancement he achieved.
"Time to get back to work!" He muttered, just before he left that place, prepared to go back to the General Hospital, where more and more wounded soldiers or allies were arriving.
'We'll soon have a great fight. Then it's time we cut down the local waiting line as much as possible!' He pondered, making up his mind to focus his time and that of all the other local doctors to try to resolve the current cases as quickly as possible.
Only then could they have room to receive more injured people in the short term!
