After accepting Minos' orders, Blake left that place alongside his companions, sighing in defeat for not being able to get his mother back.
But since Minos had made no new threats against him and the Walker family, he was at least feeling no worse for not having brought Wilfred along on this trip.
As for the execution of his younger brother, well, he honestly did not care about Charles' life as he would have killed that person himself if he had had the chance in the past.
However, he was not happy either. After all, as much as Charles was his enemy, Minos' hostage was still part of the Walker family. Furthermore, having the future king watch his own brother's execution could not be a good thing for his honor and record.
No, this was another form of humiliation that the Walker family would have to deal with, which the entire regional population would see as a weakness of the power now under Blake's leadership.
What would come of this new reality?
Well, he could not say for sure. Still, at the very least, this organization's unilateral regional relations would be damaged in the future.
But there was a silver lining in all this. With the Black Plain likely to win the war, sooner or later, the entire region would be under Minos' control. And with this, they would at least be able to negotiate with powers in a subordinate situation to Dry City.
In any case, the future that awaited them was not what Blake had dreamed of when he had begun his pursuit of power. However, it was too late now, and he could only deal with the situation left behind by his father and brother.
...
"Minos, don't you think this is too harsh?" Ruth asked right after Blake's group left that place. "I mean, even though they are enemies, they still share a significant blood tie..."
"I think it's pretty cruel to force them to watch their own brother's execution."
Minos was not bothered by Ruth's contrary opinion and said. "Charles will die to pay for his crimes, but Blake, Wilfred, and King Walker's widows will once again witness what happens to the enemies of the Black Plain."
"Ruth, I don't want to go out into the region and wipe out families, nor do I want to be known as someone who solves their problems with violence. I'd rather stay on the Black Plain with you and Abby, cultivating, having fun, and eventually raising a family."
"But that's a naive dream."
"Knowing that, for the sake of our future, for the sake of not having to deal with idiots constantly seeking death, the powerful individuals in this region need to fear us."
"They need to have ingrained in their minds the idea that there is no escape for those who violate the laws of the Black Plain. They need to understand that there is only one fate for those who overstep my boundaries."
"Only then can we decrease the number of rebellious acts in my region in the future."
"This will make the region more peaceful and, at the same time, make it easier for members of the regional nobility and royalty to absorb certain ideals themselves. And that will help us build the Black Plain faster and more efficiently."
"For that, I need to be brutal with certain people and organizations." He finished his explanation as he hugged his women's waists and looked into Ruth's eyes.
Upon hearing those words, Ruth and Maisie understood what Minos wanted. This young man's mother nodded with satisfaction that he was so decisive.
She genuinely had not expected her son to have such a strong personality, but it was good that he was like that!
The cultivation world gave no voice to the weak, and being decisive was a synonym for superiority.
Ruth, on the other hand, although she did not have the experience of her master, because of the ease with which Minos spoke on the subject, there was no way she could not agree with his thoughts.
As for Abby, she already knew about these visions of her man since she had been following the decisions of Minos as the leader of the Black Plain for several years now.
Not only that, but as someone who had studied to become a negotiator, she was thrilled to see her man show how well he understood the harsh reality of power.
There was a chance that Minos' actions would backfire and rally his now-subordinates against the Black Plain in the future. After all, fighting a lunatic with power would always be worthwhile!
However, as long as he managed this terror generated during the war in the post-war period, such fear would become a seed of doubt and not of discord.
With the advancements and opportunities that he would bring to this region through the development of the Black Plain, the regional royal houses would quickly realize that everything had worked.
Eventually, they would think that they suffered, yes. Still, the benefits would be so great that the leaders left after the war would probably say things like: 'I would do it all over again if the outcome were the same.' Or maybe: 'I could have surrendered sooner.'
Anyway, after talking about the matter involving the Walker family, it was not long before other visitors arrived in the area designated for the Black Plain group.
First, King Snow had passed by, as he already knew about the deeds of Minos in the capital of his kingdom. Besides, he was preparing for the imminent action of the allied forces of the Black Plain against the Counter-Revolutionary Army.
And since he had no complaints to make against Minos, as well as being already in agreement with his son's decisions, Adam had just listened to Minos' orders and noted down what he had to do.
Next, Lorelei Stone visited Minos' group, having talked with them for almost an hour in an attempt to strengthen her state's ties with the Black Plain.
They were already allies, but it did not hurt to reaffirm Stone Island's commitment to Dry City, which had benefited Minos' forces even before the war.
And with the climax of the war, that woman obviously did not miss the chance to talk to Minos about the future, about the development of the Black Plain as a state.
She wanted to make it clear to Minos that the entire Stone Island would do whatever it took to help develop that empty territory and build the structures required for human life to flourish.
And, of course, as someone capable of doing business, Minos had agreed with many of the possibilities raised by Lorelei and suggested other things for the beautiful future ahead of them.
After that, that woman left Minos' group just before Jade Carline's visit.
...
"It's only been a few months since you were in the Kingdom of the End, but I feel as if years have passed." Jade said this with a smile on her face, finally showing some satisfaction at being here since she had to look worried to other people.
But in a place where only Minos and people he trusted were, she did not mind showing her happiness at being able to see him again.
"Hehe, indeed." Minos laughed, remembering how passionate that woman was in bed. 'Poor King Carline, doesn't he realize that one shouldn't neglect his women? Plus, he probably overlooked the fact that this woman has an unusual libido...'
Seeing the expressions on Minos and Jade's faces and their words, the three women in that place frowned, thinking that there was something wrong there.
'Shouldn't this woman be an enemy of my son? Why does she look so pleased?' Maisie watched that black-haired woman closely, carefully observing the way Jade behaved.
'Those body signs...' Maisie's eyes widened as she thought of something strange. 'Don't tell me you...'
At the same time, Ruth looked at Abby with a meaningful look, trying to understand the situation. 'Shouldn't she be here to surrender? How does she seem to be here to be gifted or something?'
And as if she understood Ruth's thoughts, Abby smiled awkwardly. 'I want to understand what's in here too...'
"Well, I'll get right to the point. My husband has already made up his mind to accept your offer. Thus, I'm here so we can begin the procedures necessary to validation of our new situation."
...
