While the entire region was reacting to the news concerning the formation of the Black Plain Empire, the Minos population received this information only through the local periodical.

The Black Plain had its own periodical distributed free of charge to its population. It brought the most relevant news for that state, government measures, attractions, and opportunities.

Such a periodical was distributed weekly in the early morning when most people in this state and the region rested from their weekly work.

Thus, on the previous day, the people of the Black Plain had already come into contact with information about the formation of the empire and the consequent opportunities that this would bring.

The Black Plain today was home to great business people and economically and militarily powerful families looking for opportunities in this increasingly competitive place.

So, for these individuals, the news that two territories would be added to the Black Plain area was splendid, and they could not help but celebrate.

As much as it would not immediately change the situation of the Brown Kingdom and the Cromwell Kingdom, it changed everything on paper. That is, investing in one of those states before would be risky because people and products from there could not freely enter the Black Plain. But with this change, this problem would no longer exist!

By investing their resources in the Brown Kingdom, for example, a Black Plain cultivator would be under the same rules and rights as they were in the original territory of Minos.

And that was a great advantage. After all, these two territories had together more than 400 million inhabitants and an area about 120% that of the present Black Plain.

So the richest and strongest in the territory of Minos were already starting to move to take better advantage of the change about to take place.

These two states’ noble families would gain much importance soon. So as more powerful powers, these Black Plain’s organizations were already thinking about how to ally themselves with the nobility of these places.

On the other hand, even ordinary people who had migrated to the Black Plain to work in ordinary services were celebrating the news.

That was not only because it gave them the pride to be part of a growing state that would soon become an empire. But because many of these current citizens of the Black Plain came from one of these two kingdoms.

People on the Black Plain came from all parts of the northern region of the Central Continent. But these two states that were closer to the territory of Minos represented a little more in the origin of this place’s current inhabitants.

Since these people still had ties to their former lands, customs, and acquaintances who had failed to migrate or decided to stay, they celebrated the news.

That was because, with the formation of the empire, it would be easier for them to get around. To visit their distant friends and relatives, and most importantly, to know that not only they would have good opportunities.

The Black Plain had good roads between its cities and extensive security in the sky, on land, and in the waters, with beasts acting in concert with the local forces. So it was tough for travelers to face criminals or be attacked by beasts when traveling within this territory, which made it easy for people to move around.

That did not happen outside the Black Plain, so the formation of the empire would greatly help to raise the security of travel in those states, facilitating the movements between the areas.

On the other hand, the Dry City government would certainly develop those states, and excessive import taxes would decrease. The result of this? Those two states’ populations would benefit significantly from job opportunities and lower living costs.

Thus, those who were having a good time in the Black Plain would no longer have to worry about their fellows having a ‘hard’ time in one of those states. And with that, the common people were happy with Minos’ wishes!

…

In the area under the control of the Miller family on the Black Plain…

In this place, the patriarch of that family was gathered with the two strongest individuals besides him from that organization, the supreme elder and the one who should be his heiress.

Vince Miller, level 64, was sitting comfortably in front of the patriarch, level 63, next to Daphne Miller, level 63.

The three were there talking about the most critical issue of the moment, deciding how the Miller family should behave with the new order of things.

“Our old territory in the Brown Kingdom still has many organizations loyal to us and clamoring for our return.” Daphne commented, feeling they should put some effort into that area again.

The patriarch agreed with that. “Of all the noble families in the Black Plain today, we are the one with the best contacts with the remaining nobility in the Brown Kingdom. So we must take advantage of our favorable position to expand our influence through this state.”

“Other noble families in the Black Plain will certainly try to expand their interests into the Cromwell Kingdom since that territory is larger and has a more significant population. So we must control our interests and act in the Brown Kingdom.”

Vince nodded to the patriarch, feeling it would indeed be the best thing for House Miller.

This man knew that Minos intended to develop all the states his territory was about to ‘swallow.’ So the fact that the Brown Kingdom had a lower spiritual concentration than the place he was currently in did not bother him.

Not every business needs high spiritual concentration to be developed. What’s more, he knew that perhaps the same thing that had happened to the Black Plain would happen in other parts of the region in the future.

That is, the spiritual root of the Black Plain had recovered, so would it be impossible for something similar to happen in the Brown Kingdom and the Cromwell Kingdom?

He did not think so! Thus, he saw an opportunity with this move by Minos. “Let’s do it. Even if it takes some time for the Brown Kingdom to change, it will be worth it.”

“With the number of Spiritual Kings already in that place, we’ll soon see significant improvements that will make it worth the investment. That is true even if the spiritual concentration there doesn’t improve in the future.”

The two agreed with that analysis before going back to the subject, specifically on how to begin approaching the noble families of the Brown Kingdom.

While they were doing that, organizations such as the Parkinson, Gill, Austin, Cohen, Hayes, and Stokes families were already in action. They all looked primarily at the Cromwell Kingdom, which had much more to offer.

Other smaller Black Plain’s powers were also moving, looking for positions before the seats at the table were all taken.

No one knew if Minos would absorb the remaining states of the region or how long it would take him to do so. That is, he had to take it easy not to ‘eat’ more than his ‘stomach’ could handle. So the formation of the empire was not something that would happen overnight.

Hence, they had to consider that the Cromwell Kingdom and the Brown Kingdom were what they would have, for the time being, so they were quickly acting to get a slice of the ‘cake’!