The Rise of the Black Plain
Chapter 80 - 80: The City of Waters

As Ruth's eagle descended through the sky, Minos could see the city lights getting closer and closer.

This city was even larger than Yellow City, with a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Minos had acquired this information from Butler Dillian before they departed Dry City. According to the details he had received, this city had a slightly better spiritual density than Yellow City, but unlike such a place, it was free from criminal groups.

Moreover, this place was not recognized as a burden by the noble families of the Cromwell Kingdom. In fact, with the tax levied by the local sovereign, it was even possible to earn more than half a million crystals annually. And along with that, there was local agriculture, which yielded another big slice of income.

Because of these reasons, the sovereign family of this region had also taken the initiative in managing and also investing in the city.

Of course, though it was nothing impressive, at least there were investments made here for some development, unlike Yellow City or the old Dry City before Minos' arrival.

But that wasn't all. This town was situated at the convergence of two major regional rivers passing through, this only facilitated the access to exports and imports from the region and also the lives of the people.

And this abundance of water was also very useful for the crops planted here.

As a result of the geographical characteristics of this region, this place was also known as the City of Waters, as the two great rivers of this part of the continent converged and then continued to flow together in the direction of the ocean.

Elena had advised Minos to attract the people of this city to his territory, but from the looks of it, it seemed as if she precisely wasn't aware of the reality of this place...

Because despite being a border region with Black Plain, there were little to no issues with the local soil. The population was able to cultivate the land in the area, and even after the implementation of spiritual arrays, the spiritual density here was still slightly better than in Dry City.

All of these factors made it even more difficult for Minos to be able to recruit the people of this place to his own region. Nevertheless, he would still give it a try since this was the best alternative after Yellow City. And maybe if just the unemployed population of the city were to leave, then perhaps the sovereign family wouldn't go far with this...

Finally, Minos and Ruth descended from the north side of the city, near one of the entrances to the town. Upon their arrival, the duo noticed that there was little to no movement in the surroundings.

After all, it was already nighttime, and it was not advisable to travel at such hours. Some cultivators present around were adorned in clothes with similar patterns. These patterns resembled a crown with three teeth.

This was the symbol of the royal family of the Cromwell Kingdom.

'Oh! The royal family of this kingdom even dispatched their soldiers to this place…' Minos pondered, observing the uniforms of the guards who were standing at the entrance to the city.

In this world, it was customary to have soldiers from the royal family at the border cities.

After all, this was how the kingdoms could control the entry and exit of people from their territories. But, of course, such a thing didn't happen in Yellow City as it was simply too insignificant for the Kingdom of Waves. However, there would certainly be a checkpoint with royal guards in the city next to it.

"Good evening, and welcome to the Cromwell Kingdom. If you are an allied merchant of the kingdom, there is no entry fee. If not, you must pay a tax of 400 low-grade spiritual crystals per person," a guard said as he eyed Ruth in a strange manner. It was not every day that he would encounter such a beauty!

However, his expression immediately froze when he saw Ruth take out a red medallion from her spatial ring. The medallion in her hand had a significant symbol that any guard in this kingdom would recognize.

"The flaming medallion?" the guard exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't believe that he had just ogled at someone who hailed from the Flaming Empire and even possessed a medallion from one of the prominent sects.

Such an item was bestowed to the members dispatched by the great sects of that empire to observe the Spiritual Tournament.

They even held the power to invite someone into the empire!

And as a reason, someone in possession of this item would be treated with the utmost respect possible in any kingdom in the northern regions of the Central Continent.

"Sorry, madam, there is no need for you to pay any fees," he quickly responded, averting his gaze at the floor.

"Hmph, let's go, Minos," Ruth coldly remarked as the two entered the city. She didn't want to waste her time by teaching that guard a lesson just because he had irritated her a little.

Minos then quietly whispered, making it look as if he didn't want Ruth to hear his words, "That's the problem with being so pretty..."

'Hmm.' Upon hearing this, a slight smile of satisfaction appeared on Ruth's face, but she didn't let Minos see it.

In the meantime, the two proceeded to the central region of the city, where Ruth claimed that they would find a decent hotel to spend the night. As they walked through the streets of the City of Waters, Minos could see just how lively this place was.

Many people bustled along the streets accompanied by several low-level spiritual beasts, and on some occasions, even a few carriages could be seen!

The streets here were adorned with lighting arrays, making it more pleasant to walk around during the night when compared to his city.

In Dry City, there were not many lighting arrays yet. After all, Minos prioritized investing in more urgent matters at the moment. Along with that, it was also because there was no place for them to purchase these items before making the deal with the merchant Lance Cohen.

And because of that, Dry City was still a lousy place to stroll at night since most of the city relied on whale oil lamps for night lights.

However, Minos had already planned to change that situation as soon as possible. With the arrival of the Cohen family store, such changes could certainly be implemented in just a few months once his forces had the necessary budget to do this.

Finally, after passing through several buildings and public squares, Minos and Ruth arrived at the hotel. This place was a grand six-story building with multiple terraces and a bright name written on the top of the building, saying, 'Midnight Hotel.'

There was no one outside or in the living area, just a place to park carriages before stopping at its entrance. Shortly after, the two entered the reception and were attended to by a middle-aged man.

"Good evening, welcome to the Midnight Hotel. Can I inquire if you have a reservation?" the man asked politely while being seated on the opposite side of a long counter.

Ruth responded, "I don't have a reservation, but we are only going to spend the night. I think two common rooms should suffice."

"Oh! In that case, let me check the availability..." The man spoke softly as he turned to look at a frame with several numbers and tags. However, there was only one key in one of the clamps...

"Unfortunately, I only have one room available..." he said in disappointment. "Would you like to have this room?"

Upon hearing this, Ruth blushed and replied, "I think we need to look for another hotel."

Just as the two were about to turn, they heard the old man say.

"I understand, but I truly recommend that you take this room."

Minos looked at the man and inquired, "Why do you say that?"

"Well, you must be aware of the Spiritual Tournament that is going to take place in our kingdom in a few weeks, right? And because of this, currently, many people are passing through the city. After all, there are not just the competitors who are going to this tournament..." the man explained sincerely.

He was trying to help Minos and Ruth since they might as well find no options if they left.

"Okay, I understand. Let's keep this room," Minos quickly arrived at a decision.

Upon hearing this, the man at the front desk turned to get the keys to the room, while Ruth, who was next to Minos, stood frozen and was utterly embarrassed.

Although sexuality in the Spiritual World was quite often libertine, Ruth was a young lady who was still a virgin and had not been interested in anyone in the past.

She also lived most of the time within the Gray Clouds Sect, where she was 'protected' from many of the worldly problems.

So, the idea of sleeping in the same room with a man was pretty embarrassing for her. And even if she thought a lot about Minos, it was just mainly related to his achievements and the mysteries involved with this young man...

...

After receiving the key and directions from the receptionist, Minos took hold of Ruth's hand and proceeded to their room on the 3rd floor of the building.

Upon arriving in the room, the two saw a large double bed positioned in the middle of the room with a beautiful red carpet covering the sides of the bed, along with some decorative furniture and an armchair placed near the balcony.

The room was very cozy. It also featured a bathroom and a small kitchen.

After closing the door, Minos suggested with a smile, "If you want, I can sleep in the armchair..."

"No, your cultivation is weaker than mine, so you must be more tired from the trip than me. I will sleep in the armchair, and you can sleep on the bed," Ruth replied, her face still flushed from the previous situation. Her heart was beating rapidly, and her breathing was also gradually increasing.

"No, if that is the case, we can both sleep in the bed. I can't let a woman spend the night in an armchair!"

"But..." She wanted to object, but she just didn't know what to say.

Minos realized that she was very nervous, so he approached Ruth and gently hugged her while whispering in her ear, "Rest assured. I would never force anything on you. We're simply going to sleep in the same bed. But that doesn't mean that something has to happen."