The Rise of the Black Plain
Chapter 84 - 84: Santa Clara

"Oh, that's interesting," said the young man with a smile on his face. He had long red hair and gray eyes, with a beauty that would easily put him among the top in this region of the continent.

As for the Warrior-grade herb they were talking about, it was an ingredient used to refine spiritual pills ranging between high-level grade-1 and low-level grade-2.

Herbs like such could be helpful in producing spiritual pills, which would help someone to advance to the 5th stage, and also for making other types of pills for cultivators at the beginning of this stage.

These spiritual herbs were classified according to their grade: Common, Warrior, King, Saint, and Divine. Each of these herbs had different kinds of uses based on its classification, with a Saint-grade herb being the ones with the greatest possibilities.

As for how much better the pill's potency would be, that depended not only on the herb itself but also on the level of the alchemist's skills. That was why a more skilled and higher-ranking alchemist could maximize the use of ingredients used in a pill and achieve better results.

However, each herb had its limit, and in the case of Warrior-grade herb, the limit was that it could only be used to produce low-level grade-2 pills.

The young woman, who looked drastically similar and also had red hair and gray eyes, smiled before asking, "Big brother, are we going to acquire this herb?"

"For us, herbs at such a level are not so relevant. And since we already have numerous resources at our disposal, let's leave this one for our competitors. At least that will animate things during the tournament. Haha," the young man replied confidently.

"Hmm, but it won't be easy for other participants with lesser powers to obtain it. And even if it is only a Warrior-grade herb, harvesting it without injuring its spirituality is not an easy task in itself," another man in the group pointed out, considering the consequences.

Harvesting a wild herb like this was complicated. Usually, alchemists employed specific techniques to harvest these plants, but there were no alchemists who would be participating in this competition.

Therefore, without having a suitable method to harvest such a plant, people who would obtain it needed to have enough spiritual energy to do so while avoiding damaging its general structure.

"That's true. Unless one of the groups going after this has an alchemist with them, they need at least someone who is a Spiritual King to harvest this medicine without damaging it," The young master remarked as he rubbed his face.

The girl then exclaimed excitedly, "But forget that for now. I want to get to the capital of the Cromwell Kingdom soon. I have heard that some of the greatest geniuses from our region are already there."

"Hmm, let's get going then," the group agreed, and with that, they left the city, passing through a large gate adorned with the inscriptions, 'City of flowers.'

...

Meanwhile, Minos and Ruth were almost nearing the city where they planned to spend the night when White began to slowly descend from the skies. It was already dark at this point, and the city lights nearby could be seen from a distance.

This place seemed to be even larger than the City of Waters, where they had previously stopped. Currently, Minos was talking to Ruth about ordinary matters related to the Gray Clouds Sect.

He then asked curiously, "Hey, you seem to know a lot about the Cromwell Kingdom. Have you traveled here many times?"

Shaking her head, Ruth replied, "No, actually, this is only my second time leaving the Flaming Empire. The first time was with my master when we visited you in Dry City about a year ago.

In our region, the disciples of the sects are usually only allowed to leave the empire on four occasions…"

Minos suddenly cut off her speech and asked, "Huh? And why is that?"

"Let me finish speaking!" Ruth's brows furrowed, making a small pout before she continued, "To leave the empire's territory, we have to be accompanied by a superior. That's the first condition.

The second is if we've reached the level of a Spiritual King. The third is if we have a family urgency outside the empire's confines. And finally, the fourth is if we receive a mission, which is in my case.

These conditions are because the Flaming Empire has some external enemies that pose a threat to the weaker people. After all, not all disciples are given Silver-grade techniques like me," she explained with pride evident on her face.

"But even people like me still have to follow these rules to safeguard the power of the Flaming Empire's sects. However, within the borders of the empire, we are generally allowed to move freely among the territories of our sects."

"Hmm, I see..." Minos reflected. He vaguely thought of his mother's situation, but that was only a second before it was pushed aside.

Considering Minos' age and Maisie's cultivation level, she certainly must have already been a Spiritual Emperor when she became pregnant with him. In that case, these travel restrictions would definitely not justify her prolonged absence.

Minos then buried these thoughts in his mind as the great eagle finally landed at one of the city's entrances.

This city was known as Santa Clara, a place with a population of over 300,000 inhabitants and a highly thriving local agriculture. In fact, this was one of the cities that exported grains and cereals to Dry City before Minos's territories of the Black Plain started to develop their own.

These areas had an average spiritual concentration, similar to Portland on Stone Island.

And as soon as they entered the city, Minos could notice just how rich this place was.

Every street here was brilliantly illuminated, had broad avenues with gardens scattered over different parts of the city, and numerous buildings built in the gothic style.

It was indeed a sight to behold.

Some of the sidewalls of the structures were embedded with lighting arrays, allowing these structures to be showcased even during the night!

"Wow, what extravagance! These people definitely did not spare any expense on lighting arrays..." Minos murmured, enjoying the beautiful view of this city.

Hearing his low voice comment, Ruth, who was standing beside him, chuckled softly, careful not to make a sound.

For her, Minos' reaction was akin to that of a country bumpkin who came out of nowhere and had encountered an advanced civilization.

She found it hilariously amusing to look at.

'How silly. I can't just wait to see your reaction when we reach the City of Clouds...' she softly laughed, hiding her lips with one of her hands.

...

After taking a carriage ride around the city, which they had hired at the entrance of Santa Clara, Ruth, and Minos had dinner at a restaurant recommended by the coachman.

That was pleasant enough, but for Minos, who had already tried the delicacies of the Barbecue Temple in the capital of Stone Island, this place failed to attract the young Stuart's attention.

As for the refined Ruth, she hailed from an empire, so her culinary tastes were at an even higher level than Minos'. To her, these occasions were merely a means to supply the nutrition that her body still required.

Following their meal, the two were taken to a hotel in the downtown area, which was considered as the best place to stay in Santa Clara. At least, that was what the coachman claimed to them as they made their way to Viola Hotel.

Upon arriving at this place, Minos and Ruth took a moment to admire the stained-glass windows and vaults of the building. There were also some intriguing sculptures in several places as well.

After approaching the reception, they noticed that there were two attendants. One was receiving another guest who had just arrived, while the other was free. Minos approached and heard the girl's soft voice.

"Welcome to the Viola Hotel. How may I assist you?" the young woman asked politely.

Minos smiled and replied, "We would like a double room, preferably one that is medium-sized."

Upon hearing Minos' request, Ruth instinctively opened her mouth wanting to say something, but no words came out. She understood very well what the young Stuart was trying to do. However, it seemed that her body subconsciously wanted it, preventing her from objecting to that decision.

While Ruth was having an existential crisis, the young attendant had already collected the deposit from Minos and also handed over the keys to their room for the night.

After that, Minos took Ruth's hand and led her to the 5th floor, where their room was located.

...

Upon entering the room, the two took a moment to have a good look at the place before settling to cultivate in silence. There was a large double bed in this room, which could comfortably accommodate four people at once, and a spacious balcony adorned with beautiful red curtains.

There were also some paintings on the walls depicting the scenes from the Santa Clara region, as well as some spiritual plants and several decorative pieces of furniture. There was also an area with two purple cushions on the floor designated for people to cultivate comfortably.

Ruth started circulating her Silver-grade cultivation technique after scattering numerous spiritual crystals around her. Today she was much more focused than usual because she sensed that she might be able to advance to level 46!

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