"Your Majesty, welcome back!" Dillian, level 80, said as he bent his knee in front of Minos, doing the same as several other guards around the imperial palace.
Seeing their leader again after years of separation was an incredible thrill for many of these people.
And when they sensed the level Minos was at now, they couldn't help but be moved to see how far their leader had come, how strong he must be now.
Eduard, Barbara, Elen, and Elena, all currently at level 80, were also there, some with their knees bent, others standing next to members of the government and the imperial family.
Some of the women from Minos' family and his wives were currently in the Spatial Kingdom, but many old acquaintances were there with Sarah and Dillian, showing Emperor Stuart how much they had improved in the past few years.
Sarah had reached level 73 and stood next to Lee and Alison, who had reached levels 77 and 76, respectively.
In addition to them, many of the 9th-stage army members had improved by one or two levels since Minos had last seen them, and there were now several Demigods in this imperial force.
Minos greeted them all with a nod, smiling with satisfaction at seeing his forces on a whole new level, with many of his men finally reaching the limit of what their talents could take them.
That was the case with Dillian, who with a Black-grade talent should be limited to level 89, as was the case with Emlyn and Kyla, there with the group of newcomers among the many Demigods who were Minos' companions.
While the mood was positive, Sarah went to her parents' side, missing them after years of not seeing them.
She also missed her siblings, but she knew she would soon have the chance to see how the children of the Stuart family were doing in the Spatial Kingdom.
Minos looked at his people and said. "Thank you for the warm welcome, my friends. I'm glad everyone here has grown stronger in my absence. That's good, we've got a lot of problems ahead of us, and I'll need to borrow your strength again."
Everyone there had expected this and wasn't surprised by Minos' words about more trouble.
Minos then looked at the Demigods, who were not part of his forces and were waiting for him in the city.
Among them were several sea beasts from tribes Minos had passed on his journey through the South Sea years ago. But in addition to these beasts, there were beings from races that Minos had not encountered in his travels.
Stories of him and his crew had spread across the oceans in recent years, and some brave individuals from the seas had heard of the human forming a crew to sail the most dangerous sea in the world.
Some of those who had heard such rumors had decided to come to Dry City simply to see how true the rumors were, while others were there to offer themselves to Minos on this voyage.
But when they saw the crew Minos had assembled over the past few years, they soon realized that the stories were true and that his group was preparing for such a journey.
Minos said to these creatures. "I see that many of you are here for the journey to the North Sea, right? Well, I don't want to disappoint you, we will leave in a few years. But before that, I must take care of some things in my state and finish my preparations.
If someone here has problems to solve, if they come back before four years, there will be plenty of time for them to join our group. After that, you might be late and miss our departure.
In any case, I thank those who have come to join us. Everyone is welcome in my crew."
"Four years? That's not long." A Kraken said as he looked at the two members of his race in Minos' group.
While the beasts waiting for Minos' group to go to the North Sea agreed, the mercenaries he had hired from the Marine Empire looked at his group and those of the beasts who wanted to join them.
'We will have more than 50 members in our crew by the time we leave for the North Sea...' One of the level 90 Demigods among these mercenaries thought to himself, considering it would be worth staying at Minos' side until the end of this journey.
Minos had given them the option of accompanying him to the North Sea and then leaving if they wished. But after all they had gained with him, and what they could gain by going all the way, the mercenaries were more confident about going to the North Sea.
Some were even considering joining the Black Plain Empire, as Minos had invited them several times on their journey here.
With his resources, they could more easily reach their dream levels!
Meanwhile, the members of Minos' group who had recently joined the crew on the Divine Continent naturally liked what they saw when they arrived here.
'This is good. We'll have one more power boost before we leave for the North Sea.' One of the humans in the group thought to himself.
Minos then said to everyone there, "Very well. Those of you who are here to travel with me to the North Sea, please feel free to use the services and resources of my city. For now, you can travel or go into seclusion in my state.
Whatever you choose, my men will keep you informed of events that may interest you over the next few years, so don't worry about being stuck near me.
In the meantime, for those interested, we have some great cultivation areas in our capital."
After he finished speaking, the many members of his group, including those already in Dry City waiting to join them, started talking to each other.
In a few minutes, everyone there would make their decisions, with the majority deciding to stay in the core of the Black Plain Empire, while a few would explore the Central Continent.
But the dragon, the members of the sea folk, and the mercenaries hired by Minos in the Marine Empire would stay in Dry City, as they wanted to be as close to Emperor Stuart as possible.
Meanwhile, the two Nine-Tailed Foxes, Bella and Titus, and the Gorgon, Danyxa, stayed behind with Emlyn and Kyla, the latter two waiting for their moment to return to the Spatial Kingdom.
Danyxa didn't want to take risks, so she preferred staying close to Minos.
Bella wanted to stay at the side of these two low-level 9th-stage foxes, while Titus was eager to have access to Minos' theories.
But there was no time for that now, and first, Minos wanted to meet with his government to discuss the local decisions and events that had taken place in his absence.
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