The Rise of the Black Plain
chapter-2640

"We should consider that Seniors Vico and Callie will want to take one or two companions each. As much as they're here to fulfill their debt to Minos, they deserve a choice." Maisie advised, as she looked at Rowan.

"Besides them, Sarah may want to choose for herself trusted people to send in addition to the names we've already talked about.

So we really only have about five vacancies at most left among those we have to decide on."

Oswald thought of something and smiled before suggesting it. "I think we should settle this with a competition along the lines of a tournament."

"What do you have in mind?" Rowan liked where this could take them.

"Let's set up two competitions, both for the Spiritual World and for The Adamant Land. One is an internal family competition. The other is a competition for people from the planet to have the chance to go to Zocarro with Vico and Callie.

The two winners from the Spiritual World and the two from The Adamant Land will win their places, leaving one position for the losers of these disputes to compete against each other for that place."

"That's interesting." Maisie liked what she heard from her father. "We currently have a long list of requests to leave the Spiritual World and The Adamant Land. We can give this opportunity to some of these names and calm down those individuals who are rushing to leave.

At the same time, everyone who leaves will be missed. So it's good that we don't just send the members of our forces. Let's put some names of those who won't be missed in our group."

Rowan accepted the recommendations of his great-grandfather and grandmother. "All right. Then let's do it. You can organize the competition, grandma, and when you're ready, return to The Adamant Land to talk it over with my sister."

"I'll go with you and another group to attend Noah's birth," Kyla said as she smiled at Maisie.

Minos' mother remembered Noah's birth, not having thought when she left The Adamant Land that she would have the chance to get back in time.

Fortunately, Vico was quick. In just five days, they had made the journey between The Adamant Land and the Spiritual World, having saved weeks of travel.

"When did you intend to leave?" Maisie asked.

The orange-haired woman said. "In another month. That's enough for us to arrive three weeks before Noah's birth."

"All right. Then I'll work on organizing this competition this month. When I leave with Kyla, start making whatever I decide happens in those days."

Oswald stood up. "I'll help you. For something like this competition to work, we need to spread the news all over the planet. So it will take at least six months before we have the locals showing their interest."

Hence, it was decided how to fill the last places in the group that would leave in about two years for Zocarro.

They still had to organize a series of requirements for this competition. There would be no point in sending problems to Zocarro, individuals who were unreliable or who would not contribute to the group's interests.

The suitors for these vacancies had to be individuals between levels 85 and 95, long-term friends or allies of the Stuart family, with no history of old rivalries and, preferably, who had already interacted with Minos.

But they weren't so worried about who would get those five places. Even someone like Maximillian had been put in check by the family and even Minos' children could outperform him nowadays, so it was unlikely that anyone who got these spots would cause problems.

...

Meanwhile, between the areas of Brown and Albano, in an area known for its curse and great mortality for those who entered it, Vico stopped at the bottom of a red cliff.

In this place, he looked with interest at the man digging graves in the area, that being with a body resulting from the combination of several body parts from different people.

"I didn't expect you to be like that..." Said the 108 level blond man, seeing through this singular and legendary creature in this world. "Now that I'm in the last half of the 11th stage, I can see your origin and reality better, damn it."

"You... Minos sent you, right?" The curse of this area did not fear Vico, feeling a spiritual fluctuation that reminded him of the deal he had made with that young man long ago and updated 17 years ago.

"You're right." Vico didn't frighten the creature as he walked to his side and summoned a sphere-shaped artifact. "Minos told me that all I had to do was let you touch this sphere. It will allow you to go to Zocarro with me."

The dark eyes of that area's curse gleamed as he dropped the shovel he was using to dig that pit.

"And what happens then?"

"You live, I suppose. This artifact is safe, he assured me of that. As for what awaits you after I hand it over to Minos, well, that's not up to me," Vico said without trying to guess this creature's future. But this level 108 man had a good idea of this creature's future, even if Minos hadn't told him anything.

'You'll probably become a guinea pig. Minos and Abby have probably already started their experiments with the black liquid. You'll be part of those experiments.' Vico thought silently.

When he and Callie left, Minos was still away from the guild, on a mission to the Seraphim World. As such, neither of them knew what had happened after Minos' return.

The curse was extremely tempted, aware that this was the chance he had been waiting for, for millions of years. If he didn't seize it now, he would miss the opportunity and perhaps spend eternity stuck in this place.

"All right. I'll trust you. Take me to Minos," said the corpse-like creature, as he looked determinedly at Vico.

"I'm leaving in two years. You have the option of joining this artifact now or in two years."

"I'll do it now. I've been stuck in this hellhole long enough."

With those words, the curse of this area touched the sphere, feeling a shock run through his body. An instant later, its essence was 'sucked' into the sphere, from where Vico could see as if that creature had been transformed into a miniature version inside that metallic globe.

But the curse was fine, conscious and with its spiritual fluctuation almost 100% identical to the natural one.

Putting that item in one of his pockets, Vico watched the negative phenomena around that canyon disappear before moving off, heading south.

'Another mission accomplished. Time for me to check on the empire...' He left without further ado.