The Rise of the Black Plain

In the blink of an eye, Minos, Ruth, and their level 102 companion felt space distort, and then colored lines appeared and disappeared in their surroundings.

In a single instant, they disappeared from the starting point in Gunaway Refuge and were immediately transported to the Artificial Moon.

Arriving there one second after leaving Zocarro, the three of them and the two people who traveled with them showed signs of having traveled more than a million kilometers instantly.

They all felt their legs weaken, and they fell to the ground while they couldn't hold back the urge to vomit.

All five of them vomited while feeling as if their bodies had been shaken a hundred times in a single moment.

"Fuck! This feeling is horrible!" one of them shouted as he broke out in a cold sweat and felt chills running through his body.

Even though everyone there had gotten used to the effects of such instantaneous travel over the years, it was nothing compared to traveling over a million kilometers in fractions of a second.

Even Minos vomited horribly during his group's first moments on the Artificial Moon while members of the Century Terminal waited on the edge of the platform for them to finish.

Such a phenomenon happens every day in this place. Everyone there was prepared for such an event, including the area itself, which was prepared for what the group had done when they arrived, with a floor capable of absorbing vomit and spray jets capable of cleaning up and preventing foul odors.

Five minutes after their arrival on the Artificial Moon, members of this outpost came to them with towels and recovery potions as the newcomer finally stopped vomiting.

As soon as he drank his potion, Minos felt immense relief throughout his body, although he still had a severe headache. However, for a level 99 cultivator like him, this discomfort was bearable.

"You may experience some residual effects from the instant transport for the next few hours. It's normal, so there's no need to worry," one of the alien members of the station reassured the group. "In a day or two, you should acclimate to the conditions of the Artificial Moon, so just try to relax for now. It will help you cope with the side effects."

Then another being spoke up. "Now that you're feeling a bit better, please follow me. I'll take you to the exit of this station."

The group followed the unassuming creature, which resembled a rabbit with a humanoid body. They soon received some valuable information about the Artificial Moon as they followed.

"Now that you're here, you must be interested in our destinations, right? We have a total of 120 destinations within and outside the galaxy. We have one departure per day, so depending on your destination, you might have to wait up to 120 days to depart.

However, our ships always depart with available space, so it's unlikely that you'll have to wait due to lack of capacity.

However, if you choose a destination that's very close, we don't recommend leaving the Artificial Moon in less than 30 days.

Space travel is dangerous and requires adaptation to its conditions. Without proper adjustment, you could suffer greatly during the journey and even be unable to function properly. We offer several special training programs to help you adapt to these conditions. We highly recommend trying them before departing from our station."

The five individuals simply listened, still feeling unwell enough not to want to say more than necessary.

"The Artificial Moon isn't enormous. I'm sure you'll find everything you need within a few days.

Welcome to the Artificial Moon!"

With that, they reached the exit of the area where creatures arrived and departed to Zocarro.

Another group of creatures passed them, heading towards the platform they had just arrived from. When they split up, the two Zocarro natives went one way, and Minos' group went the other.

The Artificial Moon was indeed not very large. It was quite small, with a structure designed to accommodate 'only' 200,000 inhabitants at a time.

Inside the spherical space construction were the ports through which the special ships arrived and departed, while the rest of the levels were where one could live.

The Artificial Moon had no surface. Therefore, anyone passing by or living there would have the feeling of residing in a magnificent building.

Because it was an artificial place, all the absorbable energy there was generated by special formations that used crystals from Zocarro. As a result, the spiritual wealth of the area was scarce, and it would be tough for a Sovereign to cultivate there.

Even so, the density of energy and laws there was higher than the best cultivation places in the Spiritual World.

Additionally, the place was very diverse, with beings from many different worlds, various trading opportunities, and places to exchange information and resources.

But as they walked around the place, Minos and his group soon realized that everything there was very expensive. Considering the conditions for a place like this to exist, the fees charged by Century Terminal were high.

Still, they needed to stay in this place for a few months, hire some services like the one the rabbit woman had mentioned earlier, and also do other things they planned to do while they waited for their moment to leave.

...

The next day, Minos and his two companions had fully recovered from their previous journey and had adjusted to the Artificial Moon.

They hadn't yet gone to find out when the next spacecraft would leave for the destination of their interest. Yesterday, they had taken the opportunity to adapt to this place and get to know the area.

There were still a few places to see. Still, by the day after tomorrow, they should know everything that was easily accessible on the Artificial Moon.

However, now that they were in a better condition, the group headed for the universal station, where they could get information about the crew that was leaving for their destination.

Soon, Minos, Ruth, and another human were in the grand metal station, where several counters and many alien creatures were coming and going.

As they followed the instructions in the surrounding area, they soon came face to face with one of the Century Terminal employees.

After hearing Minos' question, the skeletal-looking creature with the body of a bird said, "The next departure for Aether Terminal is scheduled in 109 days. Each ticket costs 2.4 million Qilnats. Are you interested in booking?"

Minos thought about it and concluded that it would provide enough time for the other three companions who were still in the Gunaway Refuge to join them and train a bit before their departure.

"Very well. I want to reserve six seats for my group," Minos said as he handed over 95% of the Qilnats he still had with him.