On his return to the Eastern Empire, Vico didn't approach his people first. He observed the situation from a certain distance, checking for changes visible to the eye, but also spiritual differences related to the strongest cultivators in the area.
The empire he had left behind when he joined Minos was not weak. In fact, if it weren't for the robots Minos left behind in the Spiritual World, the Eastern Empire would be the strongest remaining state on the continent.
'My people have prospered well.' He felt that all those he left behind were still alive and well, stronger by two or three levels compared to when he left.
But these rapid advances of even Demigods did not impress Vico.
Previously, it was almost impossible for a Demigod, even a low-level one, to advance one level in a decade. But much had changed with the end of the War of the Worlds.