The caravan stopped for a short rest, and everyone gathered together.
"Well then, let's begin, Uncle," Brian said with a smile.
"As you wish, Young Master," Leonardo replied.
"Leonardo!!" Brian's voice rang out. "I, Brian Scoot, hereby appoint you as one of the Beast Guardians—the Lion Guardian—and Commander of all Guardians." He held out a majestic armor adorned with the image of a lion's head.
"From this day forward, you shall be known as Guardian Leon."
As with Key and Lylia before him, a pillar of light descended onto Leo—this one golden in color. Power surged through his body, and his mind felt sharper, stronger, as the Lion's legacy fused into him.
…
While Brian was bestowing the title, both Key and Lylia felt something stir within them—a resonance, a brotherly aura that connected them to the other Beast Guardians.
"Brother, do you feel that too?" Lylia asked.
"Yes… it's like an aura of command. That means he's going to be our leader," Key replied.
"So His Grace has chosen the Lion Guardian?"
"That's right."
"I suppose we'll see what kind of man he is when His Grace returns," Lylia said.
…
"Young Master… no—Your Grace," Leo said solemnly, kneeling. "I accept the title and the responsibility you've given me, and I swear eternal loyalty to you."
"Good. I'll be counting on you in the future, Uncle Leo," Brian said, then turned to the others. "Alright, let's continue our journey."
"Yes!" everyone shouted.
Brian returned to his private carriage. The Scoot family carriage was massive—eight meters long and three meters wide—more like a luxury bus than a wagon.
"System, earlier you mentioned I received a bonus for unlocking the Commander feature. What exactly did you mean by that?" Brian asked.
Host, do you even know the true name of this System?
"Isn't it a cultivation system? You know… something to help me level up quickly?"
Host… you're an idiot.
"…Idiot?" Brian muttered, his face darkening. He was about to get angry, but the System continued.
You should have read the tutorial and the explanation in the settings.
This system's true name is the King System—its purpose is to help the Host become a king.
"WHAT?!!" Brian shouted.
Indeed. All of your ambitions can be supported by the System. Until now, you've been doing everything by yourself.
"Wait, wait… you're telling me…?"
Due to your constant battle-cultivation notifications, the kingdom-building notifications were silenced. You can now check your achievement rewards for kingdom construction.
Brian froze for a full minute, completely caught off guard.
"So… you mean the cultivation achievement rewards and the kingdom-building rewards are separate? And I've never once opened the kingdom rewards?"
Correct. And because you haven't opened them since activation, there are… quite a lot.
"System, you're incredibly generous—unlike those stingy systems from the novels back on Earth," Brian said with a grin.
Your praise has no effect. The System has no emotions, came the cold reply.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"
The System recommends you claim the rewards immediately, as many will expire in three days.
"Hahaha! Alright then, let's see what I've got!" Brian said, rubbing his hands in excitement.
System detected eight unclaimed rewards. Would the Host like to open them? the mechanical voice asked.
"Yes," Brian replied.
System: Would you like to open the Beginner's Reward?
"Yes."
System: Congratulations! You have received 1,000 diamond coins, the Human-grade Sun Cultivation Art, and the Royal Palace Blueprint.
"This Human-grade Sun Cultivation Art will be perfect for my talented soldiers," Brian mused."And as for this palace design—marvelous. The blueprint includes extremely strong defenses… definitely another top-tier reward."
"Alright, let's open the next one."
System: Would you like to open the Village Construction Achievement Reward?
"Yes."
System: Congratulations! You have received 100 diamond coins, 100 sacks of wheat, and 10 seeds of Spiritual Watermelon.
"Pretty standard rewards… but let's see what's so special about these spiritual watermelons," Brian said curiously.
System: Eating a Spiritual Watermelon restores lost energy.
"Oh, that's fantastic. I'll have May handle these," Brian said with a nod.
After opening a few rewards, Brian started to feel it was taking too long. "Let's just open them all at once, then check the details afterward," he said with a grin.
System: Would you like to open the Farmland Construction Achievement Reward?
"Yes."
System: Congratulations! You have received 100 diamond coins and 1 seed of Spiritual Apple.
System: Would you like to open the Livestock Farm Achievement Reward?
"Yes."
System: Congratulations! You have received 100 diamond coins, the Beast Cultivation Manual, and a pair of Super Cows.
System: Would you like to open the Seven Beast Guardians Achievement Reward (Lion, Snail, Elephant)?
"Yes."
System: Congratulations! You have received 10,000 system coins, an Elephant Heart, Snail Mucus, and Lion Claws.
System: Would you like to open the City Construction Achievement Reward?
"Yes."
System: Congratulations! You have received 10,000 system coins, the Barracks Blueprint, and unlimited cement.
System: Would you like to open the 5,000 Citizens Achievement Reward?
"Yes."
System: Congratulations! You have received 1,000 diamond coins and the High-grade Divine Eyes.
System: Would you like to open the 10,000 Citizens Achievement Reward?
"This is the last achievement reward. I'm curious to see what it is. Yes!"
System: Congratulations! You have received 1,000 diamond coins and the Identity Stone.
Brian burst into loud, unrestrained laughter as the notifications rolled in.
"Let's see… The Spiritual Apple heals internal injuries within two hours."
"The Beast Cultivation Manual… this teaches how to tame and train wild beasts. And these Super Cows—their milk is the best drink in the world, and their meat is as delicious as that of a demi-god beast. Hahaha, these cows are incredible. I'll leave them to May as well."
"Next, the Elephant Heart boosts strength, the Snail Mucus increases poison resistance, and the Lion Claws are a legendary-grade forging material. These… these are priceless! Thank you, my generous System! Ahahaha!"
Without hesitation, Brian devoured the Elephant Heart and drank the Snail Mucus.
He also upgraded his Divine Eyes from basic to high-grade, making him even more eager to return to Seven Beast City. After all, he now held three of the most important items for building a powerful kingdom: unlimited cement, the barracks blueprint, and the identity stone.
With unlimited cement, Brian could construct sturdy defensive walls and durable homes.The barracks blueprint would allow any ordinary citizen to become a trained soldier within just seven days inside the barracks' array.And the identity stone would enable the creation of unforgeable, indestructible ID cards—much like Earth's identity cards but impossible to burn or break.
By the time Brian finished opening all his rewards, the carriage had already arrived at Water City.