Brian was in his room, browsing through the system store to see if there was anything useful for Sevenbeast City at the moment.
Meanwhile, Lylia had already spread the news about the upcoming appointment of Frank and Dyami as the city's new Guardians.
The atmosphere in Sevenbeast was filled with excitement, though the news itself didn't come as a huge surprise—Frank and Dyami were already respected officials and close to the other Guardians.
"Hey, old man, let's head to the plaza to watch Lord Frank and Lady Dyami get officially appointed as Guardians," a burly man said to a middle-aged fellow.
"Yes, I've long had a feeling it was only a matter of time before they became Guardians," the older man replied.
"With new Guardians, the city will be more spirited and secure," the burly man added.
"From what I've heard, His Grace personally recognized their talents. They used to be ordinary, you know," the older man said—he was one of the city's long-time residents.
"His Grace truly has an eye for talent," the burly man said with admiration in his eyes.
"Indeed. I also heard from the soldiers that His Grace was already a Master Five some time ago. Now, with Lady Lylia and Lord Key also at the Master stage, I'd wager His Grace is at the peak of Master—or perhaps even a Grandmaster," the older man said excitedly. And with good reason—reaching peak Master or Grandmaster in the Alge Kingdom meant becoming an elder or even the head of a powerful clan.
"True enough. Let's get to the plaza; it seems half the city's already there," the burly man said.
"Yes, let's go," the older man agreed.
The plaza was already packed—tens of thousands had gathered. Though the square could hold twenty thousand people, not everyone had a clear view, including some of the city guards.
"Damn, I can't see our friend being appointed as a Guardian," one young guard complained.
"Yeah, it's a real shame," another agreed.
Both had once served as soldiers under the Marquis and had been squadmates with Frank.
Brian emerged from his room carrying two suits of armor—one bearing the characteristics of a whale, the other of an eagle. They were gifts for Frank and Dyami.
When he arrived at the plaza, he saw the crowd, the three existing Guardians, and even his father and mother among the attendees.
"Father. Mother," Brian greeted with a nod.
He then turned toward the people.
"My citizens, you all know why we've gathered here today. I stand before you to introduce and officially appoint the new Guardians of Sevenbeast City," Brian declared.
He nodded to Leo, who stepped forward.
"Some of you may not know him—this is Guardian Leon, whom I appointed in a separate ceremony. His current cultivation is at the Grandmaster level."
The moment the word Grandmaster left Brian's mouth, the crowd erupted in excitement. Their city had a Grandmaster—it was a source of immense pride.
"Alright, settle down. Let's continue. Many of you already know them—Frank and Dyami, who will also one day reach the Grandmaster realm. Frank, step forward first."
Brian placed the whale-themed armor in Frank's hands.
"I, Brian Scoot, as the Lord of this city, hereby grant you the title of Guardian Beast of Sevenbeast City. From this day forth, you shall be known as Guardian Whale."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Grace. I will remain loyal to you and to Sevenbeast City," Frank said as he accepted the armor.
The moment he donned it, a blue aura flared around him.
Dyami stepped forward next and received the eagle-themed armor, taking on the title of Guardian Eagle. A vibrant green aura burst forth as she put it on.
Cheers swept through the plaza. Soon after, the crowd feasted on the beast meat hunted by Key. Living so close to the dangerous forest teeming with magical beasts meant fresh game was never far away.
With the addition of Whale and Eagle, Sevenbeast City now had two new Guardians—news that quickly became the talk of the town in the days that followed.
...
A few days after Frank and Dyami's inauguration as Guardians, the city returned to normal. The city walls and many houses in Sevenbeast were now built with cement. All the residents praised and revered Brian for bringing out such a miraculous material.
Brian was pleased with the city's progress and even ordered the craftsmen to pave the streets with cement so they would be strong and smooth for horse-drawn carriages.
"Is everyone here?" Brian asked.
"Yes, Your Grace," the others replied.
In the meeting room, five Guardians were present along with several others, including May.
"Alright, today I'll be creating new divisions, similar to the Information Division. So, listen carefully.
As I previously discussed with Lylia and Key, there will be several divisions: Information, Business, Agriculture/Livestock, Education, and Law. Above these will be the Military and the Government," Brian explained.
"The Government and the Military will be directly under my command. Agriculture/Livestock, Business, and Education will be under the Government. Information will be under the Military," Brian continued.
"Excuse me, Your Grace—where does the Law Division fall?" Lylia asked.
"The Law Division will stand independently, which means it will also be directly under me. But here's what makes it unique—it will have the authority to punish any other division, including the Government and the Military," Brian said.
In truth, the Law Division was actually a sub-division of the Darkness Division. But since not everyone present was a Guardian, Brian kept that part to himself.
"Now, I'll assign the positions for each division. For now, I will lead the Government myself. Leonardo will command the Military. Dyami will lead Information. Lylia will oversee Business. May will handle Agriculture/Livestock. Key will take charge of Law. As for Education, there is no leader yet.
Except for the Military, Agriculture/Livestock, and Information, the other positions are only temporary—remember, as Guardians of Sevenbeast, your primary duty is to protect the city and its ruler," Brian reminded them.
"Now for your duties: the Military must train soldiers in warfare. With the help of the barracks array, anyone who enters will be able to train for a week, receiving inheritance knowledge. By the time they leave, they'll already qualify as beginner soldiers."
"Yes, Your Grace," Leo replied.
"For Agriculture and Livestock, your short-term goal is to produce enough to feed the people of Sevenbeast. If successful, we can sell the surplus to other kingdoms."
"Yes, Your Grace! I won't let you down," May said, her determination shining in her eyes.
"The Information Division will continue running the newspaper plan, expand its influence, and infiltrate other kingdoms. For Business, Lylia, I want you to build a marketplace near the main square that can be rented or sold to merchants. Oh, and I also want you to build a large academy capable of housing five thousand students."
"Yes, Your Grace," Lylia and Dyami responded in unison.
"And finally, Key—I want you to post this at the city gates and in the central square. Then spread the word about these laws so the people know our city's rules," Brian said, handing him a piece of paper.
Key froze after reading it. He never expected such laws. Seeing his reaction, the others grew curious and read it too. Soon, the entire room fell silent. These laws were unlike anything they had seen—they were entirely in favor of the common people. In other kingdoms, laws typically favored the nobility.
If enforced, these rules would make unjust killings rare. No one expected Brian to draft such remarkable laws.
The paper read:
Anyone who kills without reason will be imprisoned for 100 years, or executed.
Anyone who oppresses the people or others will be fined 1,000 gold coins and imprisoned for 3 weeks.
Anyone committing fraud, robbery, or kidnapping without murder will be imprisoned for 20 years and fined.
These were based on the laws from Brian's old world, slightly adjusted to fit this one.
But because Brian despised corruption above all else, he decreed that anyone found guilty of it would be executed by beheading in front of the public.
The Guardians and everyone else who read the document felt a surge of excitement.