"Ah, right! One more thing—under the Military Department, I'll be adding a Security Division," Brian announced. "Frank, you'll lead it for now. This division will be responsible for maintaining order, safety, and peace, as well as arresting criminals who violate the laws set by the Law Division. In other words, the Law and Security Divisions will work hand in hand."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Frank and Key replied.
"I want you to choose a successor from the people you've trained, and recommend them to me when all the interim leaders step down," Brian added.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Alright then, let's wrap up this meeting. You may begin your respective tasks," Brian said.
Everyone stood and bowed to Brian before leaving the room.
In the city, inside a restaurant owned by the Alge Kingdom's Duke, a young man walked in carrying a sheet of paper filled with writing and sketches. Spotting a table of six—a group of five younger men and one older gentleman—he approached them.
"Sir, are you looking for any information about this city?" the young man asked politely.
"Who are you?!" one of the younger men snapped.
"Hush," the older man said, his clothes fine enough to suggest noble status. Then, in a calmer tone, he asked, "Yes, young man. Our family member was killed near this city, and we are currently gathering information for our investigation."
"Oh? A murder, you say? I do have news about a murder case, though I'm not sure if it's related to your family," the young man replied. His paper contained various news—murders, opportunities, even gossip about powerful families that most people wouldn't know.
"Is that so?" The older man's eyes lit up. They had been searching for two days without finding anything substantial.
"Yes. Here in this paper. There are two types of news—local and universal. Local costs fifty copper coins, while the universal edition is five silver," the young man explained.
"Senior, don't trust this scammer! No way real information is this cheap," the rude young man muttered.
"Haha, don't be so quick to judge," the older man chuckled. "Alright, I'll take both, young man." He handed over five silver coins and fifty copper coins.
"Very well. Here you go," the young man said, passing him the newspaper.
After the youth left, the older man opened the local news section—and was taken aback by how much information it contained.
"Here—news about a murder west of the city caused by a Spirit-grade potion. The suspects are from the Bend Clan, one of the city's four major families. Let's head there immediately," the older man said, abandoning the rest of the paper. After all, one of their slain members was Patrick's son.
Soon, across the city, people buying the paper were equally shocked by its contents. The reports were so detailed that even if some were skeptical, they couldn't help but believe them.
Each influential family began verifying the stories and tried to capture the newspaper sellers, but none succeeded.
The paper's distributors were cunning—masters of disguise and quick escapes—making them nearly impossible to catch.
The city's great houses, including the Dukes, eventually petitioned the kingdom for help. However, when royal soldiers attempted to seize the distributors, they were swiftly eliminated by Key and Frank, who had been sent by Brian. Word spread quickly: the paper's backers were far too powerful to provoke.
After that, no one dared interfere. The newspaper continued spreading freely, and soon it became a morning staple—even for commoners who could read. With fresh stories every day from both local and distant cities, it became something everyone looked forward to.
...
The Alge Kingdom was becoming uneasy, even fearful, that the newspaper might one day carry gossip about the royal family. If such rumors ever reached the public, it could tarnish their reputation beyond repair. They wanted nothing more than to see the paper destroyed—but the problem was, the people already placed complete trust in its reports.
Brian sent Leo to the royal capital. With his strength and reputation—both highly regarded within the Alge Kingdom—Leo came bearing an agreement: the newspaper would never publish stories targeting the royal family, and in return, they sought permission to open an official news office in the royal capital.
Brian believed that having branch offices was essential for quickly distributing the paper. That was why he proposed this deal to the royal family in the first place.
The negotiations went smoothly. Brian had chosen Leo precisely because his presence alone would make the royal family understand that the paper was backed by powerful forces. Using Leo as the representative sent a clear message.
Meanwhile, in Sevenbeast City, copper coins began circulating again, signaling a return to normal life. People had resumed their livelihoods just as before they'd been forced to flee.
Brian decided it was time to put to use a special device he had received from the system's rewards some time ago—a device for creating identification.
In his office, which also served as his private quarters, Brian sat with Lylia, who had been keeping him company daily, ready to assist with any matters.
"Lylia, gather everyone for a quick meeting," Brian instructed.
"Yes, Your Grace," Lylia replied.
A short while later, the meeting room was filled with people.
Brian entered, greeting a few of them before taking his seat."Let's begin," he said.
"Here, I have something that will prevent enemy spies or even robbers from entering our city," Brian announced.
Everyone stared at him in surprise—but also with complete trust. After all, the cement he had introduced earlier was already proof of the strange and incredible things Brian could bring.
Seeing their eager faces, Brian continued, pulling out a black stone the size of a table, with a single opening on its front.
"How do we use this, Your Grace?" Lylia asked.
Brian didn't answer right away—mainly because he didn't actually know.
System, how do I use this? he asked inwardly.
The host must first bind the stone by dripping your blood onto it. To use it, simply drip your blood again, and the stone will produce your identification. After five minutes, the identification will automatically return to your body. It cannot be destroyed. If you wish to bring it out again, simply think of it, and it will reappear, the system explained.
Wouldn't it change ownership if someone else dripped their blood on it? Brian asked.
You need not worry. Once the first drop of blood binds it to you, the stone will never change owners—unless the owner dies.
Hearing this, Brian pressed his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the stone. It absorbed the blood, glowing faintly.
"It's ready for use," Brian said. "All you have to do is drip your blood on it, and it will create your identity card. The card will vanish back into your body after five minutes. It can't be damaged, and you can summon it again just by thinking about it."
Lylia was the first to try. A drop of her blood hit the stone, and moments later, it glowed—producing a small card with her details written on its surface.
"Amazing, Your Grace! It has my name, occupation, and place of origin written right here," she said excitedly.
The others, now buzzing with anticipation, began trying it for themselves.
"This is incredible, Your Grace. With this, we can greatly improve the defenses of Sevenbeast City," Leo said enthusiastically. Having sworn loyalty to Brian, Leo considered the city just as much his home.
"Exactly. I want every citizen of Sevenbeast to have an identity card. We'll place this stone at the city gates once we open up to the world, so that all visitors must have their identity checked before entry," Brian explained.
Leo frowned slightly."Your Grace, won't placing the stone at the gate make it easy to steal?"
"Don't worry. It's bound to me. Even if a Demigod tried, they couldn't take it without my consent," Brian replied.
Leo still felt skeptical—Demigods were unimaginably powerful, after all—but he decided to trust Brian's words.