The Joys beast clan had built its fame on the magical-beast trade. Across the Star Empire and even the entire Kastello Continent, their shops once dotted the landscape. Magical beasts, now near extinction and wondrous creatures, had become the ultimate luxury goods.
Besides the ferocious types used as war mounts, even weaker but adorable beasts were prized as rare pets by nobles and royalty. In some ways, a cute, harmless magical pet fetched higher prices than a fearsome combat beast.
The Joys clan had grown rich on this trade, but their foundation was the beast garden. With Ye Chui destroying it, their hundreds of large-scale shops lost their supply and had long since shuttered; an entire sales network collapsed.
When the Joys clan could no longer provide stock and their influence crumbled, shop owners declared independence one after another. The network was gone.
Now Ye Chui owned the new beast garden. Part of its beasts would supply the imperial family, but most would become his personal fortune. The problem was rebuilding a distribution chain.
The original Joys shops were the perfect ready-made network. Though the clan had fallen and the shops had broken away, Shalome, as the legitimate heir, could summon the owners back and revive the trade under new management.
Ye Chui had not thought of this when he first saw her, but the moment he brought her back to the castle and watched her demolish an entire table of food because she was “a little hungry,” it hit him: he had picked up a treasure.
Compared to the commercial empire she could help rebuild, a few hundred gold coins a month in food bills was nothing. Ye Chui decided he could afford it.
Thus, Glutton Girl No. 2, Shalome, officially joined the Random Magic Guild.
She was straightforward, stubbornly rock-headed like Guinevere yet different. After spending time with her, people found her quite endearing.
Ye Chui had considered sending her to manage the new beast garden in the secret realm, partly because of the bad blood between them. Yulen the snake-haired had been her half-brother; the old Joys patriarch had died because of Ye Chui. He worried she might hold a grudge.
He needn’t have. Shalome had never been close to Yulen. Because of the Medusa eyes grafted onto him, Yulen had been violent and cruel, rarely speaking to her and often beating her instead. The beast clan’s tradition followed the law of the jungle: strength ruled. Ye Chui had defeated Yulen and crushed the clan through pure power; that earned her respect.
Moreover, the Beast God the Joys clan worshipped now lived at Ye Chui’s side like a pampered pet. What could Shalome possibly say?
…
Emperor Jacob I’s coronation was imminent.
On this day, Prince Geller suddenly arrived at the Random Magic Guild castle with several Black Armoured Guards.
“President Ye Chui, in my capacity as Commander of the Imperial Guards, I hereby issue you a six-star mission!” Prince Geller declared solemnly, producing a scroll.
Ye Chui, Debbie, Greenton, and the others adopted equally grave expressions.
“The coronation ceremony is about to take place. I appoint the Random Magic Guild to maintain order at the venue and prevent any incidents. The reward is one thousand gold coins. This is a seven-star mission. President Ye Chui of the Random Magic Guild, do you accept?”
Ye Chui accepted the scroll with reverence and proclaimed, “In the name of the Random Magic Guild President, I accept this mission…” Then his tone softened. “Did we really have to make it so formal?”
“This concerns the dignity of the entire nation. Of course it must be treated with utmost seriousness. I can’t act as casually as you lot,” Prince Geller said with a wry smile. A seven-star mission was nation-critical. The last time Ye Chui had accepted one from him, it was the “pretend to be an illegitimate son and draw out hidden factions” job.
Completing this seven-star mission would immediately elevate the Random Magic Guild to six-star status.
Naturally, the difficulty matched the rank. With the Empire at war with the Church, many factions would try to disrupt the coronation, a symbol of imperial prestige. Ensuring everything went smoothly would be extraordinarily challenging.
“Security falls into two categories,” Prince Geller explained in the castle’s main hall, sipping coffee served by the undead butler Dangini. “The ceremony will be held in the Star Garden within the palace. Attendees include foreign dignitaries and select honoured guests from the capital. Protection is split accordingly. Palace guards under the Minister of Internal Affairs and myself will protect the foreign envoys. All other guests fall under your guild’s responsibility. You must guarantee their safety, and also ensure none of them pose a threat to others.”
At this, something sparked in Ye Chui’s eyes.
Prince Geller clearly noticed and smiled. “The reward is only a thousand gold coins because this is a massively lucrative job. Apart from nobles and influential figures with automatic invitations, there will be one hundred additional guest slots you may assign. Every citizen of the Star Empire dreams of witnessing the new emperor’s coronation. Those one hundred slots will be priceless…”
He trailed off meaningfully and winked at Ye Chui.
This was standard practice. In this world, magic guilds and mercenary groups functioned like private security firms. For major events like an imperial coronation, the palace sometimes hired large guilds or mercenary bands, who profited enormously in return.
Of course, great reward came with great risk.
“Any incident involving the one hundred guests you select will be your responsibility, so choose carefully,” Prince Geller cautioned. After a pause, he added, “Your guild is small. If you need manpower, you may draw from my Black Armoured Guards. Palace servants and maids are also at your disposal.”
“We will complete this mission,” Ye Chui assured confidently, already scheming.
Traditional security in a fantasy world meant heavy patrols and physical searches; crude and far from foolproof.
Ye Chui had modern ideas: total surveillance, high-tech communication and monitoring. He could redeem upgraded magical versions from the system shop (magical eyes for cameras, magical voice for comms) and achieve seamless, dead-angle-free coverage.
A preliminary plan quickly formed in his mind.
Prince Geller still had urgent matters; half of King’s Avenue had been destroyed in the battle with Elisa. The coronation parade required the street to be fully restored. Even with magic, finishing in time was a monumental task.
“President Ye Chui…” As Prince Geller departed, Lance approached awkwardly.
“Lance, what is it?” Ye Chui asked.
“Well… my girlfriend is just a commoner, but she really wants to attend the coronation. I’ll be guarding His Highness Geller the whole time and can’t bring her in, so…”
“I understand. Bring her by when you have time. Once she passes my check, she gets a slot,” Ye Chui said with a smile. The slots would be worth a fortune, but opening a back door for a friend was fine. Lance was a friend.
Lance thanked him profusely and left excitedly.
Ye Chui immediately gathered the entire guild for a meeting to discuss his coronation security plan.
And, more importantly, to set prices for those one hundred slots…
…
After leaving Ye Chui’s castle with Prince Geller, Lance did not follow to the palace. He raced to share the good news with his beloved.
His girlfriend was an ordinary commoner girl named Nima. They had only been together a few months, but Lance already saw the gentle, lovely girl as the love of his life. He wanted to share every breath, every ray of sunlight with her.
At her modest house, Lance knocked. The door opened, revealing Nima.
“Lance, my love, aren’t you on duty with Lord Geller today? How do you have time to visit?” She was not strikingly beautiful, but very cute, with freckles across her nose and eyes sparkling with joy at seeing him.
“Nima, my love, I have wonderful news! President Ye Chui accepted the coronation security mission and promised me a slot for you. My love, you will witness our new emperor receive the sceptre in person!” Lance held her hands, overflowing with excitement.
Nima’s face lit up. “Is it true? I must thank President Ye Chui for his generosity. For a common girl like me to attend the coronation; it will be the honour of my life!”
“Oh no, meeting you is my honour, my rose. I will bring you the warmest sun in the world…” Lance recited clumsy lines he had learned from bards.
He still had duties and could only stay briefly to share the news. Before leaving, he remembered something. “Right, President Ye Chui said there will be some checks before confirming your eligibility, but I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, my love. I look forward to dinner with you tonight.”
With that, Lance hurried off.
The moment he was gone, the cute expression on Nima’s face vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.
“Checks… Getting into the ceremony just became harder…”
