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Regional Ruler—that was a position established way back during Little Garden's dawn era.
To put it plainly, it's a role granted administrative authority over a specific area—basically, a city manager.
In Little Garden, each Outer Gate encompasses one or more cities or towns due to the sheer size of each region. Most Outer Gates are as large as a continent on Earth.
With such vast territory, it's only natural that multiple population centers—cities—would form.
And the people in charge of managing those cities, collecting taxes, owning public infrastructure, and so on… are the Regional Rulers.
In other words, once you become a Regional Ruler, you can collect taxes, utility fees, land usage fees, and more from everyone in the area—a literal "earn money while you sleep" position.
Sure, there are responsibilities like defending the city from Demon Lords and maintaining order, but the profits are still incredibly lucrative.
As a descendant of the Judging Race designated by Little Garden's Central Authority, Black Rabbit was well aware of how the system worked.
So, when Ryo casually called it "legal robbery," she couldn't help but grumble:
"Just call it what it is—becoming a Regional Ruler. Don't go around calling it 'legal robbery'..."
She shot Leticia a look of resigned irritation.
Leticia just chuckled, clearly unbothered. "Why are you looking at me like that? Sure, I helped initiate the system back in the day, but it's been revised a ton since then. Can't I call it legalized looting if I want?"
"You can, of course..." Black Rabbit muttered, face blank.
Leticia Draculea's most famous achievement was founding the Hierarchy Ruler System, with Floor Master and Regional Ruler being the first and most basic tiers of that hierarchy. She even had the title of [Overall Floor Master].
So if the creator herself calls it legal robbery… well, Black Rabbit wasn't about to argue.
Leticia, clearly amused, leaned back in her chair, her white-stockinged legs swinging lazily as she said:
"Our city doesn't have a Regional Ruler right now. All income goes straight to the Floor Master of the East side. So, if we want that spot, we'll need to pass the test set by the higher-ups."
Black Rabbit turned toward Ryo, trying hard not to laugh like a maniac at the thought of future wealth.
"So? You brought it up—guess that means you're volunteering?"
"What's with that creepy smile?" Ryo deadpanned.
"Huh? I can't smile?" Black Rabbit's grin only got more mischievous. "But isn't becoming a Regional Ruler contingent on the approval of the Floor Master?"
She said this with a devious look in her eyes. "If I'm remembering correctly… isn't that the Shiroyasha?"
"Oh, that." Ryo just shrugged.
The current Floor Master in the East Side was indeed the Shiroyasha.
And Ryo? Just so happened to be really close to her. So yeah… things could get interesting.
You see, there were two main conditions for becoming a Regional Ruler:
Your community must be the strongest in the region.
You need the Floor Master's approval.
And Ryo… already had a foot in both doors.
He glanced at Black Rabbit and raised an eyebrow. "So what, you want me to pull some strings?"
"Of course not!" Black Rabbit puffed up proudly—Little Garden's Justice Poster Girl in the flesh. "Using connections like that is disgraceful. If you're gonna become a Regional Ruler, you should do it fair and square!"
Then, without missing a beat, she flashed him a beaming, too-perfect smile.
"Buuuuut~ our community just so happens to be the strongest one around, doesn't it? I'd say we already meet the criteria!"
There was a reason why Black Rabbit had insisted on staying in the small, isolated city near the edge of Gate 2105380—and even moved their headquarters there.
First, this region was on the outskirts of the main urban zone, bordering potential links to larger communities. It had huge future potential.
Second, this Outer Gate didn't have a Regional Ruler.
The only real contender was Shirayuki-hime, the water snake goddess who lived near the massive waterfall, Tritonis Falls, just outside the gates at the Edge of the World.
She could've taken the position—but she was lazy and content to just claim the Tritonis Falls as her own territory.
The other local communities were pretty evenly matched, so no one was strong enough to claim an entire city. On top of that, neighboring cities had already acknowledged the region as Shirayuki's turf and didn't try to interfere.
So when the Shiroyasha suggested relocating their base here, Black Rabbit agreed after a little thought—it gave them a perfect platform for future expansion.
Back then, they didn't stand a chance of competing. [No Name] had no name, and nameless communities were banned from participating in Little Garden's official systems.
But now? Thanks to Ryo winning the Gift Game and seizing the Great White Shark's banner, they could use that name for all official matters.
A little loophole maneuver known as "riding the coattails."
And more importantly—Shirayuki-hime was now officially registered as a subordinate god under Ryo Yagami.
So if they decided to go for the Regional Ruler spot now, no one nearby could reasonably contest it. It had already been long acknowledged as Shirayuki's domain anyway.
They had the timing, the location, and the people—all the stars were aligned.
It would practically be a waste not to go for it.
Seeing Black Rabbit's smile stretch dangerously close to her ears, Ryo let out a sigh.
"Alright, stop smiling like an evil auntie. That test from Shiroyasha isn't gonna be easy, you know."
"But at least you've got an edge over the competition, right?" Black Rabbit said slyly.
Two requirements: strongest local community and approval from the Floor Master. They had both in the bag.
Ryo chuckled. "Oh my~ Little Garden's noble Moon Rabbit wants to pull some strings?"
"Excuse me?! It's called utilizing available resources strategically."
Black Rabbit puffed out her cheeks, clearly offended. "And besides, you're the one who taught me to think like this!"
"Okay, okay. My bad," Ryo said with a shrug and a dramatic sigh. "So, should I go apply to our dear boss lady and ask for the Regional Ruler title?"
"Yup yup! Go, go, go!" Black Rabbit urged excitedly, practically hopping in place. She was clearly already dreaming about all the sweet tax revenue that would come pouring in.
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Outer Gate 3345 — Thousand Eyes Headquarters
"Regional Ruler, huh? Why not aim for the Outer Gate Ruler title instead? That pays even better."
Shiroyasha, dressed in panda-print pajamas, held a Gift Card up to her ear while casually filing her nails.
"So you wanna use the role to smoke out hidden enemies, is that it? Hmm… makes sense. If you're in charge of a smaller area, it's easier to track down the rats. And even if something gets wrecked, no big deal."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, still smiling as she spoke through the 'call':
"Well then, don't expect me to go easy on you. Better be ready—mentally and physically!"
"For the Regional Ruler challenge…" She chuckled darkly.
"I've got a nice surprise waiting for you!"
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