The goddess had gifted me with almost 10 kilograms of crystal, more than enough for some levels, I hoped, as I haven’t seen a screen with a list of costs for upgrading my crystal body.

“I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t choose one of the remaining of royal blood. I need them to lead the people. Oh, and I saw a human tribe wandering in your direction. They should arrive here within a month if nothing disturbs them. I wish you the best for your city and all that live within it and perhaps we see each other another time in the future, Marcus.”

Then there was a bright light again and after it disappeared so was the goddess.

Kalla and the other around her looked at me curious.

“What did she mean with city guardian?”

Kalla’s question hit me unprepared. I thought that city guardians were people like city guards, but apparently they were something completely other. Trying to find an answer for it, I got a new message.

City guardian

A powerful defender of the city core. He/she/it can be a mortal, construct or elemental and gets several advantages for becoming a guardian.

- Immortality as long as the city core survives and approves of the guardian

- Access to part of the city core’s mana

- Access to City core’s skills

- A Buff that strengthens the guardian’s abilities, health and mana pool, depends of the city core’s strength

- Instant communication with the core within its territory

- Revival if killed within the core’s influence and possible revival if killed outside, but the guardian’s core is brought back to the city Core

I was stunned by all the abilities of a city guardian. If I wasn’t the city core, I would want to become a guardian for sure.

The elves awaited my answer and after collecting my thoughts for a moment I gave it to them.

“As it seems, a city guardian is the equivalent of a boss monster of a dungeon core. He gets immortality, some buffs for his health, mana and other abilities and access to my skills and mana as well. Oh, and I can revive him when he dies within my influence or if his core is brought back to me if he is killed outside my range. And some smaller benefits too.”

They were shocked to their bones if you looked at them. No word was said, no muscle moved. And then they caught up to what I had said.

“Immortality? Are you for real? And you can revive them? That’s unbelievable. I want to become one! Please!” Kalla was the first to approach me, but the rest didn’t take much longer.

The whole dissolved into pure chaos when they all tried to make an impression with what they could provide me with, but just when I thought I had decided which person would become my first guardian a small but at the same time powerful voice resonated in my mind.

“Hi there. I’m Gillian and perhaps it would be best, if you would make me your first guardian? It would be perfect for the elves if they didn’t lose their Hearth tree again, wouldn’t you agree?”

That came completely out of the nowhere. The tree had become sentient. Now that was a serious blessing for a tree. Perhaps she, and the voice was clearly female, could become something like the Ents of Lord of the rings.

My answer wasn't heard by anyone other than the tree.

“You took me by surprise, Gillian. I admit that being able to revive you, would a serious boon for the settlement but for my first guardian I would like to have someone a little more mobile, you know. As you have to admit you are many things but mobile is not on the list.”

Even if I couldn't see her face, I got the impression of a putting child from her.

Wow, another problem in my city. A pouting child tree! I thought.

“You are right there, but I hoped that you would consider me also. Perhaps I can become the next one? I don't know if and when you can select an new guardian.”

“I will consider you, but I have already someone in mind. The other elves will be angry with me, I think, because I don't choose one of their most powerful. I want to choose a special child as my first guardian because the girl showed some promise with her mana manipulation.”

“The older elves won't be happy with it. Your guardian job promises them immortality that they can't reach with their mana capacity...”

“Stop! There's something I don't understand. What does mana have to do with how long they live?”

A moment of silence went by and then a surprised Gillian said, “You don't even know that? Ok, listen! The span of life of a person or monster depends only to a little part upon natural causes. It is the mana capacity and the person's affiliation with mana that defines how long somebody can live. Elves have a very good affiliation with mana, humans vary strongly but most are pretty weak and creatures like goblins have almost no connection to magic with some exceptions as their leaders. Dragons range on the other side. They are magic and therefore are almost ageless. But if you find a human mage with a very good affiliation with magic, he can live longer than most elves. So all the people on this world who can cultivate their mana, cultivate it as well as they possibly can in order to lenghten their life span.”

That was much to digest. Understanding it meant understanding this chaos that raged before my eyes, where the older elves almost kneeled before me to make them my guardian.

“Silence! I will only choose someone I can nurture into a great mage for defending my city and all of you and most of the older elves didn't show much ability in handling their mana. You have a big mana pool but that does nothing to really control it. I only have seen one person here that was capable in controlling her own mana, and that was that girl over there. Come here, little one!”

Haha, now I have someone, I can call little one. Thinking about it, I should perhaps talk with someone about a possible inferiority complex of mine.

The girl stepped forward and looked fearful at me. She was a real beauty, even now, and as soon as she reached adulthood she would be a babe. Hehe, and she would be mine!

Most of the elves looked jealous at her but let her pass. I examined her more closely than last time and was pleased with what I saw. She had blond hair, green eyes and a petite nose. Curiosity and fear battled in her eyes and they changed from looking on the ground and sneaking looks at me. With her 1,3 meters she had to grow some more and if I had to guess, she wasn't older than 13 years.

“What's your name, dear?”

“I'm Chara, sir. Why do you want me to become your first Guardian? I cannot do anything right. My brother always says, that I am clumsy and only anger him when he looks at me.”

“That's not very polite. I chose you because you are good at manipulating your mana and I think, that I can make you into a very powerful wizard, capable of defending this city and all my citizens. Will you make me proud and become my city guardian?”

She pondered only briefly and then nodded with enthusiasm.

“Yes, Lord Marcus! I want to be a city guardian.”

I felt my mana suddenly surge and envelop the girl. I saw it sinking into her skin and attuning with Chara's own mana. Then I felt a connection developing between us and her surface thoughts hitting me.

Please let him like me! Will I be powerful? What if everyone hates me now? Can I play with the other kids anymore?

I almost wanted to laugh but that would hurt her badly, I knew. So I only gave her a mental hug and tried to comfort her. She relaxed and smiled with a grin as bright as the sun. Yep, she will be the biggest heartbreaker in the region.

The elves watched the whole scene and the older ones let the shoulders sink and seemed disappointed.

Seeing that I had to comment it.

“Don't be sad. I think I have some ideas how you can train your mana better and get more years to come. It all connects with how well you are able to channel your mana and how efficiently you can use it. And now welcome our new city guardian, Lady Chara.”