Years had passed since Jacob first arrived in a town too small to matter and too broken to care. What was once just a crumbling county lost in the bogs now carried weight in the Empire.
Littlefoot—named in humility—had grown into something far more ambitious: the unofficial capital of the Southern Imperial Lands.
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The Rise of the Administration Tower
Perched at the heart of Littlefoot, the Administration Tower loomed over the city like a lighthouse of law and order. What started as a modest structure had expanded upward and outward, built with funding from both the Imperial Treasury and private donors inspired by Littlefoot's reforms.
Each floor served a purpose:
Legal Affairs & Case Review handled appeals from all over the southern counties.
Civil Development dispatched mediators, inspectors, and agricultural specialists.
Internal Protection Division, under David's watch, sent agents to sniff out corruption and cult activity in the border regions.
Imperial Records, a floor modeled after Jacob's original archive room, catalogued every case, decree, and reform.
Joseline Ace, still the Imperial Administrator, now presided over a cabinet of deputy administrators—many of whom had risen from the very streets of Littlefoot.
And Jacob, while still technically only a magistrate, was referred to across the South as "The Lawmaker."
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The Problem of Rad County
Not everyone celebrated Littlefoot's rise.
To the east sat Rad County, an old and proud district that had long claimed dominance over the southern territories. Its nobles, robed in tradition and clinging to their lineages, saw Littlefoot as a mockery of Imperial structure.
When the Empress's court began forwarding southern disputes and petitions directly to Littlefoot's Tower—bypassing Rad entirely—it sent waves of fury through Rad's Council of Lords.
Sabotage followed.
Trade caravans meant for Littlefoot were redirected and raided.
A propaganda campaign questioned the legality of Littlefoot's titles and reforms.
Two minor commissioners in Littlefoot were caught receiving bribes from Rad-affiliated agents.
But the brilliance of Jacob's foresight, David's grit, and Joseline's unflinching oversight kept the foundation steady.
Joseline reorganized the inspectorate and placed her most loyal agents in every port and gate.
David instituted a rotating squad of truthbound investigators, sworn to impartiality, armed with blades and scrolls.
And Jacob—he rewrote Littlefoot's Charter of Governance to be so meticulously structured and legally sound that even the most bitter Rad lawyers couldn't find a crack.
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Moments of Strain—and Triumph
There were days of frustration. Tensions rose high after a Rad noble's son was arrested for human trafficking and cult activity—charges proven, but politically explosive.
Rad demanded his release.
Joseline refused.
Jacob put the case to open trial—public, impartial, and broadcast across the province by lantern relay.
When the guilty verdict came, and the Rad noble's son was sentenced to Imperial exile, it sent a clear message:
Not even blood buys silence anymore.
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Legacy in Motion
Over time, Littlefoot earned the reverence of the South:
Merchants rerouted their main roads to pass through it.
Law students sought apprenticeship under Jacob.
The phrase "Send it to the Tower" became common slang in the region for "let true justice decide."
A statue of the Three Pillars—Jacob, David, and Joseline—was erected in the central plaza.
It bore no faces. Just a gavel, a sword, and a scroll.
Their legacy was meant to outlive even their names.
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But Beyond the Borders...
Rad County did not rest.
Farther in the shadows, deeper than nobles or councils, something else stirred.
A gathering of cloaked figures in a cathedral ruin. A forgotten sect whose eyes burned with golden light.
They did not speak of law or borders.
They whispered only one word:
"Return."