Chapter 148. Production rank after beginner period

Chapter 148: 148. Production rank after beginner period

Elena did not ask about the altar again.

Carlos was glad for that, but he also knew she was still thinking about it. But some things needed to be kept secret, until he himself understood what they were.

’But wait, if I were to tell mother or the Goldwins... won’t they have some information already? Whatever I have considered as something only I possessed is possessed by many. I am no special...’ Carlos thought.

But he still needed time before he could tell them about it, making them understand how he defeated a being like a warden was going to be a pain too and he needed time before he could tell his mother.

Elena looked across Ironroot one more time. The fields were moving even as the evening came closer.

Farmers were putting tools away from one side while the Hearthkeepers carried baskets toward the kitchen. Kaia’s voice could be heard from the Training Yard as she corrected the Militia again.

"You should go back to your work," Elena said.

Carlos looked at her.

"I am showing you around."

"You already showed me enough to understand that nobody here gets to sit around because my boy wants to spend the whole day with his mother." She gave him a small smile. "I want to walk around on my own now. Talk to people. See what they need without you explaining everything first."

Carlos did not like the idea immediately and Elena noticed it immediately.

"I am inside your walls. I am not going to pick up a sword and run into a Conquest Portal."

"That is not what I was thinking."

"Then stop thinking it."

Carlos looked toward the field paths. There were a lot of things that could go wrong in Ironroot, even without a conquest.

The Burstpod had recognized her now, but there were still active work areas, the altar, troop training, and buildings he did not want somebody walking into by mistake.

"Stay inside the walls," he said. "Do not go near the altar. Ask Rowan before going into any marked fields. And if you want to see the training yard, tell Kaia first."

Elena crossed her arms.

"Anything else, Lord Carlos?"

"Come back before dinner."

She gave him an annoyed look, but nodded.

"I can do that."

Kaia had come closer during their conversation. Carlos turned toward her.

"Kaia, my mother is walking around. She is not under guard. But make sure someone knows where she is."

Kaia nodded.

"Understood. I will have the western patrol stay aware without troubling her."

Elena looked at Kaia.

"Thank you. And do not let him make you think I need someone following me every second."

"I would not dare, ma’am," Kaia said.

Carlos watched his mother walk toward the kitchen first. Mira noticed her and put down a basket to greet her again. Elena began asking something about the food stores almost immediately.

Carlos did not wait to hear the answer.

He found Kaia, Mira, and Rowan near the Lord’s Hut a few minutes later. Rowan had washed the soil from his hands, but there was still a little dark dirt beneath his nails. Mira held the food board she had been using earlier. Kaia stood with her shield strapped across her back.

"What happened?" Mira asked. "You look like someone just gave you a new problem."

"Someone did," Carlos said. "The Goldwins, who I am supposedly a part of by blood, are sending an evaluator."

Kaia’s face changed first.

"When?"

"The one I am dealing with is called Arthur and he did not say yet. But it will be soon."

Rowan looked toward the northern side of the territory.

"What will they inspect?"

"Whatever I allow them to inspect."

Carlos told them about Arthur’s condition. A Goldwin evaluator would come to Ironroot and verify that Carlos had the territory, troops, production, and Agricultural District claim he had spoken about.

The evaluator could not enter the Pocket Dimension, but could see the System record that it belonged to Carlos.

Mira listened without saying anything until Carlos finished.

"They will see the food reserve," she said.

"They can see some of it."

"Carlos." Mira looked at him. "You are trying to make it sound smaller than it is. We are not starving, but we are not comfortable. If someone is judging whether Ironroot is stable, they will notice that."

Carlos knew she was right.

"Then they notice it," he said. "And just because our food requirement is very high doesn’t mean we lack food and its output. If they see how much we generate, they will already find it very good."

Mira’s expression eased a little when she heard that.

"Good."

Kaia spoke next.

"Do we show the full troop strength?"

Carlos thought for a moment.

"They can see the Gatehouse, the Training Yard, the visible barracks, and the troops that are inside Ironroot. They do not need every detail about what each one can do."

Kaia nodded.

"That is enough."

Rowan pointed toward the fields.

"Nobody walks through the Spirit Farmland. Nobody touches the cucumber bed. And nobody enters the marked rows because they want to know what makes them different."

"Agreed," Carlos said. "They will only look and I want you guys to be vocal when they are not, we need boundaries."

Mira tapped the board in her hands.

"The kitchen and Cold Storage?"

"They can see them. Not every item in the storage."

Carlos looked between all three of them.

"We show them Ironroot. We do not show them every secret inside it. And they will agree to it, unlike here, Earth has rules to work."

Nobody argued. Kaia looked toward the altar for a second. Carlos noticed.

"That stays closed," he said. "Nobody goes near it. We might need to shift it too. I am not willing to show it to anyone yet, not even my mother."

"Understood," Kaia replied.

Mira looked down at her food board again.

"There is one more thing. Your mother is here now. Is she staying?"

Carlos looked toward the kitchen. Elena was still speaking with Mira’s Hearthkeepers, and one of them seemed to be explaining something with their hands.

"She is visiting. She will decide later if she wants to help here permanently."

"She told me that you will try and get her to eat special meals, so she requested me to not do it, Carlos." Mira said. "Should I agree or still give her what you tell me to?" She asked with hesitance.

Carlos almost smiled.

"I didn’t even think about it yet. But if it’s her wish, I will not try anything, at least until another epic grade fruit is matured. I want her to eat one."

"I like her. She is nice and showed me a few tricks with spices. She said if I make anything special because she is your mother, she will argue with me."

Kaia looked away, but Carlos saw the corner of her mouth move.

"She will," Carlos said.

Mira continued.

"But jokes apart, we really need to get rid of this food problem, Carlos."

"Of course. We will start working on it very soon."

Mira giggled in excitement and Rowan lost his interest and went back to farming. Carlos disbanded the small meet and moved on his own too.

It was easy to bring Elena here through a portal. Keeping her here safely was something else.

Carlos did not want to make that mistake.

His Lord message panel opened before he could say anything more.

--

[Message request from ’Arthur Goldwin’]

[Would you like to accept?]

--

Carlos was surprised with that message, he didn’t think he could find him in-game so early.

--

’Hm, I haven’t checked my production rank. I don’t look at it as I am always 1st. Lets see now.’

--

[Earth Lord Rankings]

[Territory Development Rank: 712,486,913]

[Production Rank: 238,741,662]

[Conquest Progress Rank: 1,604,338,127]

[Military Strength Rank: 1,287,439,506]

[Defensive Coverage Rank: 1,418,220,774]

--

He quickly opened the rank and he froze in one place.

"..."

Carlos closed it and decided to not look at it for now. It was too low.

He accepted Arthur’s message invite.

--

[Arthur Goldwin]- The preliminary evaluation is confirmed, Carlos. One evaluator will arrive tomorrow through the guest access you grant. Tell me where should he or she meet you.

--

Carlos read it and took a deep breath, Kaia quickly noticed it and came forward.

"Everything alright?"

"Evaluation is tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Carlos said.

Kaia folded her arms and stood in support of one leg with the other forward.

"Then we do not have much time."

"We do not need to change anything," Carlos said. "We only need to make sure the person sees the right things."

Carlos called Rowan and Mira and told them everything.

Rowan looked out across the normal fields, then toward the protected beds.

"If we are careful, we can show them what we want to show. It’s all up to you, my lord."

Carlos nodded.

Across Ironroot, Elena had moved from the kitchen to the Farmer’s Lodge.

She was speaking with Tarin and Sela now, listening more than talking. Carlos could not hear what they were saying from this distance.

But she looked comfortable there.

Tomorrow, someone from the Goldwins would enter Ironroot and decide what they thought Carlos was worth.

For today, he still had work to do.