Chapter 149. The guest at the gate

Chapter 149: 149. The guest at the gate

Carlos woke before the morning bell. He got up, washed, and stepped out of the Lord’s Hut.

But even though the day had not really started yet, most of Ironroot was already working, especially the farmers.

Carlos smiled, if an evaluator were to look at them right now. They would know how efficient everyone was.

And the best part about his people was that he didn’t need them to pretend in front of the evaluator to work hard, they always did it on their own.

Kaia walked over from the Training Yard.

"The morning patrol is in place," she said. "The walls are covered. We won’t let anyone enter without your approval. That will show more loyalty, my lord," she said.

"Thank you," Carlos replied. "But please keep things normal today. I do not want anyone making a show because of a guest. We don’t care about things we don’t do usually."

Kaia looked toward the Gatehouse and then back at Carlos.

"Understood."

Mira came out of the kitchen with a board under one arm. She seemed less worried than Carlos was, which was annoying.

"The breakfast count is done," she said. "And I have the food records ready if they ask."

"Hmm, we will see what we will tell them," Carlos said.

"Don’t worry, I will stay quiet till you tell me to start talking."

Carlos nodded.

Rowan came from the fields with soil still on one knee. He looked at Carlos for a moment, then toward the marked beds.

"The normal fields are fine to show, my lord," he said.

"Yes," Carlos said.

Rowan gave the marked beds one look before he went back toward the fields.

The Lord message panel opened in front of Carlos.

--

[Arthur Goldwin]- The evaluator is ready. Grant guest access when you are prepared. They will be at your house soon.

--

Carlos read it twice, then looked at the people waiting near him.

"It is time. I will go get the evaluator," he said.

Everyone nodded and Carlos left through the portal back to Earth. His mother had already left during the night.

The house was empty at the moment and he couldn’t find his mother so Carlos waited until a bell rang.

Carlos went and opened the gate to find a woman waiting for him.

She wore dark trousers, a pale shirt, and a brown coat clean enough to stand out on Ironroot’s dirt paths. A leather notebook rested in one hand.

"Good morning," he said. "I am Carlos Goldwin. Thank you for coming to this evaluation."

The woman studied him for a second, then gave a small nod.

"Good morning, Mr. Carlos. I am here to confirm the claims you made to Arthur Goldwin. I have been told about the limits you set and I will make sure to keep them in mind."

Carlos nodded. That was better than he had expected; she was direct.

"Please, this way," he said and made her follow him.

When he was at the portal, Carlos looked back at her.

"I have prepared the areas I am comfortable showing. If there is something you need clarified, please ask and I will answer where I can."

"That will be enough," she said.

Carlos moved toward the portal to set the settings now that the introductions were over.

A panel opened in front of him.

--

[Territory Guest Authorization]

[Pending guest: Nadine Voss]

[Grant limited access to Ironroot?]

[Access area: Main Territory]

--

Carlos selected yes.

Soon, she saw the portal too and nodded at him calmly. It was as if it was a normal occurrence for her to visit territories as a guest.

They both walked in and the troops saw the space near the Gatehouse shift without wind or sound.

A narrow blue opening appeared on the path a short distance from the gate. It did not push the grass aside. It simply stood there, bright enough that every nearby person looked at it.

Carlos sighed when he saw that, they had not been inside the territory but outside just like he had wanted.

Kaia soon looked from the other side of the gate. Her hand rested near her sword, but she did not touch it. The evaluator glanced at her, then at the Militia on the wall and the archers.

"Splendid defense, I feel strength from that individual too. I believe she is your commander?" the woman asked while looking at Kaia up and down from far.

"Kaia," Carlos said. "She manages our training and defense."

Kaia gave the evaluator a short, respectful nod and then she opened the gate.

"Welcome to Ironroot," she said.

The evaluator returned it and soon Carlos led her through the Gatehouse first.

"I believe this was your primary entrance?" the evaluator asked.

"For now," Carlos said. "It is also the easiest point to defend."

"Has it been used?"

Carlos understood what she meant.

"Yes. During the Beginner Period, we had raids and a forced conquest breach. The Gatehouse was built after we understood the territory needed a permanent response."

She wrote something in her notebook.

"Were there losses?"

"Crops and structures. But no troop damage."

The woman did not ask him to explain further.

The Shield Militia were practicing a wall formation. Their shields hit together with a dull sound. The four Woodland Archers were shooting at straw targets beyond the yard, while Nessa watched their stance.

The evaluator stood quietly for nearly a minute.

"How long has it been since you started this formal training?" she asked.

"Not long," Carlos said. "Kaia has handled most of it. Before the attacks, we were focused more on production and survival."

"That is reasonable."

They passed the Shield Militia Barrack next. The evaluator examined the metal reinforcement along its frame and the level marker above its entrance.

"Level Two," she said.

"Yes."

"You upgraded a Common barrack before adding more basic production buildings?"

Carlos considered her question.

"We had a defense problem before we had the materials to solve every other problem. I used what we had where it mattered most at the time."

The woman looked at the yard again.

"A fair answer."

At the Blue Water Slime Barrack, the Slimes rolled through the grass below Blue.

The Dire Hyenas watched from their den. The four-armed goblin sat outside its barrack, staring at the Training Yard.

The evaluator saw all of them before Carlos had to explain a thing.

Brann came out of the Bearkin Hall carrying an empty bowl. He looked at the evaluator, then at Carlos.

"Another guest?" he asked.

"A Goldwin evaluator," Carlos said. "Please continue with your day."

Brann nodded once.

"Welcome," he told the woman, then headed toward the kitchen.

The evaluator watched him go.

"Five Bearkin?" she asked.

"Five," Carlos said.

"I see... And you can maintain them?"

Carlos paused before answering.

"We can maintain them without a problem. And we are also working on our reserves for bad days."

The evaluator wrote again.

They reached the central path, where the Lord’s Hut stood ahead. The marked boundary around the dark altar was visible from there. Two Shield Militia waited beside it.

The evaluator’s eyes rested on it briefly.

Carlos spoke before she had to ask.

"That structure is outside the inspection scope. It is secured because it is not fully understood yet."

The woman looked back at him.

"I understand. I will record it as an undisclosed secured asset. But if you were to want help in identifying it, the Goldwin group can help you immensely."

"Thank you," Carlos said.

She did not press him. Instead, she turned toward the fields.

"I would now want to see how the production, the main point of this territory, is being progressed," she said.

Carlos nodded. He looked past her toward Rowan, then the kitchen. "Of course," he said.