Chapter 94: Eldoris Dominion Opens To The World

The seventh day arrived quietly. There was no ceremony at the gates. No grand announcement rang out over the Dominion. The gates simply opened. Tanaka stood on the western wall watching the first guards take up their posts. The wall now encircled the entire Eldoris Dominion. It had taken almost the entire week, but this expansion was worth it. The old settlement had pushed outwards.

Sections of the surrounding forest had been cleared to make way for roads, houses, farms and new districts, but those remaining forest still stretched on beyond the walls, and Eldoris was no longer contained within it. Several gates had been erected around the Dominion, with watch posts placed beside them. Goblins and Kobolds guarded the entrances. They were dressed in proper clothes and protective equipment now, instead of the rough pieces of cloth they had once worn, and their spears, swords and bows were all well maintained.

Tanaka smiled. That was what he wanted to see. Eldoris was becoming organized, without becoming dependent on him. He left the wall and walked towards the center of the Dominion.The districts now had proper names. Gorim’s Craft Quarter was already filled with the sounds of hammers and grinding metal. The Military District was where warriors trained and weapons were stored. The Agricultural District had expanded quickly during the week. The Resource District handled materials gathering from the forest and surrounding lands. The Residential District had become crowded with new houses.

The Merchant Quarter was still developing, but several buildings had already been prepared for visiting traders. Near the western entrance stood the Diplomatic Hall. Tanaka entered through its main doors. The reception area was already occupied. Several Moonhares stood behind the reception desk. Their humanoid forms still bore traces of their origins. Their long ears remained, their eyes were sharper than those of humans and their fangs were visible when they smiled. One of the receptionists saw Tanaka.

"Good morning, Lord Tanaka."

"Morning."

She bowed.

"Everything is ready." Tanaka looked around. The tables had been arranged properly. The waiting area had enough seats. Drinks and simple food had been prepared for guests. The second floor contained the private meeting rooms, where official discussions would take place.

"You all did well."

The Moonhare smiled.

"We practiced every day."

Tanaka nodded.

"That was probably necessary."

Another Moonhare looked toward the entrance. "What happens if visitors ask about the True Dragon?" Tanaka paused.

"That will probably happen." "What should we tell them?" "Tell them that Eldoris has no obligation to reveal everything about itself."

The Moonhare nodded seriously. "That sounds diplomatic." Tanaka smiled. "Good. Keep using that word." Outside the hall, the sound of hooves and wheels grew louder. The first visitors had arrived. A caravan from Rosen City was approaching the western gate. It was not large.Six wagons.

A few guards. Several merchants. Some ordinary travelers. The Goblin guards checked their identities before opening the gate. The group entered slowly. Several people immediately began looking around.

One merchant stared at the wall. Another looked at the armed Kobolds. A young adventurer nearly walked into a post because he was too busy staring at an Ogre carrying a load of stone. Tanaka waited near the Diplomatic Hall. The caravan leader approached. He identified Tanaka at once.

"Lord Tanaka."

"Welcome to Eldoris Dominion." The man bowed. "We came from Rosen City." "I expected that." The merchant looked surprised. "You are the closest human city, so you were likely to arrive first." The man smiled. "That was exactly our thinking." Tanaka gestured towards the hall. "You can register here." The visitors entered. One of them stopped at the reception desk. He looked at the Moonhare standing there. "You’re a Fanged Rabbit." The receptionist frowned. "No." The man looked confused. "No?" "I’m a Moonhare." "You look like a Fanged Rabbit." The Moonhare smiled. "That’s because I evolved from one."

The man stared at her for another second.

"I didn’t know they could become human."

"We can’t all do it." She pointed towards the road outside. "You will still see Greater Fanged Rabbits in their beast forms around the Dominion." The man nodded slowly. "That actually explains a lot." More visitors began arriving before the Rosen caravan had even finished registering. They came from different places. Some had heard about Eldoris through traders who had traveled near the Great Verdant Forest. Some were adventurers looking for new places to explore. Others were simply curious. A group from a kingdom farther north arrived after traveling for several days with a caravan. A few Dwarfs came from a mountain settlement known for metalwork.

They spent less than ten minutes in Eldoris before asking where Gorim’s Craft Quarter was. One Dwarf looked at Tanaka. "You have a forge district?" "Yes." "Good." He walked away. Tanaka blinked. The Dwarf turned around. "Where is it?" Tanaka pointed. The Dwarf immediately left. Adventurers were everywhere by the afternoon. Some asked about the dungeon.

Others wanted information about monsters in the surrounding forest. A few wanted to know whether they were allowed to hunt.

Tanaka’s answer was simple. "No hunting inside the Dominion without permission." The question usually followed. "What about outside?" "That depends on the area." Razer had already established controlled hunting grounds, and Tanaka had no intention of allowing outsiders destroy them simply because Eldoris had opened its borders. The visitors quickly discovered that the Dominion had rules. They also discovered that those rules were enforced. A human adventurer tried to enter the Military District because he wanted to see how strong the Ogre warriors were.

A Goblin guard stopped him.

"You cannot enter."

"I only want to look."

"You still cannot enter."

The adventurer stared at him.

"You’re serious."

"Yes."

The adventurer laughed.

"All right."

He left.

Tanaka watched from across the street. That was good. He wanted visitors to understand that Eldoris was open. He did not want them to believe it was unprotected. Toward evening, more unusual visitors began arriving. Several flying creatures landed beyond the walls. Their riders entered through the gates. Some were humans. Others were beastfolk. Then came the Wyverns from the lands associated with Zarathiel. They landed outside the Dominion before changing into humanoid forms. The first Wyvern who approached the gates had scales around his neck and narrow reptilian eyes.

The Goblin guard raised his spear.

"State your purpose."

"We are here to visit Eldoris."

The guard looked him over.

"Are you armed?"

"Yes."

The Goblin looked towards the other guards.

The Wyvern understood immediately. "I will leave my weapon here." "Thank you." The Wyvern removed the weapon from his waist and handed it over. The gate opened. Tanaka met them. "Welcome." The Wyvern leader bowed. "We heard that the Dominion had opened its borders." "It has." "We wanted to see it for ourselves." Tanaka nodded. "You can stay as guests." The Wyvern looked towards the city. "And trade?" "You can speak with the Merchant Quarter." "Military cooperation?" "That will require a separate discussion." The Wyvern smiled. "I expected that answer." By sunset, the Diplomatic Hall was busier than Tanaka had imagined.

The reception area was crowded. Moonhares carried drinks and food between tables. Merchants discussed prices. Adventurers exchanged rumors. Dwarfs compared the quality of Eldoris metalwork. Visitors argued over what parts of the Dominion they were allowed to explore. Tanaka stood near the staircase with Malachiel. Malachiel was still in human form.

He had not introduced himself. Most visitors simply assumed he was some extremely powerful monster or an important figure from Eldoris. They were not wrong. They just did not know how wrong they were. A group of adventurers passed nearby.

One of them lowered his voice. "That’s not the dragon." "Why?" "Because the dragon was supposed to be enormous." "That doesn’t mean anything." Another pointed towards Malachiel. "He has more mana than everyone around him combined." Malachiel smiled. Tanaka noticed. "You are enjoying this." "Yes." "They are going to keep searching." "That is the best part." Several visitors had already asked about the True Dragon. Some had heard that it destroyed the human army during the war. Others had heard stories about the monster resurrection.

A few had even exaggerated the stories. Tanaka simply let them talk. The truth could wait. Then the atmosphere at the entrance changed. The next group was not a caravan.

They arrived under a large banner. The guards immediately became more serious.

Tanaka looked toward the gate. A small formation of armored soldiers approached, followed by several carriages. At the front was a diplomatic emblem Tanaka did not recognize. The lead carriage stopped. A man in formal clothing stepped out. He looked at the guards before turning toward Tanaka.

"Lord Tanaka."

"Yes?"

"I am Lord Arven Valeris, appointed ambassador of the Kingdom of Valeria."

Tanaka studied him.

Valeria.

That was farther from Eldoris than Rosen City. Yet they had already sent diplomats. "Welcome to Eldoris Dominion." The ambassador bowed. "We have come on behalf of our king to establish formal contact with your nation." The word nation caught the attention of several nearby visitors. Tanaka smiled. "Then you’ve come to the right place." The ambassador looked toward the Dominion behind him. "You have expanded rapidly." "We needed the space."

"And the walls?" "We need those too." The ambassador gave a small smile. "My king wishes to understand what kind of relationship Eldoris intends to have with other nations."

Tanaka’s expression remained calm. "Peaceful, as long as they are peaceful with us." The ambassador nodded. "I expected something similar." Tanaka gestured towards the Diplomatic Hall. "Come inside."

The diplomats entered. Their arrival immediately caused another wave of whispers among the other visitors. A kingdom had sent an official diplomatic delegation. That changed the meaning of Eldoris opening its gates.

The Dominion was no longer simply a strange nation hidden inside the Great Verdant Forest. Other nations had started treating it as a political power. Inside the reception hall, one of the Valerian diplomats looked around. "You prepared this building for foreign representatives?" "Yes." "Recently?" "Very recently." He nodded. "It shows." Tanaka led them towards the staircase. "Your rooms are ready." The ambassador stopped. "Lord Tanaka." Tanaka turned. "Your nation is certainly unusual." Tanaka smiled. "You haven’t seen the unusual part yet."

Outside, another group entered through the gates. Then another. The roads were beginning to stay busy long after sunset. Humans, Dwarfs, beastfolk, adventurers and merchants moved through the streets. Different languages could be heard throughout the Merchant Quarter. The Moonhares at the Diplomatic Hall continued greeting visitors. The Goblin guards continued checking everyone who entered.

The Kobolds continued recording cargo and travelers. Eldoris had opened its borders. And the world was answering.

Tanaka stood outside the Diplomatic Hall and looked across the busy streets. Malachiel stood beside him. "You wanted them to notice you." Tanaka nodded. "They have." Malachiel looked towards the Valerian delegation. "They are going to keep coming." "I know." "And some will not come peacefully." Tanaka’s smile disappeared.

"I know that too." The walls around Eldoris were strong. The warriors were ready. The nation was growing. But for the first time, Tanaka understood the real challenge of opening the Dominion to the world.

It was no longer about keeping the outside world away. It was about deciding who could be allowed inside.