Carlos carried the Rare Reinforced Barrack Frame to every combat barrack before he made a decision.
The dark metal beams sat inside a heavy wooden case. He first stopped outside the Blue Water Slime Barrack and loaoked at its small doorway.
Thirty Slime Cores were still in his inventory. More Slimes would be useful. One and Two had already saved people more times than Carlos could count without making himself look stupid.
Then he went to the Bearkin Guardian Hall.
The new Bearkin was near the Training Yard, carrying shields between racks because Kaia had told him to. Brann was inside recovering and would only get annoyed if Carlos told him to rest again.
The Archer Lodge was next. Nessa had shown him how much a good Archer could change a fight. The new Archer watched the eastern boundary properly.
Every barrack had a reason for being there now and that was why he had taken so long.
Kaia walked over after ending the first drill. A little sweat had gathered near her hairline, but she still looked more awake than Carlos did.
"You have been carrying that around for some time now, my lord. Need some help?" she said.
"I am thinking."
"You have been thinking for a long time."
Carlos looked from the Slime Barrack to the other buildings. "Which one would you choose?"
Kaia did not answer immediately but she was still fast.
"The Shield Militia Barrack," she said.
Carlos had expected it, but he wanted to hear the reason.
"Why?"
"Brann can break a line. Nessa can kill from the walls. The Slimes can support us when they have water." Kaia looked toward the two Shield Militia waiting inside the Training Yard. "But when you leave Ironroot, the people holding the gate get to decide how much time the others will get to prepare."
She pointed toward the Militia.
"We need more soldiers who can stand in one place and not break with one attack, my lord."
Carlos thought about Tomas’s damaged Shield Militia at Auxiliary Channel Three. There had been nobody else between the crops and Derek’s people. The man had still held the line.
He also remembered the Gnolls at the Iron Fang Garrison trying to split his group.
"Shield Militia Barrack it is," Carlos said.
The Level One barrack stood near the western side of Ironroot. It was plain compared to the Bearkin Hall. A wooden wall, a low roof, weapon hooks, and the dark entrance where the two Militia had appeared from the day before.
Carlos opened the panel.
--
[Shield Militia Barrack]
[Level 1]
[Upgrade available]
[Upgrade requirements]
[Wood x200]
[Stone x200]
[Iron x100]
[Optional compatible reinforcement detected]
[Rare Reinforced Barrack Frame]
--
He still had enough after building the Training Yard, but not enough to keep throwing materials around without caring. The Gatehouse would have to wait a little longer.
"Upgrade." He clicked and spoke out loud again. "Use the frame too."
The wooden case opened by itself, and dark metal beams rose into the air and struck the barrack one after another. Each hit made the ground shake under Carlos’s boots. The old wood darkened within seconds, and the tilted roof became straight.
The weak weapon hooks along the wall became thick iron brackets, and only then did the lights disappear.
--
[Shield Militia Barrack upgraded]
[Level 2]
[Rare Reinforced Barrack Frame applied]
[Structural quality improved]
[Future barrack upgrade material loss reduced]
--
Carlos stepped forward and placed his hand against the new wall, which felt solid to the touch.
Nothing about the upgrade gave him more soldiers immediately. The same two Shield Militia were still in the yard with Kaia. Kaia nodded once beside him.
"Good choice."
"You chose it."
"But you listening to my advice shows a different kind of humility, my lord. Thank you."
Carlos smiled but did not say anything. Kaia looked at Carlos’s face for a few long seconds before she moved away with a smile.
The two Militia noticed the changed building when they turned during the next drill. Neither said anything, but both stood a little straighter.
Carlos hoped that was not only because Kaia was looking at them.
The Crop Keeper panel appeared before he could say anything else.
--
[Cultivation anchor available]
[Register one active field in Ironroot]
[Registration will establish Crop Registry access]
--
Carlos looked toward the active fields on the quieter side of Ironroot. Blue floated above them. Boro and Elias were working with Tarin and Sela nearby, while Mira crossed the edge of the field with a basket in both hands.
He did not press anything yet. Instead, he opened a message to Cedric to ask Rowan something.
--
[Carlos Goldwin] - Tell Rowan I am ready to register the cultivation anchor. Ask him what field I should use.
--
Cedric answered after a few minutes.
--
[Cedric Vale] - He says "Do not use the Spirit Farmland. Use the oldest active ordinary field. It has roots already settled there. I will explain more when I get back."
--
Carlos looked at the old field near the Farmer’s Lodge.
It was where the first wheat had grown. Where Rowan had complained that nothing was planted. Where Carlos had first understood that a farm could be something worth protecting.
He walked over slowly.
Boro saw him first and stopped working.
"My lord?"
"Rowan says this is the field I need." Carlos pointed at the old rows. "I am registering it as the cultivation anchor."
Boro looked at the soil, then at Blue floating above it. "Will it hurt the crops?"
"I asked Rowan first. He said it is safe."
That was enough for Boro. He nodded and called Elias, Tarin and Sela back from the row they were working on.
Carlos looked at them and could not help but ask, "Why is it that you were all summoned just like Rowan, but you have less information than him?"
It felt a little harsh to ask, but he had to.
Boro was the one who spoke up. "My lord, as you know, when troops are summoned to a territory, we do not have memories of our past. But we do have knowledge of what we were brought here for."
"From what I have noticed after coming here, each farmer has a level of understanding when it comes to farming. And so far, Head Farmer Rowan has the most natural knowledge of all of us. We felt that the moment we spoke with him."
Boro finally stopped speaking and Carlos nodded. The silence was killing Carlos and he could see the expressions on the other newer farmers.
"Thank you for telling me that, Boro. What you said seems true from what I have seen too." Carlos continued, "But I also know that you all have one thing in common, and that is passion for farming." He smiled, making everyone look at him with surprise and different emotions.
"One day, you will be as experienced as Rowan, and I look forward to that day."
Everyone screamed yes in excitement while the two Dogmen’s tails could not stop wagging. Carlos smiled and opened the panel again.
--
[Active field detected]
[Oldest cultivated field]
[Crop Keeper anchor registration available]
--
He pressed confirm.
The field was normal for a moment before thin green light moved beneath every row of soil. It did not burn the wheat or pull at the roots. It passed through the ground quietly before disappearing near the Farmer’s Lodge.
Blue floated lower to watch it and Tarin’s ears twitched.
The next panel appeared.
--
[Cultivation anchor registered]
[Crop Registry access established]
[First Registry Retrieval available]
[Warning: Retrieved cultivation material cannot be returned to the Registry]
--
Carlos read the final line twice.
"What is a Registry Retrieval?" Sela asked softly.
"Something I am not opening until I know what it does," Carlos answered.
Tarin looked at the panel. "But if it gives seeds, we can grow them, right?"
Carlos glanced at the small rows around them. One wrong crop could waste water, soil, labour and food. Ironroot was doing well, but that did not mean he wanted to make a stupid decision just because the system had offered something shiny.
"Maybe," he said. "But first, I ask Rowan."
Blue hovered beside him as the Crop Registry panel remained open above the field.
Whatever Carlos took from it next would become another thing Ironroot had to protect. And whether it could be useful or not was a different thing altogether.
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