Carlos looked at Selene.
"The hyenas. Their building is yours?"
Selene looked toward the three Dire Hyenas gathered near the eastern road.
"The Dire Hyena Den," she said.
"Trade it."
Her face tightened. "You already took Leon’s building."
Carlos looked at the chain wrapped around his forearm.
"You saw what happened when he refused."
Selene’s gaze dropped to the dark links.
"What do I get?"
"The same thing Leon gets. A Common troop barrack. Enough to survive the remaining days."
She looked back at the hyenas. One could barely stand on its injured leg. The other two had stayed close to it since the fight stopped.
"You know the next wave can come any day now, right? We will die if we give you our troops."
"You should have thought that before you attacked me. Now you have to live with the consequences," Carlos said. "And why be so negative? There could be a 10–15% chance you still live, right? Well, only if you trade your troops."
As he said that, the chain hovering around his hand whipped down onto the ground with a sharp sound. She became spooked and nodded gravely.
"I accept."
Carlos opened the next trade panel.
--
[Trade Proposal]
[Carlos Goldwin offers: One Common troop barrack, to be delivered through a system trade arranged by Cosmic Merchant]
[Selene Morrow offers: Dire Hyena Den]
[Both parties must confirm]
--
Selene’s hand shook when she touched the confirmation.
--
[Trade confirmed]
[Dire Hyena Den transferred to Carlos Goldwin]
[Carlos Goldwin must complete Common troop barrack delivery through the recorded trade terms]
--
Selene turned immediately toward the hyenas.
"Come."
None of them moved.
The injured hyena lifted its head. Its yellow eyes moved past Selene and settled on Carlos.
The other two did the same.
Carlos frowned.
A panel appeared in front of him.
--
[Active units linked to the transferred Dire Hyena Den have recognized the new building owner]
[Dire Hyena x3 — Current Lord: Carlos Goldwin]
--
For a few seconds, Carlos only looked at the words.
Then the injured hyena took one limping step toward him.
Carlos had enough people to feed. He had stopped summoning because the kitchen was already carrying too much. Taking three more hungry creatures was not sensible.
But leaving injured living troops with Lords who had just sold their building was worse.
He lowered his spear.
"Come here."
The first hyena came carefully. The other two followed, stopping a few steps away from Carlos. Their fur was matted with rain and mud. One still had blood dried along its shoulder.
Carlos did not touch them. He only looked at them once and nodded.
"You are with us now."
Selene stared at the animals as if they had betrayed her.
Carlos turned to Julian before she could say anything else.
"The wolf riders."
Julian’s eyes flicked to the dead rider near the seed-store door, then to the survivor waiting on the far end of the road.
"Goblin Wolf Rider Stable," he said.
"Trade it."
Julian gave a strained laugh.
"And if I do not?"
Carlos took one step forward.
Julian stopped laughing.
"Fine," he said. "I accept."
--
[Trade Proposal]
[Carlos Goldwin offers: One Common troop barrack, to be delivered through a system trade arranged by Cosmic Merchant]
[Julian Soren offers: Goblin Wolf Rider Stable]
[Both parties must confirm]
--
The stable transferred a moment later.
The surviving wolf rider went still.
Julian called its name, but the goblin did not turn toward him. Its wolf lowered itself to the wet ground and looked at Carlos.
--
[Active units linked to the transferred Goblin Wolf Rider Stable have recognized the new building owner]
[Goblin Wolf Rider x1 — Current Lord: Carlos Goldwin]
--
Carlos looked at the rider and its wolf.
They were both injured. The goblin’s hand had been pierced by Nessa’s arrow. The wolf had mud and blood along one flank from the earlier fall.
Carlos nodded toward the hyenas.
"Go with them. Nobody will hurt you if you do not give me a reason."
The wolf rose first. The goblin held the saddle with its good hand and followed it toward Carlos.
Julian watched without speaking.
Carlos looked at the last Lord who had not spoken. The two dead four-armed goblins lay at his feet.
"Those are yours?"
The man swallowed.
"The Four-Armed Goblin Berserker Barracks."
Carlos looked at the bodies once.
"I will take it."
The Lord blinked, then seemed to lose his words and just stared at him blankly.
Carlos opened another trade panel.
--
[Trade Proposal]
[Carlos Goldwin offers: One Common troop barrack, to be delivered through a system trade arranged by Cosmic Merchant]
[Lord offers: Four-Armed Goblin Berserker Barracks]
[Both parties must confirm]
--
The Lord hesitated, then confirmed the trade.
--
[Trade confirmed]
[Four-Armed Goblin Berserker Barracks transferred to Carlos Goldwin]
[Carlos Goldwin must complete Common troop barrack delivery through the recorded trade terms]
--
Both berserkers were dead, so no new troop looked toward Carlos after the transfer. The barracks entered his inventory beside the other buildings.
Carlos’s Lord message panel flashed.
--
[Cosmic Merchant]- I found four Common troop barrack listings. They are cheap, but they are not good. I can lock all four if you want. Tell me the exact trade terms before I buy anything.
--
Carlos read it once.
--
[Carlos Goldwin]- Lock them. I need four. Basic is enough. Send the listings and prices after.
--
He closed the panel.
Leon had finally stood. One hand stayed near the dark mark on his throat. Selene stood without her hyenas. Julian stood without his rider. None of them looked capable of arguing anymore.
Carlos pointed toward the eastern road.
"Take your dead and leave. Do not come back to this district."
The final Lord looked at the split channel wall.
"What about the damage? You took troops from us but the system still wants us to fix what we destroyed."
"Leave," Carlos repeated.
Leon’s eyes rose.
"You think this ends here?"
"No," Carlos said. "I think you will remember it every time you touch your neck."
The five Lords began moving at last.
The Lord with the goblin barracks dragged one of the berserkers away by its arms. Another took the second body. Leon’s people lifted the dead Marsh Troll between them. They left the two surviving trolls behind.
Carlos watched the trolls for a moment.
The Marsh Troll Barracks had transferred to him before the hyena and wolf-rider trades. He had not understood what that would mean for the wounded creatures until now.
The two trolls looked past Leon and waited for Carlos.
--
[Marsh Troll x2 — Current Lord: Carlos Goldwin]
--
Carlos let out a slow breath.
Three hyenas. One wolf rider and its mount. Two Marsh Trolls.
Which, like usual, meant more mouths, more space and more work for everyone.
But since he was the one that made the trade, they were his responsibility now.
"Stay close," Carlos told them. "We will deal with your injuries first."
The defeated Lords walked away without their living troops.
Nobody in the district spoke while they watched them go.
The workers had seen Carlos order deaths. They had seen the chain around Leon’s throat. A few of them were still afraid to meet his eyes.
But most were looking at him differently.
Carlos had not killed any Lord, even when he clearly could have. He had beaten the attackers, taken their buildings, and made their surviving troops his without letting the district burn.
Cedric stood with one hand pressed to his side. His face was pale, but there was something steadier in it now.
"They came here thinking we were weak. It looks like the world will finally know your army and strength too, Carlos," he said with a slight smile.
Carlos looked at the split support, the black oil beside the storehouse, and the exhausted people around him.
"We were not ready, not in the slightest... This could have gone wrong so many times I cannot even count, I think," Carlos said. "But they still failed."
Kaia came to stand beside him, holding her injured shoulder carefully.
"What now?"
Carlos looked at the creatures waiting behind him and the Lords.
"Those who still have it in them, I want them on the water leak. Those who are too injured will be given potions to heal. Then, I want every single one to come home now," Carlos said.
Many looked at him in confusion about what home he was talking about, making Carlos smile. He liked it when he got these things without someone telling him.
"We are going to Ironroot and having a feast for surviving."
When everyone heard that, surprise appeared on their faces. Carlos had once told them specifically that no matter what they did, Ironroot was always out of bounds to them.
And just now, he had decided to change that rule.
Kaia smiled at him and whispered in his ear, "I know you are happy about winning, but are you sure we should let them into our home like this?" she asked, even though she herself thought it was a good move.
Carlos looked at her and moved his face closer to her shoulder until his lips were almost touching Kaia’s ear. She felt shivers when he took a small warm breath near her ear.
And he said, "I saw how everyone fought today, for us and for themselves. A part of me wants to reward everyone’s loyalty by giving them more trust and support, Kaia."
Kaia quickly stepped a little to the side with an attentive military pose. Her ears were red, but Carlos did not notice.
But when she looked at his oblivious expression, a smile crept over her face.
"That’s the best decision you have taken as a leader since I have been here, my lord."