"Knock! Knock! Knock!" Kakarot raised his hand and knocked rhythmically on the manor's heavy iron gate.
The dull sounds echoed through the still air.
Not far inside the iron gate, the gatekeeper heard the knocking and immediately approached the entrance with slow, steady, wary steps.
He cautiously opened the small hatch beside the gate, his eyes full of suspicion.
His voice carried a probing note as he called out, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
With a polite smile on his face, Kakarot replied in a calm, sincere tone,
"We're here to visit Lord Troius Skana. Sorry for the trouble, but could you announce us?"
The gatekeeper looked Kakarot and his companions up and down. Seeing their extraordinary bearing,
and the distinctive presence they exuded with every movement, nothing like ordinary visitors, he could not help pondering to himself.
He frowned slightly, murmured an acknowledgment, then hurriedly turned and went to fetch the butler.
Before long, a butler wearing a well-tailored black suit,
his hair immaculately combed and his entire bearing capable and composed, strode to the entrance.
The butler's gaze was as keen as a hawk's, and he wore a professional smile,
yet beneath that smile, there was a faint hint of something different.
He asked, "Friends outside, what business do you have with Lord Skana?"
As the king of the Trosis Kingdom, Troius Skana
had always kept a low profile and treated others affably. In everyday life, he disliked people emphasizing his status by addressing him as king.
Only before members of the World Government did he present himself as king.
Kakarot gave a slight nod and asked respectfully and courteously,
"Mr. Butler, would Lord Skana be available to receive us now?"
The butler's expression shifted slightly. His keen gaze swept over the group like lightning,