Hans refused to take a full crew past the sealed cut, so the inspection group stayed at three people: Hans, Ferra, and Hajin.
Lana kept Ash at the registry under the same distance rules used during the socket work, while Juna held the eastern road and Loccy remained with the child in the unlocked room.
Eirwen sent a written request to observe and accepted Hajin's refusal without argument, her Alder seal unable to outrank a dead mine's braces.
'The imprint answered,' Hajin thought as the cart climbed the mine road, 'but an answer is not permission to dig, and the bearing has not changed because people want a door.'
Gold Mountain's gate still wore the postwar boards and Hans's chalk marks. No fresh crack crossed the outer seal, and no mana haze rose from the blocked lift.
Taren had already turned back two merchant parties that tried to turn yesterday's porch rumor into an imprint rush. He fined them before they reached the first switchback, then sent them back down.
