Chapter 177: Discussing the Route

"This beer is absolute trash! It's just like, just like the Greenskins' Mushroom Brew!"

"Bullshit, at least Mushroom Brew has a bit more kick to it!"

Sinuoli's military tent was filled with the complaints of his kin; his quartermaster had purchased two wagons of "local premium beer" on the spot to distribute to the warriors. Because they were traveling light, the supplies Sinuoli's army carried were limited, and they would choose to obtain provisions from the cities along the way whenever conditions allowed.

"We usually drink wine; of course, friends from Bordeleaux might have more choices!" Fatisi also muttered. Having been with the Dwarfs for the entire journey, his taste in beer had improved as well.

"Perhaps you could try this, rum!" Kangsitanting lifted his flask. "It is a type of liquor brewed from a plant discovered in the New World called sugar cane; those of us who ride the wind and waves choose these!"

Sinuoli pursed his lips. "We shall see; it won't be too late to sample it once we reach Bordeleaux!" He knew that at this time, he should share the joys and sorrows with his warriors; this was a tradition passed down since the age of the Ancestor Gods.

Sinuoli noticed that although Sitelinge frowned from time to time, he was also trying hard to chew the fish on his plate along with the inferior ale, which made Sinuoli think more highly of him.

Dwarfs outside the World's Edge Mountains, due to their extensive contact with Humans, were somewhat influenced in their concepts of status and hierarchy. Therefore, for a lord here, having a special meal during wartime was not entirely unacceptable; Sitelinge voluntarily eating the same rations was quite decent for a young man leading troops for the first time.

"Grilled trout is a famous dish of this town! Um, it is said that the Knight King himself likes it very much!" Prince Sitelinge's advisor saw that his lord was finding it hard to swallow and offered an introduction from the side.

Sinuoli himself had the experience of a past life and was very accepting of fish. In his view, this fish was indeed cooked well; the fresh ingredients sourced locally, seasoned with a large amount of spices, further brought out the deliciousness of the fish meat.

However, fish had never been on the menu for the Sons of the Mountains. Their inherent fishy smell made it difficult for many of his kin to adapt, especially those from Everpeak.

"It is like this: at our current marching speed, it will take about three days to pass through Basituonie Gongguo!" Kangsitanting wiped his plate with bread and began his analysis. This was also his first time cooperating with Dwarfs, and he needed some time to adapt.

Sinuoli looked at the map and calculated in his heart; their forced march speed was about fifty kilometers a day. "As long as you and your mount can hold out, we can continue to maintain this pace."

"Then we can do this!" Kangsitanting drew an arc on the map with a charcoal pencil. "Bastogne is in the center of the duchy; we will spend a day and a half to reach it, then rest for an afternoon and a night before setting off again."

"Bypass Chalons Forest?" Sinuoli said, looking at the arc on the map.

"And we must take the main road!" Kangsitanting added.

"Why? We have so many warriors; what kind of blind fool would come up to throw their life away?" Sitelinge asked. This young Prince was already impatient to embrace the victory mentioned in the oracle.

"Bastogne is the land of the first Knight King, the Unifier Jilesi. The residents here like to view themselves as the core of all Bretonnia; of course, geographically, that is indeed the case!" Sitelinge's advisor stood out once again; it was clear that this middle-aged Dwarf was also very willing to show himself.

"Their degree of pride in their own duchy and their degree of worship for the Lady of the Lake are more intense than their counterparts in other duchies. Therefore, more knights from here participated in the crusade to wipe out the Greenskins!"

After listening, Sinuoli couldn't help but give a thumbs up to the diplomatic attitude of the Weifengbao Dwarfs. This group of kin outside the World's Edge Mountains knew how to pay attention to things beyond mines and workshops. Sinuoli could be certain that each settlement was providing intelligence to Lord Luoleike on time.

"Yes, and this has led to Bastogne being weak in military strength now! Never mind supporting us; the nobles remaining here are struggling even to deal with Beastmen and peasants taking the opportunity to rebel!" Kangsitanting added.

Sinuoli knew without asking that he must have sought help from the Duke of Bastogne at the first opportunity, and only turned to the Dwarfs of Kalake-Zifulin after failing.

The relationship between Bordeleaux and Bastogne had been very good since the time of Jilesi; a duchy with traditional industries like agriculture and animal husbandry as its pillar and a duchy with strong trade and shipping capabilities needed each other.

"You can recruit some more of your kin at Bastogne to set off together!" Sinuoli was noncommittal to Kangsitanting's words. Before setting off, he learned that the scale of the Dwarf settlements in the various ducal castles of Bretonnia was about the same as the one in Helmgart.

Centered around stonemasonry, forging, brewing, and handicraft production—the core industries of the Dwarfs—the total number was within one thousand people. The knightly nobles of Bretonnia also refused to use ranged weapons, which left Dwarf technology without a market in this land.

Sinuoli believed that under the requirement of quality, that settlement could provide him with at most one hundred troops; part-time warriors lacking daily training would not be of much use.

However, he did not raise any objections; going to the Duke's castle to take a look was also good. That would be the largest Human settlement Sinuoli had seen since he transmigrated.

"After that, we will go to Bordeleaux from this road!" Kangsitanting continued the curve he had just drawn with the charcoal pencil. Sinuoli noticed that Bordeleaux Castle was different from Bastogne; she was not in the center of the duchy but on the border near the Akuitan duchy.

"Alluvial delta?" Sinuoli leaned over to look closely at the map, noticing that Bordeleaux was located at the mouth of a river, and he subconsciously blurted out a geographical term from his past life.

A delta refers to an alluvial plain gradually developed when a river flows into the ocean, a lake, or another river, due to the decrease in flow velocity and the massive deposition of carried silt. It is usually fertile land, and for the tonnage of ships in this world, it is also a good harbor.

"Delta?" Kangsitanting muttered; he probably thought this was a term in the Dwarf language and did not dwell on it.

"Bordeleaux is at the mouth of the Giro River; it is a natural good harbor. This river, which originates from Aoka Shan, can also allow goods to be transported to other parts of Bretonnia faster." Sitelinge's advisor added for his Prince.

"It should also serve the purpose of the Duke guarding the gateway of the country!" Sinuoli looked at the castle on the map located next to Chalons Forest, facing the Akuitan duchy across the river, and associated it with Montfort Castle on the Bretonnian side of Axe Bite Pass.