Chapter 203: The Traveler's Warning

"Why not? Quickly invite him over to warm up; there's always enough broth for one more bowl!" Sinuoli sat before the hearth and smiled. He considered himself a man who treated his subordinates with courtesy, at least when he wasn't busy.

Just think, if he didn't receive that clansman, in this desolate mountain wilderness, he would just be listening to the surrounding kin chat and brag, killing time before crawling into a tent to sleep.

Soon, an elderly Dwarf dressed in simple, even somewhat tattered clothes, arrived at Sinuoli's side. His long beard was dusty, he wore a belt with a simple knotted rope, and not a single decent ornament could be seen on his entire person.

"May the Ancestor Goddess be with you, Master Sinuoli!" the old Dwarf bowed slightly.

"Please sit, my kin!" Sinuoli understood why the Ranger felt he was unpresentable; at this age, not having accumulated enough wealth was generally a sign of being less capable among Dwarfs. But since he had come, Sinuoli wouldn't drive him away; there was always enough for a bowl of hot soup.

"I am a traveler, searching for mineral veins in this area, and I also rely on my tools and wisdom to earn a few coins. Do you need me to maintain your equipment? Or perhaps I might offer some words of experience?"

The old Dwarf sat down beside Sinuoli, pulling his backpack off his back to use as a cushion. That thing looked heavy, and it was bulging with what seemed to be his work tools.

"Ha! Master Sinuoli and I are both Rune Smiths! Where would we need you to maintain anything? Don't..." Before Sinuoli could answer, Sitelinge shouted first; this young man had escaped the suppression of his teacher and family, so it was inevitable he would let himself go a bit.

"For now, there is no great need. Eat first. Tell me about the situation over at Karak-Norn, and I can give you some compensation." Sinuoli politely declined the offer to maintain his weapons.

The old Dwarf ate while speaking of what he had seen and heard. "Not that good, but not that bad either!" The old Dwarf gulped down half a bowl of soup and began.

"This story must start with Alike of Karak-Hern. In the winter, on the days when all things wither in Athel Loren, he led his troops out for vengeance. Everything went smoothly at first, but after destroying a few settlements of the pointy-ears, he ran into a large herd of the hoofed ones."

In the old Dwarf's words, there seemed to be a deep hatred for the Elf race, though this was common enough among the elders.

"Beastmen, those freaks mutated by Chaos; they had the same idea as Alike. I don't know if he should be ashamed or proud of that."

"And then? A three-way melee?" Sinuoli guided the old Dwarf to reduce his complaining and return to the main point.

"Indeed, a melee. That place is the stronghold of the pointy-ears, and the Beastmen were as numerous as rats in a burrow. Alike pulled out in time, but he still paid a heavy price." Seeming to grieve for the fallen kin, the old Dwarf sighed and took a puff of his pipe.

"What about now? Is the road ahead to Huangwu Bao safe?" Sinuoli asked the question he truly cared about.

"Winter has passed, all things are reviving, and the pointy-ears have once again received the help of the Forest Spirit. They will soon be able to drive the Beastmen out of Athel Loren."

"Old man, why are you talking about all this nonsense! Just answer whatever Master Sinuoli asks you!"

Sitelinge interrupted the old Dwarf's words. Born of nobility and accomplished at a young age, he had spent much effort to escape the nagging of his parents and teachers, so how could he endure listening to a down-and-out stranger mutter in this mountain hollow?

"Don't be impatient, Little Beard," the old Dwarf was not intimidated by Sitelinge, and he said slowly: "In the days of old, whether humble or noble, no Dwarf could avoid setting aside time to learn."

"You..." the young Rune Smith grew anxious.

"Ah, let him finish, or you can go sit over there if you like!" Sinuoli stepped in to smooth things over; he still had to see through to the end with someone he had invited in.

"Hmph, huff!" Sitelinge stood up and moved to another fire to sit, and Sinuoli signaled for the stranger to continue.

"It was safe when I came, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily be safe for you to pass!" The old Dwarf puffed out a cloud of smoke.

"Isn't that just nonsense?" Sinuoli thought to himself. The kin around him didn't have his good temper and started grumbling directly.

"I can give you some advice: a qualified leader must discern the opinions of those around him. If they tell you to go west, you should go east; if they tell you to advance north, you must travel south; if they tell you to stop, you should continue to move forward." The old Dwarf spoke a passage like a riddle.

"What nonsense are you spouting, old man! Master Sinuoli is the chosen of the Ancestor Goddess, the herald of the God of War, Grimnir! The Ancestor Gods guide his path; what need is there for you to spout empty words here!"

Before Sinuoli could respond, Captain Gelunsen could not hold back.

"I am not saying these words for him, but for you!" The old Dwarf's tone remained indifferent. He leaned into Sinuoli's ear, whispered one more sentence, and then shouldered his pack and stepped into the wind and snow.

"His warning is as unconvincing as his empty wallet." Buluokesen muttered as he watched the old Dwarf's retreating back. He was also a young man who disliked being lectured.

Only Sinuoli watched that retreating back and fell into deep thought. The sentence he had just whispered in his ear was: "Those guys, what you have in your head might not be enough to handle it!" This was almost Sinuoli's greatest secret.

Carrying the confusion that could only be buried in his own heart, Sinuoli set off again the next morning. Along the way, the Dwarfs encountered some Gor; these guys were the basic components of Beastmen warherds, and encountering them was not a good omen.

In appearance, Gor were a hybrid mixture of beast and man. Their basic form was a goat's head and goat's legs with a human upper body, covered in fur, reeking of stench, and wandering about with crude weapons and strong bodies.

These basic troops were comparable in combat power to the low-level troops of Human factions, and in small numbers, they caused the Dwarfs little trouble. Sinuoli arrived smoothly at Karak-Gerege, a small settlement between Huangwu Bao and Fearless Fort.

It was built on a small iron mine, and about a thousand people from several Clans made their home here. They told Sinuoli that traces of high-level Beastmen like Bestigors and Centigors had been discovered in the surrounding area.

This settlement was only a little over a day's journey from Huangwu Bao. Although there was the threat of Beastmen, Sinuoli was still forced to set off on the morning of the second day.

His group, including warriors, merchants, and migrating kin, already numbered over three thousand; Karak-Gerege simply could not house so many people.