Chapter 211: The Expedition of the Angrund Clan

Sinuoli was studying tirelessly, relying on the effects of the ritual, but after a few months, his reclusive studies were finally interrupted.

"Master Sinuoli, something has happened! Your Clan is calling you to the hall for a meeting!" Henlide shouted, pounding on the door of Sinuoli's Forging Room. Following their return to Everpeak, Captain Gelunsen and his men had returned to their posts, and now Henlide and Rogov were responsible for Sinuoli's safety.

"What, what good news is it this time?" Sinuoli pushed open the door, his eyes bloodshot. Before he could finish his sentence, he looked up and saw the sorrowful expression on the face of the massive Dwarf before him.

"What is it, Henlide?" Sinuoli asked curiously; ever since he returned to Everpeak, he had heard nothing but one piece of good news after another.

"Sigh, the Angrund Clan, they, sigh! You will know once you go!" Henlide sighed repeatedly, unwilling to say more.

Sinuoli washed his face and walked out of the room. He followed Henlide, noticing along the way that many of his kin had tear-stained faces. In the same hall where his own reward had been discussed, the high-ranking members of the Drazkrad Clan sat in a circle.

"As everyone knows, the expedition of the Angrund Clan has failed again!" Thorgrim said sorrowfully from the head seat.

"I said it before!"

"Goblin-bred!"

Although they might have already cursed when they first received the news, the elders grumbled nonetheless.

"Uh, what exactly happened?" Sinuoli asked. To be honest, he was most certain about the failure of the Angrund Clan; after all, they had not succeeded even when the End Times arrived.

"To make a long story short, they set out from Balake-Wa'er and traveled upstream along the Bloodwater River. They fought and stopped along the way, first crushing the enemies entrenched at Gangtieyan, then feinting an attack on Black Crag while actually detouring to Karak-Delang, that is, Thunder Fort."

Aunt Suoniya quickly explained to Sinuoli. Cousin Tomi had grown up quite a bit following the caravan, and her family had become closer to Sinuoli.

"Then Duomujia led the team from the underground of Thunder Fort into the Earth Vein Network, heading toward Eight Peaks. Everything went smoothly at first; the secret passages that the Rune Master had sealed when the Angrund Clan retreated last time had not been destroyed. They used the secret passages to strike directly into the clan treasury deep within the fortress."

Suoniya's narrative did not contain much complaint or commentary; Sinuoli knew that if it were Uncle Longchui telling it, he wouldn't have reached this point in an hour.

"They successfully opened the gates of the treasury and retrieved a vast amount of wealth from one of the richest clans of the Golden Age. If they had retreated then, this expedition could have been called a success, but they didn't. Perhaps it was because things had gone too smoothly that Duomujia misjudged the situation."

Aunt Suoniya sighed, and Sinuoli handed her a cup of coffee. "And then? They continued to push deeper?"

"Yes, Duomujia abandoned his previous caution and suddenly became reckless. He even wanted to reclaim Karak-Eight Peaks right then and there!"

"How could he dare!"

"How many men did he even have!"

Even though it wasn't the first time they had heard this story, the elders still lamented the foolishness of Prince Duomujia.

"He set out from the underground treasury toward the upper levels of the fortress, and then they encountered a large horde of rats! After finally breaking through the rats, those clansmen ran straight into a Goblin nest! They were outnumbered; the number of enemies must have been dozens of times their own!"

"But they still managed to break out, how did they do it?" Sinuoli knew the story of Belegar Ironhammer; this resilient clan was not supposed to die out here.

"Perhaps the Ancestor Goddess was protecting them in the shadows. They fought as they retreated, arriving at the place where King Luen fought to his death! The last bloodline of the Angrund Clan awakened the heroic spirit of the former king!"

"Luen-Tiechui, he was the last king to rule Eight Peaks recorded in historical documents. Until the very end, he steadfastly fulfilled his duty. To buy time for the Rune Masters to seal the Ancestral Tomb, he gave up his chance to escape and fought to the end with his guard, successfully ensuring that the ancestors' rest would not be disturbed by foreign enemies."

Dolson spoke sorrowfully of the ancient story. King Luen was a microcosm of the many Dwarf lords who perished with their Shanbao during the Dark Age.

"As for the ancestral spirits, how should I put it? Their reasons for remaining in the Mortal World vary, but the two necessities are powerful strength during their lifetime and a deep-seated Grudge or obsession. The great Grimbrindal is an example, though he is immeasurably stronger than King Luen."

Tiezhuoshugong introduced. The ancestral spirits had not appeared for a thousand years, and he had spent a great deal of effort finding relevant records in the archives. However, Sinuoli had known this for a long time; he had had plenty of contact with Belegar and his four spectral grandfathers.

"The former king of Eight Peaks pointed out a secret escape passage for his descendants, but they were eventually caught up to by the crazed Night Goblins. Duomujia did not disgrace his clan; after handing the heirloom equipment to his younger brother, he stayed behind with his Andeglang Oath Guard,"

"And then they all died in battle without taking a single step back!"

Suoniya choked up as she spoke, and Uncle Longchui filled in the final outcome for her.

"After coming out of the fortress, those thieves still refused to let our clansmen go, and they suffered a great deal in the mountains of the Badlands. Finally, by a stroke of fate, they awakened the spirit of Delama-Chuiquan, who guided the survivors to safety."

"Delama-Chuiquan was the former Engineering Master of Eight Peaks. After the city fell, he refused to leave his homeland lightly. He organized a guerrilla force to fight against the invaders, but after one battle, there was no more news of him."

Dolson took up the thread. The thousand-year tug-of-war for Karak-Eight Peaks had produced countless heroic and tragic figures, but it had yet to return to the embrace of the Mountain Kingdom.

"So what now? Belegar—I can call him Belegar Ironhammer now, right? Where is he?" Sinuoli stroked his beard and asked.

"Patience, child. That is the purpose of our meeting. He is currently resting in Balake-Wa'er, and he is also waiting!" Thorgrim looked at Sinuoli and said.

"He has quite a lot to wait for!" Sinuoli stroked his beard and smiled. He finally understood why the clan had specifically called him over; although he had attained the status of an elder, he had never attended this kind of meeting before.

"Indeed. Eight Peaks was once the center of the Mother Goddess's faith. Your—no, the attitude of the Ancestor Goddess is critical!" Yushou Nainai stared into Sinuoli's eyes.

"Regarding, ahem, the fact that Grimbrindal appeared in the Grey Mountains and saved your caravan, it is now the hottest topic in the taverns, and interpretations of this event are also fermenting."

Longchui hesitated to speak, and Sinuoli signaled that he understood. "I must go back and prepare for the ritual!"