Chapter 214: Recruitment and Haimenguan

"Could it be that you know?" Andemuge was also startled to see Sinuoli's reaction; this news was extremely secret, and he could not even be certain of its authenticity.

"Hahaha, I have my own sources of information!" Sinuoli covered it up with an awkward yet mysterious laugh. In the eyes of this highly adventurous young Dwarf, Sinuoli seemed even more unfathomable.

Calculating the time, the matters between Dieter IV and Malienbao should still be in the brewing stage; being able to inquire about relevant news showed that Andemuge's intelligence network already had considerable strength.

"Let us talk about the matter of Gaoyuanbao!" Sinuoli changed the subject.

"I have a map here that I am willing to offer you! My ancestor once collected news about that old land, and he himself explored along the Nan Shijie Bianyuan Shanmai. According to his diary, he reached a fertile land between the mountains, and was subsequently driven out by something beyond his range of understanding." Andemuge handed over a map and a diary.

"Something beyond his range of understanding?" Sinuoli muttered as he took and unfolded the map; it appeared very ancient, an item with quite a few years on it.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Sinuoli flipped through it quickly, matching the contents one by one with the strategic map in his mind's system. When he discovered that the prominent landmarks were more or less the same, Sinuoli could almost confirm its authenticity.

"This thing is quite good!" Sinuoli directly affirmed the young man's contribution. "Tell me, what is it that you want?"

"I want to join your Expeditionary Force; finding Gaoyuanbao is also my ancestor's long-cherished wish!"

"By the Ancestor Goddess! My team welcomes every qualified warrior. If providing such high-value intelligence were the condition for joining, I fear I wouldn't even be able to gather enough gunners." Sinuoli laughed and made a joke.

"Then, perhaps you could give me some opportunities to demonstrate my abilities? Outside the Qunshan, our influence is still relatively weaker." Andemuge conceded a step first, only then putting forward his true request.

"It is only right! What shall I appoint you as? A person in charge of a troop type, or my staff adjutant?" Sinuoli was still looking forward to Andemuge's abilities, but the young Dwarf's reply startled him.

"Uh, what I mean is, I hope that after the matter is accomplished, you can recommend me to your father, High King Thorgrim."

Sinuoli was stunned upon hearing this; ever since he transmigrated, this was the first time he had been rebuffed. Before this, he had always been comparable to the "Timely Rain Song Jiang" of his past life; others would bow down upon seeing him and call him the "Chosen of the Goddess" directly.

Being looked down upon for having a small temple, Sinuoli could not refute it, as it was indeed the truth; how could his makeshift troupe compare to the High King's Court?

"Ahahaha! Good, good, work hard, and when the time comes, I will naturally recommend you to my father!" Sinuoli had already forced a laugh for the second time in a short period, and he breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

It was fortunate that Andemuge hoped to be recommended only after exploring Gaoyuanbao; if he had wanted Sinuoli to fulfill the reward right now, it would have been truly difficult to handle. The Dwarf population was only so large, and the so-called High King's Court establishment was also quite limited.

Someone comes to join with a very valuable map, and if Sinuoli only gave him a grassroots civil servant position, he wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone. Mid-level positions were already scarce, and under the nepotism of the Dwarfs, most were already occupied; if he were to force one out, the trouble would be secondary, but more importantly, it would cause the clansmen to gossip.

Sinuoli's growing reputation had already made his relationship with his elder brother somewhat subtle, and his staying behind closed doors in the Forging Room for the past few years to avoid the clansmen's rumors was partly for that reason. In such a situation, if he were to directly interfere with his father's personnel appointments, it would appear presumptuous.

In the time that followed, Sinuoli dispatched Tomi and Balin to purchase grain in the Empire of Man during the autumn harvest. Considering that the territory conquered might need to be managed before it could be cultivated, and the first batch of troops were all combat units with no clansmen engaged in production, Sinuoli felt that it would be good if they could be self-sufficient after two years; there was no harm in hoarding more grain.

He himself, under the protection of the Anvil Guard, left the World's Edge Mountains, traveled by boat down the Luguhe, and headed toward Balake-Wa'er, that is, Haimenguan.

Haimenguan was the only port city of the Dwarfs in the Old World, and goods from the World's Edge Mountains had always been transported from here to outside the Dwarf world. She had therefore become an extremely important trade center.

Many merchants from the Southlands, Ind, and even Zhendan would also choose to unload their cargo at this Dwarf fortress located at the end of Blackwater Bay.

Although this still required the layer-upon-layer of exploitation and attrition of land transport to get the goods into the Empire of Man or Bretonnia, for sea merchants, it was undoubtedly much safer than heading to Marienburg while braving the threats of the Vampire Coast's undead ships, the Dark Elf pirates' Black Arks, the Norscan longships, and so on.

The road from Everpeak to Haimenguan was currently very safe; the ships of Haimenguan cleared the enemies along the waterway, while the Army of Everpeak dealt with the petty thieves on both banks.

Sinuoli moved downstream very quickly, but he did not take the boat all the way to the end; instead, he went ashore near the river mouth. Haimenguan, as a fortress completed during the Golden Age, had its own unique features; although it was also a port, it was vastly different from the city of Bordeleaux he had seen before.

Her main body was carved out of the cliffs on the north coast of Blackwater Bay. Below the cliff was a huge deep-water port and an anchorage for the Dwarf navy, and the Luguhe also led a canal to this place.

In this situation, water transport and other conventional operations were separated, and large elevators and tunnels connected the lower port to the upper structures. This design was initially intended to deal with potential threats from the sea.

Sinuoli's visit this time was an official one; he disembarked early and visited Haimenguan from the main gate via a mountain road. Lord Panuosi also personally welcomed his arrival at the city gate.

This gray-bearded Dwarf lord had previously supported the expedition of the Angrund Clan, but he was not as deeply bound to this clan as the one at Tongshanbao. After suffering losses, he did not continue to increase his stake, turning instead to invest in another project.

Sinuoli had previously negotiated the rental of ships with him through the Rune telegraph and the back-and-forth communication of messengers, but before setting off, Sinuoli still decided to come in person to confirm it.

The group headed straight for the Lingzhudating at the highest point of the fortress. Sinuoli discovered that this was a sufficiently open Dwarf fortress, similar to Weifengbao and Haojiaobao. Here, one could see Humans from all over the world, and the attire of the clansmen was also relatively less traditional.