Chapter 215: Routes and Warships

"Your plan is to take the water route, going upstream along the Great Mortis River, then turning into the Jin Liu He, and finally arriving directly near Karak-Hongyun Shan, from where you will enter the Nan Shijie Bianyuan Shanmai through the Coffin Canyon, is that right?" Lord Panuosi traced Sinuoli's planned route on the map with a charcoal pencil.

"Correct!"

There are generally three options for traveling to Kalake-Zuen. Besides the route Sinuoli chose, one could also set out from Karak-Azul, also known as Tiefengbao, the southernmost stronghold of the Mountain Kingdom, and march directly along the mountain range.

In the original game, Suoruike Ironbrow should have taken this path. But he himself is the Rune Master of Tiefengbao; if Sinuoli wanted to do that, he would first have to cross the Badlands to reach Tiefengbao.

Another option is to take a ship and sail around the Southlands for the better part of a circle, disembarking at the point closest to the legendary Gaoyuanbao. This would minimize combat on land, but the long voyage would require preparing a massive amount of food, destined to be suitable only for small-scale expeditions.

The path Sinuoli chose is the one that is relatively the least prone to error. Many Dwarf explorers have traveled it before him, though none of them managed to reach Gaoyuanbao in the end. The Admiral of the Haimenguan fleet is also relatively familiar with this operation.

"Good, but I must tell you, our ships cannot deliver your Expeditionary Force directly to the end of the Jin Liu He, at the foot of Red Cloud Mountain." Lord Panuosi tugged at his long beard.

"Why? Looking at the notes from those previous explorers, couldn't they all be delivered to that location? Could it be that the Tomb Kings are restless again?" Sinuoli was somewhat puzzled.

"The closer you get to the upper reaches, the greater the drop in the river, the lower the water volume, and the more rapid the current. The scale of your Expeditionary Force is much larger than those explorer teams; I would have to dispatch the largest ships, but those ships cannot make it up there!" Lord Panuosi explained.

"Then I will have to walk a stretch through the Land of the Dead!" Sinuoli leaned over the map and looked carefully. The Dwarf Lord was speaking the truth, but it also meant his troubles had increased a little.

"You might also need to establish a stronghold!" A young Dwarf walked in. "Building a port in a suitable place will make it more convenient to unload and load cargo in the future."

"This is my son, Panuosen. He is already an excellent captain. He will command the fleet on this trip. I plan to dispatch the Grimnir's Thunder Dreadnought, plus a few Ironclads." Lord Panuosi looked up and introduced him to Sinuoli.

"Nice to meet you! Everything at sea will have to be entrusted to you!" Sinuoli shook hands with the young man who had entered.

"It is my honor to contribute to reclaiming the ancestral homelands!" Panuosen hammered his chest. He was wearing silk clothing, perhaps because Haimenguan is close to the ocean and the climate is relatively warm.

"Some of the sailing ships promised by your ally, the Duke of Bordeleaux, Kangsitanting, have arrived, and he also provided a navigator whose skills are quite good." Lord Panuosi finished talking about the warships and then spoke of the transport ships.

The Dwarf fleet of Balake-Wa'er only has warships and no civilian ships. This is because the Sons of the Mountains first built ships during the War of the Beard, in order to be able to strike at the bases the High Elves had established at sea, and also to resolve the harassment by the Elves.

The High Elf Dragon ships carrying harassment troops could easily land in the vast majority of the Old World, then directly seek out and attack the weak points between the various Dwarf strongholds.

When facing those Great Dragons and Flame Phoenixes of the High Elves that could both fly and breathe fire, choosing to build ships out of wood was undoubtedly wishing one's beard was too long. Therefore, all Dwarf warships are made of steel and powered by massive Steam Engines.

These warships can be called steel fortresses on the sea, equipped with rotating turrets to provide powerful firepower, and they travel relying on Steam Engines and paddle wheels, without needing to rely on unstable sea winds.

During the War of the Beard, the Dwarf navy was sufficient to contend with the Elves at sea, and in fact, it suppressed the Elf naval fleet.

But after the War of the Beard, due to the lack of rivals, most Dwarfs did not like drifting on the sea, so the military strength of the fleet shrank rapidly. Now, they can only be seen at Haimenguan, the most important port for the Dwarfs.

If such an Ironclad were used for transport, not to mention that there is not much space left for goods, the cost of fuel alone could make the shipowner unable to make ends meet.

Therefore, they are mainly used to maintain the status of Haimenguan as a "safe harbor," to clear out any pirates who dare to enter Blackwater Bay, and to provide artillery support for the Border Princes when necessary—billed by the number of shells fired.

Sinuoli readily accepted the suggestion to go see the port. He and the lord and his son took the royal private elevator to quickly descend to the port located under the cliff.

Here, Sinuoli saw a large number of Human laborers unloading cargo, and he also saw the figures of Ogres; these big guys can rely on their own immense strength to fill their equally large appetites.

Under the maintenance of the successive masters of Haimenguan, there are only two buildings in the port area—the Haiyang Engineer Hanghui and the customs office for collecting taxes.

Beside the customs office, Sinuoli saw a familiar figure—Lady Shuman, a high-ranking Priest of Mannan'en who had fought side by side with him in the city of Bordeleaux. She was loudly preaching the doctrines of the Sea God.

Lady Shuman's preaching had a fairly good response; many sailors were gathered around her praying, among whom were many Dwarf figures. However, when they were reminded of Sinuoli's arrival, these clansmen found the nearest thing at hand to cover their heads and faces and ran away as fast as they could.

"This, this is truly shameful! The ancestors of Balake-Wa'er will not forgive all this!" Lord Panuosi was very angry at the actions of his subjects, but Sinuoli pacified him; as long as they did not believe in the evil gods of Chaos, believing in something else would not have much impact.

"What wind blew you here!" Sinuoli walked up and greeted her. This lady is a spellcaster above the average level, far less unaggressive than she looks.

"Respected Dwarf Prince, my Duke said that there is a group of intelligent races here who make a living from the sea lacking guidance, so he sent me here to spread the faith of my God!" Lady Shuman recognized Sinuoli; this Dwarf nobleman could be said to be in the limelight throughout the entire Old World.

"As far as I know, none of the noble gods have Authority over the ocean. I suppose you wouldn't mind having a small Shenkan here to protect your clansmen who sail on the sea, would you?" This Priest had done some homework, which was also the reason why her preaching had not been directly banned by the master of Haimenguan.

"Of course, may Mannan'en protect all sailors! I will have to trouble you for my long voyage later!" Sinuoli smiled and granted her convenience.