Chapter 249: Gaoyuanbao

Although the losses were heavy, Sinuoli noticed that the morale of his subordinates had not only failed to drop, but had instead become even higher. First, the High Elf had blocked their path, and then the Chaos Demon Army had appeared directly in the world; anyone could tell that they were on the right path and were simultaneously nearing their goal.

Every member of the Expeditionary Force was eager to march at a run to reach Gaoyuanbao, but the wounded and the War Machines forced them to slow their pace. Sinuoli appeared confident on the surface, but in reality, he had to pull out his map almost every hour to confirm their location and direction.

Two days later, in the map within his mind, Sinuoli finally found himself pressed right up against Gaoyuanbao.

"The Ancestor Goddess tells me we have arrived! Everyone capable of moving, set out immediately and explore in small squads!"

Sinuoli roared while riding on the back of a Rock Sheep. A full seven millennia had passed since the ancestors left Gaoyuanbao to head north; seven thousand years ago, the city of Bordeleaux was still a vast ocean, and Humans were no different from monkeys.

Due to the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions of the Dark Age, the Dwarfs had lost this city they had first established four thousand years ago; no one knew what state this city was in, or if it had been destroyed.

Sinuoli climbed down from the sheep's back and waited with the wounded; he felt that time had never passed so slowly. The helicopters had long since run out of fuel, and in the previous great battle, Altman had been forced to use them as horse-drawn carriages.

"Master, we found it!"

"Praise the Ancestor Goddess! Praise the Chosen of the Goddess, Sinuoli!"

Fortunately, Sinuoli's excited clansmen did not keep him waiting long; soon, a team of clansmen rushed back, cheering and reporting loudly.

"Move!"

Sinuoli gave the Rock Sheep's rear a slap, and the little sheep carried him running forward. A few minutes later, he saw a large group of clansmen gathered in front of a stone wall, clamoring noisily.

"Respected Chosen of the Goddess, it is right here!"

Brian Tongxu, this well-known insurer whose sense for ancient ruins was second to none, had locked onto this spot through twists and turns while other clansmen were still conducting a carpet search.

"This?"

Sinuoli stepped forward. "Perhaps I need a pair of glasses!" he muttered to himself; having studied knowledge and crafts in the dim environment underground for years, his eyesight was not as good as it once was.

"Look!"

Having witnessed the Avatar of the Gods, Brian was extremely respectful toward Sinuoli, so he did not play coy with him; seeing that Sinuoli could not tell at first glance, he spoke up to explain.

"Kalake-Zuen is the first fortress built by the ancestors. Unlike our current dwelling, this place has no, or rather, almost no surface portion. This stone wall is her gate, only it was sealed by the ancestors before they evacuated!"

Following Brian's finger, Sinuoli and the surrounding clansmen saw a set of gaps that would be impossible to notice without looking closely. It was clearly a habit passed down from that time to build gates exceptionally tall; without someone pointing it out, one really would not see them as door seams.

"How do we open it? Just push?" Sinuoli asked directly.

"You are the only Rune Master we have here, you must be the one to decide!" It was clear that Brian also had no experience opening such secret doors.

"It's been thousands of years, I reckon the power has leaked away significantly!" Sinuoli pondered, looking at the dim, lusterless Runes in the door seams.

He activated the Avatar of the Gods, transforming into a stone statue in front of his subordinates, and amidst a chorus of admiration, he placed his hands on the stone gate.

"Hiyah!"

Following a sharp shout, a "creak!" sound rang out, and a gap appeared on the stone wall.

"Fellows! Let us do it together! Share in the glory of reclaiming the Ancestral Lands!"

Sinuoli turned around to call out; the Dwarfs were already eager to try, and they swarmed forward, wanting to fight for a good spot to push the door. Such behavior undoubtedly earned Sinuoli another round of praise; he was very happy to use such cost-free methods to boost his reputation.

With everyone pushing together, the gate was pushed open.

"Careful!"

Sinuoli let out a roar, and an axe and a Warhammer came crashing down. Fortunately, the Dwarfs were somewhat orderly and did not scramble to squeeze into the gate.

"What is this?"

Two stone statues, each a head taller than Sinuoli himself, appeared in the eyes of the Expeditionary Force.

"Is this that kind of thing? Only much smaller!" Buluokesen crowded over.

The range of motion for these two stone statues seemed to be bounded by the gate; after the Dwarfs retreated from the gate, they stopped, but they still remained on guard.

Sinuoli of course knew what Buluokesen was talking about: the kind of Rune Colossus found in the deepest parts of the Engineer Guild. The two before him were likely miniature versions, only the size of an Ogre.

"This thing should be called a Rune Guard!"

Brian tugged at his beard. Sinuoli felt he was not very certain, but the Dwarf personality trait prompted this explorer to say it aloud.

"They have been discovered in some lost Shanbao before, only the Runes had been annihilated by time or they were damaged due to lack of maintenance. Therefore, it is very difficult to distinguish them from ordinary statues."

"Do we not have these things now?" Sinuoli did not remember the Eternal Peak having Rune Guards; logically, as long as they existed in this world, they should be found in the capital of the Mountain Kingdom.

"Ever since Chaos struck, the ancestors realized that Rune Guards were still inadequate when fighting against the Daemons of the Four Gods. The divine Mogelimu and Thurni developed a new type of Colossus the size of a giant, but unfortunately, the techniques to manufacture both these things were lost during the Dark Age."

Sinuoli looked at Brian, wondering why he knew so much, but in an instant, he figured it out. Guildmaster Buluoke had to ask even his novice self to repair a Rune Colossus, let alone this explorer famous throughout the Old World.

"Bring my Doom Anvil over!"

Sinuoli ordered, and he struck the Hearth and Home Rune. Sinuoli was not sure how these constructs distinguished friend from foe, but this original Rune was the best proof of his own Dwarf identity.

His judgment was not wrong; under the soothing influence of the Rune Power, the two stone statues stopped.

"Advance slowly!"

Maintaining the Avatar of the Gods state to lead the front, Sinuoli walked through a short corridor, and after soothing another pair of gate-guarding stone statues, the Dwarfs arrived in a great hall.

"The Ancestor Gods above!"

This hall was lined with a large number of statues; the Dwarfs observed them carefully. Aside from the seven Ancestor Gods standing at the front, most of the other figures carved had already been lost to history.

These were the batch of Dwarfs first created by the Old Ones; their strength was not as great as the Ancestor Gods, but they were still top-tier powerhouses. Sinuoli believed this place was the landmark building of Gaoyuanbao, the "Xianzu Dating".