Chapter 251: Revenue Statistics

Sinuoli secretly noted Brian's deduction in his heart; if there were an opportunity, he would still be willing to make a trip to Zhendan, and at that time, having some of his own kin would at least be a help.

Future matters were temporarily set aside, and the Dwarfs filed into the lower levels of the fortress one after another, where the Rune Guardians were more densely packed; fortunately, Sinuoli was already adept at pacifying them. Soon, they arrived before a sealed gate.

"The final harvest, don't let me down!"

Sinuoli muttered as he pushed open the gate, and what met his eyes was a dazzling golden light.

"Praise these shiny little darlings!"

"The Ancestor Gods have bestowed gold upon us, and it shall not lose its luster with the passage of time!"

"This is Gorlm, gold passed down through generations, stored in an ancient treasury; we must make proper use of it!"

Dwarfs have an extreme love for gold, so much so that they have created many terms to describe it. These terms distinguish the purity, luster, origin, and history of the gold, among other things.

"Balin! Register and catalog them! Every member of the Expeditionary Force is entitled to a share!" Sinuoli spoke up to soothe his clansmen, who were being dominated by the Kezhinzheng.

He pushed aside the gold piled into a small mountain as if swimming, exploring the interior of the treasury. Around the gold were also stacked a large number of crates; Sinuoli opened them one by one, and they were filled with raw ore, standard-issue equipment, and books.

"Nothing precious; well, of course, the ancestors surely took everything that could be called a treasure when they migrated!"

A trace of disappointment welled up in Sinuoli's heart, but he quickly adjusted his mindset. The quality of products from the Golden Age had its pros and cons compared to the present; nowadays, forging technology has improved, but the quality of raw ore is not as good as before.

The Dwarfs counted out three hundred sets of standard-issue Meteorite Armor and fifty sets of armor engraved with basic runes; in the Golden Age, all Dwarf warriors would have a set of Meteorite Armor instead of the normal Steel Plate Armor of today.

After giving instructions for the cataloging, Sinuoli let his clansmen swim happily in the ocean of gold coins, while he himself strolled over to the Ancestor tombs. The number of Rune Guardians here was the highest, equivalent to the sum of those in the offices and warehouses.

In legend, the earth gave birth to the Dwarf race, so when Dwarfs die, their bodies should also return to the earth. The living place great importance on protecting the rest of the deceased; the desecration of an Ancestor's tomb is enough to make every member of a Clan become a Slayer.

The Rune Smiths developed a series of runes to guard tombs and protect the souls of the dead, and they also joined forces with Engineers to build tireless Rune Guardians to maintain a constant watch.

Sinuoli did not come here for burial goods; the act of robbing a kinsman's tomb would make his reputation worse than even the rat-men—Skaven. Dwarfs do indeed have the habit of being buried with some personal items, but most are small trinkets like wine cups or tobacco pouches, while high-quality rune products are basically passed down as heirlooms to descendants.

Using the Hearth and Home Rune to pacify the Rune Guardians, Sinuoli bowed deeply beneath the statue of Gazul in front of the cemetery archway.

"Ancestors above! Your descendant Sinuoli has regained control of Kalake-Zuen and will surely renovate the tombs and arrange for sufficient tomb guards. Now I must transfer the Rune Guardians elsewhere; I ask the ancestors for their understanding!"

In this world, gods truly exist, and Sinuoli dared not show the slightest disrespect; he only took over control of the Rune Guardians after following the proper procedures.

It took another day to thoroughly explore the inside and outside of Gaoyuanbao, and the outsiders who had been camping outside the gates were also allowed to enter. Sinuoli sat in the Lord's office, looking at the summarized documents.

The documents recorded in detail everything discovered within Gaoyuanbao. There were a full thirty Rune Guardians; these constructs carved from stone were exceptionally sturdy and full of strength, and Sinuoli was certain that the Ogres and Ushabti encountered earlier were no match for them.

The Ogres under the command of the Iron-Head Ahetanmu were relatively low-level; they lacked high-quality weapons and equipment, and using flesh and blood to fight statues was undoubtedly seeking death.

As for the Ushabti, modeled after Humans, their bodies were slender, and their strength and resistance to impact were far inferior to the Rune Guardians, which were modeled after Dwarfs and were almost cube-shaped in their dimensions.

The methods for their manufacture and control were preserved here in the classics left behind by the Rune Smith Guild; although the cost was high, Sinuoli knew that this thing would surely be very popular in the Mountain Kingdom.

"Equivalent to three hundred thousand gold coins in gold, not bad!"

Looking at the calculated resource income, Sinuoli smiled even more happily; although a considerable portion of this huge sum needed to be used for compensation and rewards, the remainder should be enough for him to complete the first phase of territory construction.

"Assembly Hall, Armory, Forge, Smelter, Forging Room..."

He traced the internal map he had found with his finger; apart from lacking buildings related to gunpowder, Gaoyuanbao was basically ready for move-in, much better than the previous Red Cloud Mountain and Zhuwangshan.

"I have the money and the place, but I still lack manpower!" Sinuoli pinched the bridge of his nose.

He wanted to send the news of the successful expedition back to Everpeak at every moment, but he had been troubled by the lack of a capable person. Gaoyuanbao was too far from Tiefengbao, exceeding the communication range of the rune telegraphs; he would have to return to Red Cloud Mountain to make contact.

But for now, the hostile forces in the surrounding area, apart from the High Elves of Liming Yaosai, had not yet been fully identified, but that one High Elf colonial army alone made Sinuoli afraid to act rashly.

Currently, his Helicopter had no fuel, air superiority was completely lost, and he and his Doom Anvil were moving slowly across the Lost Plateau, unable to escape the sharp eyes of the Great Eagles.

No one knew what actions that Prince Afazeer would take, but whether it was an ambush along the way to kill Sinuoli himself or a surprise attack while Gaoyuanbao's defenses were empty, both were hard for him to accept.

"I wonder if the new function given by the Old One Taiboke has finished loading!" Sinuoli muttered as he clicked open the system, and he saw a function that made him overjoyed.

"Changing the Dwarf race from the root, hahahaha!"

The Dwarf leader, who had been left disheveled and weary by the expedition, burst into wild laughter in the empty office. Previous Valaya Rituals had only solved problems on the surface, treating the head when the head ached and the foot when the foot ached.

But the Old Ones were indeed worthy of being the creators of the Dwarfs; these guys could directly ensure the head would never ache again. Sinuoli saw that the latest function could gradually loosen the birth restrictions originally set for the Dwarf race by investing massive amounts of Revival Points. Everything from pregnancy probability to the gender ratio could be gradually improved.

Sinuoli did not hesitate for a moment; after leaving a few points in reserve, he invested all the rest into this function.