Chapter 258: Territorial Security

"We need a spokesperson for this matter." Sinuoli stroked his beard; selecting suitable neighbors was not a task to be taken lightly, as even among the Knights who served the Lady, there were bound to be scoundrels.

"I suggest you ask His Majesty Thorgrim to step forward and speak directly with the Knight King and Beast Slayer, Chalun. After all, the area of the Lost Plateau is as large as two duchies combined. Even if you do not intend to cede all of it, the number of Knights migrating over will not be small."

A young man who had not spoken before offered this suggestion. His name was Groin; he hailed from the same Clan as Ouyin and was Ouyin's cousin. But unlike the middle-aged man who had worked half his life and grown disillusioned with the ruling class, this young man still held deep respect and awe for royal authority.

"Well said!" Sinuoli praised. Thinking over such a major matter by himself was not as convenient as finding his father; after all, it is good to lean on a big tree for shade.

"Draft a proposal. Once Lord Panuosi returns to the Old World and we make contact, we must execute it. Development should be done sooner rather than later!" Sinuoli signaled for his subordinates to make their own arrangements. He did not want to handle the details; he had traveled here but had yet to enjoy himself, and if he worried about everything himself, what would he do if he wore himself out?

"Looking one or two steps ahead in the general direction, what should I do in the second five-year period?" With time to spare, Sinuoli began to think further.

"Ensure the security of the territory!" he wrote. There were two Elf factions around Gaoyuanbao; at the very least, he had to reach a non-aggression pact or a higher-level treaty with them to secure a stable rear.

"In the Lost Plateau, to the east are the Tomb Kings under Settra. They might not necessarily come to disturb us, but Arkhan the Black must be guarded against."

Sinuoli muttered while writing. Arkhan, imitating his master, had built himself a smaller Black Pyramid—the Black Pyramid of Arkhan. He lurked there, plotting for the resurrection of Nagash.

The Lich King possessed heaven-defying magical power and was vaguely the leader of the Undead forces in the world. It was said that Vampires and Necromancers were also serving him. Even the Immortal Emperor could do nothing to him, and for this reason, he had even gone so far as to humble himself to recruit others, using incentives to lure the Dwarfs into opposing him.

"I don't know what's in the rainforest to the west for now, but as long as they aren't an Order race, we can try to cooperate with the Lizardmen. We shouldn't need to worry about Zhuwangshan; the Brood Queen managed it for thousands of years, and after she was killed, nothing dared to come and court disaster."

"The difficulty still lies in Red Cloud Mountain!" Sinuoli frowned as he looked at the map. The Tomb Kings west of Coffin Canyon had not been conquered by Settra, and there were traces of high-level Vampires in Lahmia.

What was even more terrifying was that it was separated from the Nagashi-Huangyuan by only a strait. The city that the Lord of Undeath established after being defeated for the first time was right across the strait. It was said that there had once been a massive reserve of Warpstone beneath it, and Nagash had fought a century-long war with the Skaven for it.

Sinuoli had no intelligence regarding Nagashizzar, but he could guess with his eyes closed that some evil force must be occupying it. He suddenly thought of Minas Morgul and the Nazgûl from the Lord of the Rings in his past life.

North of Red Cloud Mountain were the Badlands. A very important point in Sinuoli's second major step was to open up the land route between Red Cloud Mountain and Karak-Azul. The ocean did not belong to the Dwarfs after all; if they relied entirely on sea transport, the consequences would be unimaginable should any variables arise.

The hardest part of this route was the unknown. The Dwarfs did not know how many Greenskins were in the tunnels and mountain ravines, nor could they distinguish which tribe they belonged to or who they answered to.

The entire Badlands was a paradise for Greenskins; they were happily "brawling" at every moment, and once a Warboss emerged among them to unify the tribes, the disaster of the Old World would arrive.

If Red Cloud Mountain and Tiefengbao could be connected, then relying on that as a base to recover the Eight Peaks, Dragon Crag, and Black Crag would not be building on thin air. Sinuoli knew that King Kazador of Tiefengbao would be happy to cooperate with him; he was also a Dragon Slayer.

But if he wanted to launch a northern expedition, he first had to ensure the safety of the Nan Shijie Bianyuan Shanmai. To ensure safety, Sinuoli thought, he had to build the sequence of buildings including the Gunpowder Furnace and the Artillery Foundry. Even if he couldn't produce Helicopters himself, he at least had to be able to manufacture Cannons.

"Next is to wait for news!" Stacking the documents together, Sinuoli shifted his bottom to make himself more comfortable, and he fell into a reverie about the future:

Lord Panuosi confirmed his victory, the mountain winds carried the news of victory in all directions, and the entire Mountain Kingdom was cheering Sinuoli's name. Large amounts of population and resources poured in continuously, the territory flourished, Sinuoli's strength rose with the tide, he trampled the Council of Thirteen underfoot, smashed the Everchosen with his hammer, and then...

A month later, Sinuoli's anvil emitted a glow.

"Can you receive this? This is Red Cloud Mountain." Noli translated.

"Of course!" Sinuoli laughed heartily. With Master Nathan acting as an intermediary, he could finally conveniently contact the Everpeak.

"Counting the days, Lord Panuosi should be back by now. I wonder how much support the kings of the various states will give me!" Sinuoli licked his lips in anticipation.

"News from the Everpeak: the various city-states and guilds have resolved to grant you and the warriors of the Expeditionary Force a reward of five thousand Oath Gold! One thousand will be issued in cash, and the rest can be credited anywhere in the Mountain Kingdom."

"Wonderful, this is a huge sum!" Sinuoli praised.

"However, they have each put forward some requests or questions. Let me see, most of them want Rune Guards, and there are also hopes that you can pray to the Mother Goddess for them."

"Reasonable." Sinuoli nodded. The support at the very beginning of the expedition was free of charge, as he had nothing back then; it was only right that subsequent support required some compensation.

"From Tiefengbao, King Kazador and Rune Master Thorek Ironbrow are providing you with forty sets of Hammer Guard equipment, with no strings attached." Noli continued to report.

"Although few are willing to admit it, the weapons of Tiefengbao are perhaps the best in the Mountain Kingdom." Sinuoli praised. Tiefengbao was named for its abundant and high-quality iron ore resources.

Matching this were the most advanced forging and rune production lines, craftsmen who strictly adhered to standards, and Ironbrow, that stubborn, hot-tempered foreman. All these made Tiefengbao's high-quality weapons bestsellers in the Old World, and also supported her standing like a reef in the vast ocean of Greenskins in the Badlands.

As the nearest neighbor, it was normal for King Kazador to show goodwill. Sinuoli was not an unreasonable Dwarf, so he would naturally offer Rune Guards in return.

"Master wants you to put forward your requirements!" The content that followed made Sinuoli's heart skip a beat.