Chapter 272: Eastern Spices

"Woo-ah! Woo-ah!"

Seeing Sinuoli's actions, the Skink shopkeeper began to gesticulate and shriek strangely. Sinuoli found everything in the Shenmiaochengshi fresh and new, but were the Lizardmen not the same when looking at him and the Amazon translator? In the blink of an eye, a crowd of onlookers had gathered around him.

"It means if you aren't buying, don't touch."

The Amazon translator was a bit embarrassed; she had not expected the dignified Dwarf King of the Nan Shijie Bianyuan Shanmai to be so uncomposed.

"Money? I have plenty!"

Sinuoli fished a large handful of gold coins from his bosom and slapped them onto the Skink's counter. Seeing a table full of glittering Dwarf Gold Coins, the shrieking of the surrounding Skinks became even more intense.

In Lizardmen society, gold is used to craft plaques to record information, but clearly, these items are deeply bound to the authority of those in power. Only Slann and certain high-ranking Priests are qualified to read and use them; for commoner Skinks, it is naturally forbidden.

"Woo, hiss!"

The shopkeeper's tone changed immediately. Sinuoli gently rubbed the spices, countless thoughts flashing through his mind, from the development of his territory and future goals to the experiences and memories of his past life.

"Boss, what do you say?"

Seeing the boss standing there stunned for a long time, the Amazon, unable to make sense of the situation, could not help but ask.

"Hoo! Hoo!"

Sinuoli shivered before coming back to his senses, gasping for air. Since crossing over, this was the first time the Dwarf had felt fear; even when he had faced Tzeentch immediately after arriving, he had not felt this way, being a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger.

The source of this feeling was multifaceted. First was the unknown—his knowledge of Zhendan and even the entire East was so sparse it could be written on a single sheet of paper. His past life's games did not contain this part of the content; if he went, he certainly could not be a Seer as he was here, planning before acting.

Another source was "possession." Nowadays, he possessed far, far more than when he first crossed over: strength, territory, prestige, wealth, and so on. These made him fearful of adventure.

As for the last source, it was, of course, the timidity of one approaching home; at his core, he was still willing to count himself as a Cathayan. One must know, he had a whole heap of poems and essays in his mind that had nowhere to be used!

It was not that he had not read Western classics in his past life, but taking Shakespeare's classics as an example, he only remembered the plot summaries. *Hamlet* could not be replicated just by relying on an outline plus the phrase "to be, or not to be, that is the question."

"Give me a stool; I have some things to ask it. Tell it that if it answers well, everything on the table is a gift for it!" Sinuoli instructed.

The power of gold was strong to the extreme; the Skink boss simply closed the shop door and sat down with the two visitors.

"Where do these spices come from?" Sinuoli asked, squinting his eyes.

"The East, the land of spices, a land flowing with milk and honey," the Amazon translated.

"Nonsense! The East is a big place! Be specific!" The Dwarf King was very dissatisfied with this answer; even a three-year-old in the Old World knew that spices were sold from the East.

"It says it doesn't know either; these things were imported from Tiaya Kua."

"Tiaya Kua?" Sinuoli tapped into the system in his mind to search. Soon he discovered that it was also a Shenmiaochengshi, located a bit further south of the Baigu Shenmiaochengshi.

"It says there is a Dongfang Bazha there, where Eastern merchants arrive by Zuochan to trade. Their goods include exotic artifacts, spices, and silk. However, Lizardmen have no need for the last one."

"Bazha?" Sinuoli chewed on the word. As a former Northwesterner, he knew this was a Uyghur word meaning bazaar or farmers' market. He had even been to a place called the International Grand Bazaar. But it was rare to see this word combined with "Eastern."

"Fine, it seems I need to make a trip there." After asking about some related details, Sinuoli rose and walked out of the shop door. He no longer had the leisure to keep wandering and headed straight for the Heiyaoshi Caijuechang.

If one wants to build a bridge tower, one cannot do it without raw materials, and obsidian, a volcanic ore capable of reacting with magic, was the best choice. The Baigu Shenmiaochengshi had no Kroxigor, so the work of mining stone naturally fell upon the Dwarfs.

"Brothers, put down the work in your hands for a moment!" Sinuoli stood in front of the construction site and shouted loudly. His subordinates put down their tools and waited for further instructions.

The vast majority of the Dwarf standing army was selected from ordinary conscripts. When a warrior accumulated enough experience and merit, he was considered suitable for making a living with weapons rather than tools. But this did not mean he would forget how to do simple work like mining stone.

"Stop the construction schedule! The Lizardmen's fruit wine is not bad, and the roasted meat is also very good. Tonight, everyone eat and drink your fill, and tomorrow accompany me to the south to take a look!" Sinuoli felt like a construction foreman; in fact, a Dwarf lord would indeed play this role when necessary.

"Praise the Ancestor Chosen!"

"May the Generous Snuori be with the gods!"

"Drink up, hahaha! It's been too long since we've celebrated like this!"

The Dwarfs cheered. They were going to take advantage of the night to relax, while Sinuoli, under the guidance of a Skink Priest, walked through the labyrinthine corridors inside the pyramid; he was going to see Outelakesi.

The walls inside the pyramid were likewise decorated with images and symbols depicting Lizardmen mythology and the totems of the gods. But unlike those outside, these were adorned with vivid colors, and the carving techniques were even more refined.

Deep in the path, Sinuoli stopped in front of a room painted with magic arrays. Standing at the door were two stronger, well-equipped Lizardmen.

Sinuoli suspected they were Scar-Veterans. Suoluoshi do not die of natural causes; the longer they survive in battle, the more they understand the meaning of an army to an individual. At the same time, the tempering of the battlefield also made their combat skills more perfect.

"Little Dwarf, why have you come again before I have even closed my eyes?" The Slann's telepathy rang out. It pacified the guards and simultaneously let the door open a crack.

"Taking a hot spring bath? How enjoyable!" Sinuoli saw Outelakesi sitting cross-legged in a pool inside the room; the misty water vapor somewhat obstructed Sinuoli's line of sight.

"Respected Slann, I have some private matters to attend to in Tiaya Kua. I have already notified the clansmen in the Shanbao about the bridge tower; a larger and more professional construction team will soon arrive to serve the Great Plan." Sinuoli's attitude was very humble; after all, running off halfway through a job was not a very responsible performance.

"As you wish. Lord Atike, who sits in command there, is a senior who is both a teacher and a friend to me, and his views on the Great Plan are similar to mine." Outelakesi's voice was still slow and leisurely, as two Skinks splashed pool water onto its back.

(The author of the previous Warhammer Lord has started a new book, "A Small Soldier of the Medieval Empire." Interested readers can go and support it.)