Chapter 281: Return to Red Cloud Mountain

A grand banquet left the Dwarfs and the Pygmies both satisfied as hosts and guests. Sinuoli was in a rush to depart; he had Clan Chief Gelate and Dunbiya discuss further matters of cooperation, leaving uncertain items to be finalized upon his return.

The Dwarfs' control over the road between Zhuwangshan and Red Cloud Mountain was clearly much stronger, and mixed patrols from various clans ensured the safety of this vital mountain pass. Soon, Sinuoli and his party arrived before Coffin Canyon.

"Senior Brother, how goes the clearing of the Undead in the canyon?" At this distance, Sinuoli could easily contact Master Nathan without the Doom Anvil.

"Not bad. I personally took action to maintain a safe passage, but there is still a significant distance to go before they are completely wiped out. I have organized the previous two batches of immigrants to clear the area while repairing the road."

Master Nathan replied quickly, and Sinuoli followed the directions to find the safe path. Although Master Nathan had previously been immersed in Fuweng-Jishu, this did not mean he lacked capability.

This powerful Rune Master had delineated a path through the canyon and organized the construction of over ten bunkers along the way, personally carving Runes to repel the Undead onto the outer walls.

Such an arrangement was sufficient to keep low-level Undead away from this passage, but it was still not enough to repel elite Grave Guard and above. For this reason, each bunker was garrisoned by a small squad of warriors, and key nodes were equipped with Artillery.

Relying on such a cluster of bunkers could effectively control the road out of the mountains. Once a large construct that the rear could not handle appeared, the bunkers could also serve as a warning, allowing troops to be mobilized from Red Cloud Mountain to surround and annihilate it.

Following the bunker cluster, Sinuoli spent a day crossing the great canyon. This stretch of road was indeed much safer than when he had arrived, making him secretly applaud his Senior Brother and the capable people around him.

"Long time no see, Qiangsen!" Sinuoli saw his former Anvil Guard Captain waiting for him in front of the fortress.

"Thanks to you and the Ancestor Gods, Red Cloud Mountain is doing very well, and it will only get better in the future!" The Dwarf's voice was as resonant as ever. Sinuoli could see that he lacked rest, but the power that came hand-in-hand with responsibility also made him look spirited.

"How many clansmen are there in total here now?" Sinuoli asked as they walked.

"Over four thousand, my liege!" Under Sinuoli's arrangements, the permanent immigrants had not yet been settled in Gaoyuanbao, but were all gathered in the two fortresses of Red Cloud Mountain and Zhuwangshan, which could reduce some of the loss of grain during transport.

"We did not dare to discount your instructions. You have just inspected the road in the canyon, and the road out of the mountains to Quata is also nearly finished."

"Good. Red Cloud Mountain is the facade of our entire Nan Shijie Bianyuan Shanmai. Building this place well can greatly increase the sense of security for the immigrants!" Sinuoli praised. He was well-versed in the role of a sales office; regardless of what the interior looked like, the exterior had to be made to look beautiful.

"Is this your idea? Or did someone suggest it?"

Walking to the main entrance, Sinuoli realized that the figures depicted by the giant statues on both sides of the gate were actually himself! On the left was the classic image of the Ancestor Goddess Valaya with a wine cup in one hand and a scroll in the other, while on the right was himself, holding a Warhammer and gazing in the direction of Quata.

"This was an idea gathered from the brothers' collective wisdom. Your great achievements are already enough to be mentioned in the same breath as the kings who opened up territory during the Golden Age!"

Qiangsen-Jian Dun said solemnly. Sinuoli pursed his lips; he felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier. Walking into the fortress, the clansmen along the way were surprised at first, then cheered upon seeing him.

Sinuoli knew their surprise was partly because he had come suddenly, and partly because of his short black beard that only reached his chest. Everyone knew he was the son of Thorgrim and not very old, but having grown accustomed to lords of middle age and older, it was inevitable to praise a young hero when they truly saw one.

"You've come. Management is truly not an easy job. To be honest, in the Old World, I could barely even manage the affairs of our guild."

Sinuoli walked into the lord's office on the upper level, and Master Nathan looked up from a pile of documents. The Senior Brother pushed up his glasses, stood up to give the seat behind the desk to Sinuoli, and sat down opposite him.

"Repairing the roads at both ends, clearing the Undead, rectifying the fortress, exploring the Earth Vein Network, collecting intelligence from the north, and calculating and allocating supplies. Adding all these damn things together, I would rather go into the mines to mine. The young people nowadays don't even understand how to swing a pickaxe. If you ask me, the mineral deposits here are much richer than the Silver Road, yet it took them several weeks to find a barren copper mine."

Master Nathan seemed to have endless complaints, but Sinuoli chose to listen. He was filled with gratitude that such a Rune Master had traveled thousands of miles to the Southlands without asking for maintenance fees.

"Overall, Senior Brother, you are doing a great job, aren't you? The clansmen always say that a beard is a symbol of wisdom, and this is vividly displayed in you." Sinuoli flattered him gently.

"Hahaha! That may be so, but there are still two Little Beards who are doing a very good job, otherwise my old bones really wouldn't be able to handle it!" Master Nathan smiled; he had heard such flattery many times over the centuries.

"Oh? Qiangsen?" Sinuoli guessed one.

"That loud-mouthed young man? After two drinks, he's busy bragging about his good eye for things, keeping me awake in the middle of the night!" The Senior Brother leaned back and shook his head.

"One is Ailike of the Heerhaiyin Clan. You should have heard of the clan he comes from; their luck has never been very good."

"The Heerhaiyin Clan that once ruled the Bottomless Steps? After the Bottomless Steps fell, they went to Eight Peaks, and Eight Peaks fell not long after. Since then, haven't they been scattered to make a living?"

Sinuoli remembered. In his past life's game, he often used the two low-level elite units, "Bottomless Steps Miner" and "Dragonfire Pass Warrior," and both were related to the Heerhaiyin Clan, so he had some understanding of them.

"That time when the noble god Thurni bestowed divine grace, many clansmen awakened Rune Power. That kid Ailike also thought he was one of the god-favored, and ran over excitedly to ask to be your apprentice."

"And then? Senior Brother, did you intercept him out of love for talent?" Sinuoli asked with a smile.

"Not at all. I checked and found he didn't have that talent; it was his family heirloom that had been accidentally activated at the time. However, the kid had already bragged and was too embarrassed to return to the north, so he stayed to work. Unexpectedly, his ability is quite good. The fortress in Coffin Canyon was built under his supervision."

"What is lost in the east is gained in the west! And the other one?" Sinuoli continued to ask.

"Snap!"

"Clang!"

Before Master Nathan could answer, a noisy sound came from downstairs. The two Rune Masters stopped their conversation and looked down from the railing.