Chapter 29: Target, Mountain Lake Fortress!

"Outside, what is going on outside?" Feeling the headache from his hangover, Sinuoli asked Balin.

Balin shook his head; he handed Sinuoli a basin of clean water for washing before heading to the front courtyard. Sinuoli listened to the commotion outside while washing his face. Once Balin went out, the noise quickly subsided, followed by a series of heavy footsteps.

With a "Bang!", the door was pushed open forcefully, and a Dwarf rushed in and gave Sinuoli a big hug!

"Sinuoli, my good brother, you really are the pride of our Clan!" Sinuoli wiped his face and looked; it was his big brother Genuomu-Suiluozhe.

"By the Ancestor Gods! How many days has it been since I last returned? You've already become a Rune Master!" Genuomu exclaimed while patting Sinuoli on the head.

"I still remember you were all dizzy back then, asking me what a Rune Master was! Praise the Ancestor Goddess!" Genuomu pulled Sinuoli's hand and sat him down at the table.

"Balin, little Balin, go get me something to drink!" Having lost his mother at a young age and with his father Thorgrim busy with official duties, Sinuoli was practically raised by his older siblings, and the relationship between the three siblings was excellent.

Upon hearing this, Balin brought a drink for both Sinuoli and Genuomu, and Genuomu took a large gulp immediately.

"Pfft!" He spat it out after one sip.

"It burned me to death! By Grungni, what is this stuff? It's as bitter as a Troll's bile!"

"Your Highness, this is a drink sent by Lady Sonia, called, called coffee." Balin scratched his head and replied.

"I tell you Sinuoli, don't learn those odd things from her; we Sons of the Mountains should be drinking beer!"

Sinuoli smiled upon hearing this and replied: "Big brother, aren't you on the front lines at Karak-Varn? Why did you run back so quickly? Is there some new development in the war?"

Genuomu pinched his nose and took another sip of coffee.

"I really do have serious business returning this time, but before I even entered the gates of Karaz-a-Karak, the sentries and herdsmen I met along the way kept congratulating me, leaving me completely confused.

I found an acquaintance to ask and only then realized such a big thing had happened these past few days, so I ran straight over to find you! Congratulations, Sinuoli! It's a pity I missed the banquet last night!"

Listening to his big brother's heartfelt praise, Sinuoli smiled even more happily. "What is the serious business you rushed back for? Hurry and go attend to it, don't let it be delayed."

"Ha, it's nothing major. I'm protecting our mining team at Mountain Lake Fortress (Karak-Varn is also called Mountain Lake Fortress because it is adjacent to Heishui Hu). Originally, I would have small skirmishes with the Greenskins on the mountain every three days and big ones every five, which counted as training troops.

It wasn't until two days ago that miners reported finding traces of rats in the underground mine tunnels. My team doesn't have Iron-drake Handguns, and there aren't many Ironbreakers, so I rushed back to recruit a batch to better handle underground combat."

"Greenskins on the surface, Skaven underground; could it be that Mountain Lake Fortress is also called Little Eight Peaks?" Sinuoli exclaimed.

Although he didn't understand the joke Sinuoli was making, big brother Genuomu's expression suddenly turned serious:

"Eight Peaks?" He curled his lip, "The guys from the Angrund Clan have been looking for you? They sure move fast! You didn't agree, did you?"

After receiving Sinuoli's negative reply, Genuomu nodded.

"Not bad! The waters of Karak Eight Peaks are very deep; you wouldn't be able to handle it! Over these years, their Clan has tried to reclaim their ancestral lands many times, only to return in defeat each time. Their own strength is severely depleted, to the point of near extinction, not to mention it has caused significant losses to many clans, including our own. Every clansman's life is the most precious wealth, yet it is squandered at will by those losers!"

Speaking of this, big brother Genuomu was quite angry; he downed the coffee in his cup and spat on the ground.

"Ah, right, I originally planned to recruit a Rune Smith this time to clean up the erosion the rats might have caused to the land! Those bastards scatter Magic Stone Powder wherever they go; if it isn't cleaned up, the clansmen won't be able to live there! But now my plan has changed to recruiting a Rune Master!"

He looked at Sinuoli with a smile: "You won't ask your big brother for wages, will you, hahaha?"

Sinuoli also laughed along, and the brothers walked out of the room side by side.

"Let's go, let's go see how my recruitment is going! Your Anvil Guard are quite dutiful; they stopped me for a long time when I wanted to come in. Remember to bring them along when the time comes!"

They walked toward the door, and several of Sinuoli's Anvil Guard followed. When they reached the courtyard gate, several Hammer Guard were already waiting there.

"Your Highness, Master Sinuoli is forming the Anvil Guard. Those in our Clan with the qualifications have all gone over there for tryouts. We have recruited five Irondrakes! They have already gone back to get their equipment," the lead Hammer Guard reported.

"No big deal. Let's go, let's go to the fortress's central plaza and take a look!" Genuomu didn't mind and pulled Sinuoli straight out.

The group arrived at the plaza located in the center of the fortress. This was the heart of the residential area, with various shops distributed around the plaza, and some merchants were hawking their wares inside.

In the center of the plaza stood the statues of the three main Dwarf gods, identical in form to those at the entrance of the Great Throne Room, just smaller in size. From afar, Sinuoli saw two tables set up under the statues, surrounded by many Dwarfs, and seven or eight Dwarfs in uniforms resembling Hammer Guard were shouting everywhere.

"Genuomu-Suiluozhe of the Drazkrad Clan is recruiting Ironbreakers!"

"Excellent benefits, right at Mountain Lake Fortress, the road is close and won't be delayed!"

"Few Greenskins, strong team, low risk!"

Every Dwarf is a born warrior. Almost every adult male Dwarf can put on armor and step onto the battlefield when needed, and in necessary cases, even females can directly participate in combat.

Dwarf armies are divided into two types. One part is the standing army maintained by the fortress lord or powerful clans; their weapons and equipment are provided by the lord, and they mainly serve the tasks of daily patrols and guarding key parts of the fortress.

The other part is conscripted soldiers. Most clansmen belong to this category. In their daily lives, they might be blacksmiths, cooks, miners, craftsmen, etc. When there are large-scale combat missions that the standing army cannot satisfy, they accept the conscription, arm themselves with their own equipment, and step onto the battlefield to earn military pay.

As for which branch they belong to and how much military pay they earn, it is determined by their own equipment. Those who can afford Meteorite Armor join the ranks of the Ironbreakers; those with only high-quality equipment participate as 'Dwarf Warriors'; those who have purchased crossbows or Thunder Guns are organized into ranged units.

On the battlefield, everyone must be responsible for their own life and the lives of their comrades, so very few Dwarfs rely on their equipment to join units they are not capable of serving in.

Since the power of forced conscription belongs only to the lord and the Clan Chief, even though Genuomu is the eldest son of the High King, he can only supplement his troops through recruitment.

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