Chapter 292: All Aspects of the Territory

With matters on his mind, Sinuoli's pace quickened, his eyes narrowing as he scanned every Knight village along the way. But the cults of the Chaos Four Gods were not something one could spot at a mere glance; despite Sinuoli's open and covert investigations, he found no Nurgle sanctuaries or Khorne blood cults.

"Good, the city walls are finally standing!"

Upon arriving at Tumobao, Sinuoli saw progress that satisfied him. Cement bonded much faster than the original lime mortar, and its strength was more reliable. Workers only needed to stack the stone, and a tall, sturdy city wall would rise from the ground.

"Secure the basic defensive functions first; we can discuss internal planning later."

Sinuoli gave instructions while inspecting the bustling site. The Tumobao construction site had also formed a Council of Elders to push the project forward, handle personnel placement, and manage logistics.

Under Sinuoli's authorization, in addition to the Master architects responsible for the design, worker representatives and the civil officials under his command had all joined the Council of Elders, which greatly stimulated the clansmen's enthusiasm for labor.

Sinuoli gazed into the distance at the Huosiren Huankeng; he knew that a battle between him and the minions of Nagash was inevitable. Building the fortress was a race against time; the sooner it was completed, the safer his territory would be.

"Henlide, when I am not in the Southlands, the internal affairs of Gaoyuanbao and Tumobao depend on Balin, but external matters depend on you!"

The Dwarf King patted his tall subordinate. This former Gatekeeper of Jiliuguan was now the Garrison Commander of the Lost Plateau. This position could be considered the head of the military officers; for a Dwarf of humble origins, reaching this point was a great honor to his ancestors.

"Rest assured, I didn't even tremble when facing the breath of a Forest Dragon back in the day! Didn't I charge at that pile of green filth Kugasi with my axe in hand? Whatever they are—pointed ears or piles of bones—if they dare to come, I'll make them stay to fertilize the fields! In the name of the honored goddess Valaya..."

Henlide swung his great axe through the air; he was currently full of confidence and fighting spirit. But such a display made Sinuoli's heart tighten. The saying goes that a proud army is bound to lose; in his past life, he had seen too many famous generals fall because of this.

"Listen to me, the enemy is visible while we are hidden; their cunning and changing power are unprecedented! You must never lower your guard. Necessary patrols must not stop, the troops must continue to drill, and go easy on the drinking—don't let it interfere with the real work!"

Seeing Henlide nodding vigorously, Sinuoli did not know if he had taken it to heart. Before leaving, the only thing he could do was allocate a Helicopter to ensure aerial reconnaissance.

"I still lack spellcasters. Keeping the Revival Points won't earn interest; I might as well use them to initiate the Thurni ritual and lure one or two more Rune Masters from the Old World!"

The Zhuwangshan fortress was no longer the place of those repeated battles to exterminate spiders and fight Greenskins. It now showed vibrant vitality, with Dwarfs, Humans, and Pygmies gathering together to engage in massive construction.

"Gulu gulu ah!"

"The great liberator, the King of the Mountains!"

"Jili gulu!"

Seeing Sinuoli's party, the Pygmies working outside the fortress cheered in their own language. Some of them had learned broken Common, and it seemed that their integration and communication were going quite well.

Sinuoli suspected they identified him by his signature Golden Lamb, as the necklace hanging around his neck was hard to see from a distance.

Waving in greeting, the party advanced toward the fortress. Sinuoli felt more and more that his original decision was correct; although these natives of the Southlands were slightly inferior in quality, they made up for it with their sheer numbers and their ability to endure hardship.

Compared to their original precarious days of living hand-to-mouth, the current life of having enough food and clothing made them very grateful and loyal to Sinuoli. This greatly stimulated their enthusiasm for labor, turning Zhuwangshan from a dead land covered in spider webs two years ago into the thriving place it was now.

"Heh, they even built a statue of me here! By that logic, they'll probably build one at Tumobao too. With those Master architects there, they'd better make it look impressive!"

The freshly minted statue in front of the Zhuwangshan fortress depicted the scene of him crawling out of the Brood Queen—head raised in a roar while his hands were lifted to tear her apart to both sides.

Sculpting this subject at Zhuwangshan was quite fitting; the feat of slaying a Demigod was worth a special mention in the nearly seven-thousand-year history of the entire Dwarf race. Compared to the flamboyant Sinuoli, the mother goddess Valaya on the opposite side had her figure half-hidden, appearing as if she were a size smaller.

"Praise you, Your Majesty Sinuoli, Lord of the Mountains!"

The Pygmy Chief Dunbiya was responsible for patrolling the perimeter of the fortress; he came up to meet the party in high spirits.

"You granted me a seat on the Council of Elders; it really is, it really is..." Dunbiya appeared incoherent, but Sinuoli felt there was a bit of acting involved; his experience in governing a region had improved his judgment.

"I am a generous and fair person; I will not mistreat any subordinate who is loyal to their duty! Keep up the good work; I can give you more than you imagine."

Sinuoli hammered Dunbiya's iron armor. This native chief's foresight in arming himself first made him quite satisfied. Dunbiya had over ten thousand people under his command, which gave him an overwhelming advantage on the ground in all of Zhuwangshan; giving him a seat on the Council helped stabilize the people's hearts.

"By the way, I see that many of your female kin seem to be pregnant; is that so?" Sinuoli glanced at the Pygmy women who were processing ingredients.

"Yes, perhaps this is the only gift from the Ancient Sages. Otherwise, we could not have survived until now under such difficult external conditions." A happy smile bloomed on Dunbiya's face, but Sinuoli was already calculating how to split the management of these Pygmies.

"My King, we have already sent that band of Savage Greenskins to meet their evil gods! The loot is all in the warehouse; you can inspect it at any time." Clan Chief Gelate hurried over from deep within the fortress.

"Well done, Elder Gelate! This place is not bad, is it? I believe it is by no means inferior to Karak-Dorn!" Sinuoli laughed heartily; an important point for a successful leader is not to let their followers down.

"That is for sure; Thunder Mountain is much more barren than this. However, Karak-Drazh is different; that was one of the largest fortresses of the Golden Age. Our Baruk Clan still sleeps with our axes under our pillows to this day!"

There was light in Clan Chief Gelate's eyes; this was the point that satisfied Sinuoli the most. This Dwarf was in middle age but still lacked neither ambition nor fighting spirit; he was a fellow to whom great matters could be entrusted.

"That day will come; the mountains will regain their former glory, and every grudge written in blood will be settled."