Chapter 293: Railways and Threats

"Is Buluokesen still at the construction site? I'll go over and take a look." By evening, Sinuoli discovered that his Engineer had not yet returned, so he rode his little sheep down the mountain once again.

"Why does the design of this locomotive look different from the ones I've seen before?"

Arriving at the foothills on the other side, Sinuoli saw the railway tracks being laid. Beside a campfire, a large group of Dwarfs were gathered together, studying them. The exposed locomotive was not the common style with a chimney that went "choo-choo"; it looked perhaps more like a rail-mounted artillery piece.

"Didn't I say to use that thing as the power source? This way, we can save some space for defensive firepower. How could something this important not be fortified?"

Seeing Sinuoli arrive, Buluokesen was very excited. He was the most important follower by Sinuoli's side, and he had not missed a single battle since he began leading the team to escort caravans alone.

"My most satisfying work, go inside and take a look!"

The Engineering Master pulled open the locomotive's cabin door and gestured for Sinuoli to enter first.

"Not bad at all! An excellent combination of Rune technology and engineering technology; this is a milestone product."

Sinuoli touched the set of simple and effective equipment and nodded repeatedly; using Runes to control the energy output of Warpstone was a brilliant idea. He discovered that the engraved Runes were not very high-level, but rather a clever application of basic Runes.

"Indeed, Kalade Fengbaoxingzhe is a genius. You still remember him, right? The Communication Rune was also his invention. I invited Kalade to the Southlands to assist me, but he said he had more wild ideas in his head that he wanted to realize." Buluokesen leaned against the door, took off his glasses, and wiped them with his cuff.

"I also look forward to him bringing more surprises, but your contribution, your father's, and Master Yinzhi's cannot be ignored."

"This feels like a dream. Thanks to you, thanks to the Ancestor Goddess—well, I know, in fact, it's thanks to those beings." Sinuoli vaguely saw tears in Buluokesen's eyes.

"Yes, you weren't looking very respectable when I met you at Jiliuguan back then! And it's only been five years now."

Sinuoli also felt a bit sentimental; his memory returned to the Jiliuguan of the past, where the opportunity for Buluokesen to join his team was because he had been exiled for developing Warpstone technology, yet now he had achieved success because of that very same thing.

"What speed can this thing reach?" Sinuoli asked, knowing that the designed values could never be 100% realized in practice.

"Forty or fifty kilometers per hour, I suppose. We still know too little about Warpstone; the energy density in these things varies too much, and it's easy to have an accident if it's too fast."

"That's enough. It only takes two days to cross the territory; counting the stops in between, once every three days is quite appropriate." Sinuoli stroked his beard; as long as this railway was built, the development of the Nan Shijie Bianyuan Shanmai would also enter the fast lane.

"However, your ideas don't stop there, do they?" Sinuoli suddenly turned around and revealed a strange smile; he had discovered an extra interface on the equipment.

"Hahaha, it would be a waste to use such good materials only for power, wouldn't it?" Buluokesen was stunned, then immediately returned the same smile.

"Keep it confidential—er, or rather, how do you plan to keep it confidential?" Sinuoli thought of his own clansmen's big mouths halfway through his sentence.

"Dunbiya." Buluokesen spat out the name of the Pygmy chieftain.

"Fine, finding them to solve it is one way. I am most at ease with Zhuwangshan; you have sufficient Strength here, and if necessary, you can also support Tumobao."

Sinuoli nodded. Whether or not to promote Warpstone weapons would depend on whether there was a demand and what the designed product was actually like. But as long as it didn't affect the big picture, there was no harm in researching it.

Buluokesen satisfied Sinuoli's request for a test run with only the locomotive. He called in the driver, a Rune Smith from Jiliuguan. As the driver pulled the lever, he activated the Runes that controlled the output.

"Click, clack!"

After a brief tremor, the energy of the Warpstone was channeled out, and the locomotive's smooth and rapid movement on the tracks made the Dwarf King overjoyed.

"This thing doesn't have a name yet, right? It's not burning coal, so calling it a 'fire-cart' isn't appropriate anymore. In my opinion, calling it the 'Revival' would be good! Keep up the good work; I hope I can save some walking distance on my return trip!"

"The exploration team discovered traces of rats, though there were no further gains. It's hard to imagine those things have infiltrated the Southlands. I have already dispatched more Ironbreaker units to patrol the Earth Vein Network!"

At Red Cloud Mountain, Qiangsen's report made Sinuoli knit his brows tightly. It was true that this place was far from Skavenblight, but the rats' strongholds were spread across the entire world; who knew where they had popped up from.

"Investigate, investigate them thoroughly! I don't need to emphasize their threat!" Sinuoli paced in his office; although he had expected it, he still felt some anxiety now that his own territory was truly threatened.

"Nagashi-Huangyuan is one direction, the Badlands is another. The enemy is in the light and we are in the dark; collect intelligence first, don't rush to act, try to wait until I return!" Sinuoli quickly issued the tasks. The fleet from Haimenguan would arrive soon, and he had no time to linger here.

"Why such a big formation? Is it because I'm going back?"

The scale of the newly built Kuata Port was incomparable to the temporary foothold from before; if it were in a game, it would be the difference between a Tier 1 and Tier 3 port sequence. But now, this wide wharf was packed full with two Dreadnoughts.

"Hahaha, respected Sinuoli, Lord of the Southlands. Yes, but not entirely!"

Prince Panuosen of Haimenguan walked down from the bridge. The silk clothing on his body had become more ornate; clearly, he had taken the lion's share of the previous Zhendan caravan.

"There will be a period of safety at the beginning of the opening of a new route, but it won't last long. Those pirates smell gold like sharks smell blood, not to mention this route is so busy. Our Sons of the Mountains, plus the Zhendan from the East, have really excited those stinking fish and rotten shrimp!" Panuosen complained loudly while taking Sinuoli's luggage.

"Was the previous fleet attacked?" Sinuoli's eyes narrowed again; the sea route was his lifeline now, and it could not afford any mistakes.

"It doesn't count as an attack, at most it's harassment. They aren't sure of our Strength and only use small groups of ships to test us, but we can't afford not to take it seriously, right? No one wants to swim back to Haimenguan."

"Your choice to leave early was correct. There is news that several Pirate Kings are brewing a collaboration. This news isn't confirmed, but it can be called reasonable."

Panuosen spoke loudly on the gangplank to reassure the people who had come with the ship, but once inside the cabin, he whispered a sentence into Sinuoli's ear.