Chapter 3: Oath Gold

"Sinuoli, are you even listening to me!"

Grom fully indulged in the Dwarf style of rambling; he held his beer and talked to himself for a long time before realizing Sinuoli had long since drifted off.

"If I were you, I'd focus on training, strive to become a Rune Master as soon as possible, and then you could lead an army on your own or even become a lord."

Ending his speech with a look toward the future, he downed his beer in one gulp and stood up, ready to push the door open and leave.

Unexpectedly, Sinuoli perked up the moment he heard "lead an army on your own" and "become a lord."

"Uh, that Rune Master, how do you become one?"

"What?" Grom turned around, looking astonished.

"That Rune Master thing, the kind that can lead an army alone and become a lord," Sinuoli repeated.

Hearing this, Grom walked to the bed and patted Sinuoli:

"I didn't believe Uncle Longchui when he said you'd hurt your head, but it looks like it really was a serious injury. Mastering a Master Rune makes you a Rune Master; even the rats in the gutter know that. How could you, the disciple of the dignified Krag Master, not know this? Forget it, get some rest. I'll call a Priest to come take a look at you."

Grom grumbled as he walked out of the room.

Sinuoli was ecstatic on the bed as he pulled up the system. "The road to taking off is right by my side!! Let me see which Master Rune is suitable."

Sinuoli pulled up the beginner welfare function in his system, which was the part of the game used to forge weapons and runes with Oath Gold. But this part of the function could only be used three times.

In the rune forging system, forgeable runes were divided into two categories: Personal Runes suitable for individuals and Battle Standard Runes suitable for armies. Given that he wasn't leading an army on his own yet, Sinuoli decided to forge a Personal Rune first to boost his combat power.

He ultimately selected the Master Rune of Might and the Master-class Flight Rune.

The Strength Rune could increase maximum health by twenty percent; that axe blow from Grom the Paunch still left him with lingering fear, and increasing his maximum health would obviously improve his survivability.

The Master-class Flight Rune was an additional ranged skill that could deal fire and magic damage and was adept at countering heavy armor units. The significance of allowing a Dwarf, who fought in melee and rarely had magic damage, to possess spellcasting abilities was self-evident.

The introduction in the column, "This rune possesses the powerful strength to shatter armor and was used to ambush the enemies of the Dwarfs at the dawn of the world," made Sinuoli even more fascinated.

"Hehehe, why shouldn't I have them all? With a green dragon on my left, a white tiger on my right, an old ox at my waist, and a dragon head on my chest, wouldn't smashing the Everchosen with a hammer and cleaving the Council of Thirteen with an axe be a breeze!"

Sinuoli was immersed in joy, clicking constantly in the system. "Eh, why is there no reaction? Is this system lagging?"

After a brief check, he discovered he didn't have the Oath Gold needed to forge runes! Sinuoli turned his little treasury upside down, finding over three thousand Dwarf Gold Coins, but not a single piece of Oath Gold.

According to the knowledge in his memory, Oath Gold was the product of refined meteorite iron. The process was complex, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Only smiths who had mastered Rune Power were qualified to make it, and it was often used to trade for treasures whose value could not be measured by ordinary money.

Because Sinuoli had just mastered Rune Power, he hadn't started making Oath Gold yet. As for becoming a lord and recruiting Rune Smiths to produce Oath Gold for him, that was still a long way off.

"A single penny can stump a hero!" Sinuoli paced back and forth in the room. He was so immersed in thinking about the source of Oath Gold and the excitement of the possibility of rising in status that he couldn't even feel the pain of his wounds.

"Producing it myself is the last resort. According to the knowledge in my memory, at my current level, one piece a week is about right. Gathering 25 pieces would take nearly half a year, which is too slow;

Going out to adventure, reclaiming lost fortresses, or killing Greenskins or Skaven could also yield Oath Gold, but not to mention the unstable harvest, my current physical state would likely mean I'd just be throwing my life away;

Relying on stealing or cheating probably won't work either. This stuff isn't like gold coins; even if Dwarf nobles have a little, it's a treasure kept at the bottom of the box, watched over by a group of burly men, and I don't know how to sneak, so it's truly difficult."

After struggling for a long time, Sinuoli found his thinking had hit a dead end.

"Hey, I can ask my cheap old man for it. As the dignified High King and master of the Mountain Kingdom, he must have plenty of Oath Gold. Though 25 isn't much, I still need to think of a reliable reason. I can't just say I want to use the system to cast runes..."

Thinking this, Sinuoli walked out of the room and, after asking the guards outside for directions, headed straight for the living quarters of Thorgrim Grudgebearer.

He passed through long corridors and narrow, clockwise-spiraling stairs.

Most circular spiral stairs in Dwarf citadels run in a clockwise direction. The reason is: assuming the attacker is attacking from below, the clockwise stairwell positions the attacker's right hand—their sword hand—on the inside of the spiral, making their weapon swings more difficult.

At the same time, the defender's sword hand would be on the outside of the spiral, allowing for freer use of their weapons and more protection. Sinuoli met Thorgrim.

Thorgrim could be considered robust by Dwarf standards, and due to his age, his beard was not yet as snow-white as it was in the game.

His living quarters were extremely spacious, and the desk in front of him was a bit large even for a Dwarf, piled high with maps, letters, and books.

The fortresses that Dwarfs built by hollowing out mountains had no natural light to speak of. A solitary lamp illuminated only a small area around Thorgrim, making him appear somewhat small in the vast and dim room.

"It looks like you've recovered well." As Sinuoli was gathering his words, Thorgrim spoke first.

"You should have listened to the advice of the Longbeard elders, my son. I almost lost you. That would not only have added a new entry to our Clan's Book of Grudges, but it would also have left me with no face to face your mother in the Ancestor Hall!"

Thorgrim's deep voice echoed in the spacious room, bringing with it faint reverberations.

"Since I have been the keeper of the Great Book of Grudges, I have crossed out more grudges than I have added. The Ancestor Goddess manifesting her miracle after so many years and bestowing divine grace must be a good omen.

Don't be anxious, child. Protect yourself, train your skills, and accumulate experience. You have awakened Rune Power, which will help you carve out a career. Perhaps one day, the name Snorri Thorsson will be praised by our kin alongside those legendary ancestors."

In Sinuoli's memory, after Thorgrim became High King and announced the settling of all grudges in the Great Book of Grudges, he devoted himself to official duties and campaigns. Although he had few opportunities to care for his youngest son, he always tried his best to create the best conditions for Sinuoli. Sinuoli also longed to prove himself to his father and share his burdens.

It was precisely this reason that drove the original owner of the body to step onto the battlefield as soon as he mastered Rune Power, ultimately losing his life.