Chapter 319: Clan Mors

"The past is best left unmentioned; as long as we continue to advance on the correct path, Karak Eight Peaks will eventually return to the embrace of the mountains." Sinuoli did not know what to say for a moment; after all, if one were to calculate strictly, King Luen bore the leadership responsibility for the fall of Eight Peaks.

"Are there wounded? Gather them; I will perform a ritual to ask the Ancestor Goddess to bestow her grace." Sinuoli did not waste words; after obtaining the Hero Pendant from Settra, he had restored the Artifact known as the Gazul Enci Token.

The token of the Dwarf God of Death could allow Sinuoli to summon an ancestral spirit from the Ancestor Hall to serve him, but the King of the Southlands had never used this one-time item.

Half of a Dwarf warrior's strength lies in their equipment; even if he were to summon Gotrek-Suixingzhe, unless he stripped off Thorgrim's High King set and gave it to him, the spirit-state version of him would likely not differ in essence from any other Dwarf King.

"Greetings to you on behalf of my father, King Kazador, honored Ancestor Chosen." Before Sinuoli could ask again, a middle-aged Dwarf dressed in slightly strange attire walked up.

"Forgive the lack of introduction; this is Prince Kazilike of Tiefengbao! He learned you were coming and traveled specifically across the Nan E Di, arriving just the day before yesterday." Belegar patted his own forehead.

"A pleasure to meet you; your martial prowess and skill are widely spread throughout the Old World." Sinuoli offered a few polite words.

"Master Tiemei returned to Karak-Azul recently; we have sharpened our Battle Axes and prepared sufficient military rations, just waiting for news from your side."

Although the Prince was no younger than Brother Genuoduoer, his temper seemed very impatient, and he got straight to the point regarding his intentions. Sinuoli suspected this might be because Tiefengbao had been isolated in the Badlands for too long.

"I have come precisely for this reason. Previously, the interior of the Southlands was in urgent need of development, and I had other important matters to attend to, so the progress here was not very gratifying. I hope you and His Majesty Kazador understand."

"How is the situation at Keladeluomen?" Whether this important transit point was reliable was the key to whether the plan to connect to Tiefengbao could proceed as desired.

"Those Green Mushrooms with heads full of grass gradually gave up their attacks after being beaten back by us countless times, turning to surveillance and harassment instead. However, the Ironbreakers have reported traces of rats underground." Speaking the last sentence, Belegar lowered his voice.

"What do you mean?" Sinuoli frowned. According to his analysis and the intelligence he had gathered, the Skaven harassing Red Cloud Mountain should have come from Bofeng in the northeast; they were the clan that had fought the Lord of Undeath for the Warpstone veins thousands of years ago.

As the Warpstone in Bofeng was gradually mined to exhaustion, this group of Skaven had also grown increasingly weak. They should not, and had no reason to, appear at Keladeluomen, so it could be inferred that the ones here were not the same batch as those at Red Cloud Mountain.

"Traces? Be specific; this matter is too important!" Sinuoli did not want to cause a stir. He walked into the fortress gate as if nothing were wrong, preparing to preside over the ritual to heal the wounded and purify the corruption. Now that his source of Revival Points was constant, this little expenditure was nothing to him.

Just as Sinuoli was looking solemn and reciting prayers, things were not peaceful to the north of Keladeluomen. Among the mountains, there was a "mountain basin," a plain between the peaks, with eight towering mountains surrounding it like loyal guards.

These eight peaks each had names: Zilifen Peak, Ya'er Peak, Mona'er Peak, and Yinjiao Peak guarded the eastern mountain range, while Luni Peak, Rui'en Peak, Naier Peak, and the Pale Lady guarded the western entrance to the basin.

In the basin, a large lake shone like a silver mirror under the sunlight, and beside it sat a grand fortress. Because of this large lake known as "Silverdepths," the fortress also earned the nickname "Silverdepths."

The fortress on the surface was already magnificent, but it was like an iceberg; the part located underground was ten times larger. Karak Eight Peaks was a product of the Dwarf power at its zenith, symbolizing the glory of that Golden Age.

However, now this beautiful place no longer belonged to the Dwarfs. Looking closely, the huge statues in front of the gate were already dilapidated, and the once smooth and clean walls were covered with filthy, blasphemous trinkets and graffiti.

A large number of green figures moved in and out, their equipment generally decorated with grinning yellow crescents. These were the Greenskins of the Evil Moon Clan; they had usurped Eight Peaks, and their influence covered half of the Badlands.

And in the tangled Earth Vein Network underground, countless Skaven scurried back and forth. Anyone who knew this filthy race well enough would find that the proportion of robust black-furred rats was surprisingly high.

In the deepest part of the underground, there was a hall. What it was once used for was hard to discern, but it was certain that this place was very hidden and easy to defend but hard to attack. Without special markers, one would never be able to find it.

"You, you have come, Queek, my sharpest, sharpest claw."

"Yes, yes, Master Genuoduoer."

The leader of Clan Mors was already very old, so old that the black fur it was once proud of had begun to fade. However, whenever it saw the giant rat before it, a hint of a smile could always be squeezed onto its aged face.

Queek, its body was a head taller and a circle broader than the most elite Stormvermin, and it contained terrifying violence. This God of War among rats had been selected by Genuoduoer from the filthy breeding pits and raised by hand; it could be said to have absolute loyalty to it.

"You, why did you summon me back? I just, just added a new, new collection."

Queek crouched down, revealing the trophy rack on its back, upon which hung two heads. One, somewhat dried out, was an Orc, while the other, still fresh, came from a Skaven itself.

Even more terrifying than hanging two heads on its back was the fact that these two heads were still alive! Relying on the help of evil rituals, Queek had sealed the souls of these two worthy trophies within the heads.

"Spies, found, found that group, that group of bearded things!" Genuoduoer toyed with a map in its claws. "I want you, to let, let them go die! Die!"

"Yes! Yes! Belegar, his, his head will be my best, best collection. Awooo! I, I will save him a, a good spot!" Upon receiving the order, Queek split its large mouth and grinned; it felt the desire to hunt beginning to burn within its body.

"This, this is for you! Put it on! Safely, safely come back!" Genuoduoer waved a claw, and two large rats carried a suit of armor out from the shadows.

As soon as Queek's two scarlet rat eyes saw the armor, they could no longer look away. The main body of the armor was scarlet, and it was regularly inlaid with many green Warpstone fragments, emitting an aura that made a rat's heart tremble.