Chapter 408: Contending for the Path and Blitzkrieg

"Do not let this matter ruin your health, respected Ancestor Chosen. Even counting women and children, they only number a few hundred. I reported this to King Kazador, who is closest, at the first opportunity; he has already dispatched the best Rangers of Ironpeak Fortress to verify it."

Seeing Snorri's intense reaction, Brian felt a bead of sweat form. Having created such a vast foundation, Snorri still placed "Chosen of the Ancestor Gods" before all other titles; who didn't know that Snorri Thorsson was most favored by them and most devout toward them?

That small group of Dwarfs being able to gain a foothold in Dragon Crag was largely due to the support of Ironpeak Fortress. Karak-Azgal had stood isolated in the Badlands for thousands of years, and the kings of each generation were the primary supporters of various adventure teams and Expeditionary Forces.

The great adventurer still possessed some political sensitivity; he could foresee that Snorri would not tolerate such behavior and might even make a huge issue out of it, so he notified King Kazador first to secure an opportunity for damage control.

"This is unbearable, absolutely unbearable!"

Snorri's voice carried a hint of agitation. The might of the True Dragon of Cathay, the monstrous flames of the Tzeentchian Herald, and the sudden visit from Chakax left him no time to savor the feeling of standing at the pinnacle of mortals before he was plunged back into anxiety over his strength.

To break through the mortal realm is to step into the domain of gods. He first conceived this idea when meeting the phantom of the Old Ones at Zhuwangshan, and the Three Strategies for Deification he gave to his master, Kelage, were a deeper reflection. In the journeys that followed, whenever he had leisure, Snorri would contemplate where his path lay.

As a transmigrator, he understood the advanced nature and power of "Monotheism," but the Natural Gods, Clan Gods, and Functional Gods that had already established themselves in this world basically extinguished any hope for that path.

Since it was difficult to break the status quo, he could only join them and find a good position among them. Which deity had relatively greater influence and matched his existing advantages? Snorri soon cast his gaze toward a gentleman with a red face, a large blade, and a green battle robe.

Guan Gong, or the so-called God of Wealth of War, had a wide scope of authority: besides attracting wealth through loyalty and righteousness, he also represented justice and integrity, could suppress petty people with force, and additionally possessed the ability to cure illnesses, avert disasters, and drive away evil.

The Sons of the Mountains valued promises more than life and were known worldwide for their massive wealth; they were powerful, immune to the corruption of Chaos, and fought on the front lines against Chaos as one of the main forces of the Order side; as for curing illnesses and averting disasters, Snorri himself possessed this unique skill.

After stealing the Authority from the Storm Dragon during his trip to Zhendan and unlocking new functions of the system, Snorri began to formally plan for forging this Godhood, waiting only to handle the immediate problems before putting it on the agenda. Who would have thought that before he even began, he would hear such terrible news? Who on earth dared to contend for the path with him?

"We will discuss the matters of Eight Peaks on the road! Pass on my order: assemble the troops, we depart now!" Glaring fiercely at the wily adventurer, Snorri gave instructions in a deep voice to the subordinates standing by.

"No, come back! Mobilizing a large army is too slow; there is no railway from Red Cloud Mountain to Keladeluomen, and the road to Dragon Crag is even harder to travel."

Looking back at the map, the Dwarf King frowned. Dragon Crag was located between Keladeluomen and Ironpeak Fortress, but not in a straight line; it sat on a spur radiating from the western foothills of the World's Edge Mountains into the Badlands.

"Assemble the guard, notify the railway to prepare a military special train, and then telegraph the Helicopter squadrons at Kuata Port, Zhuwangshan, and Tumobao to assemble at Red Cloud Mountain now."

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

Everyone present deeply understood the severity of this matter. As the Ancestor Chosen, standing up to defend their majesty at the first opportunity was mandatory. Anyone who dared to have objections at this time might very well be sent to repent before the Ancestor Gods immediately.

"Those who dare to set up a false god, even if they run to Ulthuan, I will surely execute them!"

"You two get out, I will send the telegram myself!"

On the day the railway was completed, Snorri had requested that an extra locomotive and a set of carriages be prepared for military use. He dismissed the attendants in the command room and, for the first time in a long while, personally tapped out the Communication Cipher.

"Belegar, a telegram from Gaoyuanbao, but I can't translate anything except the first sentence."

Belegar Ironhammer, who was preparing to sleep with his wife, was woken up by the spirit form of Thorgrim Ironbrow. Just one sentence made this bloodline of the Angrund Clan perk up, his lust completely extinguished.

"Let me see, what does shifting eleven places forward say!"

During the Three Hammer Alliance, Snorri had given the other two Dwarf Kings a set of rotating telegram encryption rules—with the popularization of the Communication Cipher, it was inevitable that some equipment would fall into the hands of hostile forces with ulterior motives, so key information had to be encrypted.

"Mother Goddess above! Quickly invite the four ancestors to my office!"

"Are the Helicopters in position? Board in order, depart immediately, and refuel at the stations along the way!"

The special train did not stop at stations along the way, opening up to full speed, and arrived at Red Cloud Mountain in less than a day; the flight crews from the four great fortresses were all standing by.

Snorri favored air power even more than Thorgrim. In non-wartime, Helicopters could also meet some civilian needs, so why not equip them widely? Most product development was demand-oriented, and these aircraft therefore had very limited operational radii.

Snorri made solving this problem a key project for the Southlands Engineer Hanghui, but there was still a considerable distance to go before conquering it. As a stopgap measure, he organized the construction of secure storage tanks at every outpost and mine.

Dragons were rarely seen outside of Ulthuan, and whether it was Wyverns or Manticores, who would dare to provoke such a massive swarm? Accompanied by the humming of rotors, Snorri had arrived above Keladeluomen.

"Your presence is even more magnificent than before after your long journey! Please, this way; I have prepared good wine and food for a long time to welcome you and your warriors!"

As soon as he landed, Belegar came to greet him. A few years of relatively comfortable life had added two or three parts of richness to this equally young Dwarf King; it could be said that he finally looked more like a lord than a vengeful fighter.

"No need. Are the troops assembled? If they are assembled, refuel and depart!"

"Of, of course, but what about your great army? Or is King Kazador the main force? But he didn't notify me."

Belegar Ironhammer looked at the elite Dwarfs filing out and forming up; no matter how he counted, they were at most in the triple digits.

"Having your men is enough!"

Glancing at his troops, Snorri nodded inwardly. Even if the relationship was nominally an alliance, Belegar had executed his request without the slightest discount—two Ancestor spirits, a full squad of Andeglang Oath Guard, enough battle-hardened veterans, and artillery crews; he had provided at least half of Keladeluomen's strength.

"Let's go, we'll talk on the way. I'm not sure if there are Heretics among your subordinates." Whispering to appease Belegar, Snorri had reason to suspect that this place had been infiltrated, as Keladeluomen was closer to Dragon Crag.