Chapter 446: Return and the Beard Ring

"Who is this guy?"

"Hey! Kid! Watch your mouth!"

The sudden disturbance drew condemnation from those discussing, and when they saw the appearance of the speaker, these accusations became even more intense. Judging by his hairstyle, he seemed to be a Slayer; the newly shaved crest had not yet grown out, and a bulging parcel leaned against his side, containing who knows what.

"He comes from the north; have the people of Norsca been away from home so long they've forgotten the most basic manners?"

"This guy is a lunatic, drinking too much and spouting nonsense about portals, the Everchosen, and other such ghost stories. Even Slayers who have failed far worse than him don't have these symptoms!"

"Right, right, right! I heard it the day before yesterday too, even saying the God of War Grimnir gave him an oracle. Does he really think he's His Majesty Sinuoli?"

The speaker seemed not to care about the criticisms of those around him. He tilted his head back to drain the remaining wine in his cup, then continued to lie back on the table to doze. Having had their mood spoiled by such an incident, the passengers dispersed to kill time on their own.

"Everyone, something is wrong, the Black Chasm Nightmare pirate fleet is approaching!"

In less than half a day, a sailor from Bordeleaux ran into the cabin in a panic. When shipping routes become busy, pirates swarm like sharks smelling blood. One must know that Dwarfs are the second favorite sacrifice of the gods of the abyss, right after High Elves.

"Good! Black-sprouts, just right for me to get my hands moving and warm up!"

"I've been stifled to death, just in time!"

In the immigrant quarters of the cabin, there was a clattering of people grabbing their weapons, but they only saw that novice Slayer open his parcel unhurriedly, and with both hands, reverently lift out an axe.

This axe looked very ancient and, by current standards, even somewhat crude—it was almost just a triangular piece of metal inserted directly into a handle. But strangely, every Dwarf who saw it felt a chill in their heart; it seemed as if this was how an axe was meant to look.

With the axe in hand, his aura changed abruptly, and he strode toward the outside of the cabin with bare feet. Looking at the rapidly approaching Black Ark, the crew and passengers all wore grave expressions; even in the best-case scenario, a large portion of them would never reach Kuata Port.

"Hmm, still a bit smaller than the Shenyouedang."

The Slayer stepped with one foot on the gun mount at the stern, shouldering his axe and muttering a sentence. The ammunition from the Reaper Bolt Throwers coming toward him was deflected by an invisible force field, appearing as if it were afraid to shoot at him.

"Underestimated him, he's actually a Guaiwutuofu!"

"Are these Black Ark pirates not eating? How are they falling over like wheat in the fields?"

"He, he's charging straight up! We can't keep up!"

"Form ranks, in the name of the Witch King, spear formation!"

"Crack!"

"Watch out for that sorceress!"

"Boom!"

"Pfft!"

"Behind, behind! War Hydra! Get out of the way, you brats, let me man the cannon!"

"Pfft, pfft, pfft!"

"Thump!"

"Huh? This, this!"

"The God of War Grimnir is above! Even the Slayer King didn't have such martial prowess!"

"What are you waiting for? Sons of the Mountains, let's go together!"

"Whoosh!"

"Spineless things, how did you run away riding a Manticore?"

The imagined bitter battle reversed after the Slayer dealt with the boarding pirates. He used the pirates' ropes to kill his way onto the Black Ark. The first mate tried to organize the Dreadspears to form a line to intercept, but was sliced in two along with his armor in a single encounter.

The sorceress accompanying the ship had just released a Flame Skull when the thrown axe broke through the fireball and cut her in half. The pirate Admiral had not yet given up; he attempted to rely on the giant beast to stop the Dwarf's advance.

But before the Hydra could brew its deadly breath, its necks turned into sky-high fountains of blood one by one; the fine, slippery scaled skin was like paper before the ancient Battle Axe.

The Admiral jumped onto a Manticore and fled in a panic. After killing and driving away the pirates who had lost all will to fight, looking at the blood-red seawater and the devastated Black Ark, every passenger felt a deep sense of unreality.

"How is it? Can I, be considered the champion of the Southlands?"

As a battlefield, the Black Ark minimized the disadvantage of a melee powerhouse in mobility. Without high-level powerhouses to contain him and no room to maneuver, the Black Chasm Nightmare had no choice but to wait for death.

"Gotrek has returned!"

When the telegraph machine popped out such news, Sinuoli decisively ended his travels in Araby. For him now, this land, still caught in the petty squabbles of city-states, tribes, and Knightly Orders, could no longer bring much interest.

"Good lad, good brother! Let's go, find a quiet place, I specifically saved two barrels of the jubilee ale that Bergman sent!"

Rushing to Kuata, Sinuoli arrived just as the Steam Sailboat docked. Gotrek did not restrain his aura; the wrath of the God of War Grimnir burned fiercely in his chest.

"How is it? Let me see this divine axe, was the journey smooth?"

Sinuoli's confidence in Gotrek was even greater than his confidence in himself. Taking the divine axe and feeling the charm of the Ancestor Gods' original products, he poured wine and asked questions unhurriedly.

"It was alright. I followed the guidance in my heart and went north all the way. At the deepest part of the wasteland, in front of that portal, I heard His voice. In the years since leaving us, He has been guarding the portal and fighting."

"I know. So, did He pass down any decree?"

Sinuoli did not know much about the Age of Sigmar that followed the End Times in the background, but he had a general idea about Grimnir and the Fiery Slayers. No matter how powerful the God of War was, it was impossible to block a space not bound by physics; it was merely reducing the amount of invading Daemons slightly.

"I had the honor of fighting side-by-side with Him. A few rounds of battle behind the portal, and years had passed upon returning to the Mortal World. He agrees with your plan to close the portal; this is also His unfinished business."

"Good, go rest first. Now that you're back, I can be at ease."

Gotrek's instability in mental state was more dangerous than the scars all over his body. Although Gotrek did not face the Four Gods directly, entering with his physical body and without systematic protection, the impact he received was likely no less than Sinuoli's experience.

"By the way, take this. I found it on the way back." Gotrek pulled something that looked like a ring from his bosom and handed it to Sinuoli. The long-sealed Artifact Vault reacted once again.

"Strange Beard Ring! It makes a perfect pair with the half that Brian Bronzebeard sent!"

That fragment was kept in the treasury of Gaoyuanbao. Sinuoli did not want to wait any longer and took Gotrek directly to return by Helicopter. The experience in the realm of magic left him feeling somewhat dazed; it was better to return to the base to rest early.

"Grimnir Rune, I didn't expect this to be the first one I'd obtain among the artifacts of the three main gods!"

After the Beard Ring was repaired, it bloomed with its former glory. The effect of that Rune was equivalent to Grimnir personally taking revenge on the enemy—pulling molten rock from the earth's core to create a sky full of fire rain to cover the enemy.