Chapter 45: Balunding

In the narrow tunnel, this round of flame damage landed solidly; the Clanrats squeezed in the back were burned into a pile of charred corpses, and the rich aroma of roasted meat permeated the entire Earth Vein Network.

"Iron-drake Handguns?" A loud voice rang out from the other end of the tunnel, sounding quite young as well.

"Kin over there! Stop your hand quickly! If you keep burning, it will be my men who suffer the losses!"

Hearing this, Sinuoli raised his left hand to make a pause gesture, though the fingers of the Iron-drake gunners remained on the triggers, staying alert.

Following the light brought by the burning flames, Sinuoli saw a group of figures on the opposite side of the tunnel; looking at that short and sturdy stature, it was almost certain they were also Dwarfs.

However, Sinuoli did not dare to walk straight over like this; when facing cunning and cruel opponents, no amount of caution was too much.

Neither side could determine the other's identity, and the tunnel fell into a brief silence; at this moment, a famous scene from his past life suddenly surfaced in Sinuoli's mind—

"The Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger!"

"The Pagoda suppresses the River Sprite!"

Quickly pushing this thought out of his brain, Sinuoli spoke first.

"I am Sinuoli-Suorsen of the Drazkrad Clan! Son of the High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer, Chosen of the Goddess Valaya..."

Before Sinuoli could finish reporting his titles, the other side spoke up.

"And the youngest Rune Master of the Mountain Kingdom? Hahaha! I am the son of King Thorgin of Zhufuba, just call me Balunding! I don't have as many titles as you to boast about!"

Hearing this, the Dwarfs on both sides breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward the center of the tunnel.

Sinuoli knew that Zhufuba referred to Jiliuguan in the Dwarf tongue; this was the most important Dwarf stronghold closest to Karaz-a-Karak.

The Dwarf King here and the High King had always had a good relationship, and there had been intermarriages several generations ago; if one really calculated it, he and Balunding on the other side could be considered relatives.

Jiliuguan was the most mechanized of all Dwarf cities; it was built in the center of a deep valley carved by a waterfall pouring down from high mountains. This was also the location of the Engineer Guild headquarters and the center of worship for the ancestor minor god Mogelimu.

Jiliuguan was once occupied by Greenskins during the Dwarf's Age of Darkness.

At that time, a Rune Master of Jiliuguan, Alaric the Mad, successfully sought the help of the then-Human leader Sigmar to retake Jiliuguan; to repay the favor, he forged the twelve Runefangs that were later passed down through generations of Empire Elector Counts.

The two Princes met in the center of the tunnel surrounded by their respective guards, and after confirming each other's identities, they gave each other a big hug.

"Hmm, let me calculate, my great-great-grandmother was your great-grandfather's aunt, the aunt of the previous High King Aurek; by seniority, you are my cousin!" Balunding said with a smile.

Sinuoli felt that he was not the same as ordinary Dwarfs, perhaps due to the more open atmosphere of Jiliuguan.

"I came here to hunt down a Ratman clan that invaded Mountain Lake Fortress, but it seems I arrived a step late!" Sinuoli said.

"So that's it!" Balunding revealed an expression of sudden realization; he took out a bag of beer and shared it with Sinuoli.

The Dwarfs under his command also successively shared their own provisions with the kin who came with Sinuoli; among them, the ten members of the Hammerer Guard received extra attention, and many Jiliuguan Dwarfs were trying to strike up a conversation with them.

"Two days ago, our miners reported finding sporadic Ratmen underground; at the time, my father guessed that these guys might have drifted over from Karak-Varn, so he sent me with some brothers to come down and clear them out."

After taking a sip of beer, Balunding handed the leather bag to Sinuoli.

"I led my men to search along the Earth Vein Network, and on the way, we cleared out some small rats; I was just feeling bored when a Ratman Warlord and a nest of black-furred Stormvermin bumped into us!"

"How is it? Are the losses heavy? Are there any wounded who need treatment?" Sinuoli asked after taking a sip of beer.

"That is exactly what I find strange; I was quite nervous at first, as the force I have on hand is not too large!"

Sinuoli looked around and discovered that Balunding's subordinates were only about half the size of his own, composed of his Hammerer Guard, Ironbreakers, and Iron-drake gunners, but the proportion of Iron-drake gunners was far higher than Sinuoli's; this should be the influence of Jiliuguan's advanced technology.

Balunding continued, "But although those rats were numerous and all elites, they were one by one weak and listless! They couldn't even muster the strength to swing their blades, let alone raise their shields to block! If you ask me, killing them was no different from killing Goblins!"

"They ran out after failing in an internal struggle; Mountain Lake Fortress was hard to take and they had no source of food, they were starving!" Sinuoli explained.

"Yes, my Iron-drake gunners sent them to meet their filthy Rat God in two or three volleys!" Balunding continued.

"By the way, cousin, did you see that Ratman Warlord? It ran toward your side at the time. That guy had a Warpstone weapon in its hand; the few brothers I lost all fell to it when caught off guard!"

Sinuoli looked up to ask the Dwarfs who came with him, and soon, two Ironbreakers came running over carrying a Ratman corpse with a shattered head.

"Master Sinuoli judged it personally!" The voices of the Ironbreakers came from under their helmets.

Hearing this, the Dwarfs in the tunnel all let out cheers!

"Cheers to the Chosen of the Goddess!"

"Cheers to the Grudge being settled!"

Borrowing the lamplight lit by Balunding's subordinates, the Dwarfs identified its identity through the Plate Armor and banners on the corpse.

After a simple meal and drink, Balunding spoke: "Cousin Sinuoli, there is a good old saying, even between brothers, we must settle accounts clearly! How do you think we should divide the spoils?"

"Is there anything to divide?" Sinuoli asked curiously; in his view, these Ratmen who could no longer afford to eat must be dirt poor.

"Hmm, although we don't look down on the ragged equipment on the rats, there should still be some gold and silver valuables, right?" Balunding said uncertainly; he was also not long into adulthood and not very experienced.

"That's fine, you guys wiped out the main force, so it's only right that everything on them belongs to you, cousin; just give me the Halberd of the rat leader!"

Sinuoli was very interested in Ratman Warpstone technology; he believed the Halberd embedded with Warpstone in the Warlord's hand should be the most valuable trophy.

"How can that be?" Balunding cried out.

"You slew the enemy chieftain, yet you not only take none of the spoils but also help us resolve the source of pollution! Although I, Balunding, am not a particularly magnanimous Dwarf, I definitely cannot do such a thing!"

Thanks to the monthly tickets from Platon De Auspiciousness, Mountain Mist Snow, and Looking Toward the Stars and the Sea.

Continuing to ask for tickets, collections, and tips.