Chapter 488: Medals and Malakai

"Do you have the resolve to match it?"

"Of course, or have you found any better way in the thousands of years since the Daemon invasion?"

The Dwarf and the Elf both saw a hint of sorrow and determination in each other's eyes. "Northern Expedition" sounds simple, but how many warriors will lose their lives because of it? Yet, a generation must always make sacrifices to bring about change.

"I salute you. Please keep me informed if there are further plans. You are also welcome to visit my royal court at a suitable time."

Finubar bowed with his hand on his chest. After long discussions with the mage council and the advisory board, his mind was ninety percent made up. The executive ability he saw in Sinuoli further solidified his thoughts.

"Likewise, the gates of Gaoyuanbao are always open to like-minded partners."

"Zzzzt!"

Accompanied by a flash of energy, Sinuoli returned to the Bone Temple. The Fourth Generation Slann was not doing his favorite Meditation but was anxiously waiting for him in front of the Geomantic Core.

"What happened in Itza?"

"The Resurrection Ritual has been initiated. Prepare your defenses, my friend."

After briefly informing them of the meeting's content, Sinuoli summoned his main subordinates via telegram on his return journey. His use of the Helicopter for official travel had sparked a new trend, and more and more Dwarfs were beginning to embrace the sky.

After the assembly to distribute official positions, the officials were gathered together more fully than ever before. The distance from Red Cloud Mountain to Eight Peaks was about the same as to Gaoyuanbao; the already long and narrow territory had doubled in length, greatly increasing administrative costs.

"Everyone, it is with great regret that I announce the period of rest and recuperation must be paused. Put down the work in your hands for now; I need a more elite legion to fight a more arduous campaign. The good news is that this time it will not take too long, and there is an opportunity to reap supreme glory!"

Now, Sinuoli no longer needed to emphasize silence before speaking. The moment he stepped into the hall, everyone would lower their heads—regardless of their temporary power in the factions or cliques—and every word he uttered carried unquestionable weight.

"Every Son of the Mountains will respond to your call and contribute to the Revival Era!"

"Analyze the risks clearly to every warrior. We will be facing the elite directly under the Four Gods, and from the top down, no one can afford to retreat."

The more battle-hardened a general is, the more they cherish their soldiers. Those veterans who had followed him through thousands of miles of fighting were by no means just numbers or dog tags. The dividends brought by the reversal of the Dwarf birth rate had yet to be realized; if he had a choice, he did not want to resort to war.

"Balin, have you drafted a plan for the medals I mentioned earlier?"

After the assembly dispersed, Sinuoli held a small meeting as usual. Long ago, he had considered awarding medals to recognize major and special merits or achievements of the recipients in many different fields.

As the race embarked on the road to revival, there were more and more meritorious people. Blindly promoting officials and granting titles would only lead to inflation; a relatively economical honor system needed to be introduced.

"The preliminary plan can consider establishing two major categories: the major mission sequence and the years of service sequence. Each category can be divided into three or more grades, such as gold, silver, and copper."

Sinuoli left most of his whimsical administrative ideas to Balin and his staff. These Dwarfs, with their diverse backgrounds, knew how to make localization more effective.

Drinking fine wine in taverns and boasting about one's achievements was the most popular leisure activity across the mountains. Officially quantifying merits and experiences would help greatly reduce the outbreak of post-drinking conflicts.

"Very well. Forget about small-scale battles for now; first, prepare the Liberation of the South Medal and the Eight Peaks Mountain Medal. Control the proportions of gold, silver, and copper, and then nominate a few special-grade ones from each section. I will bestow the honors personally."

After sending the civil officials away, Sinuoli leaned back in his chair and meditated silently. The impact of visiting Itza and meeting the four Second Generation Slann in person was greater than he had imagined—these powerful beings, who could shake true gods with the support of the Geomantic Web, could not stop the arrival of the End Times. He had to put away his limited optimism.

Perhaps he could take this opportunity of mobilizing the army to gather the Twelve Apostles and instruct them personally, allocating more resources to make their proselytizing more aggressive? Or would accelerating the construction of the Southlands geomantic structures be more controllable?

"Your Majesty, Malakai Makaisson has arrived. Is it convenient for you to spare a moment to see him?"

When one crosses the boundaries of mortals, deep thinking—or introspection—takes an extraordinary amount of time. The call from Kalade Fengbaoxingzhe outside the throne room brought him back to his senses.

"Enter!"

As the stone door opened, Sinuoli saw that notorious Slayer Engineer. Even after shaving his hair into an orange crest, his nonconformity could not be suppressed—he wore a work suit with many pockets instead of being shirtless and tattooed.

Compared to an Engineer, he looked more like a slovenly repairman. A massive hammer and pliers were strapped crosswise on his back, his waist was hung full of small tools like wrenches and screwdrivers, and his pockets were naturally bulging as well.

"Your Majesty, the great Revival King. I rushed over from the Giant Country Mountains as soon as I received the summons! My old friend said you were willing to fund my project and give me a chance to wash away my shame and prove myself. Is this true?"

"Of course, I have no need to joke with you. Report your invention to me in detail—the one about the airship."

"Hahaha! I knew it! With your wisdom, which surpasses that of the ancient kings, you would surely discover the mystery within!"

Malakai widened his eyes and leaned in, taking a scroll of blueprints from his bosom. From the scorched marks remaining on it, it was not hard to imagine it had been through many hardships.

"Please look, this is the latest version of the Thunder Airship! It is equipped with more bomb racks, two main cannons, and a large number of protected firing ports on both sides! What is even more brilliant is that I have added a Giant Steel Spear Launcher, enough to pierce the scales of a Silver Moon Dragon—oh no, a Star Dragon!"

"Stop, hold it right there, buddy! I don't care about its firepower or what kind of dragon it can fight. Tell me how it gets its power and what modifications you've made to avoid more terrible accidents!"

Sinuoli called a halt to Malakai's boasting; it seemed that Dwarf engineers with a pioneering spirit only cared about power and not safety. Buluokesen and Gotrek were like this before, only the damage they caused was relatively small.

"The power is steam and alcohol, and as for accidents, that was an accident! I stake my honor, my beard on it!"

"This King does not have time to argue with you about this. I can give you funding, ample funding, but you must ensure the safety of the product. I can even accept starting with civilian products that never carry weapons."

Sinuoli carefully appraised the blueprints. He had to admire the war potential of this thing; the multi-composite weapon system could pour devastating strikes onto enemy positions, differing by several orders of magnitude from the trickle of the gyrocopter.