Chapter 524: Disciples and Letters

"This, this must be handled with a sense of proportion."

"That is why I have been assisting you in repairing Eight Peaks, giving you men when you asked for men, and money when you asked for money! I even had the Mother Goddess herself issue gold notes for you. Don't tell me you haven't been able to hold on with my support."

Belegar rarely challenged Sinuoli's decisions; compared to when he had nothing, having once possessed something made him more afraid of losing it. He needed to be responsible for the safety of the lives and property of the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Eight Peaks.

"That is a race born for war. If they weren't truly pushed to the limit, they wouldn't rest; they only know how to sustain war through war. Seize the final window of opportunity, Belegar, and you could also put in some effort to achieve a breakthrough yourself."

Thinking of Tiepi, Sinuoli also scratched his head. Under the blessing of Gork, a single headbutt from him could shatter the Eye of Sheerian, one of the Six Forbidden Treasures of Chaos belonging to Archaon. Was his stone head harder than that treasure embedded in the Crown of Domination?

"The progress report on the track development ends here; please give your instructions."

Belegar and his wife decided to stay for a few days to let Rune II familiarize himself with the environment. Lady Anya also had to fulfill her duties as Minister of Women and Health, conducting research and providing guidance to the hospitals and kindergartens around Gaoyuanbao that relied on Walayashenmiao.

Sinuoli took the opportunity to listen to another achievement of the Advanced Technology Research Institute. According to game standards, this would surely be a landmark that greatly increased "research rate." By jumping out of the rigid constraints of the Engineers Guild, these young people who dared to think and act were able to fully display their talents.

"No problem, go to the finance department later to draw a sum for verification tests. If funds are tight, tell them to issue a special revival edition of gold notes."

The reason the Ancestor Gods migrated north back then was that the resources in the Southlands were relatively barren. Beyond the support of the various kings, Sinuoli's expenses mainly relied on Zhendan, trade with the Lizardmen, and the export of Rune guards, but the demand in the Old World was limited. As his territory increased, he finally had to worry about money.

"The development of weapons and equipment for the Lizardmen must be expedited; they have plenty of wealth and nowhere to spend it!"

Stroking his beard, the Dwarf could not help but lick his lips. He was greatly interested in the resources and wealth that Itza had accumulated since the descent of the Old Ones, and even more interested in how much combat power the Eldest Children of the Old Ones could unleash if they had handy tools.

"If you are truly worried, I will send a scout unit from Nan E Di to help you monitor. I cannot do more than that; you know, Eight Peaks is closely following Itza, and a war of such scale requires conserving strength."

Sinuoli was also afraid of failure; he carried more on his shoulders than Belegar. The banner of the revival of the Qunshan could not experience failure, let alone the integration of Order forces for a northern expedition.

"Child, you are the glorious heir of the Angrund Clan; this is blessed by the Mother Goddess, but I do not want to force growth by pulling on the seedlings. Attend the school properly, lay a solid foundation, and attend the weekly meetings and the monthly joint meetings of the ministers. Learning how to organize information is key."

"Understood, Uncle Sinuoli. Also, can you teach me the Storm Hammer? I went to observe Fengbaoya..."

"Haha! You are not the first Little Beard to ask. What is truly critical is strength, not techniques. Let's talk in detail after you can beat your old man."

Belegar and his wife could not stay long. Watching them leave, Sinuoli pinched the young Prince's tender shoulders. Compared to his father's displacement in his youth, he was still a fledgling lacking the tempering of storms.

"Two important letters, they require your personal opening."

Peaceful days always passed quickly. After the trip to the Old World, Sinuoli's faith had increased by half, and in contrast, there were more prayers. The Apostles exchanged experiences at the assembly, which also created competitive pressure; he had to personally handle certain large-scale divine power demands.

"Why did the Sea Dragon suddenly start talking about this and that? This is not her style."

Yin Yin's graceful handwriting appeared on the paper. Sinuoli found her true meaning from the winding characters—Shenzhu, the Princess of Xingpo, had run away from home. Although there was no evidence, the true Dragons suspected that she might have crossed the sea to the Southlands.

"No matter how young or how unskilled in slaughter, manifesting her true form and flying away should be fine, right? There are some in the Old World who can defeat her, but unless she dives into Aisuoluolun Senlin or the Chaos Wastes, the probability of coincidentally encountering other Demigods is not high."

Stroking his beard, Sinuoli recalled the time on the Jade River; it was the Longnü's timely rescue that saved him from being greeted by Slaanesh. And the girl in Fuzhou City who was full of curiosity about the outside world during their late-night talk.

"Pass on my order, distribute portraits everywhere... Forget it, I feel that if she really came to the Southlands, she would likely come to find me."

Just as he was about to call someone, Sinuoli thought two steps further. His intelligence network had strong control over the Southlands, but if the Longnü deliberately hid her tracks, it would be tough. Moreover, Yin Yin and even the Dragon Emperor and his wife in Tianting had not clearly stated what to do after finding Shenzhu; he did not want to be the villain.

"Strengthen the ports. If there are suspicious-looking Zhendan women, monitor and report them. Let's see what good news came from Slayer Keep."

The second letter exuded a strong smell of blood, obviously drafted in a hurry after a great battle. Although rune telegraphy was already very common in the Qunshan, many Dwarves still believed that the most important information needed to be written down by hand to be delivered.

"All grudges regarding Red Eye Mountain have been settled! Karak-Angul, the earliest fortress to fall, has returned to the embrace of the Qunshan!"

The long war had destroyed the once impregnable fortress. Under the crude repairs of the Night Goblins, there were more and more loopholes. For every old secret passage that was destroyed and blocked, two large branches were newly opened.

Agelimu drew on Sinuoli's strategy for attacking Eight Peaks in his battle plan. The Terminator of Great Grudges, Gelagelimu, commanded a large army equipped with the latest gear, including Rune guards, to exert pressure from the periphery, while the Slayer Demigod personally led the elite to blast the center.

The most elite Slayer warband of Karak-Kadrin was almost "successfully" wiped out in two major battles, but fortunately, this time they had the help of the famous Dragon Regiment of the Stonehammer Clan.

For four thousand years, this resilient clan had never given up on taking back their home. As their numbers dwindled, they had to seek help from engineering technology. The volley of Iron-drake Handguns had power nearly equal to dragon breath, and Dragons could not squeeze into narrow tunnels.

Prince Othel, who had spent most of his first half of life wandering in the North World Edge Mountains, was the most seasoned Ranger. He led the assault team straight into the heart of the Red Eye Night Goblins. When the giant Squig that protected him was burned to a cinder, even with Mork's blessing, the Warlord could not last three moves under the Dargo Axe.

"My advice is the same as what I gave Belegar: fire, water, no matter the means, thoroughly clean up the corruption and then seal off the vast lower levels. Drilling Fort, how long has it been since I heard that name!"

Agelimu expressed his worries in the letter. The Northern Border did not have enough population to move in and maintain the operation of the fortress. All they could do was use emergency measures to buy time, waiting for the newborns to grow up.