Chapter 53: Welcoming the Bride

Every Dwarf in attendance joined in the revelry; they feasted and made merry from dawn until the sun set.

Thorgrim Grudgebearer's eyes welled with tears; he felt heartfelt joy for his sons' achievements and the return of the Mother Goddess, and it seemed the heavy Grudges weighing upon him had loosened somewhat.

Early the next morning, Sinuoli woke from a hangover; he could no longer remember how many mugs of ale he had downed, nor how many times he had said, "May the Ancestor Goddess bless you!"

Yesterday, regardless of age, the number of Dwarfs who toasted him and sought his blessing was enough to form a line from the outpost gate all the way to the entrance of Mountain Lake Fortress.

After washing up, Sinuoli decided to go find Krag the Grim first; he was very curious to see if witnessing divine grace could bring any change to this most powerful Rune Master.

Upon being told that Master Krag had already returned to Karaz-a-Karak with his Anvil Guard the previous night, Sinuoli shook his head and headed toward the High King's chambers.

"You've come; you certainly drank a lot yesterday!" Thorgrim said while sitting on the Throne of Power. Sinuoli nodded and found a seat.

"I thought about it last night; from now on, we should settle things separately. At home, I'll still call you son, but when we're out, I must call you the respected Master Sinuoli, Chosen of the Goddess, otherwise it won't seem respectful enough!" Thorgrim cracked a rare joke.

"Do you have something you need to see me about? I am preparing to return to the Everpeak; there are quite a few matters to attend to lately." After a brief chat, Thorgrim got straight to the point.

"I want to organize an expedition!" Sinuoli said; he had decided to take the first step of his plan: to recover lost Artifacts.

Having tasted the benefits of the Iron Chisel Ring, he understood that at this stage, collecting legendary equipment was the fastest way to strengthen his power.

Although Thorgrim possessed many such treasures, some were bound to the High King's throne, such as the Throne of Power, the Great Book of Grudges, the Axe of Grimnir, and the Dragon Crown.

Others were clan heirlooms, which would basically fall into the hands of his eldest brother, Grom.

Given that there was little hope for those, Sinuoli set his sights on the eight Artifacts in the Artifact Treasury System; their power was by no means inferior to the aforementioned items, and there was a high probability they were ownerless.

Furthermore, he still lacked the symbol of a Rune Master—the Doom Anvil! It would be a disservice to the emblem on his chest to go out without a palanquin to ride in.

"I think I understand, but there is no need to be in such a hurry," Thorgrim said with a nod.

"There is a major matter at hand that needs you to handle it; if you are lucky, perhaps you can get your anvil at the same time!"

"What major matter?" Sinuoli asked, puzzled.

"You don't know yet? It seems Grom's mouth is quite tight! But then again, if he were to publicize it, given our race's situation, I fear it would all fall through, hahaha!" Thorgrim was in a great mood, and his laughter left Sinuoli confused.

"Big brother? What about him? Didn't he just capture a piece of territory? Do you have another assignment for him?" Sinuoli interrupted his father's laughter.

"Grom is getting married! I am about to have a grandson!" Thorgrim said with a look of pride.

"There's such a thing!?" Sinuoli looked shocked, but recalling his brother's behavior along the way, he had an inkling; no wonder Grom had been running back so frequently lately!

"Which family's girl is it?" Thinking of his brother embracing a female Dwarf just as stout as himself, Sinuoli suddenly felt goosebumps on his back.

"The daughter of the Granite Hand Lord of Karak-Weifengbao. Ten years ago, she came to the Everpeak to study medicine," Thorgrim replied.

The tradition of the Dwarf medical profession can be traced back to the Mother Goddess Valaya; the broad category of medicine includes various physicians, herbalists, surgeons, and apothecaries.

Different types of physicians have their own medical rooms within a fortress; they are very professional and also like to boast about their medical skills.

There are also Human rulers who travel to Dwarf fortresses to hire Dwarf surgeons to perform operations. Dwarf physicians occasionally travel between different settlements and follow armies to the battlefield; generally, those who stay in one place for a long time are apothecaries and herbalists.

"That girl Pamila is a plump beauty! Your brother fought many duels with other young lads to win her favor! You were busy studying Rune Magic during that time and didn't pay much attention."

It was clear that Thorgrim was very satisfied with this future daughter-in-law.

Sinuoli understood the logic; the ratio of Dwarf men to women is two to one. For the royal family, every woman of marriageable age is almost heavily scrutinized; after all, it would be very shameful if the eldest son could not marry a wife of equal status.

As for Sinuoli himself, he was the third son in the family and did not like socializing much; almost every passive social interaction involved young, strong Dwarfs coming to ask him about the preferences of his second sister, Nina.

Sinuoli recalled that a significant portion of his private treasury came from the "information fees" provided by his second sister's suitors! The young talents qualified to pursue the daughter of the High King were all very generous.

"Good, may the Ancestor Goddess bless her!" Having gotten used to saying this phrase the day before, Sinuoli blurted it out.

"But what does this have to do with me? Am I to be the best man?" he asked next.

"Your lack of concern for the outside world is no different from a stupid Giant!" Thorgrim said with a laugh.

"You are an adult now, too. In a few years, when your sister is married off, it will be your turn! You should start worrying about it," Thorgrim began to mutter like any other father.

"You've been a Rune Master for quite a few days now, why hasn't anyone come to me to propose these matters? With your current status, the noblewomen of the major clans are certainly not a match!

I must find a way to find you a princess from a mountain fortress. Could it be that they think it's inconvenient to contact me because I am the High King, so they contacted Sonia instead? I must ask her when I return..."

Seeing Thorgrim drifting further and further away, Sinuoli quickly stopped him.

"Let's talk about my mission, Father. I have made a vow before the Ancestor Goddess: I will recover the lost mountain fortresses, retrieve the lost Artifacts, and restore the glory of the Mountain Kingdom!" Sinuoli invoked the Mother Goddess Valaya.

"Does this conflict with getting married..." Thorgrim was still unwilling to give up; he muttered a few more words before getting to the point.

"As Grom's only younger brother, you must go to welcome the bride for him!"

"Welcome the bride?" Sinuoli repeated, "Where to? The Physician Guild hall?"

"No, Karak-Weifengbao! Your sister-in-law is the daughter of a city lord, after all; she must be married off in style from her own home. She just returned with a caravan a few days ago!"

"Weifengbao?" Sinuoli quickly recalled, "In the Grey Mountains, near the Knight Kingdom of Bretonnia?" Sinuoli said uncertainly.

Thanks for the monthly tickets and the tip for the shredded cucumber with enoki mushrooms.

It's a rare burst of updates, ha. Thanks to the readers for your enthusiasm. The protagonist is about to enter a new chapter, and I have to return to school myself. Normal updates will be maintained later, but there might be fewer bonus updates; I owe quite a bit of research work.