Chapter 530: Shenzhu and Zhaoming

"Hoo-ah, hoo-ah! Big nephew, how does that saying go? A tiger father has no dog for a son!"

"Haha! That child Sinuoli has made the Longbeard elders stop grumbling and complaining, so I can handle fewer trivial, stale matters and exercise my body more."

After a bloody battle, the massive head of the Warlord Lengya rolled into the dust; Thorgrim seized the moment to use the blood flowing from the wound to strike off a grudge of Silver Peak. Slaying an enemy chieftain in battle is the most gratifying thing in any era.

"Hmm, it seems there isn't much for me to worry about in the short term."

Sinuoli was very satisfied while reviewing the battle reports; how could "common faces" impulsively charge the Eternal Hammer Guard plus his own personal guard? He decided to take advantage of his leisure time to do some things he was interested in—strolling through the rainforest or searching for a certain Eastern girl who had run away from home.

"Awoo! This thing, *slurp*, is very good!"

"These Pygmies are the native creatures of this place; the food they make cannot compare to the delicacies of the Tianting. I hope you, Princess, will be magnanimous!"

"It's you! You've become so strong! Want to taste this together? It's very novel!"

In a tavern outside the fortress of Zhuwangshan, Sinuoli found Chenlong Shenzhu. She had not deliberately changed her appearance, and such an innocent and lively Zhendan young woman was quickly locked onto by the agents of the Western Depot.

"Great protector of the Pygmies! Savior who drives away the spiders! What an honor it is for you to condescend to be here!"

The owner recognized Sinuoli; following the public opening of the Ascension Staircase, his objects of worship were spread all over the Southlands. As a powerful ruler, all the ethnic groups under his governance revered him without exception.

"This lady is my honored guest; bring out all the signature dishes!"

"Your territory's development is indeed as good as you said; so-called order is not entirely equivalent to Ninghe, but it seems more to my liking."

"Haha, you were so busy with research and inspections that you didn't give me a chance to play the host; I thought we were at least friends."

"Isn't that because I was afraid of making things difficult for you? I even saw the Agate Raven-men of the Empress Mother; the family must have looked for you, right? But at least Fourth Sister can't suppress you anymore!"

Sinuoli smiled slightly and took a bite of a steak without answering; some things are enough to guess without needing to be spelled out—after figuring out that Shenzhu would not be in any great danger, the Dragon family was willing to let go a little to let her gain experience.

"Tell them not to worry, I'm not a child anymore. You don't know, when my older brothers and sisters were even younger than me, they went everywhere fighting monsters—the kind even bigger than the Mercenary Guard!"

"That is precisely why they don't want you to go through it as well."

"I am the daughter of the Dragon Emperor, Chenlong Shenzhu, holding the office of Du Yushi, and titled Princess of Xingpo!"

Shenzhu pouted her mouth high; this was the conflict brought about by mutual misunderstanding. As a Longnü who governs light and hope, she was quite sensitive to the strengthening of Chaos forces and was anxious to take on more.

"I also feel that over-protection is unnecessary. I came to find you mainly to give you a reminder; there are also powerful beings in the Western Lands capable of threatening your life, so you must be careful during your travels."

"Yi! Mmm~"

Shenzhu wanted to continue crying out, but seeing Sinuoli's serious expression, she was intimidated by his pressure and sat back down obediently. How could the strength of a short-lived race grow so fast? In the time it takes a true Dragon to complete one seclusion, he had gone from being inferior to her to being able to stand on equal footing with Fourth Sister and Fifth Brother!

"Do not go to the Chaos Wastes; surely some Dragon has repeatedly emphasized that to you. I will pick out the key points of the Old World..." Sinuoli had considered whether to accompany Shenzhu on her travels, but that would not achieve the desired effect, and it would also irritate her self-esteem.

Bidding farewell to the Longnü, the Dwarf King went back to being a "wish machine"; busy and peaceful days always pass quickly. Five years later, a letter passed down through layers from the East prompted him to come out of seclusion.

"The Changya Zhilu has been opened just like that? Well, I can wait, but Zhaoming cannot!"

In the letter, Zhaoming invited him to go to Black Tooth Town for an alliance—this is an important transit point for the Changya Zhilu, located on the edge of the Dark Lands. Goods from Great Goblin tribes and the Hell-forges of the Chaos Dwarfs are exchanged here.

Merchants believe that in the territories of Chaos forces, there will always be some rare treasures produced that they cannot use, while certain filth that the world of order avoids at all costs can be sold for sky-high prices there. Information asymmetry can generate three hundred percent profit, enough to make people risk the gallows.

Huge profits made the Iron Dragon give Greasus Goldtooth—the Ogre Tyrant he favored—great support. Judging from the text, the Governor of Weixi Liesheng had spent a great price to memorialize the Tianting to seek an official position of Anxi Duhu for it.

In contrast, the Dwarf Realms had average interest in the Changya Zhilu, and the support given to Ahetanmu was also limited. In the Slayer King's strategic planning, its territory was more of a buffer zone between Ironhand and other Ogre tribes.

"It is time to go back and take a trip!"

Sinuoli did not choose the familiar water route of Kuata Port to Haimenguan this time; Makaisen's airship had already passed a series of tests and was currently in the trial operation stage.

After communicating in detail with Belegar at Eight Peaks about territory development and the Greenskin threat, he boarded the airship. The massive gondola provided better stability and comfort—even a Demigod must sit obediently in a Helicopter.

"Boom—!"

The airship took off very smoothly, but not long after passing the Death Pass, bursts of thunder made the crew and passengers walk out of the cabin and gather on the deck.

"Your Majesty, it is a thunderstorm! You know, Leiting Shan and Thunder Fort are named precisely for this!"

"Kid, it's up to you! Charge through it for me!"

The Dwarf's roar was intermittent, mixed with the fury of nature. The Slayer Engineer and his bold and fearless crew battled amidst the thunderstorms and hail. Sinuoli had no intention of intervening; lightning protection was one of the most critical items in the airworthiness requirements he proposed, specifically to deal with the current situation.

Perhaps because it was on a seismic belt, this section of the plate had suffered devastating damage; both underground and on the surface, massive resources needed to be invested in rectification before it could be passable.

"Boom—!"

"May the Ancestor Gods protect us!"

"Praise the great Restorer!"

The airship's speed was not very fast, and it took almost half a day to sail out of the thunderstorm zone. The specially designed discharge brushes and metal conductive strips, which had been repeatedly tested and verified, allowed it to remain unscathed.

"In my opinion, after a few more cargo flights, we can prepare for formal operations! Shortening the journey from Eight Peaks to Everpeak from two months to within three days is a great merit!"

After making decisions and awards, Sinuoli went to see the High King as per custom. After discussing the preparations for the next Grudge Council, he set off north to investigate the reconstruction of Red Eye Mountain and hold a grand ceremony to celebrate its return.

He had met King Aose'er-Shi Chui a few times before; in order to raise the strength to restore his kingdom, he had run to Everpeak many times. The development experience of the Southlands and Eight Peaks was of great benefit to him; with the protection of two major fortresses, as long as he didn't mess around, he would always be able to recover his vitality.

(End of chapter)