Chapter 60: Rune Colossus

Guildmaster Buluoke led Sinuoli into his personal office with a mysterious expression.

"What is it you wish to show me? Surely not your office supplies?" Sinuoli asked, looking around the high-tech office.

There were all sorts of strange gadgets here, from water dispensers to coffee grinders and massage chairs; it was clear Guildmaster Buluoke had interacted with Human caravans quite often.

"Don't be so impatient!" Buluoke said as he inserted a key to open the safe door fixed to the wall.

Sinuoli was surprised to find that inside was not gold, silver, treasures, or anything like a Dwarf-ling, but a passageway.

This passage, carved directly into the mountain, was not long, and at its end was a secret door. Buluoke pulled out a ring of keys to open it and explained:

"This is where our guild conducts its most cutting-edge research. To avoid potential danger and ensure secrecy, it requires the strongest security mechanisms."

After Buluoke inserted the key, a keypad popped up on the door. "Please step aside for a moment!" Sinuoli turned away as requested.

He heard Buluoke turning the dial with a series of "creak, creak" sounds, and finally, with a "click," the door popped open.

In an instant, Sinuoli's gaze went blank. This hall was much larger than the one he had just passed through, especially with its high, vaulted ceiling.

This was to accommodate two giants that reached toward the sky; their wrists were not human hands, but were directly fitted with drills and axes.

"Rune Colossus!?" Sinuoli blurted out.

"You are truly well-informed!" Buluoke was also somewhat surprised, then he wore an enlightened expression. "Right, you come from the Everpeak; there are only three places in the entire Mountain Kingdom where these Rune Colossi remain."

Buluoke took a sip of coffee and continued: "First is here, the Engineer city of Zhufuba, then the capital of the Mountain Kingdom—Karaz-a-Karak, and finally..."

"Karak Eight Peaks?" Sinuoli asked. "Did the Mother Goddess tell you? Yes, the Queen of the Silver Abyss, once the most prosperous city-state in the entire Mountain Kingdom, and also the site of the Mother Goddess's temple."

"Can these two things move now?" Sinuoli asked the question he cared about most.

"They are the crystallization of the highest level of Rune Magic and engineering technology from the Golden Age!" Buluoke said, and hearing this, Sinuoli sighed.

"So, is everything normal but they cannot be driven, or are they already damaged and difficult to repair?" Sinuoli caught the subtext in Buluoke's words.

"Well, after generations of effort, our guild has overcome the engineering challenges, but as for the runes..." Buluoke stopped mid-sentence.

"I understand. Then presumably the colossi we have in Karaz-a-Karak have the same problem?"

Sinuoli asked directly; if they were still working properly, there was no reason his father wouldn't have used them when settling Grudges.

"Yes, I heard that your master, Krag the Grim, once organized an Expeditionary Force to retrieve the runic knowledge needed to recharge the colossi."

Buluoke said with some uncertainty. "He and his team broke into a side hall of Black Kelage through a secret passage. Based on the accounts of the clansmen who accompanied him, that exploration should have yielded results."

Buluoke stated his guess, then he asked Sinuoli:

"As the only disciple Krag Master has had in recent years, do you have any understanding of how to repair the runes on the colossi?"

"This is probably the main reason he led me into this secret room! Even if the chance is slim, Buluoke-Damingsen, a man obsessed with technology, is willing to try something." Sinuoli thought to himself.

"No, the Dekkaz-Klad Clan I come from has never had a good relationship with Krag, and he has never told me about these things. However, rest assured, I myself am qualified to learn the knowledge to repair them." Sinuoli answered sincerely.

"Sigh!" Even though he had expected it, Buluoke still couldn't help but sigh.

"As far as I know, there are many other races that have similar giant constructs. Can't we get some inspiration from those guys?" Sinuoli thought for a moment and asked.

"Greenskins have Rogue Idols, Vampire Coast have Necrolith Colossi, and the constructs in Nehekhara to the south are even more numerous! Aren't there War Sphinxes, Necrosphinxes, Bone Giants, and Hierotitans?" Sinuoli listed many examples in a row.

"Valaya above!" Buluoke looked shocked. "Your erudition puts the Living Ancestors to shame! I must write down what you said!" As he spoke, he took out his notebook and began to record.

"Well, however, respected Chosen of the Goddess." Buluoke muttered while writing. "The ones you just mentioned have little reference value; they are almost all driven by the Winds of Magic, which is something we Dwarfs have no way to imitate."

"I once had the honor of studying a Rogue Idol destroyed by our clansmen. It was essentially a pile of randomly stacked stones, relying on the Waaagh Energy condensed by a large group of Greenskins to give it life."

"As for the Sphinxes, those stone-like big cats, I have also seen one. I am not sure which of the two types you mentioned it was." Buluoke took a puff of his pipe.

"There was once a Tomb King who didn't know his place and wanted to take back some treasure or other from us. Was he worthy? The Sons of the Mountains crushed him and the skeletons under his command, and the Sphinx he sat upon was also smashed to pieces by us."

Buluoke spoke excitedly and began waving his prosthetic limb again. Sinuoli stepped aside two paces; he didn't want to test the power of that Ironhand.

"That thing, after the Tomb Technician carves it into shape, relies on the Liche Priests of the Mortuary Cult to bind the souls of the dead to it as a driving force through their unique magic. We do not have such technology, and we would never desecrate souls!"

"That is only natural!" Sinuoli nodded in agreement.

"Although I haven't seen the real things, I think Hierotitans and Bone Giants are essentially the same. As for the Necrolith Colossi, one can tell just by the name that they are products of desecrating power, not worth mentioning!"

Listening to the sources of inspiration he had proposed being rejected one by one by Guildmaster Buluoke, Sinuoli did not feel angry; after all, he knew nothing about Rune Colossi.

"Then do you have any leads on repairing the colossi?" Sinuoli asked.

"Zhendan, the Cathay in the east of the continent!"

"What? Zhendan?" Hearing this term, Sinuoli showed a shocked expression. In the setting, Zhendan absorbed many elements of ancient China. As a former Huaxia person, Snuo had full interest in the Cathay.

Thanks to Watch Hero League 233 for the tip, Touching Ink and Faint Cool, Asking Wine Not Knowing, and the monthly tickets from book friends.

I just set up a book friend group. If any book friends want to provide character inspiration, you can join.