Chapter 66: Return Journey and the Firm Shield

Sinuoli briefly reported to his elder brother what he had seen and heard at Jiliuguan as well as the trade agreements he had negotiated, then returned to the outpost at the foot of the mountain.

Before parting, he strongly recommended that his elder brother purchase or rent engineering equipment to speed up the reconstruction, but judging by his expression, Grom did not seem to take it to heart, and Sinuoli did not intend to persuade him further upon seeing this.

He knew that Grom was a rather traditional Dwarf. He possessed all the fine qualities of a Dwarf, and of course, the stubbornness carved into their bones.

Sinuoli prepared to return to Karaz-a-Karak after resting for a night; on one hand, he wanted to supplement his lacking knowledge of Rune Magic as soon as possible, and on the other, he wanted to apply the "full of energy" effect to his father, Thorgrim Grudgebearer, sooner.

That evening, Sinuoli assembled the Anvil Guards he had borrowed from the Iron Chisel Master; some of them patrolled the mine tunnels, while others threw themselves into the reconstruction work of Mountain Lake Fortress.

Seeing that all fifty-one Dwarfs he had brought were safe and sound, Sinuoli finally relaxed.

Early the next morning, Sinuoli and his party quietly left Mountain Lake Fortress for another familiar long trek; fortunately, after several marches and pursuits on this trip, Sinuoli had gradually grown accustomed to long-distance walking.

Bulimu, however, was on his first long journey, and the soreness caused by the trek from Jiliuguan to Mountain Lake Fortress the day before was thoroughly triggered after a night's rest.

He could only distribute his personal luggage and equipment to the Anvil Guards to carry, and then proceed with the support of two Eternal Hammer Guards.

When they stopped for a break, the young Dwarf Engineer looked ashamed, feeling embarrassed to have performed like this under the potential gaze of the Ancestor Goddess.

"I must invent something that can be used for transport within the Earth Vein Network!" Bulimu said through gritted teeth while gnawing on dry rations.

Sinuoli highly approved of his idea and immediately promised him support in terms of space and funding. Sinuoli himself also believed that marching on foot at the speed of a Dwarf was truly a delay to military opportunities.

In Sinuoli's mind, there was inspiration from the railways he had seen in his past life, but he only knew the general concept and did not understand the specific details.

This project was visibly expensive and would face predictable layers of obstruction from traditional forces, so Sinuoli did not intend to put this idea into practice before greatly increasing his influence and establishing his own faction.

That night, the party arrived at Everpeak. Seeing that it was a bit late, Sinuoli returned to the Clan's quarters to rest, deciding to visit those he needed to visit tomorrow.

Arranging for Bulimu to stay next door to him, Sinuoli entered dreamland. Early the next morning, he got up to wash, and at this moment, he heard a knock on the door.

"Strange! I clearly didn't ask Balin to wake me up last night?" Sinuoli muttered while pulling open the door.

He discovered that the visitor was Qiangsen-Jian Dun, the Captain of the Iron Chisel Master's Anvil Guards.

"Uncle Jian Dun, is there anything you need from me so early in the morning?" Sinuoli asked, letting him into the room.

"Well, Master Sinuoli, I, I have a request." The loud-voiced Dwarf tried hard to control his volume, a look of embarrassment appearing on his face.

"It's just... could I follow you in the future? To follow you to settle Grudges, recover Karaks, and retrieve Artifacts? I, uh, have guarded the door of the Forging Room for too many years!"

Captain Jian Dun briefly recounted his experience; after he became a member of the Ironbreakers, because the previous High King Orikson was relatively conservative and rarely used troops externally, he could only do the work of patrolling the underground day after day.

When the Iron Chisel Master recruited Anvil Guards, he thought that following a Rune Master would provide many opportunities for adventure, so he signed up and was successfully selected.

He did not expect that the Iron Chisel Master preferred staying in the Forging Room more than organizing his own expeditions or accompanying the army with the Doom Anvil.

Not long after, Thorgrim succeeded to the throne and announced the beginning of the Era of Reckoning, frequently using troops externally, but all of this had nothing to do with Jian Dun, who had become an Anvil Guard. Over these years, his axe and Shield had almost no place to be used.

After hearing Jian Dun's story, Sinuoli could not help but sigh. In their previous cooperation, he knew that Jian Dun was a talent among Dwarf officers who had a certain ability for independent action, was reliable in handling affairs, and seemed to know a bit about interrogation.

But such a talent had wasted a hundred years because he had not seized the opportunity, and until now, he had not established any decent achievements.

Sinuoli sympathized with his situation very much, and at the same time, he also believed that he needed an experienced guard captain.

Moreover, Jian Dun's loud voice could accurately convey his orders on a noisy and chaotic battlefield. Although he could use a megaphone, it was still not as stable as a human voice.

"Well, I understand what you mean. I must first go to see my father, and after I return, I will chat with Uncle Tiezhuoshugong."

Even though he already had a decision in his heart, Sinuoli still did not speak too definitively. After sending off the repeatedly grateful Jian Dun, he tidied his attire and took ten Eternal Hammer Guards to Thorgrim's office to report.

Once inside the room, Sinuoli signaled for Thorgrim to dismiss those around him. Although he did not understand why, his father still signaled for his several officials to leave.

Sinuoli brought up the system and spent five hundred Revival Points to perform the ritual for Thorgrim. Feeling the endless Strength Rune surging in his body, Thorgrim's graying beard trembled continuously.

But he was, after all, experienced and controlled the urge to cry out. However, Sinuoli saw Thorgrim gripping the edge of his desk, making creaking sounds.

It seemed that even though he had witnessed the divine grace twice, when the miracle truly acted upon himself, this wise High King still needed a lot of effort to digest it.

"Well, you, you are very good!" Thorgrim pursed his lips and blurted out this sentence after a long time. He did not know how to praise Sinuoli for a moment.

"You have about twenty days to prepare, your Warhammer, guards, and your little sheep!" Thorgrim understood what this effect meant to a Dwarf and also knew that his office had many ears, so he decided to continue with the main topic first.

"The composition of the caravan, the protection force, and the gifts for our wedding proposal do not need to worry you. As for some necessary etiquette, you can take the relevant scrolls and look at them on the road to study." Thorgrim continued his instructions.

"Your top priority now is to improve your own strength. That damned Gulu started his army from Aoka Shan within Bretonnia; although his Waaagh! attracted most of the Greenskin warbands along the way, this road still cannot be called peaceful!"

Thanks to "Come on baby rice dog" and "Hua Yi Yi" for the monthly tickets. Asking for tickets, collections, and tips at the beginning of the month.

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