Chapter 75: Setting Off

Snuori brought the delivery note and exchanged it for his hammer at the workshop of the Iron Chisel Master.

Snuori examined it briefly; the hammer was sharp-angled and polished until it shone. What male in this world could dislike weapons? Snuori hugged his hammer, unwilling to let it go.

After a few simple swings, Snuori felt as if the weapon were an extension of his own arm; it was impeccable in both size and weight. It was far handier than his original standard-issue Forging Hammer.

"No wonder the Iron Chisel Master dares to charge so much!" Snuori thought to himself. The exchange rate between Oath Gold and ordinary Dwarf Gold Coin was one to one hundred, but that was only the official price.

In private transactions, getting one Oath Gold for one hundred and twenty gold coins was considered a good deal! If this hammer hadn't been discounted, it would have been enough to purchase ten standard-issue products.

Watching the faint electric arcs occasionally flickering on the surface of the Warhammer, Snuori knew this must be the effect of Plasma Quenching, but its specific power remained to be tested in actual combat.

According to his request, the two sides of the hammer were engraved with the face of the Mother Goddess in a roaring rage and the stone armor emblem of his own Clan, respectively.

On the bottom of the Warhammer, near the handle, a small line of Dwarf text was engraved: "Crafted by the Iron Chisel Master for the Chosen of the Goddess, Snorri Thorsson, in October of the year 6943."

"This hammer will accompany me to world-wide fame!" Snuori made a secret resolution in his heart. He returned to his workshop, preparing to transfer the Master-level Throwing Rune onto the hammer.

By the night before departure, Snuori finally succeeded. He threw the hammer and recalled it through the air in the training grounds, repeating the process over a dozen times without feeling bored.

Snuori consumed the skill points gained from the victory at the Battle of Mountain Lake Fortress on his skill panel and unlocked the Storm Hammer skill.

After triggering the skill, the motion of throwing the hammer was noticeably more standard than without it, and the throwing distance was further. Regrettably, the wooden dummy could not display a stun effect; this still required verification through actual combat.

Snuori instructed Balin to help him pack his luggage, and after saying goodbye to several kinsmen, he climbed into bed.

Early the next morning, he put on the Stali Boots that the Iron Chisel Master had sent back overnight, picked up his hammer, brought his rings, and walked out the door, feeling refreshed.

In the courtyard, the Hammer Warriors and the Anvil Guard were assembling; the uniforms of the two were distinct.

One side was a "tin can" completely sealed, even covering their faces. They held round shields and Battle Axes.

The other side wore flat-topped, slightly ceremonial helmets. To facilitate the wielding of two-handed long weapons, they chose to leave their elbows exposed, using a combination of shoulder armor and gauntlets.

Looking at these two top-tier Dwarf troop types filling the courtyard, Snuori waved his left hand, "Set off!" The group headed straight for the side gate of Karaz-a-Karak.

Although it was early morning and only faint sunlight could be seen through the gate, traveling merchants, guards, and kinsmen who had come to see them off still crowded both sides of the road.

Snuori took a rough look; there were probably over a hundred carriages here. What a large-scale caravan.

With Snuori's arrival, the cry of "Chosen of the Goddess!" rang out.

The official guards arranged by the High King lined up at the front of the procession, distinguishing themselves from the merchants and caravan guards behind, and accepted Snuori's inspection.

Seeing the high enthusiasm of his clansmen, Snuori decided to take the opportunity to say a few words; if he was lucky, he might even gain some more Revival Points!

"Dear clansmen! I, Snorri Thorsson, under the order of the High King, am protecting the caravan to Karak-Breeze Fort. I know some of you are worried because your fathers, brothers, or sons are in the caravan. For this, I swear in the name of the Ancestor Goddess that I will do my utmost to ensure their safe return!"

Snuori's voice echoed within the mountain belly of the Everpeak, stirring up waves of reverberations.

The clansmen present cheered. After experiencing the impact of the Waaagh! of Grom the Paunch, many had no confidence in this journey, but Snuori's guarantee put their hearts at ease.

"Set off!" Snuori shouted. He walked at the very front of the procession, striding toward the morning sun outside the Shanbao. According to the arrangement, he was to arrive at the newly established first stop, Karak-Varn, within the day.

Walking on the road, Snuori began to inspect his subordinates.

The members of the caravan could be divided into three categories. First was Snuori's own direct unit, mainly including his attendant Balin, his subordinate Engineer Bulimu, and a full complement of eighty Anvil Guard and forty Hammer Warriors, including ten Eternal Hammer Guard.

These people fought for the Clan and for Snuori himself, making them the most loyal and reliable.

The second part was the caravan guards arranged by the High King, whom Snuori commanded in his capacity as the head of the guard detachment.

They included fifty Longbeard warriors, one hundred Dwarf Warriors, a ranged unit mixed with thirty Thunderers and thirty Quarrellers, one Cannon, one Bolt Thrower and their operators, and ten Irondrakes. Finally, there were five Rangers responsible for scouting.

This force of less than four hundred people constituted the official defensive strength of the caravan.

But in fact, the strength of the caravan was more than that. Every carriage basically had a driver and two or three guards; after all, merchants always needed some manpower when traveling.

This group of Dwarfs also numbered around four hundred. Their equipment was uneven, and although they lacked discipline, they had traveled far and wide and did not lack combat experience.

Coupled with equipment better than average Dwarf Warriors, their combat effectiveness was on par with the Longbeard warriors.

Finally, there were dozens of Human adventurers led by Fatisi Qishi. They provided security for the Human members of the caravan, and these people trailed at the very back of the procession.

The winding procession was endless within the Earth Vein Network. Snuori distributed his forces according to traditional methods:

First, he sent two Rangers ahead to scout. He himself led the Hammer Warriors and a portion of the Anvil Guard at the very front of the main force. The other defensive forces were evenly distributed on both sides of the carriages. Bulimu, the artillery crews, and the Irondrakes were in the middle section of the procession. They were the most critical firepower output.

When it came time for a mid-journey rest, Fatisi led his warhorse from the rear guard to Snuori's side.

"Eat together?" He took his sandwich and wineskin off one of the horses. Snuori had no objections to this; he also wanted to learn more about the situation in the Knight Kingdom.

"You have two warhorses?" Snuori asked. Fatisi and his two horses were second only to Snuori and his surrounding Eternal Hammer Guard in terms of eye-catching presence in the procession. They were far taller and more robust than the pack horses pulling the carriages.

"Two? Well, to be precise, one warhorse and one riding horse!" Fatisi took a bite of his sandwich.

Thanks to book friend Yan Guang for the tip.

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