Chapter 79: Duantiebao

Looking at the already passed-out Sinuoli, Bergman felt somewhat dispirited.

"Youngsters who haven't grown a full beard just can't hold their liquor! But it doesn't matter, as long as the Mother Goddess can hear me; what if she thinks I've done a good job and bestows divine grace upon me? But it had better not be the same kind as the one given to Buluoke of Jiliuguan, my Bergman's spirit is perfectly fine!"

Bergman quickly adjusted his mood, though he did not know that this divine grace would only have a chance of being obtained if Sinuoli were awake.

"Come, let us go to the back door, there is the greenhouse where I select malt for sprouting! If you want the beer to taste good, top-quality malt is indispensable..."

Sinuoli could not remember the rest of what was said; when he woke up in the guest room, the first news he received was that it was dinner time.

Dizzily arriving at the cafeteria, another round of even more sumptuous meals awaited him. This time, Sinuoli was directly held up and forced to drink, and soon his already unclear consciousness completely collapsed.

The next morning, Sinuoli struggled to wash up and, without even eating breakfast, immediately mounted his Rock Sheep.

Having been terrified by the enthusiastic tavern staff during the two meals the previous day, Sinuoli was shocked to discover that his little sheep was also walking with a bit of a wobble; he feared that some distiller's grains had been mixed into the feed.

Although Sinuoli could not hold up, the accompanying Dwarfs were in high spirits, and they kept praising the fine wine and food here.

The Eternal Hammers were considered quite respected for following the High King; the ordinary Hammer Guards had never had such treatment before, and they all expressed that this trip had not been in vain.

Returning to Kalake-Duomaer, Sinuoli rested directly in his room until the day of departure. This time, the proportion of Humans in the caravan had increased quite a bit.

Exiting the main gate of the fortress, the caravan arrived directly at Black Fire Pass. This was a place that had been stained with blood since ancient times. Huge black cliffs formed a tower shape, with unnaturally straight edges.

In the great earthquake that kicked off the Dark Age for the Dwarfs thousands of years ago, a massive volcanic eruption tore through the Black Mountains, creating this pass.

The volcanic lava tore open the surface, forming the peculiar landscape here. The geographical importance of this pass goes without saying; it is a crucial barrier for resisting the Greenskins of the Badlands.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Empire of Man, the first Human Emperor Sigmar and the then-Dwarf High King Ku'ergan-Tiexu led a coalition of Humans and Dwarfs at Black Fire Pass, defeating a massive army of Goblins and Orcs, and driving them to the east of the World's Edge Mountains.

In the 15th year of the Imperial Calendar, Ku'ergan-Tiexu was overwhelmed and captured by a Greenskin tide while traveling in the Old World, and subsequently, Chief Sigmar, who received a call for help nearby, led a team to slaughter the Orcs and rescue him.

To express his gratitude, Ku'ergan gifted Sigmar his heirloom—the divine hammer Gaiermulazi, which means "Skull-Cracker" in the Dwarf language—and signed a friendly trade treaty.

This battle was a testament to the alliance between Humans and Dwarfs, and it also ensured the survival of the nascent Empire of Man.

Since then, around Black Fire Pass, Humans and Dwarfs have fought countless great battles against the Greenskins, the most recent being the catalyst for Sinuoli's transmigration: the Battle of Iron Gate a few months ago.

Because it had just gone through a great battle, the current Black Fire Pass was much quieter. Sinuoli looked at this place, which occupied a large amount of space in both the Dwarf Book of Grudges and the history of the Empire, and he had many emotions—both for the great power of nature (or perhaps the Toad Lords) and for the constant struggle of the ancestors for survival.

After spending half a day passing through Black Fire Pass, Sinuoli and his caravan once again entered the dim Earth Vein Network; their next stop was Kalake-Ankazhaer, also known as Duantiebao.

This was the first stop in the Black Mountains; although Duantiebao was not a large Dwarf stronghold, it was still an important fulcrum of the Mountain Kingdom.

The integrity of the Earth Vein Network here was much worse than that of the World's Edge Mountains; judging from the sporadic Goblins easily wiped out along the way, Duantiebao's control over the surrounding area was also relatively poor.

By the next day, in order to allow the carriages to pass, Sinuoli had to lead his subordinates to clear the collapsed Earth Vein Network.

Spending an extra day, the team finally arrived at Duantiebao four days later.

The Dwarf Lord stationed here was named Jierbi-Leiyun, and he showed great enthusiasm for this annual caravan.

Through the relatively scarce dishes at the welcome banquet, Sinuoli knew that the living standards of the Dwarfs here were relatively average.

"Welcome, respected Chosen of the Goddess. Hearing of the revival of the Mother Goddess, every Son of the Mountains feels extremely encouraged!" This middle-aged Dwarf, who looked somewhat old due to the dual pressure of life and war, gave the opening speech for the banquet.

When the banquet drew to a close, Sinuoli and Lord Leiyun sat on the stage for a heart-to-heart talk.

"Does Gulu's Waaagh have a big impact on us here?" Sinuoli asked.

"It's alright. The news was passed all the way from Haojiaobao, and we closed the fortress gates in time. Those damned Greenskins made a tentative attack once, then gave up on our hard-as-stone rock and headed for Black Fire Pass."

Lord Leiyun took a sip of beer: "He really is a rare Goblin Warlord; the proportion of Goblins in his Waaagh is truly high. When I looked down from the city wall, I almost thought it was a Human wheat field!" Even today, he still felt lingering fear.

"Hahaha, your metaphor is truly interesting. I haven't seen a Human wheat field yet, but I've heard that blasting Goblins with a Cannon is as simple as harvesting wheat!" Sinuoli turned the topic to armaments.

"Hmm, I saw it on the city walls of Kalake-Duomaer when I was young. When those dozens of Cannons fired at the same time, what dared to face their fury?" Lord Leiyun cooperated and took the bait.

"Yes, why didn't I see them here just now? Oh, I suppose they must be deployed at the main gate of the fortress." Sinuoli began to lead the conversation like every profiteer.

"Grungni above! We Ankazhaer don't have that stuff; all we have here are Bolt Throwers and Grudge Throwers!" Lord Leiyun slammed his wine glass.

"How can that be?" Sinuoli was truly shocked this time, "My caravan even has a Cannon!"

"Sigh, for that, you'll have to ask King Alike-Lufusen of Karak-Hern." Lord Leiyun sighed.

Sinuoli knew Karak-Hern, which was also called Haojiaobao; it was the most important Dwarf fortress in the Black Mountains and the next stop for his caravan.

"Alike, he's not even as old as I am, but for some reason, he's more conservative than the Living Ancestors!" Lord Leiyun continued.

"Under his management, there is almost no room for Engineers in Haojiaobao! I want Artillery, but I have nowhere to buy it."

Thanks to a piece of rotting wood for the tip, Yang Yang-jun has arrived, Crazy Slaughter's potato, 66 Zha Zha monthly tickets.

Asking for tickets, collections, and tips, haha.