Chapter 83: Haojiaobao

Although he had the foundation for sending telegrams in a fantasy world, Sinuoli still needed to conceive how to actually send them.

Although the telegraph machine was never absent from the various war films of Sinuoli's past life, Sinuoli only knew a set of "Morse Code" and its general principles; how to transplant it over still required research.

"It took so long just to barely finish encoding the twenty-six letters of the Common language. As for common symbols, abbreviations for common phrases, and communication protocols, I'll find time for those later! If I keep going like this, I'm going to go bald!" Sinuoli thought to himself.

Suddenly, he was startled by a burst of "Woo!" "Woo!" horn sounds.

"What happened? Where is the horn blowing?" Sinuoli unhooked his Warhammer from the side of his Rock Sheep, waving it around while looking everywhere.

He couldn't see clearly in the mountain mist, and at this moment, the Dwarfs beside him couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight.

"Cousin, that is just the call of the wind through the mountains!" Balin's voice drifted over faintly from behind him.

"Do you know how Karak-Hern got its name?" Balin asked. After Sinuoli gave a negative reply, he began to display his store of knowledge.

Ever since Cousin Tomi joined Sinuoli's team and successfully sold some of their armaments in Duantiebao and the subsequent settlements, Balin, this advisor, had felt some pressure; he began to show himself more actively, and Sinuoli was quite satisfied with this healthy competition.

"Haojiaobao gets its name from the sound produced by the local mountain wind blowing through the narrow mountain pass. The clansmen living here have further built various wind chambers to amplify this sound, using it to transmit messages, summon warriors, and scare away wandering Trolls," Balin explained.

"Karak-Hern is one of the few mountain fortresses built after the Revenge War, but it guards the Winter-Tooth Pass; the Border Prince Territory, the mercenary kingdom of Tilea, and our clansmen living in the Vault Mountains all must pass through this route if they want to enter the Empire's Wissenland," Balin continued, introducing the geographical location of Haojiaobao.

"Although the Black Mountains region lacks many rare minerals we treasure, such as Meteorite Iron and gemstones, relying on such superior geographical conditions and the locally abundant iron ore resources, Karak-Hern has developed rapidly. It has formed a trade center and is also the most important fortress in the Black Mountains."

After listening to Balin's introduction, Sinuoli nodded repeatedly. The ancestors once said, "Only by forging iron can one become a blacksmith." He also needed to broaden his knowledge during his travels to better understand this world.

There is an old saying in the Cathay Empire in the East: "Looking at a mountain can run a horse to death!" Not to mention that this was just hearing a sound without even seeing it!

Sinuoli found a wind-sheltered spot in a mountain hollow to arrange for the caravan to set up camp; according to the plan, they would not reach Haojiaobao until tomorrow afternoon.

Early the next morning, after Sinuoli got up, he and the merchants from Jiliuguan covered their armaments with rainproof tarps.

Because they were close to an important fortress, the public security on this stretch of road was quite good, so Sinuoli simply arranged for the Thunderers and the artillery crew members to stow away their weapons.

Although Sinuoli believed that Lord Alike-Lufusen would not take any action against him and his caravan for carrying firearms, why not respect the other party's preferences if it did not affect the overall situation?

In the afternoon, amidst the sunset glow of Twilight, Sinuoli arrived in front of the side gate of Haojiaobao. Its main gate faced the Winter-Tooth Pass, with its back to the Black Mountains, and near the side gate were the famous mountain horns.

Looking at those natural caves of uncanny workmanship and the ingeniously structured wind chambers, Sinuoli couldn't help but marvel at the wisdom of his clansmen.

At this moment, it seemed the Dwarfs in the city had made some adjustments, and as some wind chambers changed their angles, the "Woo! Woo!" horn sounds became clear and cheerful.

When Sinuoli and the caravan were still five hundred meters away, the side gate suddenly opened, and a group of Dwarfs poured out, led by a Hammerer guard.

Seeing these people, Sinuoli knew this meant that the Lord of Karak Hirn, Alike-Lufusen, had come out to welcome him personally.

Sinuoli climbed down from his Rock Sheep, smoothing his wind-wrinkled cuffs and collar as he walked.

"Welcome to Haojiaobao! Clansmen of the Everpeak! May the Ancestor Goddess always protect you, respected Master Sinuoli!" As Sinuoli approached, the Dwarf at the front of the group spoke.

"Greetings in the name of the High King! Lord of Karak Hirn!" Sinuoli bowed in return.

He saw that the Dwarf before him was very capable and sturdy, and his equipment was also highly recognizable.

He was not wearing the Meteorite Iron Armor commonly seen on Dwarf lords, but a suit of golden leather armor. However, Sinuoli knew this was also a piece of Legendary Quality equipment: Kairui-Kelade Armor. It was made by the first lord who established Haojiaobao, who had slain a Dragon that originally occupied the Black Mountains and used its dragon skin to craft it.

In addition to the leather armor gleaming in the sunset, Alike's helmet was also very eye-catching; the equipment featured a pair of huge crests—an eagle's wing spread on each side.

It was certain that the raw material for this thing was provided by those ancestors of Haojiaobao who did not know how to protect wildlife.

Judging by the size of the wings, Sinuoli secretly speculated that the eagle was likely not wild, and very possibly a Great Eagle tamed by the Wood Elves in Athel Loren. If that were truly the case, wearing such a helmet was undoubtedly a provocation to the Wood Elf ladies.

This somewhat flamboyant equipment made Alike himself look a bit small, but Sinuoli couldn't laugh at all, because he knew this was another piece of Legendary equipment.

The Falcon Helmet, undoubtedly named for its unique shape, could significantly enhance the user's vision and agility.

Sinuoli inwardly gasped at the strength of Haojiaobao. Although Lord Alike was not carrying a weapon, no one would doubt that it must also be of Legendary Quality. By this count, the royal family here had at least three pieces of Legendary equipment, which was considered a lot even in the entire Mountain Kingdom.

The two Dwarfs sized each other up. Sinuoli found that Lord Alike was about the same age as Brother Grom, his beard entirely black and just grown past his abdomen. He looked resolute and seemed somewhat stern.

The caravan entered the city under the guidance of the Haojiaobao clansmen. Karak-Hern had about a third exposed on the surface, while the underground part was mainly mines and storage rooms, so most of the residents here lived on the surface.

Sinuoli discovered that the proportion of Humans here was terrifyingly high, far beyond what the few cities in the World's Edge Mountains could compare to. The Humans were almost one-to-one with the Dwarfs, and because of their greater height, they looked even more numerous overall.

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