Chapter 94: Huangwu Bao

Sinuoli found it inappropriate to say more upon hearing this. Guarding one's own territory was, after all, the responsibility of a lord, just as guarding the caravan was Sinuoli's responsibility.

If he were to offer help rashly without permission, it would be a loss if it were perceived as a lack of trust in Lord Borok's strength, especially since Sinuoli was currently representing his father, the High King Thorgrim.

The party moved forward all the way and finally arrived at Huangwu Bao at noon the next day. Seeing the prosperity of this fortress, Sinuoli realized that it must have been named for the state of disrepair it was in when it was first established, rather than its current magnificent scene.

Seeing Sinuoli's shocked expression, Lord Borok laughed and lit his pipe. "Hahaha, you need not be surprised, respected Chosen of the Goddess; many elders who have lived long lives have also been misled by the name of Karak-Norn!"

He said with some irrepressible pride, "The Grey Mountains region is the most barren of all the mountain ranges that belong to our Dwarf race. The already limited metal and gemstone deposits are even harder to mine because the mountain bedrock is unstable."

"Puff!" Lord Borok exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"The ancestors who first came to settle in the Grey Mountains were mostly attracted by rumors of endless wealth. These ancestors, with the stubborn temperament typical of our Sons of the Mountains, hoped to discover large ore veins. After a thousand years of effort, they finally found some metal and precious metal veins and built city-fortresses upon them."

"For example, your Huangwu Bao and the Karak-Zifulin I am heading to?" Sinuoli interjected.

"Yes, yes!" Lord Borok seemed very satisfied with Sinuoli's answer.

"My Karak-Norn is one of the largest fortresses in the Grey Mountains, though, of course, it does not compare to Karaz-a-Karak," Lord Borok said modestly.

"That is not necessarily true; besides our kin, you also have Human friends under your rule. Speaking of which, have you also been to the Everpeak?" Sinuoli responded.

"Hahaha!" Borok laughed. "According to the rules set by our ancestors, every fifty years, all mountain fortresses of sufficient size, as well as the heads of clans and guilds, must go to the Everpeak to pay homage to the High King and attend the Grudge Council."

"Oh!" Sinuoli shook his head. Recently, he had been busy thinking about Morse code, and his mind was a bit chaotic; he had momentarily forgotten this grand event that held the deepest memories of his childhood.

Every fifty years, all the prominent Dwarfs of the entire Old World would gather in the Great Throne Room of the Everpeak. They would bring the Books of Grudges they kept to report the additions and subtractions of grudge entries from the past fifty years to the High King.

And the High King would choose, based on the severity of the grudges, which ones were worthy of being recorded into the Great Book of Grudges of the entire Mountain Kingdom. This was also an opportunity to assemble a coalition army to settle the most painful grudges.

Thinking of this, Sinuoli did a quick calculation and found that there were only a few years left until the next Grudge Council.

"Although some leaders cannot get away due to various affairs and send envoys to attend, traditionally, a newly enthroned leader should attend in person for the first time to show respect to the High King!" Lord Borok said, which also answered the question Sinuoli had thought of but had not asked.

"I learned a lot on that trip! You will see my harvest later! Let's go, don't let my better half at home wait too long!" Lord Borok beckoned.

The caravan filed into the fortress through the side gate of Huangwu Bao that faced underground. Sinuoli dismissed the party, letting his clansmen go about their business; he wanted to go to his room to rest, as this stretch of road without riding a goat had exhausted him.

After his nap, the invitation for the evening welcome banquet had already been delivered to Sinuoli's table. Soon, Balin walked in carrying a freshly brewed coffee.

"Cousin, this evening's banquet is different from the usual, I must remind you!" He set down the coffee and began.

"The Queen of Huangwu Bao, that is, Lord Borok's wife Selma, might give you some trouble tonight! Though, it is hard to say for sure."

"How so?" Sinuoli asked curiously. His reputation now spread throughout the Dwarf mountains, and even the closely related Humans had heard of him; it was unexpected that any of his own kin would want to cause him trouble.

"It is like this: that Queen Selma hails from Karak Izor, that is, Tongshanbao. She is the eldest daughter of the lord of Tongshanbao, the wealthy Lagos," Balin continued.

"And then?" Sinuoli still did not quite understand; he had little knowledge of that Dwarf fortress south of Haojiaobao.

"Er..." Sinuoli's lack of political knowledge left Balin speechless. Generally speaking, these advisors should not get involved in the competition between Dwarf lords.

After all, given the frequency of intermarriage among the Dwarf elite, even two lords who were at odds and kept each other's Books of Grudges could inevitably be considered distant relatives. If one day, through mediation, the two families made up, the advisor who stirred the pot in the middle would be the one to suffer.

"For the past thousand years, the relationship between Tongshanbao and our Everpeak has not been very good. Every generation of the lords of Tongshanbao has attempted to run for High King, though, of course, they all took that unfulfilled wish into the halls of the ancestors."

Seeing that Sinuoli still looked confused, Balin had no choice but to continue.

"There are two main reasons. First, the strength of Tongshanbao has grown day by day over these years. You know, Karak Izor is located in the Vault Mountains to the south. The city is named for the vast amounts of brass and other minerals beneath the glaciers of the mountains where it is located."

"Brass? I know that, but we don't have much demand for that stuff," Sinuoli added.

"It is mainly the natural conditions!" Balin did not mind Sinuoli's interruption.

"The Vault Mountains are a frozen canyon located between the Grey Mountains and the Black Mountains, composed of glaciers and dangerous peaks. The pervasive canyons and cliffs ensure that no monsters can easily disturb the kin living on this plateau. Therefore, the kin in the Brass Mountain region are rarely disturbed by external enemies and have been able to slowly expand into the surrounding canyons and peaks."

"The large deposits of brass, iron, tin, and other ores in the area ensured that it became the largest and deepest mining base outside the World's Edge Mountains. One particularly bold ancestor in its history even carved a sturdy ice city into the glacial cliffs."

"An ice city?" Sinuoli exclaimed in admiration.

"Compared to our situation in the World's Edge Mountains, which are constantly invaded by Greenskins, Skaven, and even monster tribes, the environment of Tongshanbao is much more comfortable, thus attracting many clans from the east whose original mountain fortresses had fallen."

"The addition of these clans brought more population, further accelerating the development of Tongshanbao, am I right?" Sinuoli finally grasped it.

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