Chapter 588 439 Crossing the Mountains (Same as Above)

Cloudtop Palace...

Giant bronze door...

Zhang...

Non-existent...

"Typical Zongqi style." Daxus, sitting on the stone, muttered while looking at the stone tablet in his hand.

The content on the stone tablet is clearly written, exactly the same as the stone tablets found in Chapeiuto and Lepin Spring.

"Have you calculated it?" Daxus looked at it for a while and asked Ryan and others who were responsible for translation and calculation.

"2.7 meters in diameter, weighing about 40 tons, and can produce 85 cubic meters of water per second."

There is no bronze door under the ice lake, only a blue sphere called "Spring Rain Stone" by Zongqi. The ancient saint's creation is very large, just as large as the converted one. It will not be taken away. It's too ridiculous. Athel Loren looks small, but it is actually about the same size as the entire Bretonnia. Daxus can't just push it all the way down like a dung beetle pushing a dung ball, with the Triceratops pulling in front and the elves pushing in the back? Too abstract. Fortunately, in addition to the sphere, there are also matching stone tablets.

"Very good, very good," Dacus said, not with much joy but with more anxiety.

The many tributaries formed by the glacial lakes and waterfalls of the Grey Mountains pouring down into the Reik River are the key to the economic success of Reikland. Barges loaded with goods sail along the widest of these tributaries, bringing various goods to the capital of Altdorf, many of which are then shipped to other parts of the empire or sold downstream to Marienburg.

The Bogen is a relatively flat river, with clear and gentle waters, but not too turbulent. It is almost as easy for ships to sail upstream as downstream, and its depth allows large riverboats to safely sail from the Reik River all the way to Bogen Harbor. Although the source of the Bogen is hidden deep in the icy peaks of the Grey Mountains, it becomes warm as it flows through the hills of Wobergland, which often causes thick fog to gather on the riverbank.

The icy lake in front of Dacus is the source of the Borg River. In his opinion, Zongqi's style is different from other ancient saints. The content on the stone slab is very detailed and very nagging. The spring rain stone is a variant of the world-shaping engine. It has no other functions and is only related to water. The water god Zongqi is like a water conservancy expert among the ancient saints. As long as it involves water, it is related to it. There is a set of formulas on the stone slab, which can calculate the appropriate size of the spring rain stone according to the water output demand. If the demand is large, the diameter of the spring rain stone will be long and the weight will be large, otherwise it will be small.

But this is exactly what Dacus needs. Railways and national highways are long-term projects. Asheril does not have so much labor. Those labor dispatches thrown in will not even make waves. The river is needed to provide transportation capacity temporarily. Once the entire spring rain stone is placed on the Sotigo ridge, the La Plata River can be used all year round like the Bogen River, and there is no such thing as a dry season.

And he plans to build Nagarond into a large integrated city. Fresh water is indispensable, but Nagarond is located on a plain, with only a small amount of groundwater available for drinking. The Sea of ​​​​Evil... Maybe? The Spring Rain Stone will solve this problem very well. With the purifier slate found in the Spring of Leibin, a set of idealistic water plants and sewage treatment plants will appear.

"It has the beauty of the Brahmaputra River." Daquus sighed as he stopped looking at the slate and began to look at Wobergland from afar.

(There are sensitive words, so I won't introduce them. There is nothing to introduce.)

Aldolf and his party broadened Daquus's horizons a lot. He saw the upper and lower limits of Tzeentch, and he became less conservative and cautious than before. There is oil in this world, but it is concentrated in the dark land, and it is extremely difficult to mine and transport. Oil can provide fuel, pharmaceuticals, plastics, cleaning products, cosmetics and clothing fabrics, which is a pre-unlock.

But this doesn't seem to be a big problem. He can go the steampunk route. Coal-burning cars and motorcycles are no slower than oil-burning cars. What's the point of having such a high upper limit? It's like being able to run at 200 normally. If it doesn't work, just switch from coal to oil. Aluminum? Electricity? Industrial Revolution? He felt his mind was in a mess.

Dakuus was more anxious at this time. The reason why the spring rain stone was discovered was purely a blind cat catching a dead mouse. He happened to pass by here, and then he and Ryan's characteristics sensed the existence of the stone slab and the ancient saints' creations. Otherwise, who knows, there are ancient saints' creations and stone slabs under the ice lake more than 300 meters deep.

In addition to the stone slabs about the hatching pool, he felt that he needed a general outline, a general outline that indicated the location and function of the ancient saints' creations, so that he could find them according to his needs. But... it seems that there is none? Or is there really? But he didn't find it? Otherwise, it's really like what he thought before, a dragnet search in the air, pure lottery.

While thinking, Daquus came to Tolandil's back. Tolandil had already started painting. He was not painting the ice lake, but the scene when he lifted the ice lake.

After Tolandil finished drawing the rough outline, the team left.

Traveling in the mountains is always a dangerous adventure. In addition to the severe cold weather and sudden rockfalls, there are also some monsters. During the journey, the scouts often encountered orc and goblin tribe outposts, but these outposts were like a dish.

At night, the team came to a small dwarf mining camp, but there was no sign of dwarf activity. The camp had long been empty and abandoned. Mining camps like this are everywhere in the Gray Mountains. They are either humans or dwarves. of. After walking around in a circle, the casters discovered that the camp should have been used to collect gold mines. A large number of molds used to cast gold were still left there. After the gold mines were exhausted, the dwarf miners left here.

"It's considered a human being left." After Darkus finished speaking, he looked back and made sure that everything related to the dwarves had been wrapped up, especially the doomsday anvil that would cause the dwarves to have a heart attack after seeing it. He waved his hand for the team to set off.

Darkos doesn't believe Karak Dreadnaught has an Anvil of Doom because of its connection to dwarven history. The history of the dwarves in the Gray Mountains is not as long as the dwarf mountain kingdom in the World's Edge Mountains, let alone its glory. Otherwise, Karak Desolation Keep in the south would not be called Desolation Keep.

During the Golden Age, the Dwarves and Elves defeated the forces of Chaos and forced their remnants back into the Chaos Wastes. After that, Malekith signed a trade agreement with the Snorri. The station appears.

Elves and dwarves have traded with each other and coexisted peacefully for more than a thousand years. The path that Darkos is taking now is exactly the path that the elves took thousands of years ago. After that, the War of Revenge began. The elven troops on the other side of the mountain broke through Karak Fearless Fortress, looted and expelled its defenders, and then began to strengthen the city defense. The two sides started a tug-of-war around Karak Dreadnaught. After repeatedly changing hands twice, the dwarves finally regained Karak Dreadnought.

After the Battle of Vengeance, before the dwarves had time to celebrate their victory over the elves, the Age of Sorrow came. The dwarves of the Gray Mountains were drawn to the World's Edge Mountains to fight the orcs, and Karak Dreadnaught was abandoned.

When the dwarven fortresses of the Mountain Kingdom fell one after another under the onslaught of the orcs, many of the forced clans were unable to reach other safe areas. These clans eventually moved to the Gray Mountains through the Black Mountains and built new fortresses on the old foundations.

An exiled clan came to the ruins of Karak Dreadnaught and built it into a true fortress over three hundred years. With the discovery of gold and silver veins, the fortress became increasingly prosperous and its strength continued to grow. But diplomatically, the relationship between the Gray Mountains and the Mountain Kingdom began to become tense. The High King at that time may have been drunk, or he was trying to curb population loss, and declared that the dwarf clans in the Gray Mountains were traitors.

A century later, the territory of Karak Dreadnaught expanded to its greatest extent under the leadership of the Dwarf King Mordok Sharpaxe. The kingdom's new borders soon proved untenable when orcs and goblins attacked from an unexpected direction. This centuries-long war followed the same pattern as the Battle of the Mountain Kingdom, eventually forcing the dwarves to retreat.

The pressure on Karak Dreadnaught was quickly relieved when the Amberlogan tribe moved into the area where the dwarves had retreated. The new alliance with the Amberlogans allowed Karak Dreadnought to stabilize its borders and eventually push the orcs back to the fringes of the dwarf kingdom.

In Imperial Calendar -234, the Gray Mountains and the Mountain Kingdom reconciled and normal relations were restored. When Sigmar led the human tribe to launch the Battle of Blackfire Pass, the dwarves of Karak Dreadnaught also joined in to fight against the orcs. From then on, the dwarves of the Gray Mountains officially established diplomatic relations with the empire, and the era began.

The dwarves of Karak Dreadnought have a long diplomatic history with Ulborik. The construction of Ulborik was presided over by the dwarves, and the dwarves maintained a certain status in the city. Many dwarves in the town can trace their bloodline back to Karak Dreadnaught, or in other words, they have lived among the humans of Ulborik for decades and still regard Karak Dreadnought as their true home.

The conflict between Ulborik and Palaon is a feast for the dwarves of Karak Dreadnaught, as long as they are not busy fighting the orcs. The several wars that took place between these two human cities were not as critical to the survival of the race as the dwarf wars. On the contrary, they were more like a struggle for control of the Gray Lady Pass trade route.

Except for the first time, the following wars brought huge benefits to the dwarves. If the trade between Bretonnia and the Empire is to continue, it must rely on the pass. When Palaon succeeded in destroying Ulborik, Karak Dreadnaught was always given the contract to rebuild it. Since the last four conflicts were all initiated by Palaon, the dwarves distrusted the Bretonnians.

Ulborik is about 90 kilometers away from the north of Karak Dreadnought. A stone road called the King's Road connects the Empire to Bretonnia. Starting from Ulborik, if you are lucky, you can reach Karak Dreadnaught in four days. If you are not lucky...

According to the information obtained by Maranur and the others, there are no regular horse-drawn carriages on this road, and the only way to take this road is to charter a car. Because the dangers of the area are well known, this service is extremely expensive, costing 15-20 imperial crowns. This is only the travel expenses, not counting taxes on both sides, and recruiting guards is even more expensive.

Walking on the King's Road is the easiest way to travel. At least there is a road to walk on. The dwarves even built sizable stone shelters 3 kilometers apart. These shelters were approximately 3.5 meters long, 1.8 meters wide, and had three 1.8-meter-high walls, making no allowance for travelers other than dwarves and humans.

Travelers can freely use these buildings to camp overnight or avoid being soaked by sudden heavy rains. Of course, these shelters occasionally attract hungry trolls. After all, for trolls, shelters are no different from buffets. Along the way, the appearance of each shelter is full of signs of gnawing and repairing.

After walking along the King's Road for two days, the team finally encountered dwarves. The dwarves built a trading post on the King's Road to control a 1-kilometer-long natural passage. Dwarves and imperial merchants can conduct business safely at the trading post. This sturdy compound is guarded by eight dwarf rangers and a rune scribe.

And then there is nothing else...

The team did not go in. After all, the flag-waving formation was too terrifying. After leaving Dragon Rock Castle, the Duruchi changed into their usual outfits in Naggaroth, which were as terrifying as the cold lizards were. With two somewhat irritable triceratops, it was not something the dwarves in the compound could resist.

Dacus could even see dwarves wearing aprons appearing on the city wall. They were obviously the owner and his wife of the innkeeper in the courtyard. He waved to the dwarves on the city wall in a friendly manner and signaled the team to continue.

After leaving the Dreadnought Fort Trading Post, the team passed between Copper Coin Lake and Eagle Nest Peak. A side road marked by a dwarf sentinel statue wound up the mountain. Along the way, there were many watchtowers built of granite bricks. These watchtowers would ensure that travelers on the road were always within the detection range of one of the watchtowers.

The road zigzags all the way to the west of the mountain. After walking the distance, you will reach a huge bronze gate that is 15 meters high. Two huge statues of great dwarves stand on both sides of the gate, one is Granni and the other is Grimnir. This spectacular gate is called the Gate of the Ancestors. It is driven by a gear system and will only be opened when the king or other royal members enter and exit the fortress. Normally, the side door will be open to allow people to enter and exit.

Like all Dwarven kingdoms, Karak Dreadhold is a mountain realm of high slopes, steep ridges, deep canyons, glaciers, lakes, and rivers. For a period after the spring thaw, the Gomir Plain becomes a shallow lake connected to the Glacial Lake, which dries up in the hot summer months and becomes a grassland full of biting insects.

The warm months are also the time when Dwarven herders bring mountain cattle down from the mountains to graze, and a north-flowing river runs through the middle of Gomir, connecting the two lakes. Fortified farms grow mountain hops and barley for the Brewers' Clan, and wheat for the Dwarven kitchens to make bread. These fields also grow turnips, beans, mustard, parsnips, and the hot peppers brought by the Elven merchants in the Golden Age.

The hook was put down by Dacus as early as the Claw Sea. The reason why he was willing to treat Kadov well and save Harkon at that time was because Kadov was the future naval commander of Karak Raven's Roost, and Harkon was the king of Karak Raven's Roost. With this as an expansion, he could get very high benefits, such as protecting the world's most advanced large rune stones and the bridgehead against the Hell Pit. The elves and lizardmen's troops could use Karak Raven's Roost as a forward base to attack the Hell Pit. In addition, the elves could also do some trade with the Norse dwarves.

In addition... Thorgrim the Grudger had visited the Norse dwarves before he became the High King, and brought the Norse dwarves back to Karaz-a-Karak. This feat became one of his plus points, and he became the High King because of this.

Thorgrim the Grudger has the style of the ancient High Kings, eager to conquer great achievements, leading the way in battle, and is a ruthless opponent. There was a gleam of wisdom in his weathered brows. He was willing to abide by traditions and to accept new things such as alliances and new technologies. He was always thinking about how to restore the glory of his people. As the supreme ruler of the dwarves, he had the responsibility to keep the "Book of Hatred". Therefore, he publicly announced that every hatred recorded in this tome must be cleared. Only in this way can the glory of the Mountain Kingdom be revived!

When Thorgrim became the High King, it was just when Dacus opened the third layer of the nesting doll, which was around 2300 in the Imperial Calendar. If nothing unexpected happened, the elves and lizardmen would enter a period of prosperity at that time. The time node was just right, and he had established contact with Thorgrim in a circle. Those stubborn Norse dwarves would definitely give him a face to help him connect. Maybe he and Ren would meet Thorgrim in Karak Raven's Roost? Drink and talk happily, instead of directly engaging in diplomatic confrontation in Karaz-a-Karak.

So...Darkeus didn't need to go to Karak Dreadfort to meet the Dwarf King for diplomacy. That was Finnubar's job.

The next step was difficult. Going west, you had to walk a distance high in the Grey Mountains and then pass one of the two skybridges. Built in the Golden Age, the skybridges were a monumental masterpiece of Dwarven engineering. The skybridges soared between the mountaintops and spanned the valleys below. Some of the skybridges were only wide enough for travelers to pass in a single file, and there were no guardrails to prevent them from accidentally dying. Others were wide enough for three carriages to pass side by side, and there were high walls and towers along the way.

After passing through the Vigilant Eagle Gate and Old Iron Felt, the team came to the Torn Canyon Skybridge. It was called the Torn Canyon Skybridge because the skybridge spanned a valley below it that was more than 1,000 meters long and more than 500 meters deep. The 1.2-meter-high walls on both sides of the skybridge symbolically provided protection from the strong winds of the Torn Canyon.

This overpass is very difficult to walk on. The width of the bridge is just enough for a Triceratops to pass through. If it were an ancient Triceratops, it would be troublesome. The elves walked through in batches. Under the guidance of Daquus, two Triceratops passed alone, and under the guidance of the big guy, the cold lizards passed in batches. The whole process was extremely slow and lasted for a whole afternoon. Fortunately, there were no accidents.

The Silver Cross Inn is two days away from the trading post. It is located at the intersection of the King's Road and two other dwarf roads leading to the north and the west respectively. Most of the customers here are dwarf farmers. They cultivate mountain hops and barley for brewing and wheat for making bread on the north shore of Copper Lake. Occasionally, dwarf rangers and herders who graze long-haired mountain cattle will also stay in this inn.

The owner is Kalgar Svenson from the brewmaster clan of Karak Dreadnought. After seeing a group of elves entering the inn, he did not panic. It may be that he is knowledgeable, or it may be that this place is very close to Athel Loren.

Then, a drinking contest began. The elves sent Ryan, who had had in-depth exchanges with Kadov, to compete against the dwarf boss of the Silver Cross Inn. The dwarves present watched with a mentality of watching fun, because they knew that these guys from other races were destined to fail, especially the sissy elves.

A barrel of dark-bottled lager beer called Valaya's Healing and a barrel of amber-colored wheat beer called Golden Tears were brought up. When the bets were set, Ryan and Calgar Svenson began to drink.

Ryan, holding a wine glass, had a firm and fearless look, as if he was going to die. He knew that this drinking contest was not just a game, but also a challenge across racial barriers. He raised his proud head and did not see the dwarf boss. Then he lowered his head and looked at the dwarf boss with contempt. However, the only response to him was the cheers of the dwarves and Calgar's upside-down wine glass.

Ryan picked up the wine glass and spun it gracefully, as if he was talking to the wine. He ignored the influence of the surroundings and focused only on the wine in his hand. He first took a sip, as if he was tasting the ups and downs of life, then gently put down the glass, frowning slightly, as if questioning the wine. Finally, he curled his lips helplessly and poured the wine into his throat.

Calgar was different. He drank one glass after another, without stopping except for burping and making provocative gestures to Ryan.

For a while, Ryan drank with Kadov every day. When he was wandering around Middenheim, he also met some dwarves. He knew how dwarves drank...

As the game started, the aroma of beer spread, and the whole scene became lively in an instant. Ryan and Calgar drank the wine alternately. The atmosphere on the field became more and more tense. Their drinking methods were different. Ryan seemed to be enjoying the story in the wine, while Calgar seemed to be showing his drinking skills.

As time went by, the alcohol gradually spread, but Ryan and Calgar's eyes remained firm. However, when the game was coming to an end, Calgar's body began to shake. He tried his best to grab the wine glass on the table and hold on to the last moment, but he could not resist the erosion of the wine.

"Valaya."

"Granny."

Finally, Calgar could no longer hold on. Before grabbing the last wine glass, he fell to the ground with the dwarf's cry, and then silence enveloped the entire venue.

"I'm anxious, I'm anxious to drink."

The elves did not cheer, because the game was still going on, and Ryan was still drinking. He wanted to finish the remaining three cups. He felt that the world was spinning, and the wine glass seemed to have its own life and moved by itself. He couldn't grab it no matter how hard he tried. He gritted his teeth and tried his best to keep his balance. After fighting with the wine glass for a while, he finally grabbed the wine glass before it slipped from his fingertips.

Ryan stood there with the table, not letting himself fall. He had to hold on, for the family, for the adults, for... for the great cause! He didn't need to look at Calgar. He raised his proud head and signaled to the audience with a triumphant gesture, then raised his head and drank the last glass of wine.

The whole audience was boiling, and the elves cheered. To Dacus, that feeling was like the elves winning the revenge battle in the end. They were proud of their representative's victory, and Ryan fell as the winner.

"Not bad." Dacus commented, ignoring the dwarf's gaze, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

The meat of the long-haired mountain cattle is tender and full of original flavor, and every bite is endless. The healing of Valaya brings a refreshing taste, which complements the meat, and the fragrant white hard cheese and butter bread add a hint of rich milky fragrance and crispy taste.

"It's gone, really gone! Valaya, are you trolls?" After the dwarf chef raised his head and said, he viciously put the last plate of steamed potatoes on the table, and then turned and left.

"They hold a grudge quite well." Maranul, who had finished a sausage, teased.

"They... are very stubborn..."

Darkus, who was eating bread, smiled and shook his head. The bet was simple. If the elves won, the dwarves would provide a meal. The dwarf's bet? It didn't matter. The dwarf had already lost. The dwarf boss seemed to think that he couldn't lose at all. After seeing the elves blocking the entire road, he still agreed to the bet. As a result, the dwarf chef took out the last inventory of the inn. I don't know how the dwarf boss will react when he wakes up. It's winter now.

"Maybe... we can come back again? The beef tastes really good." Dacus, who had almost finished eating, raised his glass. After receiving a round of approval, he drank the healing of Valaya.

Dacus was not saying that he would come back for another meal. He was eyeing the long-haired mountain cattle. This kind of cattle is cold-resistant and may be raised in the central part of Naggaroth. It is better to have it than not.

"Aren't you going to go back and take a look?"

It had been a day since the drinking contest. The team came to the entrance. Dacus asked Genevieve, who was still weak.

"No, everything I am familiar with is gone. This is why I chose to travel around the world." Genevieve, who was always looking at the west, hesitated for a moment and shook her head.

"Okay." Dacus nodded, then looked at the team ready to go, and nodded again.

The thorns blocking the team moved at Liv's command, and a passage opened a moment later.

"Alan Locke..." (End of this chapter)