Diggy Diggy Hole Chapter 23

Miao Ying had zero patience for fools... Making her intercede when a supplier of war automatons was being messed with by a dragon blooded clan who had served for millenia without dishonor put her in a tight space.

And she refused to be made a fool and especially a tool of.

"Clan Yingor has overstepped, Kharn of Clan Barruk is not a member of Grand Cathay's military or even a true citizen. Clan Yingor has no cause to order Kharn around." Miao Ying spoke to within the meeting hall with a scribe recording her every word.

While several other nobles and military officers stiffened as Miao Ying was obviously laying down the law and suppressing their ambitions as well.

As despite almost all the generals and high ranking officals within the hall having the divine blood of the Grand Cathay's dragon's within their own. Miao Ying knew that the hearts of mortals were fickle and short sighted.

Especially with how much she had to deal with Chaos, their demons, and roaming barbarian's coming from the north at all times.

But even more then she hated being made a fool of... She hated her toys being taken away from her. 

Her lightning filled grey eye's fell on the old clan master of the Yingor clan with his crimson glowing eyes that were the result of thick dragon blood meeting her own gaze partly out of pride but still filled with respect.

"You will leave Kharn of Barruk alone. He is not only a talent that we shall not push away from Grand Cathay, but its likely when the other dwarves of clan's without their own Runesmith will attempt to adopt him into their own clan... And that will lead those dwarves and their own clan's into our own lands."

One of the general's, a potent Cathayan Astromancer that even Miao Ying had to let speak due to him being a student of her father the Dragon Emperor then spoke out.

"Grand Cathay lacks for nothing but enough warriors and weapons of war to deal with the horrors of the north and west. There is... Plenty of mountains for any dwarven clan's that may come." He said in partial agreement.

But then he added. "However, these dwarves are not of Grand Cathay... Some could say, their traditions are even more foriegn and alien then the brutish Ogre's. We would need to either highly intergrate them which I do not see happening with how stubborn they are. Or segregate them." 

The room filled with whispers of varying levels of agreement and disagreement before Miao Ying gave a exhale filled with power that made everyone silence themselves.

Miao Ying however remained silent for a long moment... Her lightning filled draconic eye's roaming over her court looking for infiltrators and doing her usual search for the wretch the Changling.

Then she spoke regally as her finger nail clicked on her throne's arm wrest with each word. "All these possibilities are for the far future when Kharn's skills and fame extend beyonf Grand Cathay inevitably. Now, let us move onto the topic of the southern grains and their shipment being stolen by that Druchii."

-

"The hell is this nonsense... By Grungni’s beard, this isn’t ore, it’s rock fit only for goblin teeth!" I snapped with a fucking snarl as I held up a piece of pig iron ore that I woudn't even make a chamber pot out of.

Hell I turned to them manager who sunk in and snapped that at him as well. "Ye call this iron? I’ve seen sturdier slag pissin’ out a Ogre's fat arse!"

I then whirled on the military officer who was delivering the bronze in particular that had too damned much copper in it as well. Ruining it for being used in Skyrim dwemer metal without it needing to be brough to a boil and filtered out.

"And you! I’d get a truer bronze by pissin’ tin into a copper pot! By the Anscestor's glorious beards, you witless manling even ye know this is all shite!"

"The delivery is as was ordered. You have recieved the mineral cost to build Lady Miao Ying's commission." The officer said trying to puff up.

But the ground cracked as I stomped with a mana enhanced boot as I roared at the beardless oath breaker. "A grudgin’ insult to stone and steel alike—ye’ve sent naught but dirt in a sack!"

Then I paused as the word grudge burned in my guts and then I spat out. "A crime against my forge, an insult to the great Grungni, and a mark for the Dammaz Kron, I tell ye. This is going in the book!"

And with that I gave the manling a good look as I held back my dwarven desire to fucking smash his beardless face in with a hammer as I stomped back into my forge and loud clicks rang out as the simple but effective steam powered lock system snapped closed.

For a long moment I stood at my forge, looking into the pool of lava that fueled my forging and the minor steam powered tools I made from Snorlots lessons before I exhaled and said quietly. "Stupid humans... It's not difficult to just not fuck with the dwarf making you weapons."

I shook my head as I was losing my patience with these stupid humans that coudn't keep their word. As even that 'human' I helped arm and armor her dragon blooded horse was having issues getting a proper exepedtion party due to how poor her family house was after paying my deposit.

And now the noble clan's noticing my talent and how I had no backing but my contract with Miao Ying wanted me under their thumbs... And now were clearly using their connections with the army and Miao Ying's servant's to send me shit materials.

So that if I coudn't meet my quota's for Miao Ying's contract that paid for this land, the workers, the supplies, and everything else. They could have cause to just sweep me up.

"Bah, I need to just make my way to the mountains... Build me a proper dwemer undercity with powerful automatons, actual fucking plumbing and no dumb human's to fuck with me." I muttered.

And for a moment I considered how that could go. Before I sagged as I felt the hollow hole every lonely dwarf without his clan felt as no matter how big, wonderful, and well protected I made an undercity built in the style of the Dawi/Dwemer of the Elderscrolls verse.

I was but a single dwarf and walking around in such an empty hold would drive me mad without a doubt.

But even still... "I need to find a source of good metal, and a method to mine it without other's fucking with me." I mused to myself before I paused in thought.

Despite how my forging and building talent being minecraft style blessed with ease and speed. I did have the ability to farm as well...

"What if I make a giant farm, and just pay a fuck load of ogre's to do the grunt work of mining and protecting such a mine with all they can eat in food?" I muttered in realization.