Chapter 1695 Expanding the Ranks
One said, "Big Sis, your brigade's name has too much of a rouge-like flair; it’s not imposing or majestic at all. Listen, just listen: 'Sacred Witch Little Lan Brigade'. Honestly, I'm drunk already, and I haven't even had any ale..."
Another said, "Boss, with your size, calling you 'Xiaoshan' (‘Little Hill’) is an insult. I think 'Dashan' (‘Big Mountain’) or 'Big Bear' would be much more fitting and reasonable."
Sun Hao smiled but said nothing.
Gerlane, however, sat quite naturally on Sun Hao’s shoulder, looking alarmed as she discussed it. "Really? My brigade, though sacred, is indeed missing that domineering aura. This brother speaks well! Could you all think of a grander name for my brigade?"
The fact that the big lady actually wanted their opinions instantly sparked excitement among the Dwarves. Including Tai'er Tong, whoosh, over twenty little Dwarves crowded around behind Gerlane, beginning to discuss.
But Sun Hao still noticed that ten small Dwarves had already sped away swiftly towards various directions.
One heading in a specific direction even made a very clear hand signal: "Follow me."
A knowing smile appeared on Sun Hao's face.
Though crude and blunt speakers, Dwarves undoubtedly possessed strong combat acumen. They were trustworthy Warriors.
At a measured pace, Sun Hao carried Gerlane on his back, steadfastly following the Dwarves as they advanced.
Gerlane, half-seated on Sun Hao’s tall shoulder, loomed high above the others. She enthusiastically discussed matters with the Dwarves behind her who were draped over each other's shoulders, some even swinging along like they were on a swingset.
The core topic was the prestigious name for her brigade.
The Dwarves' minds were active, churning out all sorts of ideas endlessly.
But Sun Hao, walking with his back to them and Gerlane, wore an expression somewhere between laughter and tears on his face. Little Lan seeking advice from these Dwarves was exactly the right crowd to ask.
Listening to their awful name suggestions and their "great" ideas, Sun Hao felt he needed to get drunk.
Tai'er Tong wasn't particularly reliable either. Volunteering eagerly, he offered Gerlane three suggestions he personally considered magnificent.
"Lan'er Milady, I think the brigade could be called the Dragon Slayer Legion. Slaying dragons? So awe-inspiring and mighty!"
That was the first one.
It was mercilessly rejected by Gerlane; her little head shook like a rattle drum. "No good, not good! What's so special about big lizards? Xiaoshan casually smacked one to death. Slaying dragons isn't that impressive, not majestic enough..."
"Well then, how about something tougher? Call it the 'Big Dragon Slayer Legion'. Slaying big dragons—that's powerful enough, right?"
Gerlane thought for a moment and shook her head. "Still not good. Big dragons are still dragons."
Tai'er Tong said, "Then I’ll use my ultimate move! The last one, absolutely dominating and grand—'Giant Dragon Slayer Legion'. That’s ferocious enough, right?"
Gerlane simply turned to the other Dwarf Warriors. She declared, "This big brother of yours isn't much good. He just can't get past slaying dragons. Forget about him. The rest of you, keep going! Try harder to offer something tougher than he did..."
The little Dwarves instantly became intensely enthused. But the brigade names they proposed sincerely made Sun Hao speechless.
This Dwarf said, "Xiaoshan Legion? No good? Then how about Dashan Legion? Still no good? I have the ultimate: Towering Mountain Legion. That should be alright, right?"
That Dwarf said, "Iron Hammer Legion? There! Strong enough? No? Then 'Sturdy Iron Hammer Legion'? Still no? Fine, my ultimate: Sturdy and Powerful Iron Hammer..."
...
Behind Sun Hao, cacophony reigned. The little Dwarves were absolutely, utterly serious about their discussion.
But a very, very long time passed. Sun Hao’s ears were buzzing with old grievances, yet he still hadn’t heard a single reasonable name. Thankfully, Gerlane was simple-minded; moreover, it was her first time understanding so many Dwarves' speech, her first delightful interaction with these unrestrained, loud little Dwarves. She showed no trace of annoyance, instead earnestly and seriously listening to their suggestions.
The little Dwarves racked their brains, but limited by their perspective and personalities, it was truly impossible to expect these fellows to come up with a nicer, more majestic name.
Amidst the bustling, noisy atmosphere, under the lead of the vanguard Dwarves, Sun Hao's party gradually approached a large mountain.
From afar, Sun Hao had already noticed that while this large mountain had lush vegetation outside, its interior was completely hollowed out. Numerous caves extended outwards, with many Dwarves coming and going.
Just before they reached the mountain, Tai'er Tong loudly announced, "Respected Ones! This is the Tungsten Iron Fort Mountain of our Tai'er Clan. You two Milords can rest here, recuperate, preferably train up our sturdy Warriors, and then continue exploring the Taoman Continent together."
Sun Hao turned his head and softly said to Gerlane, who was grappling with how to change her brigade’s name. "Little Lan, I just remembered something. I feel the brigade's grand name shouldn't be changed so casually."
Gerlane started. "Why is that, Xiaoshan?"
Sun Hao smiled. "Think about it, Little Lan. How resounding is the name Sacred Witch Little Lan Brigade? In several of the Lower Realms, Warriors revere your greatness. If you were to change it now, what if others didn’t immediately recognize you? Someone who revered you might mistakenly raise weapons against you! Big water comes and rushes the Dragon King's temple – that would truly be a disaster!"
Upon hearing this, Little Lan felt it was quite reasonable. She set aside this headache-inducing problem and swiftly turned to discuss the Taoman Continent and their proudly proclaimed Tungsten Iron Fort Mountain with the little Dwarves, full of interest.
However, the Dwarves' pride felt slightly diminished next to Sun Hao's colossal stature.
Even the tallest, widest passage in Tungsten Iron Fort Mountain – the kind used for large war artifacts entering and leaving – felt a bit short in front of Sun Hao.
Sun Hao had to duck his head to enter Tungsten Iron Fort Mountain.
The Dwarves sighed with exasperation, deeply feeling that their "great" mountain didn't seem quite impressive enough before a true giant.
Once inside the mountain, there weren't even any suitable houses to accommodate Sun Hao.
Sun Hao's best option was to sit imposingly like a general on horseback within the plaza inside the mountain.
His massive form sitting there led many commoners of the Dwarf Race to bow in reverence. This Milord was practically a Celestial God!
When Tai'er Tong came to host Sun Hao, he was dumbfounded once more. The large mugs the Dwarves boasted about were smaller than Sun Hao's thumb. Their ale barrels could barely serve as cups for him. Barrel after barrel of ale was brought over. Sun Hao downed one barrel in a single gulp. Tai'er Tong gaped in shock, realizing their Dwarf clan truly couldn't afford to feed such a master.
The grand welcoming ceremony ended abruptly. Sun Hao practiced how to summon Dwarf Warriors in their camp's barracks at ease, and then, under Tai'er Tong's anxious feelings, they set off once more to explore the Taoman Continent.
This time on the road, following Sun Hao's intent, Tai'er Tong specifically visited several larger nearby Dwarf tribes. The result was that Sun Hao now had a few more little Dwarves tagging along behind him.
Their names were quite distinctive too, and Sun Hao remembered them instantly: "Ping'er Tong, Shan'er Tong, Ling'er Tong..."
The few little Dwarves were all similar in height and build; at a glance, utterly indistinguishable. Even their beards and noses were uniformly white whiskers and red noses – truly easy to mix up.
Gerlane, however, displayed sharp discernment this time. She chatted smoothly with each little Dwarf and never confused them.
Travelling along their route, Sun Hao visited seven Dwarf clans in total, taking seven little Dwarves into his retinue.
Of course, leveraging the wondrous function of the First-grade Purple-Gold Belt, Sun Hao could rapidly summon an army of nearly ten thousand Dwarf Warriors through these seven little Dwarves. This truly marked his establishment of a foothold on Taoman.
As more tribes were encountered, Sun Hao and Gerlane gradually gained an understanding of the situation on the Taoman Continent.
The area where Sun Hao and Gerlane were currently active was called the Shenmujia Great Forest. This forest was immensely vast. The generations of Dwarves with whiskers lived here, relatively isolated from the outside world. However, over the past ten thousand years, forces of the Undead Race had drawn closer to the forest. Occasionally, stray Undead squads would intrude deep into the jungle, only to be expelled by the valiant Dwarves.
Sometimes, powerful Undead Heroes or Cultivators leading formidable armies would launch assaults against the Great Forest. Every single time this happened, the Dwarf Warriors paid a heavy price in lives.
The Great Forest wasn’t inhabited by the Dwarf Race alone. According to Dwarf historical records, their allies, the Half-Elf Clan, also resided within this sprawling forest, said to be the forest's darlings.
Deliberately, Sun Hao steered their group into the territory described by the Dwarves as the domain of the graceful yet haughty Half-Elf Clan.
Just as Sun Hao had anticipated, Gerlane once more garnered admiration from the Half-Elves. Behind Sun Hao, several more Half-Elf Warriors were added. Their faces bore horizontal tattoos, and they carried bows on their backs.