It didn't take me long to realize something rather funny over the next few days of work of expanding the Hold, my hold of Karak Dreng Raki-Zharr. Or translated to the common Umgi tongue it meant Hold of Killing Rats.
The funny thing was, literally half the hold. If not not more was just a multilayer automated farm that had pistons and water pools that would harvest the ripe food for me when they were fully grown.
And then all the food, grains, vegtables, and fruits would flow down the layers and into the chests that were on rails.
Then those chests would deliver the food through a line of traps and kill zones including pools of lava and toxic pools of melted heavy metals before finally delivering the food safe and sound to the Ogre's outside.
The point being... Is that I unironically literally spent more time and effort in making an automatic food system for the fucking giant walking glutton 'demons' living on my front lawn.
Then working on my forge and the dwarven construct factory.
Though it wasn't like either my forge or the construct factory WASN'T at work constantly. I just spent less time working on the Centurions in particular.
As I came to realize that in needing to actually finish them by hand meant that it took more time from me. So if I was going to work on them by hand, I should enchant their weapons as well.
Meanwhile dwemer spheres, and javelin launchers required no direct care and work from me besides throwing more mundane materials into the mega smelter. And an Ogre or even a Demon would die to a spear shot at them at more then a hundred miles an hour.
And if I used enchanted ammo with smite V on said spear being shot out of the Dwarven Ballista construct.
"Hmm, hmm... The hold is just too quiet when I am not directly working. I should go even further with the dwemer constructs and make threshers and other traps as well. All powered by steam and such." I mused to myself.
Steam powered traps and machines also wasn't anything new to me as even Snorlot... Stubborn shit he was, coudn't disdain the use of steam power to mass refine lower quality iron and materials we inevitably mined up.
My thought line was broken as Azulbak my war goat's thick and sharp clogging feet rang out on the stone floors with him baying in warning.
I had long realized that my father's war goat after being blessed by magic and being very well fed on magical food had made it stronger and especially more intelligent so seeing him baying like that.
I realized he wanted me to see something. "What's going on Azulbak." I said stretching a bit as I moved away from the diagrams I was making of a line of dwarven thresher's I was thinking about putting in the floor.
Dwarven Threshers being large and thick folding out helicopter blades that could be hidden in lines on the floor and attached to a piston system that would pull the helicopter blades across the ground on tracks.
Which would be perfect for killing Skaven and Orc chaff.
Still Azulbak made a loud chuffing noise and I grunted as the big ass goat gave me a 'light' head bump to push me out of my room and then towards the main hall.
"Alright alright you angry ass." I muttered giving the thick horns of Azulbak a push to get back for hitting me in the back to move quicker... My legs obviously weren't as long as the war goats obviously! And he had more legs! His height made no damned difference in our walking speed!
I quickly made my way up to the front area. But the bells weren't ringing for my attention, still with a shrug I went to the check the mirrors and then my face stiffened.
As standing across from one another... The fucking Slayer King was standing across from Shaggit with both men drinking from a large tankard of some drink that thankfully came from another slayer who was behind Ungrim Ironfist the Slayer King.
So seeing one of my races most honored warriors I hurriedly opened up the fucking door with a loud clatter and roar of displaced tons of materials as the piston's pulled the door back.
And then as the door's opened I saw him Ungrim Ironfist put away the drink and he looked past the long death trap of the piston powered door and his voice carried like thunderous drums.
"Kharn of Clan Barruk. Do ye welcome yer kin from the Slayer Kingdom!" He spoke proudly and with honor and I almost teared up at how he clearly was showing my clan respect to say nothing of showing me.
A little beardless whelp with no remaining clan that respect in naming this Hold my own and as a equal to himself and Karak Kadrin itself!
I thumped my fist against my armored chest and bellowed out. "The slayer's line will always be welcome in Clan Barruk's holds as is per tradition! Please bring our brethren in!"
I then turned to Shaggit and said firmly but more kindly. "Shaggit, send your youngin's to the gathering spot. I will have Ale aplenty and food for your kin to celebrate the welcome of my people. Let your own feast as well as they will."
Shaggit grinned and said happily. "Good! Me boyz were getting a little antsy seeing so many stuntie fellows and not even gettin a lick. They be happier with the good grub ya make any who."
Shaggit then jogged off with his great fat but strong form bouncing as he moved with always suprising speed as he ran off to go just that.
I looked back to Ungrim and walked forward to the Slayer King. And I coudn't help but also notice his red Slayer mohawk was almost literally as tall as he himself was.
As in if you counted Ungrim's mohawk to his height, he was almost taller then most humans honestly!
Still I approached the slayer king and my I raised an eyebrow at the line of over three hundred slayers with their red hair and mostly un-armored forms along with another couple hundred more heavily armored dawi brethren.
"Come my brethren. I have great food, and hearty ale to fill your stomachs with." I said grinning as Ungrim nodded and held up an arm before pointing into my hold.
"Lead on young lord. We have much to talk about as you lead us to your Hall." Ungrim said a bit gruffly.
To which I nodded and our conversation ended as Ungrim led all his dwarves into my Hold and then with loud rumble the Holds doors were closed behind them.
Though the dwarves didn't react as it was just common sense to close and lock the doors to the very hostile outside world once your guests came in.
I then brought them to the Hall of Anscestor's I made in honor of Clan Barruk with the large hall's thick and strong pillar's having the faces of my the members of Clan Barruk I could remember and their names.
And there with some more dwarves help, they helped me pull out the feasting tables and such I had made for just this moment from the storage hall to the side.
From there I just pointed at the large statue of my own father at the end of the hall and said. "You see how my father has his hands splayed out like that. You merely push your flagon into a finger and ale will pour into your flagon."
Because I also realized that no matter how I tried, I coudn't serve some five hundred dwarves their drinks and food.
Thankfully I was able to use my excuse of Runes to hide the inventory and dropper aspects of the feasting tables that had rail tracks on them that would drop off the food items to each dwarf that sat at the table in lines.
Still after twenty minutes of just getting my fellow brethren sitting down, with hearty stew and enchanted ale in their bellies. I was able to sit down next to King Ungrim Ironfist with my own flagon of ale and stew.
"Heh, even the most stubborn of elder's woudn't begrudge you not serving every dawi in my army." Ungrim said with a chuckle as he held his flagon of ale.
I shook my head and said a bit tiredly. "My clan cannot be called even in death, lacking in hospitality. I refuse to let that be attached to my clan with my own actions."
Ungrim made a heavy exhale before he nodded and said more softly. "Ye did good lad. Barely even a whisp of an idea of a beard on ye cheeks and ye made it across the Mountains of Morne, slaid many a monster and made ye father proud in making your own business."
My face twitched into a hate filled scowl before I spat out. "I got cheated several times in Cathay, oathbreakers and traitors fill the land. The Umgi's are supported by the pride and greed of the Drakk and I coudn't fill my contract due to them breaking the contract."
Ungrim slowly nodded before he said coldly. "Explain it all Kharn. Tell me the tale of your Grudge."
And so I did, I explained how I got a very lopsided deal with Miao Ying who supplied a shitty workforce but also the materials in return for a loyal, uncorruptable army of automatons besides the controllers of the automaton's themselves becoming traitor anyway.
I explained how I was suppressed as my hunt for the Thaggoraki, the Skaven and Greenskins were broken as the people I wanted to go slaying with. Were clearly supressed to keep me in Nan-Gau
Then... I explained how they clearly and blatantly broke our oath's our contract between me and Miao Ying as I sent many requests to meet with Miao Ying and settle the bullshit of the frankly unusuable swamp iron that was being sent to me.
Such shitty iron, zinc, copper and other materials that I literally coudn't even make the dwemer constructs due to how all the impurities would gum up the smelter for hours each day.
All the while I explained, Ungrim's face of stone. Cold carved stone of fury that was becoming more and more molten.
"Ye are tellin me... That, that feckless Drakk cunt almost enslaved a Rune master which... From everything you have shown, you have made that clearly is your own work. You clearly have that title."
Ungrim's fucking refrigerator sized chest filled like a gorrila about to beat on his chest in fury with his voice slowly and painfully rising all the while. "She not only allows her scaly maggots to cheat and betray ye, but she fookin sends a half breed mut to demand you to come back like some property of hers!"
Ungrim's fist slammed into the table with the table glowing with warning as the durablity enchantment screamed in warning as he roared out as he held his massive enchanted war axe above his head.
All the other dwarves roared in agreement as they all heard my tale and especially his own words. "Imma fuckin mount the bitches head on Karak Kadin's front door! I will have our Runelord's make a cloak for all ye dwarves to pass down ye lines out of her skin!"