Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 46: The Dwarves’ Reverence

[End of Turn One! You dispatched adventurers-turned-regulars to stealthily and efficiently explore the eastern mountains, but found nothing—not even subjects of the eastern Lord.]

Seeing this, Romon decisively reset and restarted the simulation.

The areas he targeted on the map were already at the furthest extent Thune Territory’s forces could reach. Since nothing valuable could be found even within this range, there was no point in continuing to probe further. Even if they did discover something, Thune Territory’s military couldn’t break through the eastern Lord’s armies anyway—it would just make them covet what they couldn’t have.

So—

He quickly switched directions and chose the fourth expansion route.

On the map, the southern marshland was a filthy place bubbling with green froth. Everyone living nearby knew there was nothing there—not even trees remained. The soil was laced with toxins and couldn’t be farmed.

Romon wasn’t expecting to find mineral wealth—he just hoped there might be some powerful monster lurking in the poisonous marsh. If he could tame one, it would count as a boost to Thune Territory’s military strength. Besides, since the marsh was unclaimed, he wouldn’t have to spend money or fight anyone for it.

"Poison Marsh—explore!" Romon ordered in his mind.

[End of Turn One! Despite repeated warnings from your advisors, you stubbornly insisted on exploring the poison marsh. During the very first expedition, someone was unfortunately poisoned, and most of their skin withered. News of this spread, causing your prestige to drop. But that night, a mysterious potion appeared on your desk—its design unlike anything sold in local shops.]

"Hm? This could be something!" Romon’s eyes lit up; this kind of simulation result clearly hinted at something valuable.

Ignoring the loss of prestige, he ordered further exploration.

[End of Turn Two! More soldiers were polluted by toxins during the exploration! Fortunately, someone discovered a secret at the bottom of the poison marsh: the marsh was like a drain, constantly disgorging filth from underground. There were no powerful monsters, just an entrance to a cave.]

"Continue."

[End of Turn Three! Your prestige dropped steeply. But through your persistence, the truth of the poison marsh was finally uncovered. After clearing part of the marsh, your soldiers found an entrance beneath it. Deeper investigation revealed a dwarven factory underground.]

Dwarves? A factory?

Romon’s heart raced. If he could bring all this under Thune Territory’s control, it would be a massive boost!

He adjusted his strategy, focusing efforts on reaching the underground factory.

[End of Turn Four! Your soldiers succeeded in making contact with the dwarves. The dwarves spoke the same language as humans. Knowing they had polluted the environment by building their factory here, they felt somewhat guilty, so they treated your diplomatic team with courtesy. The diplomats stated their mission—to recruit the dwarves into Thune Territory—but the dwarves refused.]

Refused? That wouldn’t do!

Romon immediately selected his own avatar on the map and personally went underground to negotiate.

[End of Turn Five! You spoke personally with the dwarven leader, and inadvertently revealed your far-ahead technological understanding. The dwarven leader was deeply impressed, and agreed to join Thune Territory.]

[Turn Six... Under your guidance, the dwarves created a Pollution Purification Device, solving the toxic marsh’s contamination problem.]

[Turn Seven... The dwarves, inspired by your culture, burst forth with creativity, frantically sketching out blueprints...]

[Turn Eight... The dwarves are undergoing a technological revolution.]

[You have used up all your simulation turns. Cooldown: 10 days.]

[Simulation score this time: 220]

[Reward: Pollution Purification Device (Dwarven make)]

Seeing the simulation results, Romon was overjoyed. He immediately closed the interface and returned to reality, grabbing Angelia by the waist and thrusting vigorously.

By the time he reached his climax, he realized Angelia had already soaked a large patch of the bedsheet.

"You... What are you doing, all of a sudden? I almost fainted!" Angelia gasped, half-reproachful, half-breathless.

She’d nearly been sent to the clouds and couldn’t come back down.

"I have an idea. Wait for my good news."

With that, Romon withdrew and left.

...

South of Stone Town.

The closer they got to the poison marsh, the more withered the vegetation became—even the color of the land shifted to something strange.

Romon brought Talia and Nini with him. The simulation had taken several days, but he planned to meet the dwarves himself in just one day.

"Lord Romon, there aren’t even many magical beasts near this poison marsh. Why are we here?" Talia asked first.

Nini, whose nose was keener, just silently followed behind Romon. She could smell the scent of the princess lingering on him—along with the pungent toxins in the air.

After walking dozens of paces, they finally saw the main body of the poison marsh. It looked like a boiling, dark green lake—just looking at it made one’s skin crawl.

"This is the place."

Romon remembered the coordinates from the Simulator Blueprint clearly: the spot he’d chosen, the site his soldiers had dug, was right ahead.

But this time, nobody needed to risk their skin withering.

With a flick of his wrist, Romon took the Pollution Purification Device out from the system’s space and tossed it into the poison marsh.

The device looked like a small television tower, less than three meters tall. As soon as it landed in the marsh, it was immediately submerged.

Clearly, the marsh was unusually deep.

"Lord Romon, what was that just now?" Talia asked.

"Just a magical formation I happened to discover last night. I wanted to try it out," Romon improvised, but it was a perfectly reasonable explanation—Talia couldn’t find any fault with it.

Very soon—

As the Pollution Purification Device activated, a whirlpool formed in the center of the dark green marsh. Within moments, the vortex sank rapidly, taking the airborne toxins down with it.

A few minutes later, a giant pit ten meters deep appeared before the three of them.

Not a drop of the poison marsh remained—mud and water alike had all vanished.

Romon stood at the edge of the pit and looked down. The Pollution Purification Device stood quietly on the ground, while the floor at the bottom of the pit displayed a pattern of regular markings.

"Lord Romon, there seems to be something under the poison marsh! These markings... they look like dwarven symbols!" said the well-informed Talia.

She no longer cared why the device was so incredible; what mattered was that she’d uncovered the truth behind this area’s past century!

It turned out that the reason this place became a poison marsh was because the dwarves had built a factory underground, constantly discharging filth to the surface and turning this region into a forbidden zone for humans.

"Those damn dwarves! Polluting the environment this much—they’re even worse than magical beasts!" Talia said indignantly.

As soon as she finished speaking, the floor with the regular patterns slowly opened, and a messy-haired head poked out from the opening.

The dwarf wore a round, transparent helmet. Realizing there were no toxins outside but rather blue sky, he took the helmet off in surprise.

He stretched out his hands and clambered out, standing at barely 1.3 meters tall.

"Heavens! Who did this?" The dwarf clutched his head in disbelief as he looked around at the gigantic pit left by years of corrosion. When he turned and spotted the Pollution Purification Device on the ground, his eyes widened again. "Oh my goodness! What a marvel of engineering! Not even the Dwarven King could forge such a thing! Who—whose is this? I must take them as my master!"

Frantically, the dwarf looked around for the owner of the machine, and finally spotted Romon and his two companions standing at the edge of the pit.

Seeing the three figures silhouetted against the light, the dwarf’s knees instantly went weak, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.

"It’s a god! The God of Forging!"

Talia looked down at the kneeling dwarf, her hands tightening silently around her silver staff. "Lord Romon, this fellow’s race is the cause of the poison marsh disaster—shouldn’t we execute them?"

"No, Talia, relax," Romon soothed her, then called down, "My device accidentally fell down there. Could you help me retrieve it?"

At these words, the dwarf stared up at Romon, his eyes filled only with worship.

"This is your device? Heavens, you must be the God of Forging! Please, let your forge’s fire shine upon me and grant me the ultimate craftsmanship," the dwarf chanted, bowing deeply to Romon.

With his voice echoing, more dwarves opened up the floor and climbed out.

Whenever they spotted the Pollution Purification Device, they would immediately fall into the same state as the first dwarf—awestruck and worshipful.

So, before Romon, a whole group of kneeling dwarves soon appeared.

"I’m not the God of Forging, just a human with a bit of knowledge. If you wish to pursue greater technology, come join my domain," Romon’s voice echoed through the giant pit.

At his words, the dwarves exchanged glances. For a human to forge such a precise device—and claim not to be the God of Forging?

Who would believe that!

Maybe he was just an amnesiac God of Forging. After all, it was said the God of Forging often became so absorbed in his craft that he’d forget everything else.

"I am Lukoff, leader of this dwarven factory. We thank you for clearing away the filth that plagued us for centuries. We desire to seek higher craftsmanship—please, let us follow you!"

Immediately, Romon’s Simulator Blueprint population value shot up by 255.

Once he confirmed their allegiance, Romon used [Flight] magic to descend into the pit.

He looked at the group of dwarves—though short in stature, each had broad shoulders and sturdy frames, like little bulls.

"Since you wish to follow me, you must prove your abilities. Here is my test: I require you to forge a machine capable of flying through the air, with a joystick to control both speed and direction."