Thorin looked miserable, momentarily at a loss under Lin Mo's questioning.
Dwarves were not a race that liked fighting, as was evident from the fact that they had only two fighters of the seventh order.
Their racial talent lay in their love of research and forging.
Lin Mo watched Thorin and realized from his reaction that he simply had not thought that far ahead.
So, while Thorin was at a loss for what to do, he said:
"It's not impossible for you to gain access to our technology tree."
A gleam flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.
"But your Dwarves would have to join Great Xia completely!"
Thorin was dumbfounded. "Join Great Xia?"
"Yes." Lin Mo nodded.
"Join Great Xia completely, gain Great Xia citizenship, and become something like an ethnic minority within Great Xia, enjoying the education, healthcare, basic support, legal protection, and shelter that Great Xia citizens are entitled to."
"At the same time, your Dwarves would retain a degree of autonomy and form the Dwarf Clan Autonomous Region, but your laws must not take precedence over Great Xia law."
"That way, your Dwarves could focus on researching the technology tree and manufacturing from then on. We in Great Xia would handle the fighting."
"Of course, Dwarves would still have to perform military service like Great Xia citizens. When needed, Dwarves would also have to go to war, serving as logistics troops, for example."
"There's another thing I need to tell you in advance: public knowledge and core state secrets are not the same thing."
"Military and classified content or technology would still require approval under Great Xia law, with specific access determined by security level."
"In short, you would have to follow the same rules as Great Xia citizens. If there are geniuses among you, we would open