Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

The rock emblem was embedded in the groove, and its earthen-yellow light instantly illuminated the entire underground cavern.

One by one, ancient runes lit up, their patterns connecting to form a solid barrier that tightly enveloped the seal cracks of the Ancient Dragon's Void. The rising gray-black mist was forced back into the depths of the cracks, the rock walls returned to their original state, and the cave fell silent once more.

Alduin glanced down at the stable magic circle, touched the ground with his right paw to make sure the seal wouldn't loosen, and nodded.

Auduin turned and walked out of the cave.

The sunlight outside the cave was so bright that he couldn't help but squint.

He had never seen such a clear sky during his time in the North, and he was a little unaccustomed to it.

Although he already possessed black dragon blood, he didn't need to specially adapt to sunlight...

Blue stood at the entrance of the cave, arms crossed, his body motionless, blocking the doorway like a stone block.

Seeing Alduin emerge, he grinned sheepishly, "Boss, all done?"

Auduin did not speak, but simply nodded.

Alduin spread his dragon wings, flapped them, and his body lifted off the ground, flying towards his territory.

Bru strode after him.

Although the stone giant was slow, its long legs and wide strides allowed it to cover several meters in a single step, and it quickly caught up.

During the flight, Auduin glanced down at the ground. Blue was covered in dust, spewing gravel from his nose, looking like a human-shaped self-propelled pile driver. He looked away and flapped his wings to accelerate.

The matter of the barren hills has been resolved.

Half an hour later, the outline of the territory emerged on the horizon, and the Ash Highlands came into view.

Alduin had previously subdued all the local orcs, and this area became his territory.

This area was originally a volcanic landscape, full of scorched earth and rocks, with a unique environment. It has been gradually transformed and renovated, resulting in a significant change in its overall appearance.

The mine chimneys spewed black smoke, while the workshop chimneys emitted white smoke.

The wolf-head flags of the orc camp were hung neatly, rustling loudly in the wind.

Two rows of orc guards stood at the foot of the flagpole, armed from head to toe.

Stone axes, spears, and iron armor, the plates polished to a gleaming shine, so bright that they dazzled the eyes when the sunlight shone on them.

Grom stood at the head of the group, his battle axe slung over his shoulder, his chest hair peeking out from under his armor collar.

He looked up at the sky, recognized Alduin's dark golden figure, and immediately pounded his chest and shouted, "The boss is back! Line up! Get your spirits up!"

The orcs straightened up, adjusted their helmets, and casually wiped the dust off their faces.

Auduin folded his dragon wings and landed on the high platform.

The moment it landed, it created two shallow craters in the ground, scattering rubble everywhere. Blue quickly reached the bottom of the platform and stood firmly on its feet; the stone giant didn't need to catch its breath anyway.

Grom knelt on one knee, his armor clanging against each other: "Boss, everything is peaceful in the territory. There are no external enemies, no internal turmoil, food reserves are plentiful, and all the tribesmen are safe and sound."

Auduin nodded.

Grom was a young warrior he had personally selected from the orc tribes and trained and honed.

People whom he personally nurtured will only be loyal to him, allowing him to better control the entire orc tribe and use them for his own purposes.

Because the Great Shaman is still alive, the orcs' old beliefs have not been completely reversed. These Emberfang orcs are the top fighting force in the territory, and can only be gradually assimilated.

Only in this way can one be completely true to oneself.

Grom stood up and stepped aside, gesturing with his hand. The orcs immediately lined up on both sides, clearing a path leading directly to the mine.

Goblins stood on both sides of the road, each holding a wooden plank. The planks were covered with numbers and progress reports, the handwriting crooked and messy, the ink still wet. They were all accounts hastily made.

Grimm stood at the front, holding a giant wooden plank in his hands. The plank was taller than him and wobbled precariously.

"Owner."

Grimm's voice trembled with tears as he spoke, "You've finally returned! This old servant has been waiting day after day, and my hair has almost all fallen out."

Auduin glanced at him.

The one-eyed old goblin was still the same as always, as noisy as ever.

"Give me a report on how the mine is doing while I'm away."

Grimm composed himself, sniffed, and turned around to point to the wooden planks in the goblin's hand one by one, reporting on each item.

"The mine produced 9,100 iron ore, a 60% increase from last month. There were no landslides or casualties."

"Workshop: 7,000 iron ingots, 1,500 fine steel ingots, 400 finished weapons, and 20 sets of armor."

"The warehouse reserves are sufficient for four months of grain, two months of dried meat, and one month of vegetables. The dog-headed people generally reject vegetarianism, so their consumption is relatively low."

"The seal crack trembled slightly three times, but the amplitude was very weak and did not cause any disaster."

"Kobold race, zero casualties."

After finishing his report, Grimm turned to look at the platform, blinking his only remaining eye with a fawning expression, waiting for Alduin's reward.

Auduin remained calm, simply nodding and saying, "Understood."

Grimm was not disappointed. He bowed and stepped aside, though his legs were not as nimble as before.

Auduin glanced at him, then looked away.

Grimm, as his scout, was a goblin, naturally greedy for money and afraid of death, but that was not a problem. On the contrary, he was extremely loyal. The only pity was that goblins have short lifespans and his days were numbered.

Alduin leaped off the platform, passed through the working goblins and kobolds, and headed towards the Rotten Swamp.

Bru followed closely behind.

The area outside the swamp, at the edge of the rainforest, is the temporary habitat of the Silver Moon Elves.

Their core base remains far away in the Moonlit Forest.

Following Alduin's instructions, Elunea built the Moon Spring here to settle her people.

Now only a handful of Silvermoon Elves remain. Relying on the power of the Moon Spring, their physical bodies remain intact, and their souls can be reunited and reborn.

In this way, they can maintain the survival of their race, but this cycle of reincarnation is exceptionally long...

Alduin glanced at it indifferently, did not stop, and continued walking forward, heading towards the depths of the decaying swamp, where his dragon's lair was located.

The entrance to the dragon's nest is located at the deepest part of the territory. Intricate runes are carved above the entrance, and the runes glow faintly and flicker intermittently.

That was the masterpiece of the dwarf runemaster, Krieg, a runic barrier specially carved at Alduin's request to protect this place.

After seeing Auduin go inside, Bru consciously stood guard at the cave entrance, facing outwards, arms crossed, forming a stone wall.

Auduin stepped into the passageway.

The passageway was narrow and cramped, dimly lit, with water seeping from the rock walls and dripping constantly. Despite the appalling environment, it was a top-class residence for Auduin.

At the end of the path lies the dragon's nest.

The dome was perfectly round, with only three of the nine glowing crystals lit up. Gold coins were piled up, but a corner of the top had collapsed, scattering the coins all around. A gem chest in the corner was open, with several sapphires rolling to the ground.

These gems have no intrinsic value; they can be bought with magic crystals. But they are perfect for decorating this place.

After a moment's thought, Auduin walked to the pile of gold coins, took out two stone badges from the spatial rift, and put them in.