Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

Upon hearing this, Gu Qi snapped out of his reverie, and his long-forgotten memories gradually became clear.

Three years ago, he did indeed stop to rest at the entrance of this barren mine, where a thin, small old goblin wearing patched coarse clothes brought him a bowl of water.

He looked down at the old goblin in front of him, now dressed in fine cotton and leaning on a copper cane. He opened his mouth, stared blankly for a long time, and finally managed to utter a sentence.

"You...you are Grimm?"

"Yes." Grimm leaned on his cane, turned and walked back. "Come in and talk."

Gucci followed behind, while his two henchmen hurriedly caught up, carrying wooden boxes and watermelons.

The camp was even more shocking than he had imagined.

The orcs were training; hundreds of orcs stood in rows, their roars loud and their steps precise.

They were all clad in full suits of iron armor, completely covered from head to toe, and their hands were filled with gleaming steel weapons.

His exposed red muscles were taut, with bulging veins, exuding power.

Gucci's pace slowed, and he couldn't help but look back frequently. Grimm walked a short distance, glanced back at him, and said calmly, "Have you seen enough?"

Gu Qi quickly looked away and jogged to catch up. His shoes crunched on the stone pavement, making him feel a little embarrassed.

Passing by the granary, the sacks were stacked higher than the wall.

A new shed has been erected next to it, with rows of dried meat and sausages hanging under it.

The dried meat was cut thickly, and the oil seeped out and glistened in the sun. Strings of sausages hung up, some thick and some thin, with a deep red color, and the aroma of spices could be smelled from afar.

Gu Qi swallowed hard.

Grimm led him to a wooden house.

The cabin wasn't large, but it had all the necessary doors and windows. There was a stone slab at the entrance, and on the slab was a rattan chair with a cushion made of some kind of magical beast hide on it, clearly indicating that it was a place where people often sat.

"Sit down." Grimm gestured to the wicker chair, then stood quietly to the side, leaning on his ironwood cane.

Gu Qi was uneasy and dared not sit down for even a moment.

"Lord Grimm..." he said, his voice hoarse.

"No need for formalities, just call me Grim."

Gurki composed himself and solemnly explained his purpose: "Grimm, I have come here on a mission. The Eberon Empire has summoned all goblin settlements across its territory to the Golden Gathering, held once every ten years. The goblin tribes of the Sunken Basin are also among those invited."

After saying this, he took out a roll of parchment that was perfectly sealed from his bosom.

The wax seal was intact, and the paper was printed with the exclusive emblem of the Eberron Empire—a hand gripping a scepter, majestic and solemn.

Grimm looked at the parchment, reached out and took it, glanced at it, and then stood there in a daze, lost in thought.

Gucci stood obediently to the side, watching Grim hold the letter without making a move for a long time, but he didn't dare to breathe loudly, let alone go up and disturb him.

He knew in his heart that the Eberon Empire was a revived regime that the goblin race had barely managed to establish after a thousand years of decline.

In ancient times, goblins created the once-powerful Ancient Dakkani Empire, whose vast territory once rivaled that of humans and dwarves.

But as the saying goes, prosperity is followed by decline. This vast empire eventually collapsed due to internal strife, leading to the division of its people and a significant reduction in its territory. The remaining goblin tribes could only retreat to the barren eastern wastelands, barely surviving.

After a thousand years of dormancy, the Golden Royal Family finally unified the scattered goblin tribes and established the Eberon Empire, struggling to find a place to survive amidst the power struggles of various empires.

The current Eberon Empire is dependent on humans and dwarves, and must pay tribute to them annually in exchange for peace.

However, not all goblins are willing to submit to the Golden Royal Family, let alone live under the oppression of other races.

As a result, a large number of goblins chose to remain independent, forming their own settlements and refusing to be brought under Eberon's jurisdiction.

Unable to subdue them by force, the royal family devised a compromise.

Every ten years, a golden banquet is held, inviting all the goblin tribes of this continent to participate.

This Golden Party, ostensibly a grand event for the goblin race, was in reality a helpless agreement made out of necessity for survival in a precarious situation.

It was organized by the Royal Household of Eberron and held every ten years without interruption.

Every step of the banquet and every invitation must first be presented to the Eastern Supervisory Office of the Human and Dwarven Magic Empire for approval. Only when it is stamped with the Imperial Magic Seal does it count.

However, despite their lowly status, goblins possess considerable wealth.

This golden banquet is the goblin race's most extravagant feast of wealth, hidden amidst their dire circumstances.

Outsiders only see the goblins huddled in the barren wasteland, living a miserable and humble life guarding their desolate mines.

Little did they know that this seemingly impoverished tribe possessed an extreme obsession with gold and treasures, and had the most sophisticated wealth-accumulating skills in the entire continent.

They have explored every hidden mine on the continent, holding the lifeline of the gray trade. Their private stashes of gold, gems, and rare magic crystals are already piled up like mountains. In terms of wealth, even the nobles of the human and dwarven magic empires have to secretly be wary.

The once-a-decade Golden Wine Party is the only time the goblins dare to display their wealth, and it is also the most important event for the Eberon royal family to maintain their clan and show goodwill to the Magic Empire.

Although it was called a cocktail party, it was actually a grand celebration of wealth and a council of power in the goblin world.

The main venue for the banquet was the Golden Hall in Golden City, the capital of the Eberon Empire.

The beams and pillars inside the hall were all inlaid with fine gold dust, the tables and utensils were all made of pure gold, and even the candlesticks were inlaid with various magic crystals. Rare fruit wines, monster meat jerky, and various precious spices that were usually hidden from the world could be seen everywhere at the banquet.

Invited tribes are required to bring generous gifts to the gathering, with smaller tribes offering boxes of gold coins and rare mineral crystals.

The powerful clans brought out mithril, ancient gems, and secret alchemical treasures. As for whether anyone would keep anything to themselves, almost no one would. You see, in the goblin world, wealth equals status, and financial power equals influence.

The meeting will first determine the ownership of the hidden mineral veins and black market trade of each tribe, and finalize the rules for wealth transactions between tribes.

Secondly, the tributes needed to be tallied. Part of the wealth handed over by each tribe went into the Eberon royal treasury, while the other part was offered as annual tribute to the human and dwarven magical empire. With this continuous and enormous wealth, the tribes were granted the right to live in a secluded corner of the world.

The Magic Empire knew that the goblins were incredibly wealthy, but it turned a blind eye to it.

Firstly, they coveted the enormous annual tribute; secondly, although the goblins possessed a mountain of gold, they lacked the top-tier combat power to rival the empire and could never cause any real trouble. Instead, they could earn even more resources by participating in the clandestine trade among various races.

However, this kind of party is never something you can simply skip if you want to.

Not going would mean leaving the goblin race and being seen as a threat by the empire.

Those hidden riches can quickly become bait that leads to certain death, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the tribe and the loss of all their possessions.