Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

Grimm was somewhat moved.

He was somewhat surprised to see the contents of the invitation, and at the same time, his respect for Auduin grew even stronger.

In previous Golden Cocktail Parties, he only received secondary invitations; given his status, he didn't even have the right to set foot in the capital of Eberron, Golden Manufactory.

This time was completely different. The invitation clearly stated that the banquet would be held in the capital, Jingao City. This unexpected turn of events delighted him.

Looking back on the past, when I was stuck in the bottom of society, my vision was narrowed. Even at the Golden Party, when I saw a goblin merchant holding a staff inlaid with magic crystals, I thought it was the ultimate luxury.

Now that we have suddenly received a formal invitation to go directly to the capital, we finally have the qualifications to participate in the grand event.

He knew he was still far from reaching the top echelons of power, but this level of respect would have been an unthinkable dream in the past.

Comparing the past and present, Grimm was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

He stood in the room, clutching the parchment tightly, the wind blowing in from the window, causing his sleeves to flutter slightly.

Looking down at the gold-edged invitation, my fingertips brushed against the wax seal of the Eberon Empire. I felt a mix of emotions, but mostly, I was in a daze.

He was born here more than a decade ago. He didn't have enough to eat or wear, and he was often beaten.

Back then, let alone Jinhao City, I didn't dare to go far even on the mountain roads outside the mine. Later, I got to know a lot of people through my own abilities, did some small business, and was able to make a living.

Now he was dressed in a fine cotton robe, leather boots, and leaning on a cane made of brass, iron, and wood, with a formal invitation to the capital of Eberlon tucked in his pocket.

He couldn't calculate how many steps were missing in between.

But he knew one thing: it wasn't because Grimm was so capable, but because he was lucky enough to encounter a dragon that gave him the opportunity.

Without this dragon, Grim would still be that old goblin guarding the mine entrance, drinking muddy water from a broken bowl.

Even Guqi, who used to run errands for southern tribes, wouldn't give him a second glance now.

Grimm folded the parchment and tucked it into the innermost pocket of his body.

He had sewn this hidden pocket specially; it was usually used to store the territory's account books and important documents, but now it also contained this invitation.

He patted his chest to make sure the item was secure, then turned and walked towards Gucci.

Gu Qi remained frozen in place, his two henchmen huddled behind him, clutching a wooden box and half a watermelon, barely daring to breathe.

"Gucci".

"Here!" Gucci immediately straightened his back.

"I will attend the Golden Cocktail Party."

Gucci visibly relaxed, his straight shoulders slumped, but he quickly straightened his back again:

"Well... Lord Grim, how many people do you plan to take? What gifts will you bring? When will you depart? I need to report back."

Grimm didn't answer immediately.

He paced back and forth a couple of times with his cane, the tip of which poked at the ground, his mind racing with calculations.

"Let's start with the rules."

Grimm stopped in his tracks. "How should the tribute be collected at the banquet? By the number of people or by the size of the tribe? Gold, ore, or magic crystals—which one suits their taste?"

In terms of time, how many days will it take to travel from the Sunken Basin to the capital of Eberron, around the fifteenth of next month? Are there any dangers along the way? And also…”

He paused, lowering his voice by half an octave, "What's been happening with the various tribes lately?"

Little did he know that goblins have short lifespans, and an ordinary low-level goblin might only get to attend one or two Golden Parties in his entire life.

Counting the years, this was Grimm's second time attending, with a full ten years in between. He had long forgotten the rules and regulations of the banquet back then, but since it concerned the life and death of the tribe, he naturally had to ask about them one by one.

Guqi blinked, surprised that the goblin chieftain from this remote basin asked more detailed questions than he, the messenger, had.

He quickly came to his senses and cleared his throat.

There are two types of tribute items.

Basic tribute is calculated based on the size of the tribe. The Sunken Basin is a small settlement, requiring 100 ordinary magic crystals or equivalent ores.

There are also voluntary contributions, not mandatory; the more one contributes, the more influence the tribe has at banquets.

At this point, Gu Qi glanced at the distant ore mountain, swallowed hard, but quickly looked away and continued speaking.

"The journey is easy to arrange. It takes half a month to travel from here to Jinhao City by trade route."

The journey passed through three areas: first a wasteland, then graystone hills, and finally the Eberon direct domain.

"The Gray Rock Hills are not peaceful. Recently, there have been wandering orcs robbing people, but..." He glanced at the orc formation in the camp and swallowed the rest of his words.

Grimm nodded, waiting for what was to come.

Guchi understood immediately what Grimm wanted to know, but wanting to please him, he lowered his voice:

"The situation of the tribes is not good. The Magic Empire has increased its annual tribute this year by 20% compared to previous years. The Eberon royal family cannot bear it, so they have spread the pressure to the tribes in various regions."

Larger tribes took the opportunity to annex smaller ones. At least ten settlements were absorbed last year, either because they couldn't collect enough tribute and were recorded as guilty, or because their leaders lost power at banquets and were ousted.

His voice trailed off: "The Golden Party isn't a place for drinking at all; it's a place where big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. If the shrimp are gone, not even the shells will be left."

Grimm remained silent for a moment, his ironwood cane planted firmly on the ground, motionless.

He recalled the last time he attended a Golden Cocktail Party, when he was of low status and had no access to the core secrets of the party.

Back then, as long as you collected enough money for the tribute, you could have a say at the banquet and deal with goblin tribes from all over the world. The benefits you gained were far greater than the tribute you paid.

This is one of the reasons why the various goblin tribes were willing to participate.

But after listening to what Guqi said, it seems that the situation of the entire goblin race is several times worse for this year's Golden Wine Party, and the situation of many small tribes is even more dire.

But although he thought this in his heart, he said it aloud:

"Guqi, go back and tell the royal family that we will attend the meeting on time, and they don't need to worry about the tribute."

Gu Qi responded, glanced at the distant ore mountain, moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing more.

He bent down, picked up the sack at his feet, which contained twenty pounds of flour that Grim had prepared, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and turned to leave with his two henchmen.

Guqi lifted the sack on his shoulder and quickly left the camp. He still had a mission to complete and needed to rush to the next goblin tribe to deliver a message.

After taking only a dozen or so steps, a massive, abrupt mountain blocked their path.

Gu Qi stopped, scratched his head, and muttered to himself, "Strange, when did a mountain appear here?"

He immediately turned around to change direction, but as soon as he looked up, a huge, sky-covering figure came into view, making him freeze in place, unable to move an inch.

That was a dragon, a dragon lying there, sleeping with its eyes closed.

From his perspective, the dragon's body lay across the high platform, like a rising mountain range.

Its dark gold scales shimmered in the afternoon sunlight, their edges gleaming with a dark gold hue. Its tail rested on the edge of the platform, half of it hanging down, the hook at the tip swaying slightly in the wind.

A small, fiery red creature, curled up into a ball of fur, was perched on the dragon's horn, with only its tail feathers hanging down, swaying in the wind.

He was startled and stood there for a long time, making sure the dragon was really asleep before turning around and walking in another direction.

At the same time, he realized that this was the territory of a dragon, and those orcs and goblins were his followers.

Thinking of this, he felt a pang of envy, but quickly shook his head and continued on to the next location.