Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

The group walked for another two days.

The terrain of the limestone hills gradually opens up, the narrow roads widen, and the tall grass that once covered the hills slowly becomes low and sparse.

The gravel road has been replaced by neat, long, gray-white flagstones. The stones are tightly joined together, with fine sand filling the gaps, making it flat and stable to walk on.

The wheels rolled over it smoothly and evenly, without any bumps. The rolling sound was much softer.

Grimm rode behind Blue.

The stone-paved road was smooth, so he didn't need to spur his horse. With his cane tucked under his arm, his body no longer swayed. He tugged at his collar, finding his dry robe comfortable to wear.

He looked back at the carriages; all three carriages were following closely, the tarpaulin hadn't come loose, and everything was fine.

At noon on the third day, a gray-white line appeared on the horizon.

Grimm squinted as the line grew thicker and its outline became clearer.

It's a city wall.

The wall is made of huge, grayish-white stones, ten feet high, with crenellations on top.

Behind the battlements stood a flagpole, with a golden flag embroidered with crossed pickaxes and two hammers below it; this was the flag of the Eberon Empire.

The city gate is arched and has two large iron doors with copper strips inlaid along the edges. The copper strips are polished to a shine and reflect the sunlight.

Two rows of goblin guards stood at the city gate, dressed in dark brown leather armor with copper buckles on the plates. Each of them held a short spear with a tempered iron tip. The guards wore iron helmets with the brims pulled down so low that their faces could not be seen.

Grimm reined in his horse, raised his cane, and then signaled the caravan to stop.

Bru walked at the front, his seven-meter-tall body standing outside the city gate like a small mountain.

The goblin guard looked up at him, gripping his short spear tightly, his eyes wary. The lead guard took a step forward, but after thinking for a moment, he took two steps back.

Grimm dismounted. His legs were stiff from sitting for so long, so he stood up, holding onto the saddle and steadying himself with his cane.

He straightened his robe collar, brushed the dust off his cuffs, and walked towards the city gate with his cane, his steps neither hurried nor slow.

He walked up to the guard, took out a parchment invitation from his pocket, and handed it to him with both hands.

The lead guard took it and examined it twice. The wax seal was intact, and the gold lettering was raised. He glanced at Grimm, then looked at the name on the invitation, and nodded.

"Invitation valid from Chief Grimm of the Sunken Basin Goblin Clan."

The guard spoke and handed the invitation back.

"Carriages and entourages are allowed into the city, as long as they are registered according to the rules. As for the stone giants..."

He pointed to Bru, "We can't get in; the city gate is only three zhang high."

Grimm nodded.

"He's a guard; he doesn't go into the city, he stays outside."

The guard didn't ask any more questions. He waved his hand, and the two rows of goblin guards put away their short spears and made way for him.

Grimm turned and walked back, but after taking two steps, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.

Turning his head, he saw that the Fire Spirit had flown over from Blue's shoulder and landed on his shoulder, its claws grabbing his robe, the tips of its claws digging into his flesh through the cotton fabric, which hurt a little.

Grimm glanced at him, and the Fire Spirit chick tilted its head and glanced at him as well.

He was a little puzzled. Did this bird also want to see the scenery of the city?

However, I didn't ask any further questions.

He walked back to the carriage, mounted his horse with his cane, and tapped the horse's rump with the end of his cane: "Let's go into the city."

The convoy then restarted.

The wheels rolled smoothly over the stone slabs, the road was flat, and the orc guards put away their spears, carried them on their shoulders, and lined up on both sides of the carriage.

Grom sheathed his dagger, looked up at the high city, his mouth slightly open and then closed; he had never seen such towering walls before.

The city gate was dark, and the stone slabs were worn smooth, so much so that even the horses underfoot would slip on the floor.

As you exit the city gate, your view suddenly opens up.

The streets of this city are wide enough for four horse-drawn carriages to travel side by side.

On both sides are two-story stone houses with gray tile roofs covered in moss, wooden doors and windows carved with patterns, and flower pots planted with small red flowers on the windowsills.

The goblins wore cotton and linen clothing, made of materials far superior to those of other tribes.

When passersby saw the caravan and orc guards, they quickly moved aside to the side of the road and waited for the caravan to pass before continuing their journey, without panicking or fleeing.

Grimm rode ahead on his horse, with the fire spirit perched on his shoulder, tilting its head to survey the surroundings.

The streets were lined with stalls selling grains, cloth, ironware, and pottery.

The grain was packed in open burlap sacks, mostly wheat and beans; the cloth was neatly stacked, mostly in plain gray, white, blue and black; the ironware consisted mainly of pots, shovels and hoes, but no weapons were sold.

Grim glanced at the quality of the ironware, noting it wasn't as fine as the work made in the Sunken Basin workshops, then looked away and continued on his way.

After a quarter of an hour's journey, Grimm found an inn.

The hotel is located in the East District, a three-story building facing the street. The wooden sign at the entrance reads "Green Forest Inn," but most of the gold paint on the lettering has peeled off.

Grimm dismounted and walked into the hall with a cane.

Several wooden tables were set up in the lobby, and a goblin shopkeeper wearing a felt hat stood at the counter. When the shopkeeper noticed Grimm's clothes and copper-wrapped cane, he immediately put on a smile.

"A guest is checking in?"

"Accommodation. Three rooms, and three carriages and three horses in the backyard."

The goblin shopkeeper quickly stepped forward: "Yes, we have everything. The backyard is spacious, and the rooms are on the third floor, with bright windows."

Grimm took out three ordinary magic crystals and placed them on the counter.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. He picked up the magic crystal with his fingers, weighed it in his hand to assess its quality, and quickly put it away and locked it in the iron box.

"Guest, please enter through the side gate in the backyard. I'll lead the way."

Grimm followed the shopkeeper and led the caravan into the backyard.

The backyard was paved with gravel, a shed was built against the wall, and hay was piled up in the corner.

The shopkeeper pointed to the shed: "Horses are tied up here, there's plenty of hay, carriages can park next to it, and the backyard is safe, so you're guaranteed not to lose them."

Grimm nodded in agreement.

The orc guards parked the carriage, tied up the horses, and fed them hay.

Grom and his team take turns on duty to ensure safety.

Grimm went up to the third floor and pushed open the door.

The room was simply furnished with a bed, a table, and a chair, and the south-facing window offered a view of the street.

He leaned his cane against the bedside, took out the invitations and list, looked at them for a moment, then put them back in his pocket and sat quietly with his eyes closed for a while.

Fire Spirit, however, had already disappeared after entering the city.

Grimm opened his eyes and looked out the window. Goblins were constantly coming and going on the street, and no one paid any attention to the inn.

He got up, closed the window, and bolted it shut. He lay down on the bed, and although the bed was hard, he didn't complain and simply closed his eyes to rest.

Tomorrow, we'll get down to business.

This is not Golden Manufactory, but a city within the territory governed by Eberron.

To get to Golden Manuscript City, you must take a different route.

Golden Manufactory is the core capital city exclusively for goblins, and other races are strictly forbidden from entering. Stone giants and orcs are among those prohibited. Only goblin chieftains with official invitations from the empire are allowed to travel there alone.

Alduin sent the orcs and stone giants for two reasons: first, to ensure his safety, and second, to have a pretext to openly enter the goblin-controlled territory and take the opportunity to gather intelligence.

Therefore, they can simply wait in the city.

Grimm touched the invitation in his pocket, a thought suddenly occurring to him: tomorrow, he could travel to the capital, Golden Manuscript City.