Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

The claw tip moved to the fifth line.

"Sharing exploration data between both parties is a smarter statement."

They provided the equipment, set the technical standards, and designed the data format.

Even if the equipment is handed over to your people to operate, how do you analyze the raw data? Without their technical framework, all you get are a bunch of waveforms that you can't understand.

Ultimately, the conclusions still belong to them. If they say "nothing was found," then it truly is "nothing was found." If they say "there are anomalies," then it truly is "there are anomalies." The data is shared, but who holds the right to interpret it?

He paused, his vertical pupils narrowing slightly.

"The most crucial point is that the contract does not prohibit Deeppulse Chamber of Commerce from exchanging intelligence with third parties during the exploration period."

What does this mean? They can take the exploration data to the Anvil Department and the Goldfinger Family.

"As soon as the slightest hint of dragon crystal is discovered, the intelligence can be sold off, or more forces can be mobilized to press the issue. At that point, it won't be just one Deep Pulse negotiating with you; it will be three or four together."

Grimm knelt below the platform, feeling a chill creep down his spine as he listened.

He hadn't expected that the group of goblin merchants would think so far ahead.

"He's betting that your people don't understand deep geological exploration."

Auduin's tone was flat.

"What good is it if the equipment is handed over to you? You won't know how to operate it, and your people won't know how to interpret it. In the end, you'll have to go back and beg him for help."

He doesn't need to go deep into the mine; your people will deliver the samples and data to him themselves. This saves manpower, avoids risks, and puts you in the right position. Why wouldn't he agree?

Grimm pressed his forehead against the gravel ground, his voice a little dry: "Master, then this contract..."

"Good for him." Auduin interrupted him, the smile on his lips slowly returning. "He is indeed shrewd, but unfortunately, he will never realize who the true owner of this territory is."

Grimm felt a chill run down his spine and immediately understood Alduin's meaning.

The previous exposure of the Fire Spirit was actually intended to mislead the goblins, making them believe that the true masters of this place were orcs.

Now, the only goblin who knows that his true master is a dragon is Gucci, who delivered the invitation earlier.

Unfortunately, he was a low-level goblin who only got a chance to deliver invitations as an envoy. He would never have any contact with the upper-level core members, and no goblin would believe him.

Because those goblins actually saw the fire spirit and believed that there was a legendary Emberfang orc here.

Grimm's lips tightened and felt dry. "Then, dragon crystal..."

Alduin didn't look at him, but simply said, "Don't worry, even if they come in person, they won't be able to find the Dragon Crystal. Besides, their contracts prevent them from coming in person."

Grimm nodded, his admiration for Alduin growing even stronger. He then bowed and turned to leave.

The fire spirit returned to Alduin's side once more and burrowed into his dragon horn.

Ten days later, the Deep Pulse Chamber of Commerce's exploration team arrived.

The leader was a tall, thin goblin named Coron, who claimed to be a senior prospector from the Deep Pulse Merchant Guild. He wore a dark gray work robe with tunnel emblems embroidered on the cuffs, and had a string of calibration magic crystals and a folding ruler hanging from his waist.

Behind him were two magic-powered transport vehicles, each carrying three tightly sealed long metal boxes. The boxes were covered with shock-absorbing runes for transport, and the seams were sealed with sealing wax from the Deep Pulse Merchant Guild.

Five assistants followed behind the transport vehicle.

Three goblins and two dwarves, each carrying a toolbox on their back, with a Deeppulse Merchant Guild number tag hanging on the buckle.

Grimm was waiting for them at the entrance to the basin, with Blue standing beside him.

The stone giant didn't pose deliberately; he simply stood there with his arms crossed, the earthen-yellow core on his chest standing out prominently.

Corren jumped off the transport vehicle and was about to exchange a few pleasantries when he looked up and saw Blue. He paused, then closed his mouth again and swallowed back what he wanted to say.

His assistants behind him also stopped in their tracks. The two dwarves muttered a few words to each other and then fell silent.

"The equipment is in the box." Koren adjusted his expression for a moment, adopting a businesslike tone.

"According to the contract, the complete set of equipment includes three magic energy surveying instruments, one earth vein resonance scanning array, and a matching magic crystal power supply module. Please inspect the goods."

Grimm stepped forward with his cane and gestured for several orcs to pry open the metal box.

When the lid was opened, a strong aura of magic crystals surged out from inside the box.

The three survey instruments are neatly embedded in custom-made shockproof slots. The outer shell is made of dark gray alloy, and the instrument panel is covered with glowing rune dials, giving it a high-tech feel.

The main body of the scanning array is a detachable resonant crystal disk. A ring of calibration runes is engraved around the edge of the disk. The fineness of the runes is an order of magnitude higher than any magical device that Grimm has ever seen in the tribe.

"The equipment is in good working order." Grimm nodded after inspecting the goods.

Koren waved his hand, and his assistants unloaded the equipment from the transport vehicle and handed it over to the orc operator as stipulated in the contract.

The handover process lasted the entire afternoon, with each piece of equipment being counted, checked, and confirmed to be correct.

Once everything was ready, Corren pulled out a formal exploration contract from his pocket and unfolded it in front of Grimm.

Grimm glanced at it; the content was identical to the letter of intent signed at the cocktail party, with no changes to the terms, except for the addition of the official seal of the Deep Pulse Chamber of Commerce at the end.

Grim signed and affixed the tribe's seal, and the contract became effective.

The next month is the equipment handover and training period stipulated in the contract.

Koren set up a temporary shed outside the mine as a training station, set up four tables and a portable blackboard, and displayed a simplified model of a surveying instrument for teaching purposes. He then began teaching the orc operators the basic button operation.

He spoke very quickly, and his attitude wasn't bad, but he only explained each step once. When the orc asked too many questions, he just shrugged and said, "Just follow the manual; it's all written there."

These orcs came at Alduin's request, because the ownership of these instruments would ultimately belong to them.

Considering that we may need to use it in the future, it is crucial to learn how to use it.

On the third day of the training, a minor issue arose.

An orc named Stonehammer couldn't get the third detection frequency right when practicing starting the surveying instrument.

As Koren was looking down at the manual, Stonehammer impatiently turned the knob a dozen times in a row, and the rune dial on the instrument panel suddenly started jumping around wildly, with all the pointers pointing to zero.

Shi Chui slammed his fist on the table: "How come this broken iron box is more difficult to peel than a rhinoceros hide? How did you even manage to make it?"

Koren walked over expressionlessly, turned the knob back to the standard frequency, and the panel returned to normal.

The next day, a young orc operated the surveying instrument independently, following the training procedures, without making a single mistake.

Koren stared at the panel for a full ten minutes, confirming that every step was precisely in accordance with the operating procedures, without saying a word. But that afternoon, a case of chilled ale appeared in the training station.