Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

Time flies, and another year has passed.

And in that year, the Decaying Swamp also underwent tremendous changes.

The original kobolds were slow and inefficient, so Alduin simply kidnapped a new batch of kobolds to fill the gaps.

Thanks to the hard work of these new servants, the outer area of ​​the decaying swamp was also completely covered by his acid.

Thick miasma permeated the surroundings, forming a natural moat that firmly protected the entire territory.

However, since the forces in the Sunken Basin were quite peaceful and did not interfere with each other, the acid that Alduin built to protect the city did not play much of a role.

As for those ideas that had not yet been implemented, Auduin had just begun preparations when a sudden change completely disrupted his entire plan.

His financial lifeline has dried up.

The Crimson Mountains and the Decaying Swamp are hundreds of thousands of miles apart, and even with Alduin's dragon wings, a round trip would take several months.

To save himself some trouble, he simply hired a goblin caravan to transport the goods, which ensured safety and saved him the effort.

Therefore, every three months, the Rotten Swamp receives a batch of newly mined magic crystal ore.

Alduin threw all the ore into the acid pool of the swamp, refining and purifying it into top-grade magic crystals.

He originally intended to use some of these pure magic crystals to trade with powerful forces in the surrounding area, and keep the rest for his own use to enhance his own strength.

However, he stopped receiving any magic crystal ore from the goblins three months ago.

At that time, he was still busy visiting the Red Copper Dragon's home and had not returned to his territory.

When he returned and the swamp defenses were completed, he wanted to use the magic power in the magic crystals to strengthen the acid and miasma, but he found that the amount of magic crystal ore was much less.

Now that the territory's defenses are taking shape, Alduin plans to personally travel to the Crimson Mountains to investigate the reasons behind it.

As for whether the magic crystal mine had been embezzled by the goblins, he didn't even consider that possibility.

Although the goblin race has a terrible reputation, the fact that they would dare to cheat a dragon is something that has never happened before in his inherited memories.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to go to the Crimson Mountains to find out what's going on.

After all, without the supply of magic crystals, all plans are just empty talk.

……

Six months ago, in the Crimson Mountains, in the city of Eld.

A cool breeze rustled the withered leaves as they fell. The streets, usually sparsely populated, were already desolate.

But in the past few days, the atmosphere in the city has been completely different.

In the center of the church in the city, a figure dressed in a black robe and wearing a mask sat quietly, his face hidden by the mask, plotting something in hushed tones.

This is an advance team sent by the Empire.

The matter I've come here to discuss is the Crimson Mountains.

As the crimson mist above the mountains dissipated, the Empire's floating fortress, "Eye of the Sky," immediately detected the anomaly.

The higher-ups speculate that this is a sign of the fall of the Primal Red and the dissipation of its remaining power.

To be on the safe side, the Empire immediately dispatched an advance team to venture deep into the Crimson Mountains to investigate the remains of the demon from that time.

After the original Crimson was killed, its corpse was so corrupted that even legendary powerhouses could be corrupted, so the Empire simply abandoned it deep in the Crimson Mountains and did not retrieve it.

The advance team sent now serves both as confirmation and as a means of recovery.

A man in black robes spoke in a low, hoarse voice, his gender indiscernible, "Who approves of secretly entering the Crimson Mountains?"

No one responded.

Then another person in black robes spoke, his tone equally indistinct, making it impossible to tell if he was male or female, "Let's just clear the area to save trouble and avoid any unforeseen complications."

Still no response.

Another person spoke up: "Then let's clear out the magical beasts from the mountain range first, and then sneak in?"

Silence remained.

"How exactly should we proceed?"

Silence remained unchanged.

"Then...we're not going?"

It remained deathly silent.

Three days later, a piece of information appeared in the Eld City Daily, with a striking headline that stirred the interest of countless adventurers.

[Imperial Council Resolution: Eld City promoted to its third ground fortress, its territory extending to the Crimson Mountains! A hefty reward will be given to anyone who slays the mountain's magical beasts! Deep within the mountains lies a dragon's secret treasure!]

This news instantly caused an uproar among adventurers.

As soon as the news broke, countless adventurers in Eld City sprang into action, flocking towards the Crimson Mountains.

Meanwhile, the mastermind behind releasing this message was leisurely lounging on the sofa, slowly enjoying his tea and snacks.

"Sigh, what can I do? I'm someone who values ​​my life, so I'll just have to make use of these low-level adventurers."

However, his face instantly changed color, and a low voice came out of his mouth: "Hmm, the Empire shouldn't blame us, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed abruptly, and his deep voice carried a hint of unease: "Hmm... the Empire shouldn't blame us, right?"

But the next second, he quickly regained his composure and said firmly, "How could they blame us? They only care about the results."

"Too."

"Yes."

"Yes, yes."

His expression behind the mask shifted unpredictably, but eventually calmed down, revealing a mysterious smile.

Crimson Mountains.

The news from the Eld City Daily exploded, and adventurers stranded there swarmed in like locusts, stirring up chaos throughout the entire mountain range.

The mountain monsters, who had only moved in gradually because the soil had receded and the environment had returned to stability, were now disturbed by this surging crowd and had no choice but to flee in panic once again, hiding deeper into the mountains.

Among them was Xiong San.

Originally, Xiong San lived a very comfortable life, digging for food and sleeping. Every month, he only needed to complete the quota set by the giant dragon to get a lot of delicious top-quality magic crystals from the group of green-skinned people.

It was incredibly comfortable and relaxing.

Moreover, because many magical beasts have recently arrived, his meals have become much more plentiful.

But for some reason, a group of humans suddenly appeared, shouting things like "Hand over the treasure."

How could he know where the dragon had hidden the things?

It turns out that bears and humans do not understand each other's languages.

It spoke at the top of its lungs, but the group of humans couldn't understand a word it said about being a ferocious beast protecting treasure.

Left with no other choice, Xiong San could only drive away these fools, hoping to return to a carefree life.

But their good fortune didn't last long, as another group of people barged in.

They couldn't defeat themselves, yet they manipulated the metal machinery, harassing it relentlessly.

It was so annoying that Xiong San simply left the Crimson Mountains.

At that moment, it had only one thought in its mind—to find a place where no one would bother it, eat its fill, and then sleep.

However, the thought of never being able to eat the sweet and delicious premium magic crystal again filled Xiong San with regret.

Scratching his thick head, Xiong San continued walking into the distance.

……

"Damn it, where did that stinky bear hide the treasure?!" A muscular man stood in the cave, cursing loudly.

"The magical energy fluctuations here are very strong, which means there must be treasures nearby."

"Another man dressed in black armor walked over slowly and said in a deep voice.

"Wait! The fluctuations are getting stronger!"

The adventurer, holding the strange instrument, suddenly raised his voice, his face full of excitement.

"It's still rising!"

Something's not right—

"Click—"

The instrument pointer suddenly snapped, and a piercing crack echoed through the cave.

But no one had time to pay attention at the moment. An invisible pressure suddenly slammed down, making everyone feel suffocated and even their breathing difficult.

A shadow slowly enveloped the cave entrance, and a deep, cold voice surged in, carrying an undeniable pressure:

"Who gave you permission... to be here?"