Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

The most famous races skilled in rune carving are the dwarves and elves.

Both races are on good terms with humans, but their relationship with dragons, especially the five-colored dragons, is rather hostile.

Therefore, it was not within Auduin's consideration.

Those races skilled in rune technology who were not enemies of dragons mostly went into seclusion, detached from worldly affairs.

Finding them is a bit difficult.

However, we could try finding a goblin...

Auduin narrowed his eyes slightly.

Goblins are everywhere, well-informed, and willing to trade anything; they are the perfect choice to act as intermediaries...

Alduin had already discovered a temporary settlement for goblins in the southeast of the basin.

These creatures are like cockroaches underground—they're everywhere, but they'll never amount to anything.

So Auduin had been too lazy to bother with it before.

The goblins are too weak, so weak that they're not even qualified to be cannon fodder.

Kobolds at least mine, build nests, and maintain basic respect for dragons, while goblins... goblins only steal, lie, and then kneel down and beg for mercy when caught.

However, these guys are the "know-it-alls" of the underground world.

They are cowardly, lowly, and hated by everyone, but precisely because of this, they can appear in places that other races cannot go.

They know where to find what, where to exchange it for what, who has goods on hand, and who is short of money.

If anyone wants to find something or someone in the underground world, goblins are often the fastest source of information.

The premise is that you can get them to tell the truth.

You can also hire them for any kind of hard or dirty work you want to do, but they're not cheap.

Alduin had these guys handle the job of transporting magic crystals, even though they charged a hefty price.

The way to get goblins to work diligently is simple: fear or profit.

Ideally, you should have both.

Alduin, of course, couldn't handle this personally, so he looked at the stone giant beside him.

"What's your name?"

Auduin asked casually.

"Boss, my name is... Blue." The stone giant thought for a long time before speaking in a low, slow voice.

Auduin's vertical pupils narrowed slightly.

This name was clearly not given by the copper dragon.

Given the Copper Dragon's wicked and mischievous nature, it certainly wouldn't have a proper name.

Who named you?

Blue tilted his head, his movements clumsy and slow.

It thought for a long time, so long that Auduin thought it wouldn't answer, and then it said in that slow, deliberate voice:

"I don't remember. A long time ago. Blue was Blue."

Auduin stared at it for a few seconds.

The sound waves he sensed outlined the internal structure of the stone giant in his mind.

A granite shell, pale yellow mineral veins, and a steadily beating elemental core deep within its chest.

Everything is normal, there is nothing unusual.

He had seen the stone giant.

The adult stone giants in the copper dragon's labyrinth all seemed to have been cast from a mold, silent, obedient, and devoid of any individuality.

As mass-produced products, would Red Copper Dragon give them names?

A stone giant with a name.

Do you know about the Copper Dragon?

"Never mind." Alduin withdrew his gaze, temporarily suppressing the question in his mind. "Blue, I need you to do something."

"Okay." Blue's answer was as concise as a stone hitting the ground.

"Go to the abandoned underground mine in the southeast and bring back the goblin leader for me."

Blue tilted his head, seemingly processing the sentence.

"The goblin...leader?"

"Yes. It's the oldest one," Alduin explained casually.

In goblin society, the longer you live, the higher your status.

"And don't kill him. Alive," he added.

Blue was silent for two seconds.

"Understood, boss."

It turned and walked out of the cave.

Its over six-meter-tall body cast a dim shadow in the cave, and the ground trembled slightly with every step it took.

The kobold guards saw the enormous creature approaching from afar and quickly pressed themselves against the wall, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Alduin watched Blue's figure disappear at the end of the passageway, his dark golden vertical pupils reflecting the receding figure.

A stone giant with a name.

Moreover, judging from his appearance, he seems to possess an independent mind...

But why would the copper dragon give him this thing?

Auduin's dark gold vertical pupils narrowed slightly, a hint of doubt flashing through his mind.

How could one not notice anything unusual about a bronze dragon that has lived for nearly a thousand years?

Is it because they don't care, or is it intentional?

With the Dragon Pact in place, he could rest assured for the time being. If the Crimson Copper Dragon dared to play any tricks, he would simply crush it.

A cold, indifferent glint flashed in his eyes.

Any scheme is worthless in the face of absolute power. If anyone dares to harm him, he will not hesitate to crush the bronze dragon along with it.

Now, all he needs to do is patiently wait for Bru to bring back the goblin leader.

Blue walked very slowly.

It wasn't because he couldn't walk fast; a sixth-tier stone giant running at full speed is no slower than a horse.

He was just used to it; it was the nature of a stone.

He crossed the central plaza of the territory, and the kobolds who were carrying ore stopped what they were doing and looked up at the behemoth as it passed by.

A few bold young kobolds ran a few steps at his feet before being dragged back by their mother with screams.

Blue didn't care about any of that.

He was thinking about something.

The eldest brother said that the goblin leader was the oldest one.

The oldest.

Blue understands this concept.

Stones also have age; the older they are, the bigger, harder, and more solid they become.

Are goblins like that too?

In the distance, I could see the entrance to the abandoned mine tunnel.

The cave entrance was narrow, piled with rubble and wooden stakes, and dried mushrooms hung from a few crooked bones.

Two goblin guards stood at the cave entrance, holding rusty spears longer than their arms, and were dozing off against the rock wall, looking utterly bored.

Blue made no effort to hide his footsteps.

The ground trembled with every step he took.

The two goblin guards woke up almost simultaneously, and the moment they looked up and saw Blue, their gray-green faces turned a ghastly green.

"Stone, stone, stone—"

"Mega mega ...

The two goblins stammered at the same time, turned around at the same time, and ran into the mine tunnel at the same time. They collided at the entrance and tumbled inside.

A series of ping-pong sounds and screams came from the mine tunnel.

Blue crouched down and brought his head close to the hole.

His head is too big to fit.

In fact, half of his shoulder was wider than the opening of the hole, so he could only press his face against the ground and look inside with one eye.

It was pitch black in the mine tunnels, and you couldn't see anything.

But Blue could hear many faint footsteps running deeper into the area, and a voice screaming, "The Stone Man! The Stone Man is coming!"

Blue didn't go in. He couldn't get in.

He stretched one arm into the opening, his thick fingers like five stone pillars, groped around in the mine tunnel for a while, grabbed a protruding rock wall, and then pulled hard.

Gravel fell down with a clatter.

He actually enlarged the entrance to the mine by a whole circle.

The screams inside grew louder, but Blue ignored them.

He dug around a couple more times, widening the opening enough for him to bend down and crawl in. Then, he turned sideways and slowly and clumsily squeezed in.

The space inside was a bit larger than the entrance, but it was still so narrow it was suffocating for a six-meter-tall stone giant.

Blue's head scraped against the top of the mine shaft, and the rocks on both sides of his shoulders crumbled as he pushed them down.

With each step he took, the entire mine shaft shook.

The goblins went deeper into the valley. Blue could hear their footsteps fading into the distance.

But he wasn't in a hurry.