Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

After walking about two hundred meters, the mine tunnel suddenly widened, revealing a naturally formed cave, about fifty square meters in size.

The ground was littered with all sorts of things: rags, broken bones, rusty iron pieces, and moldy mushrooms.

This is the goblins' hall.

Blue stood in the center of the cave and looked down at his surroundings.

The goblins huddled together in the deepest corner of the cave, their gray-green bodies trembling in the darkness.

There were about forty of them, all looking at Blue with the same fearful eyes.

Blue's gaze swept over the gray-green faces.

He's looking for the oldest one.

The leader once said that in goblin society, the longer you live, the higher your status, and the oldest one is the leader.

Blue began to observe.

According to his understanding of stones, the oldest should be the biggest, strongest, and most solid.

He scanned the goblins; some were taller, some shorter, some fatter, and some thinner.

He quickly ruled out the small, thin, and frail-looking ones. Those were definitely young.

His gaze fell on a goblin standing at the very front.

The goblin was half a head taller than the other goblins, with broader shoulders, and was holding a thicker wooden stick than the others. It was looking at him with an expression that... Bru thought should be "fierce".

This goblin looks the strongest and is the oldest; it must be this one.

As Bru was about to walk over, he caught a glimpse of a figure in the corner.

The goblin was small, thin, and looked weak. He had a scar on his eye, so he must have been young.

but……

Blue stopped.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the two goblins.

The muscular one looked the biggest, strongest, and most like the leader; the thin one had old scars, was blind in one eye, and looked like he had lived for many years.

Stone gets harder with age, but what about goblins?

He hesitated.

He thought of those stones that had been weathered for thousands of years, crumbling at the slightest touch, and that goblin was just like that.

Bruna was undecided.

He stood there like a giant stone statue, looking down at the two goblins.

The strong one was trembling, the thin one was trembling too, and all the goblins were watching him.

Bru thought about it for a long time.

Then he made a decision.

He stretched out both hands—his left hand reaching for the burly goblin, and his right hand reaching for the skinny goblin.

The burly goblin screamed as he was lifted up, while the skinny goblin didn't even have time to scream before being held in the palm of someone's hand.

Bru held both goblins in his hands, one in each, and turned to walk out of the mine tunnel.

Behind them, the remaining goblins looked at each other, wondering what had happened.

Bru squeezed his way out of the mine tunnel entrance.

Yes, why not take everything with you?

He nodded to himself, feeling incredibly clever, and, grabbing the two goblins, strode towards his territory.

You can always trust Blue.

The burly goblin, held in someone's hand, trembled all over, his eyes filled with fear, but the skinny goblin, though also trembling, was not as badly trembling.

His name is Grim, and his son, the strong elven, is named Gru.

He has lived for fifty years, which is considered an outstanding age among goblins.

He had seen countless things, but this was the first time he had ever been carried in the hand of a stone giant like a pebble.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.

Fear is useless.

After fifty years in the underworld, the first thing Grimm learned was that fear solves nothing, what's coming will come, but those who stand can say one more word than those who kneel.

It took a deep breath and examined the stone giant with its intact eye.

The stone giant's steps were very steady.

Each step was firm and solid, like a mountain moving. Its palms were large and its fingers were thick, but the grip on Grimm was very light.

It wasn't gentleness, but rather a kind of... caution.

Grim noticed that the stone giant was holding Gru in his other hand.

Grub was three times larger and five times heavier than Grimm, but the stone giant gripped it with the same force as he gripped Grimm.

He didn't see any difference between Gru and Grim.

Grimm blinked his one eye.

"Lord Stone," its voice trembled slightly, but each word was enunciated clearly, "Could Grimm ask where we're going?"

Blue looked down at it.

"Go see the boss."

"Boss?"

"Boss, it's a dragon."

Grimm's heart skipped a beat.

Dragon.

It knows.

In this world, what else could be called "boss" by a sixth-tier stone giant, besides a dragon?

Countless thoughts flashed through Grimm's mind.

It tried to run, but it was held in the stone giant's hand, six meters high. If it fell, it would be a goblin pancake.

It wanted to beg for mercy, but it didn't even know what it had done wrong.

It can only take deep breaths, and then even deeper breaths.

"Lord Shi," Grimm's voice was a little steadyer than before, "Lord Long... what brings you to Grimm?"

"I don't know. The boss told me to take you, so I'll take you."

Grimm blinked his one eye.

"Lord Shi," Grimm's voice steadied slightly, even forcing a fawning smile, "then, do you know if Lord Long... has a good temper?"

Bru thought for a moment.

"The eldest brother is good-tempered when he speaks. He's also good-tempered when he's not speaking."

"When does the boss have a bad temper?"

Blue thought for a moment. "I haven't seen it yet."

Grimm's one eye blinked again.

It wasn't sure if the stone figure was saying "dragons never lose their temper" or "everyone who has seen a dragon lose its temper is already dead."

It decided not to ask that question anymore.

"Lord Shi, what is your name?"

Blue paused for a moment, then said, "Blue."

"Lord Blue," Grimm narrowed his one eye, forcing a fawning smile onto his wrinkled face, "you see, I have quite a few treasures on me. Do you need anything?"

After saying that, it took out a lot of things from the pocket of its tattered cloak.

Rusty gears, shards of glass, a few dull magic crystals, and several stone slabs engraved with runes...

God knows how that pocket managed to hold so many things.

"no."

Bru looked down and examined it for a moment, then shook his head and said.

Grimm's heart sank, but he quickly put on a fawning smile: "Lord Blue, you walk so steadily, have you been walking for many years?"

"Um."

"I guessed it!"

Grimm's mouth started running nonstop, "Lord Blue walks as steadily as a mountain, Grimm can tell at a glance that only an old stone can do that! Those young stone men, they walk with a clattering sound, not steady at all..."

"You talk too much," Blue interrupted it.

Grimm’s mouth closed for a moment, but only for a moment.

"I am talkative, Lord Blue, all goblins are talkative. But Grimm's talkativeness is useful! Grimm knows a lot of things, a lot of things! For example..."

"Shut up."

Grimm's mouth closed.

This time it took a little longer than before; after walking about fifty steps, it opened its mouth again.

"Lord Blue, may Grimm ask, what color is Lord Dragon...?"

"black."

Grimm blinked his one eye.

Black Dragon.

Having spent fifty years in the underworld, he had heard many rumors about the black dragon—greedy, brutal, and fond of hoarding treasure—but Grimm didn't care much about them.

It cares more about something else.

"Lord Blue, Lord Dragon... do you have money?"

Blue glanced down at it. "Yes."

Grimm's single eye lit up. "Very rich?"

"Um."

Grimm's mouth gaped open.

That smile contained fear, greed, and the keen sense of "opportunity" unique to an old goblin who had spent fifty years navigating the depths of the underworld.

It stopped asking.

It closed its eyes and began to plan in its mind.

A wealthy black dragon needs a goblin, certainly not to eat it.

Goblins don't taste good, everyone knows that, so why is he looking for me?

It doesn't know.

But it felt that this might be the biggest opportunity of its life.

It stuffed the few broken stones with patterns that it had picked up into its pocket.

Grimm thought the stones were quite pretty, sparkling, and might be worth a few magic crystals. He closed his eyes and waited.

Having spent fifty years navigating the dark and dreary underworld, Grimm understood one thing better than anyone—

When opportunity knocks, you have to stand up and catch it.