Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

Alduin's eyes flashed with a dark light, and he released a powerful dragon's aura that instantly swept across the entire crater.

The Great Shaman and Chief Ironbone both succumbed to this oppressive aura, kneeling on the ground and not daring to raise their heads.

Auduin looked at them coldly.

He knew that although these orcs had submitted to him at this moment, they truly worshipped the God of Emberfire.

However, he will show them what loyalty truly means in the future.

three days later.

Alduin looked at the orcs and stated his request.

After all, they live on their own territory, so it's only right that they pay a price.

First, the Emberfang Orcs must obey his commands at all times and are not allowed to resist.

Secondly, tribute is paid to him annually in the form of magic crystals, ores, or equivalent items. The specific amount is determined by the shaman based on the output, and he does not interfere.

In return, he would have to pay a huge price: providing them with shelter and ensuring their safety.

There are some details in between, but I won't go into them.

After listening, the high shaman pondered for a moment and then agreed.

Afterwards, the Emberfang Orcs began cleaning up the mess at the volcano, and Alduin spread his dark golden wings and flew to the Decaying Swamp.

It's been so long since I've been back to my nest, I actually miss it a little.

Auduin flew through the air, pondering to himself.

Actually, he had one more crucial condition, which he didn't say aloud, but planned to discuss later.

The great shaman is old.

……

Back in his nest, Alduin gazed at the fire spirit chicks before him and fell into deep thought.

According to his original plan, he intended to take advantage of the Salamander King and the Emberfang Tribe's mutual exhaustion to capture the Salamander King in one fell swoop, then negotiate with the Emberfang Tribe to obtain a substantial reward, and perhaps even force them to submit through force.

However, the plan went awry.

Alduin looked down at the fire spirit chick standing at his feet.

The little guy was tilting his head, examining the obsidian table. He seemed quite interested in the smooth stone, pecking at it with his beak.

Unexpectedly, this fire spirit disrupted his plans.

The magic within the Salamander King has now dissipated, leaving only its cold flesh, which can no longer allow it to devour and evolve.

However, the Ember Fang tribe still chose to submit, not through force, but through their "faith".

This is very interesting.

Auduin mentally assessed whether the deal was good or bad.

If I can devour the Salamander King, my strength will naturally increase dramatically. The nutrients a Salamander that has been soaking in molten lava for hundreds of years can provide are unimaginable.

But now, the corpse is empty; all the magic has been given to the little thing at his feet.

On the surface, this is a losing proposition.

But that's not how you calculate it.

Alduin tapped the stone with the tip of its tail, a faint smile curving its lips.

Compared to a seventh-tier fire lizard king, a high-tier fire spirit that can grow is more valuable.

Fire spirits need to devour flames to grow, but the embers of Ash Highlands have been extinguished, while the dragon flames within his body are of the same origin, making them the perfect nourishment.

Moreover, as long as the Fire Spirit is around, the Emberfang Orcs will be completely loyal to him.

Alduin glanced at the Fire Spirit chick and pondered to himself.

Most importantly, if we can achieve symbiosis with it, that would be a true qualitative leap in combat power.

And now...

Alduin glanced at the golden pom-pom on the obsidian table.

Let's keep it for now, it's not much trouble anyway.

A month has passed.

During this time, Alduin handed over the swamp lizardmen to the Emberfang orcs for them to train.

Because lizardmen only bite instinctively and don't understand any tactics, formations, or teamwork.

But the orcs are different. They have fought against the monsters of the Ash Highlands for generations, and they have a complete tactical system for everything from one-on-one duels to battles involving hundreds of people.

He needs these people to train his retinue.

There's no need to train exceptionally strong warriors; just teach the kobolds and lizardmen the most basic skills of obeying orders, not turning and running away in battle, and stepping in as cannon fodder when needed.

As for the management of the territory...

The subsidence basin is not large, but it is not small either.

The five regions—Rotten Swamp, Wind-Eroded Desert, Bone Hills, Ash Highlands, and Rainforest—each harbor their own secrets.

He ate the Serpent of Ig and drove away the Salamander King, but these territories only belonged to him in name; in reality, he had no energy to manage them.

The Emberfang Orcs have lived in the Ash Highlands for hundreds of years and know that land like the back of their hand. Letting them stay there and guard the western gateway for him is much more reliable than sending his kobolds there himself.

Moreover, with them around, any outsiders who want to enter the basin from the west will have to get past the orcs first.

As for the Serpent of Ig in the Hill of Dry Bones... let it be for now.

That thing was just a pet he kept; it could clear out the scattered monsters in the hills on its own and also serve as a natural barrier.

The wind-eroded Gobi Desert remains an uncultivated wasteland to this day...

It borders the Hengduan Mountains, and due to its terrain, few outsiders venture there.

However, as the northern gateway to the sunken basin, it absolutely cannot be left vacant for long; it would be better to let the kobolds go there.

Although they are small, their numbers are vast, and they are skilled at digging burrows, making them the perfect choice for garrisoning the area.

It can both explore resources in the Gobi Desert and act as an outer sentry, so that any disturbance can be reported immediately.

As for the rainforest in the sunken basin...

There are all kinds of magical beasts and resources there, but no large groups of tribes. After I advance, I can try to eliminate those magical beast threats.

Now, he can use orcs to help him capture magical beasts, which makes his life quite leisurely.

Every day they spend their time in their nest eating and sleeping, but sleeping isn't laziness; it's the process of digesting the energy they've absorbed.

However, there was another matter that truly concerned him.

Alduin lowered his head, staring at the pulsating golden-red mass in the palm of his claw.

He could clearly sense that a subtle connection was quietly forming between him and the Fire Spirit.

Memories inherited from the dragon flowed through his mind.

Besides being consumed as delicacies, high-level elemental spirits can be utilized in another way.

That is the symbiotic contract.

Once a symbiotic contract is signed, his use of fire will be far more than just the dragon language magic "Flame Breath".

That's truly using it as you please.

However, five conditions need to be met in order to truly achieve symbiosis.

These five conditions are: mutual soul recognition; matching soul frequencies; dragon bloodline; forming an elemental binding contract; and exchanging core tokens.

Except for the second condition, the other conditions are not a problem.

However, soul frequency matching means that the soul has an inherent fire imprint and is naturally compatible with the fire element.

However, he is only a hybrid of a black dragon and a shadow dragon. Although his appearance and strength are completely unlike those of an ordinary hybrid dragon, his soul is still that dark undertone.

However, this is not a problem for Alduin, who has the talent for devouring and evolving.

He only needs to continuously devour the embers overflowing from this fire spirit, and then use the dragon flames to nourish it, so that he can evolve the fire mark at the soul level.