Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

Alduin lay sprawled on the pile of treasure, half-closing his eyes, listening to the goblin's stammering report.

"Lord Dragon...we were patrolling the pass south of the Hengduan Mountains when we discovered...discovered a group of strangers..."

The goblin shrank his neck, his two thin legs trembling uncontrollably.

Alduin didn't speak, but simply raised his head and gave him a cold look.

The goblin was so frightened he almost knelt down, and hurriedly added, "No, not undead! It's alive! Pointy ears, white hair, skin as white as a dead person... We recognized it at a glance..."

Alduin's dragon eyes narrowed slightly.

Elf.

South of the Hengduan Mountains lies the direction of the sunken basin, the former location of the liches.

The goblin swallowed hard. "There were about ten of them. They were all injured, and their clothes were tattered. It looked like they had escaped from somewhere. The leader was a woman, and she was quite pretty."

Silver Moon Elf.

The thought flashed through Alduin's mind.

They are wild elves outside the empire, not registered citizens of the elven empire. It's not that the empire refuses to bring them under its control, but rather that they themselves do not wish to belong to the empire.

The reasons behind this are probably only known to them.

Auduin frowned.

The Silver Moon Elves, unwilling to belong to any particular faction but also avoiding trouble, have lived in seclusion in the Moon Whisper Forest of the Hengduan Mountains for generations. Now, they have suddenly appeared on the edge of his territory, with only a dozen or so remnants of their army remaining.

It's obvious without even thinking that the lich was behind it.

"Where are they now?" Auduin asked.

The goblin quickly replied, "Lord Grim sent me ahead to deliver the message; he and his men are keeping watch at the pass."

"Those elves didn't dare to venture into our territory; they stayed outside the pass, as if they were hiding from something. The leading female elf was injured and could barely stand, but she held on and didn't fall."

Auduin ignored it, but pondered it to himself.

Why would a lich target a group of peaceful elves?

If the goal is simply to expand the undead army, the Moonlit Forest is full of wild beasts and low-level magical creatures; there's no need to provoke the Silver Moon Elves who wield lunar magic.

Moon magic is also effective against undead creatures.

There must be another reason why the lich is tackling this tough challenge.

Several thoughts raced through Auduin's mind.

Whatever the reason, since these elves were able to escape from the lich's territory, they must have been carrying something the lich needed—either information about the lich, the treasures of the silver moon elves, or both.

"They didn't set foot on the territory?" Alduin asked again.

The goblin quickly replied, "Lord Grimm sent me ahead to deliver the message. He and his brothers are keeping watch at the pass. The elves didn't dare to venture into our territory; they're just staying outside the pass, as if they're hiding from something. The leading female elf is severely injured, but she seems... quite well-behaved."

Auduin remained silent for a moment.

Their reluctance to enter indicates their fear of the dragon's territory and proves they are truly desperate.

If there were any other options, the Silvermoon Elf would not voluntarily approach the territory of a hybrid black dragon.

"Bring them to the dragon's lair," Alduin commanded calmly.

The goblin was taken aback for a moment, then quickly responded and ran out.

The fire spirit chick peeked its little head out from between his dragon horns and chirped clearly.

Alduin ignored it, instead gazing coldly toward the direction of the Hengduan Mountains. His dark golden vertical pupils reflected the outline of the distant mountain ridge, shrouded in a layer of grayish-white mist, exuding a dangerous aura.

Half an hour later, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the entrance of the Dragon's Nest.

Grimm walked at the front, followed by a dozen or so ragged figures.

Auduin looked down at them.

Their long, silvery-white hair was covered in mud and dried blood. Most of the elves were wounded and staggered, supported by their companions.

Their pointed ears peeked out from their disheveled hair, drooping slightly, no longer possessing any of their former lightness and grace.

What a mess...

As Alduin looked at their wretched state, he pondered to himself, his wariness of the lich growing even stronger.

The female elf walking at the front must be their leader.

She was half a head taller than the other members of her tribe. Her long, silvery-white hair was braided into a single braid that reached her waist. Her face was stained with blood, but it could not hide her exquisite features and the aloofness and nobility unique to the Silver Moon Elf in her eyes.

A deep, bone-revealing wound on her left shoulder, with dark red scabs clinging to the cracked skin, was shocking to behold, yet it only made her appear even more fierce and captivating.

She held a short staff in her right hand, the moon-white crystal at the top of the staff dull and lifeless, yet her posture remained as steady as a rock.

The moment she stepped into the dragon's lair, she knelt on one knee, raised her head, and looked at Alduin.

Those silver-gray eyes were calm and resolute, without the slightest fear or hesitation.

Even while kneeling, he did not appear humble in the slightest.

After she knelt down, the elves behind her followed suit.

No one spoke; the dragon's nest was so quiet that the chirping of the fire spirit chicks could be heard.

Alduin simply stared at them coldly, remaining silent.

Seeing this, Grimm awkwardly touched his nose, unsure of what to do, and could only stand there helplessly.

After a long while, the leading female elf spoke.

Her voice was clear and cool, like dewdrops on a lotus leaf.

"Your Excellency Dragon, Elunea, the Moon Speaker of the Silver Moon Elf, and her people beg for your aid."

Alduin's dragon eyes narrowed slightly.

The Moon Speaker is the leader of the Silvermoon Elf race, a position passed down through generations by a single successor, personally appointed by the previous Moon Speaker before their death, similar to a shaman among the orcs, except that the orcs have a different leader.

"Need help?" Alduin's voice was calm and unhurried.

"You've traveled all the way from the Sunken Basin through the Hengduan Mountains to the territory of a dragon to seek help. I want to know, why?"

Of course he knew the reason.

They were simply driven to desperation after their tribe was slaughtered by the lich, and fled to his territory to try their luck.

But he won't point it out.

Once some things are said, you lose control.

He can only gain the upper hand if the other party sets its own terms.

Elunea raised her head, her silver-grey eyes staring directly at the young half-black dragon before her. She bit her lip and said softly:

"Because we had no other choice. The lich slaughtered our Moonwhisper Forest, leaving only us out of more than three hundred of our people. The Moon Spring has dried up, the Moon Soul has been taken away, and we have nowhere to retreat."

She paused, then gripped the short cane in her hand tightly.

"And you are the only one in this land who has the potential to stand against that lich."

Alduin sneered, his massive dragon body slowly rising from the pile of treasure, his dark golden vertical pupils like the blazing sun scrutinizing everything, locking onto Elunea.

"The only possibility?"

His tone carried a hint of amusement.