Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

No sooner had Grimm finished speaking than a deep, powerful horn sounded from outside the cave.

Do not misunderstand, this is not a command to attack, but a ceremonial signal for envoys to request an audience.

Three short and one long, majestic and solemn.

Alduin rose, slowly folding his once flamboyant dragon wings behind him, and walked out of the dragon's lair.

Outside the territory, twelve lion knights were already lined up and waiting. Their silver armor gleamed coldly, and golden-maned war lions lay beside them, occasionally flicking their tails. Their copper bell-like eyes vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

The kobolds watched from a distance, whispering amongst themselves, while the goblins pointed and gestured with envy.

The lead knight dismounted from the lion with clean, swift movements.

He removed his helmet, revealing a head of long, golden, mane-like hair, a resolute face, and a pair of bright, golden eyes.

The cloak was embroidered with a lion's head emblem, and the scabbard of the longsword at his waist was inlaid with a pale blue gemstone.

"Dragon." His voice was steady and firm. "I am Rein Goldenmane, vanguard officer of the Lion Knights. I have come to discuss an alliance with the Allied Forces on the orders of Grand Master Leon Goldenmane."

Auduin looked down at him, his dark golden vertical pupils slightly narrowed.

The dragon's might surged forth like an invisible tide, pressing down on the twelve knights.

Renn remained motionless.

The eleven knights behind him remained motionless, and even the war lions only slightly pricked up their ears, without taking a single step back.

interesting.

Auduin withdrew his oppressive aura; he always treated truly powerful individuals with great respect.

He asked calmly, "An alliance? The Lion Clan is far away in the northern border, and the weakening of the seal on the Bone Hills is thousands of miles away. Why would you want to form an alliance?"

Alduin knew that only the breach of the seal here would warrant such a large-scale operation, but he was very curious about how they had found out.

Raine spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "The sealing of calamities knows no borders. Once the seal on the Bone Hills is completely destroyed, the army of the dead will sweep across the central part of the continent, and the northern border will also be doomed."

Rather than waiting for the war to reach our doorstep before hastily responding, it's better to strike now.

He paused, his golden eyes fixed on Alduin: "The commander has said that the Dragon Lord is the master of this territory and will certainly attach great importance to this matter. The Lion Clan is willing to lend the Dragon Lord a hand, but after the matter is accomplished, we hope that the Dragon Lord will grant us one condition."

Auduin's heart stirred slightly.

It seems the other party has another purpose in coming here, and is here to negotiate. However, by making things clear, they have earned the other party's respect.

"What do you want?"

"Trade routes," Renn said crisply.

"The North is rich in minerals but lacks food supplies. We hope that the Dragon Lord can open a trade route here to facilitate our trade."

Auduin narrowed his eyes.

The conditions were much simpler than he had imagined. This place led directly to the south, to the territory of humans and various small countries. Opening up trade routes here would not only benefit them, but he himself could also benefit from it.

The only thing to worry about is being exposed. Given the methods of those humans, this hybrid black dragon would probably have no chance of survival.

After a moment of contemplation, Auduin said, "This place probably won't work, for reasons you can understand. However, we can try in the Moon Whisper Forest."

It is separated from the sinking basin by a huge mountain range, making it much more secluded and safe.

Raine immediately nodded: "My lord, rest assured, this trade route is only one-way. Those fellows in the south would never travel such a long distance just to trade with us."

Alduin's dark golden vertical pupils flickered slightly as he stared at Raine for a while.

The other party agreed to the proposal of this trade route even more readily than he had expected.

"Okay." Alduin nodded.

"After the matter is resolved, the mountain path east of Moon Whisper Forest will be open to the Lion Clan in one direction. You can exchange ores for food, timber, and weapons."

But there is one rule: Lionkin shall not cross the mountain path into the Sunken Basin, nor shall my men cross the mountain path into the North.

Raine's lips curled slightly, as if he had expected this outcome: "Deal. The Lion Clan never covets the territory of other clans; we only seek survival."

He clenched his right fist and placed it against his chest, performing the chest-thumping salute once more: "Then, the alliance is settled. The commander has gathered all 312 knights of the order and is waiting at the northern border. Within three days, the entire Lion Knights will arrive at the Bone Hills to await the Dragon Lord's command."

Alduin nodded slightly: "The fallen treants of Moonwhisper Forest are just what you need to deal with."

His troops had just suffered heavy losses in a major battle, and now that such a batch of fighting forces had been delivered to his doorstep, he figured he might as well use them.

Ryan turned around, flipped onto the lion, and moved with fluid grace.

His lips curled slightly upward, revealing a sharp canine tooth: "The Lion Clan's sword is only good for cutting down rotten tree stumps."

As soon as he finished speaking, the war lion roared and, along with eleven knights, swept out of the camp like a reddish-brown whirlwind.

Grimm leaned closer, rubbing his hands together, and asked, "Dragon Lord, can they be trusted?"

Alduin turned and walked back to the dragon's lair, his dragon tail swaying slowly behind him:

"Whether you believe it or not is not important; what's important is that they are useful."

The Lion Clan's Rock Beasts possess powerful and ferocious magic; their pure, violent force can dispel the miasma of death and tear apart the decaying wooden bodies of the Fallen Treants. In this battle of the Moonlit Forest, they are the best shield.

He paused, then added, "Even if they... they can't cause any real trouble."

Auduin walked back to the depths of the dragon's lair, closed his eyes, and began to recuperate.

……

Three days later, at dawn.

A reddish-brown band of light appeared on the northern horizon, looking like a brown river from afar, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a fully armed Lion Knights.

Three hundred and twelve lion knights, leading three hundred and twelve highland war lions, stood in neat formation.

They wore heavy armor in shades of dark gold and reddish-brown, with ferocious lion head emblems cast on their breastplates, giving them an imposing presence.

The war lion is covered in thick rock skin, its mane is as fiery as fire, and its limbs are as thick as stone pillars.

Their weapons were surrounded by a faint yellow aura, the unique desolate rock magic of the Lion Clan, a power derived from the earth and ancient bestiality, heavy, violent, and unreasonable.

This is not a gift from the gods, nor a blessing from holy light, but a unique magic that the Lion Clan has condensed from the earth and their animalistic nature through generations of living in the barren northern lands.

The old lion strode up to Alduin, knelt on one knee, and pressed his right fist against his chest.

"Lion Goldmane, Grand Master of the Lion Knights, leads his 312 knights to report to the Dragon Lord."

"Get up," Alduin said. "The Fallen Tree King of Moonwhisper Forest is yours to cut down."

Leon stood up and drew his longsword from his waist.

The dark golden magical energy on the sword exploded, transforming into a pillar of light that shot into the sky, while reddish-brown patterns flowed across the sword like lava.

Behind him, three hundred knights drew their swords simultaneously, and the war lions roared in unison. Yellow and reddish-brown magical flames intertwined, like a battle flag waving in the wind, fluttering in the morning light.

"Wherever the desolate rock reaches——"

"This is my land!"