Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 23 Wild and Captive-Raised

Looking at the mage in front of him, who was still trembling despite being wrapped in animal skin, Du Yi couldn't help but shake his head.

Although he was initially angry when he heard that someone had stolen the animals from the mountains, Du Yi was amused when the mage said that another savage was poaching. After all, there shouldn't be any fur trade in this era; the only purpose of poaching was to eat them.

How much can one person eat? And even if there are several people, how much can they eat?

After that, the mage's words further confirmed Du Yi's judgment. Judging from the way he relentlessly pursued the other savage, he didn't give him a single chance to speak—this was clearly an attempt to make him feel hostile towards the other savage so that he would kill him with a single swipe of his tail.

If Du Yi were truly a snake, he might actually believe it. But Du Yi himself used to be a human, so how could he not see through the trickery?

This mage is indeed quite eloquent, but precisely because of this, he has gone too far.

However, Du Yi had no intention of killing the mage. He had no interest in getting involved in the feud between these savages. After all, he could see that when the savage brought the mage over, there was already a hint of ferocity in his eyes. Since the two savages had a grudge against each other, let them settle it themselves.

Du Yi was quite interested in the ranch they mentioned.

"Artificially raised..."

Du Yi couldn't help but recall a long, long time ago.

That was when he last woke up. The savage called the Radiant One was still there. After they were able to communicate smoothly, the Radiant One would often bring ingredients into the mountains. Du Yi had to admit that the ingredients the Radiant One brought into the mountains were indeed several levels higher than the wild game hunted in the mountains.

The reason, of course, is that those animals are all artificially raised.

Although Du Yi remembered that when he was still a human, people thought that eating wild animals was a good thing and that wild animals were more delicious than artificially raised ones, after comparing them now, Du Yi could say with certainty that it was not the case at all.

This is simply because wild game and artificially raised animals have evolved in completely different directions.

Wild animals prioritize survival, the ability to withstand dangerous wild environments, the ability to live, and the ability to grow continuously—in other words, wild animals don't consider whether or not they want to become palatable.

Many wild animals even deliberately make themselves unpalatable. For example, some wild boars that Du Yi found had thick, smelly tendons and skin that made Du Yi lose his appetite, and he wouldn't even include them in his diet.

This, in turn, gave the wild boars a chance to survive.

Of course, sometimes genetic mutations can occur, just like the mammoths he hunted before. Although they looked wild, they tasted much better than those raised in captivity. But such cases are extremely rare, and in Du Yi's opinion, the odds are about as small as winning the lottery.

Broadly speaking, the taste of wild game can never compare to that of farmed animals.

After all, artificial breeding and wild survival are completely different. You should know that the purpose of these wild people in setting up ranches is not to make the livestock on the ranches grow strong and healthy. From the beginning, their purpose in raising these wild animals was to make them meat when they grew up.

This means that only those that produce a lot of meat and taste good can reproduce generation after generation on the ranch. As for those that produce little meat or taste bad, they have already been eliminated by the wild people during the selection stage.

"Captive-bred saber-toothed tigers... they probably never ate this back then, right?"

Du Yi recalled that the Radiant Ones had only ever brought him mammoth meat back then, since mammoth meat was his favorite.

He had never actually eaten a saber-toothed tiger raised in captivity.

"Go and have a look."

Du Yi thought to himself.

Since this mage has a saber-toothed tiger that he raises in captivity, he won't stand on ceremony—of course, he won't actually go and freeload; he's not that kind of person.

Even if the saber-toothed tigers tasted mediocre, he would still pay for them.

"So, lead the way to see those saber-toothed tigers you're raising... I'll give you the reward you deserve, and if they taste really good, I'll even place a long-term order."

"Yes! I'll take you there right away!"

The mage immediately raised his head excitedly, his face even turning bright red.

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On the way away from the holy mountain, the magician's heart was filled with excitement.

Donating an entire ranch was painful for him, but the thought of the rewards he would receive made it all worthwhile.

This is because the serpent god has already promised to reward him.

This was a privilege reserved for him alone; the Snake God had only promised him payment, while the deserter received nothing.

“Only I can receive the serpent god’s blessing, and that is the reason why I am about to become the Holy King.”

The mage's heart was pounding; he dared not even imagine what kind of blessing he would receive.

Thinking about the upcoming blessing, the mage felt much lighter, and even the deserter who had come with him seemed more pleasing to the eye.

In any case, this deserter could not possibly receive the serpent god's blessing; only he himself could become the holy king.

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In the distant city of Ignis, the king of the Ignis people was healing his wounds. Deep within the palace, a place only the king could enter, the enormous bath was filled not with clear spring water, but with pure honey—its alluring color alone revealed that only the tribute bees reserved for the chief could produce honey of such high quality.

David Day, his body stinging, glanced at the honey, which would normally be considered a luxury even when given as a reward.

Then, with a sudden leap, he plunged into the bath.

In just a moment, David Day's belly was already bulging high, clearly filled with honey—but he still sank his body into the honey, letting his body absorb the nutrients from the honey.

"Not enough...not enough."

Feeling that his body was almost at its limit, David Day suddenly opened his eyes.

"But this level... is far from enough!"

boom--

David Day suddenly stood up.

His already tall figure appeared to have grown even larger.

With such a terrifying height and such a broad body, it is comparable to, and even slightly surpasses, the giants of the northern frozen land.

But it's not enough.

"This level is not enough for me to be on par with the gods."

"I want more, I want it to get even bigger!"

He recalled the enormous snake body he had seen before.

David Day took a deep breath.

Although he failed in his challenge against the serpent god, this defeat made him realize a crucial point.

That is, the ancestral teachings left by our ancestors are actually incomplete.

The first ancestor received magical power from the serpent god, but because he was spying, he did not actually receive the serpent god's true teachings.

Although the nineteenth generation of holy kings managed to communicate with the serpent god, they only gained a portion of the serpent god's wisdom. It was only through the study of the records from that time by their descendants that they came to understand the principle that "the more you eat, the stronger you become."

However, this was still only something the Ignivas family had researched themselves, and it was not a power that could truly rival that of the gods.

What makes them comparable to gods has never been magic, nor has it been simply eating.

Instead, it is something else, something that goes more directly to the essence.

"That is... big!"

Recalling the terrifying, all-encompassing impact, David Day clenched his fists.

"Bigger is better!"

"This is the reason why gods are so powerful!"

If you're big enough, all magic and flame waves are a joke; if you're big enough, all so-called attacks are nothing more than ants scratching an itch.

If something is large enough, it can be considered an omnipotent god compared to these insignificant beings.

"Not big enough... I'm not big enough yet!"

Looking at his fist, which was several times larger than a human head, David Day gritted his teeth.

Yes, everything is connected.

If you're big enough, you can use stronger magic; and to get even bigger, you need to be able to eat a lot...

Yes, that's enough to eat.

Eating is the key to getting bigger.

It is also the key to becoming powerful.

"More!"

With that thought in mind, David Dayi stepped outside.

"I want to eat more!"

(End of this chapter)