Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 75 Crossing That Mountain

Even after leaving the seeker's hermitage, the 27th Akakage was still thinking about their previous conversation.

To rouse the people and restore them to their former glory, what is needed is a war that is dangerous enough—dangerous enough, which means people will die, or even many people will die, and they may even end up like the Ignis people of the past, with their cities destroyed and them enslaved.

But this absurd logic, upon closer examination, surprisingly makes sense.

As a top-tier mage and warrior, the 27th Akakage surprisingly understood this line of thinking—after all, to become stronger, a warrior must experience real combat, even life-or-death battles.

Otherwise, if it's just simple training, it will either make people rigid, so that when they face the enemy in actual combat, they will be flustered and run away with their heads in their hands; or it will make people arrogant, thinking that they have done a perfect job in training and will definitely win in actual combat, and then they will be beaten black and blue by their opponents due to carelessness and underestimation of the enemy in actual combat.

"It seems... that's really the case."

On the way back, the 27th Akakage couldn't help but stroke his chin.

That's the situation, but that's where the problem lies.

Whom can the Ignis wage war against right now?
The Ice People of the North? Forget it. Perhaps in the era of the Old Kings, these Ice People could be considered a worthy opponent, but the Ignis people of today are not what they used to be. Those Ice People have been driven back to the frozen tundra, with no possibility of ever migrating south again.

If it weren't for the fact that the permafrost was so barren that the tribesmen had no interest in it, those icefield people would probably have been wiped out long ago.

But if we don't look for the Ice People, it seems we really have no other choice. The miasma swamp in the south was already explored back when the first Akakage was there. The Ice People are in the north, so there's no need to talk about that. As for the east... the east is all water, an endless expanse of water, so it's obvious that there are no enemies there.

As for the west, there is a sacred mountain to the west.

Although the serpent... Taiyi, did not forbid the Ignivas from exploring to the west, war would likely disturb the serpent god's slumber.

It could even escalate into a war with the serpent god, repeating the foolish actions of the late Old King's era.

"But if you think about it this way, it's surprisingly understandable that the former kings were enemies of the gods... After all, that ancestor of the Dao was the best enemy they could find."

The moment this thought arose, the 27th Akakage couldn't help but shake his head.

"Moreover, are there really still enemies to the west?"

I don't know, I'm not sure. The Ignivas know very little about the world to the west. The only record about the west is the record left by the people of the mountains. According to the record of the people of the mountains, at the end of the old king's era, before the first Akakage had taken the throne, the great ancestor of the Way had personally explored the world to the west.

According to the Dao Ancestor, to the west lay endless snow-capped mountains. Even with the Dao Ancestor's godlike stature, it took him a long time to climb to the summit. It was only when he reached the top that the Dao Ancestor saw another world, a warm plain that was almost identical to the place inhabited by the Ignis people.

"There might be suitable enemies there... but even Taiyi found it extremely difficult to cross this great snow mountain, how could we possibly do it?"

Thinking of this, the 27th Akakage's heartbeat suddenly slowed down by half a beat.

If we are going to find an enemy, if we are going to start a war... then must the target of the war be a living thing?

Why can't we wage war against the inanimate? "Wait, wait..."

At that moment, the 27th Akakage vaguely sensed that he seemed to have grasped something.

On the morning of the second day after returning to the city, the 27th Akakage announced new guidance. He declared to everyone that he had received guidance from the serpent god, but the serpent god did not leave the things directly to the Ignivas people. Instead, he told his people to take them with their own hands.

"That inexhaustible compost is to the west! Far beyond the sacred mountain! On the other side of the great snow mountain!"

At first, no one took it seriously. After all, they had just said that the snake god didn't intend to help them, but now he was changing his mind so quickly. He was talking faster than flipping a piece of roast meat. Who knows if he was telling the truth?

But everything changed when the explorers sent to the west brought back news from afar.

With the permission of the 27th Red Shadow, the explorers traversed the sacred mountain that the Ignivas had never explored before—and in the distance of the sacred mountain, in the west, they actually saw an endless expanse of white snow, and a giant peak that reached the horizon.

This means that everything the 27th Akakage said is true.

Since the snow mountain is real, then the world on the other side of the snow mountain is naturally real as well. In the description of the 27th Akakage, opposite the snow mountain is a land flowing with milk and honey, where countless compost piles are left. These are all the excrement left by the Serpent God from ancient times to the present. It is on this vast compost that all crops grow lush and green, and a large number of fruits and vegetables rot on the branches because no one picks them, allowing birds and beasts to come and peck at them.

"What a waste! How can we let those animals benefit from this!"

The Ignivas people, who had been doubtful, were suddenly filled with despair and wished they could fly to the other side of the snow mountain immediately.

However, they definitely can't go right now. On the one hand, the snow mountain itself is already quite far away, and climbing it is not an easy task. They would have to make good preparations to get to the other side of the snow mountain.

On the other hand, food shortages are a major problem. Due to the lack of compost, food production has dropped drastically, making it difficult for the Ignivas to continue refining high-purity food essences. Although they still have some reserves, they will eventually run out of them.

This time, however, these Ignivas people unexpectedly chose to persevere.

"Everything will be alright once we get over the snow-capped mountains!"

As the people of Ignivas chanted these slogans, they seemed to possess a hint of the heroic spirit of their predecessors.

Only the 27th Akakage was still somewhat uneasy.

While he did want to see his people's spirits lifted, his fervent dedication also caused him some concern.

"Will everything really be alright once we cross the snow-capped mountain?"

This kind of trouble even plagued the 27th Akakage for his entire life.

(End of this chapter)