Once upon a time there was a greedy snake

David Day had a toothache.

This was undoubtedly the second piece of bad news. You see, the Ignis people in the city were the source of the sacrifices. It was because of them that the mages were able to collect sacrifices time and time again.

Right now, these Ignis people all want to escape the city and flee to the other side of the snake.

They were even willing to leave all the food behind, because there was already more food in the holy mountain than they could eat—but if these people were allowed to leave, where would the new offerings come from?

"Close the city gates; no one is allowed to leave."

Taking a deep breath, David Day gave the order.

As the mages moved, the once unobstructed city gates were suddenly slammed shut. These walls, which were supposed to protect all Ignis people, had now become prisons for them.

But this did not truly trap the Ignis people. In order to escape the city, they even secretly dug tunnels under the city walls.

Even with the city gates tightly closed, the population of Ignis City continues to quietly dwindle.

Even the supply of offerings began to become difficult.

"Is that all?"

David Day remained expressionless as he looked at the two mammoths and five saber-toothed tigers laid out before him.

Under his scrutiny, the high-ranking mages all bowed their heads deeply.

"That's all I have."

In the end, it was Sardock who stepped forward and reported to David Day.

"The honey is all gone. The last batch was the last one."

As for why only one cylinder remained, Sadok didn't dare to elaborate.

If, in this setting, it were revealed that even the beekeepers who served the royal family had betrayed them and gone to the Holy Mountain, the newly risen angel before him would likely be even more enraged.

Fortunately, David Day didn't say much, and just silently ate the food in front of him.

He put the roasted saber-toothed tiger whole into his mouth, and the numbing chewing sound clearly showed that he was chewing even the bones to pieces.

As for the two mammoths, they were torn apart by those giant hands, and the fragrant chunks of meat were distributed to every high-ranking mage present.

"Eat up, this is your last meal before we set off."

"Set out for war? Now?"

The mages all looked up in astonishment. This was quite different from what they had expected—according to the plan of the Dawn of New Life, at least a year's worth of offerings would be needed before they could take action against the snake.

Is it a bit too early to say now?

“We can’t wait that long anymore; we can’t possibly collect that many offerings.”

Faced with the magicians' doubts, David Day simply shook his head.

It was precisely because he was a king that his vision was clearer. Putting aside the fact that Ignis City could not possibly last a year... even if Ignis City could still support the supply of offerings for a year, the serpent could not give him another year.

On the sacred mountain, the fruit trees covering the entire mountainside were the serpent's challenge to him.

The snake god hidden deep in the mountains, the deity symbolizing a bountiful harvest, proved to him through his actions that there was nothing lacking in the mountains, even after he had almost emptied the entire mountain.

"If we keep dragging this out, the situation will only become more and more favorable to that snake... After all, I will grow stronger, and so will that snake."

"Therefore, taking action early is the only way to prevent future troubles."

As he said this, David Day stood up.

It was a much larger structure than even the tallest palace; just standing there, it resembled a colossal tower reaching into the sky.

The blinding sunlight streamed down, causing David Day to instinctively raise his hand to shield his eyes.

David Day suddenly paused when his gaze swept over the palm of his hand.

"Actually... that's enough."

Looking down at his own palms, David Day suddenly had a realization.

Indeed, in terms of physique alone, he might be a little inferior to that snake, but he was not just a brute relying on physical strength—he also possessed magical power, which was constantly increasing along with his physique.

Just like now, if he wanted to, he could even burn the entire holy mountain down.

"And what about you? What can you do?"

David Day gazed in the direction of the sacred mountain.

Indeed, the magical power of the Ignivas family ultimately originated from the serpent god.

But now, he really wants to know.

Which is stronger, his own magic or the serpent god's magic?

"Boom!"

The enormous foot slammed into the ground, crushing the empty houses to dust.

The enormous humanoid figure had already crossed the city wall and was heading towards the sacred mountain.

Chapter 31 How a Mortal Faces the Gods

West of Ignis, the Holy Mountain.

The Ignis people who had migrated to the mountains felt the earth tremble—at first, they even celebrated, thinking it was a sign of the serpent god's return.

But only the Ignis who was the first to live in seclusion here, the former deserter, knew that this was not a sound made by the serpent god.

The serpent god always travels by meandering across the earth, so how could it possibly make such a rhythmic sound, like footsteps?

"Footsteps!"

The young Ignis man suddenly raised his head.

Yes, footsteps.

The earth was trembling.

It trembled beneath those enormous feet.

What appeared in his sight was an unprecedentedly enormous humanoid figure. Its massive body was even wider and taller than the tallest palace. Even the so-called towering trees were nothing more than low-lying weeds in front of that enormous figure.

Nothing could stop the giant's advance.

"This, this is..."

Having been to the northern tundra before, he had seen giants before, but those giants living on the tundra no longer deserved to be called giants—how could those giants, who were only two Ignis tall, compare to this behemoth before him?

"This, what exactly is this..."

The young Ignis was in a state of confusion; he couldn't understand why such a thing had appeared.

But at that very moment, someone among the other hermits suddenly shouted.

"King! This is our king!"

"This is the first light of dawn...this is David Day!"

As the shouts rang out, more and more people recognized the giant's face—but the appearance of the king did not bring them joy; instead, it filled them with even greater terror.

Simply because they were all escaped from the city.

They fled to the holy mountain in order to escape this king and the repeated conquests of this nascent dawn, hoping to find a way to survive.

But now, this David Day has actually come after us.

Even in this state.

"They've come... to kill us?"

Seeing the giant, who resembled David Day, walking directly towards the Holy Mountain, the Ignis who had fled the city couldn't help but tremble, their legs even going weak.

They never expected that the nascent dawn would actually dare to chase them all the way to the sacred mountain.

Even in this form.

"Isn't he afraid of being punished by the snake god?"

Someone in the crowd said this unconsciously.

Yes, this is a sacred mountain, the abode of the serpent god. For hundreds of years, except for sacrifices, this place has been an absolute forbidden zone for the Ignis people. And now, this nascent dawn dares to chase after us. Doesn't he fear angering the gods?

"What snake god? What snake god? Where is the snake god? Does anyone know?"

It was at this moment that someone else spoke up.

Upon hearing this, those who had just begun to have some hope immediately lowered their heads.

Yes, where is the Snake God? Nobody knows, after all, the Snake God has never appeared in hundreds of years—even hundreds of years ago, when the Snake God was said to be alive, people had never seen what the Snake God looked like.

Only the leaders and kings of each generation are truly qualified to see the serpent god.

Only the king of the Ignis was qualified to come to the sacred mountain with offerings and meet the serpent god during the harvest festival.

Of course, this is a clear statement.

In reality, it has long been rumored among the Ignis that the annual harvest festival offerings were moved by the mages into the royal treasury.

The so-called harvest festival was nothing more than a pretext for the royal family to collect sacrificial offerings.

Even the Harvest Festival is just a name; whether the Snake God actually exists is even more debatable.

They have been living in the mountains for quite some time now, but none of them have ever seen what the snake god looks like.

Or perhaps, only one person has ever seen what the serpent god looks like.

"The Serpent God exists!"

Taking a deep breath, the young Ignis, the former deserter, shouted at the people.

"The Serpent God exists! I have seen Him with my own eyes... If you say the Serpent God does not exist, then what about the fruit trees we planted before? If we didn't use the excrement of a deity, how could those fruit trees grow so miraculously, blossoming and bearing fruit in just ten days and nights?"

"That, that might just be a rare treasure from the mountains..."

Someone in the crowd muttered this, but their voice clearly lacked confidence.

After all, everyone has witnessed the orchard's bountiful harvest. It's truly inexplicable that so many fruits and vegetables could flower and bear fruit in just ten days.

"But, but..."

Someone hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke up.

"But will the snake god come to save us?"

……

A brief silence fell over the crowd.

The young Ignis, the deserter, wanted to say something, but after opening his mouth, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to give a definite answer.

It was because he had personally encountered the serpent god that he understood even more clearly that there was no hope of salvation, and the serpent god didn't even have eyes for them, the Ignis people. He remembered that when communicating with the serpent god, the serpent god had repeatedly emphasized that they should not be worshipped as gods.

The snake god has its own things to do; the snake god will not save anyone.

To survive, they can only rely on themselves.

But such words cannot be spoken openly. If it were said directly that the snake god would not save anyone, the people present would probably collapse on the spot.

So, after taking a deep breath, the young Ignis stood up straight.

"The snake god will come to save us!"

The young Ignis shouted.

"Because I have a way to communicate with the snake god!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the people who had been dejected just moments before quickly turned their gaze to the person who had first secluded himself in the sacred mountain.

Yes, although they didn't even know the young man's name, he had lived in the Holy Mountain long before them.

In other words, the method this kid was talking about for summoning the snake god...

Could it really be true?

"Please believe in me, and believe in the snake god."

The young Ignis said this, but his fists were already clenched tightly behind his back.

Now that he knew the Snake God was not there, he had no choice but to fight to the death.