Once upon a time there was a greedy snake

"This is it."

The mage who was asked nodded.

"It just looks like a white powder, but it's actually a mixture of essential materials for the human body extracted from various ingredients... We've already tested it, and everything we ingest is absorbed, so the body doesn't produce any waste."

"But this is still a bit..."

Looking at the white powder, the Fifth Generation Akakage frowned.

"Isn't this preservation method inappropriate? It'll fly away if you just blow on it... Can't it be made into small balls like food essence?"

“That would require honey, but honey also contains many ingredients that are unnecessary.”

Upon hearing what Godai Akakage said, the mage shook his head repeatedly.

"According to our latest research, one of the reasons why magicians did not live long during the Old King's era, that is, the time of David Day, was because of their unrestrained consumption of honey... Perhaps in their time, honey was the purest energy source they could find, but the impurities in it still inevitably damaged their lifespan."

"...Even honey contains impurities?"

The Fifth Akakage was taken aback, for in his memory, the clarity of the honey syrup was even higher than that of the stew left by the Third Akakage.

If this can be considered as impurities, then the current level of clarity of this powder...

"Let me try it."

Taking a deep breath, the Fifth Akakage decided to try it himself.

But after half of the powder was poured into his mouth, the Fifth Akakage looked completely bewildered.

The reason is simple: this stuff has no taste.

He should have swallowed something, but he couldn't taste anything in his mouth, or even feel anything that could be described as having a texture—because the white powder dissolved into his saliva the moment it entered his mouth and entered his body's circulation normally.

Did I really eat something just now?

If the white powder in front of him hadn't disappeared, the Godai Akakage might have even thought he was hallucinating.

This also made him start to feel his own body immediately.

He felt a sense of fullness, yet not quite; his stomach didn't feel completely filled, but he also didn't feel strangely hungry—though he was sure he could still eat if he were to continue eating now.

"This is……"

Sensing this inexplicable and strange change, the Godai Akakage subconsciously raised his head.

The mage who was making the introduction seemed to have anticipated the reaction of the Godai Akakage, and immediately smiled.

"This is the power of new materials. Because they perfectly meet the needs of the human body, they can minimize the burden on the body... The so-called feeling of fullness is the state where the digestive burden is already too heavy. Conversely, not feeling anything at all means not feeling any burden at all."

Completely without any burden means you can eat more.

For the Ignivas, this was undoubtedly a further improvement.

Even the food essence left behind by the Fourth Akakage could eventually make one feel full, but these advanced white powders were completely impossible to fill one up with—of course, if one were to consume large quantities, one could indeed feel full, but that would be far beyond the level of food essence.

If the food essence left by the Fourth Akakage could keep a person from being hungry for a day with just one pill, and even the person with the biggest appetite could only eat a maximum of fifty-seven pills in one meal, then these white powders, although they could also keep a person from being hungry for a day with just a small bite, could easily be a hundred servings or even more for a person with a big appetite.

"This……"

After eating more than ten servings in a row, the Fifth Generation Akakage realized the problem and subconsciously clenched his fists.

It’s incredible, really incredible.

He originally thought that he probably wouldn't be able to achieve anything better in his life.

But who could have imagined that just when he himself was preparing to die and even began to look for a successor, his achievements as the Red Shadow would actually receive a new boost!

"Of course, this is also thanks to your efforts."

Looking at these hardworking mages before him, the Fifth Akakage had already chosen the Sixth Akakage in his heart.

"So, what is the cost of this?"

"As for the cost..."

The mage who had just given the introduction immediately started scratching his head.

Chapter 70 The Era Is Calling

The cost of the new generation of food extracts, namely those white powders, is actually quite difficult to say.

From the extraction perspective alone, it's not too bad. Although there are indeed losses during the refining process, they are still within an acceptable range. The real problem lies in the types of materials, since the human body needs quite a lot of different things.

This small pinch of white powder uses the meat and bones of seven animals, including mammoth, saber-toothed tiger, cave bear, terror eagle, and giant beak bird, as well as twenty-seven kinds of fruits and vegetables such as earth ear, kudzu root, sea elm, nettle, Jerusalem artichoke, wild wasabi, cattail, and sea lettuce.

"So complicated?"

The Five Generations of Akakage were speechless with astonishment.

“We’ve never eaten this much before… I’ve never even heard of some of the vegetables you mentioned. Are these things really essential for the human body?”

"all of them."

The mage who was asked the question sighed.

It was through their research on the human body that they realized there was a reason why people had short lifespans in the past—their diets were far too coarse, which meant that many of the nutrients the human body needed were not consumed by their ancestors.

If you don't eat what you should eat and don't absorb the nutrients you should absorb, you will indeed have a shorter lifespan. However, our ancestors didn't realize this and thought that living for several decades was already a long life.

In reality, if one takes good care of oneself and maintains a balanced diet, the limits of the human body are far beyond that level.

"There has been a precedent regarding the limits of the human body... that was the last king of the Old Kings, David Day, who was known as the First Dawn."

"Although he was not a competent king, he did explore the limits of the human body as a magician."

Yes, that period of history is not long past, and people still have some impression of that first ray of light. Its body, which was larger than a giant and even comparable to a god, undoubtedly proved that the limits of the human body far exceeded their imagination.

"And as for the materials, it's not really a big problem."

The mage who was asked the question continued speaking.

If the problem of materials is solely to be solved by the Ignivas, it would indeed be a troublesome issue. However, if the help of the mountain people could be obtained, it would be a different story—after all, the mountain people possess secret methods to accelerate the ripening of crops, which would greatly help in obtaining materials.

However, this matter requires the Fifth Akakage to intervene.

Fortunately, the mountain people were easy to talk to and very interested in the technology—they actually had a considerable demand for the food essence produced by these Ignivas.

After all, seeking the Dao inevitably requires neglecting sleep and meals, but people will get hungry if they don't eat, and cooking, no matter how fast, still takes time—but with the essence of food, it's different. These powders can be taken at any time without affecting their research on the Dao at all.

As for the various fruits, vegetables, and plant fruits... that's not a problem for them at all.

At least for now, it's not a problem.

Since both sides had needs, they naturally hit it off immediately. With close cooperation, both the mountain people and the Ignivas people entered a period of rapid development. Various new technologies emerged one after another, and the iteration of food essence also progressed by leaps and bounds. These rapid changes even made the Fifth Generation Akakage somewhat dazed.

"Perhaps I really am getting old."

After realizing this, the Godai Akakage's body quickly began to deteriorate.

However, no matter how much his body deteriorated, the lifespan of the Fifth Akakage was much longer than that of the previous Akakages. Although his achievements did not seem as magnificent as those of the previous Akakages, in the eyes of many Ignivas, it was because of him that the foundation for communication between the Ignivas and the people of the mountains was laid.

Furthermore, as their cooperation deepens, the two sides, who already share the same ancestors, are even showing a growing tendency to reunite.

This was also the task that the Fifth Akakage entrusted to the Sixth Akakage before his death.

On one hand, the Sixth Akakage must maintain goodwill with the people of the mountains; on the other hand, he must continue those research projects.

The Sixth Akakage also conveyed similar words to the Seventh Akakage.

The Crimson Shadows passed down their skills from generation to generation, and the Ignivas and the mountain people gradually merged back into one another. During this process, the giants of the northern tundra made several southward expeditions, but were easily defeated by the Ignivas. Their research on the essence of food was also more advanced with each generation.

However, just as the 27th Akakage ascended to the throne, the Ignivas suddenly faced an extremely serious problem.

"What do you mean by 'not enough materials'?"

Upon hearing this news, the 27th Akakage felt nothing but utter absurdity.

Even though so many previous generations of Akakage had never encountered this problem, and the raw materials used to make food essence were practically inexhaustible—all the Ignivas people thought that life would continue like this forever.

But now, even those almost limitless resources can be depleted.

"what is going on!"

The 27th Akakage immediately ordered a thorough investigation.

He soon learned the whole story.

The problem stems from the method of ripening crops, a method that originated long ago among the Ignivas people, where there was a group called the Mountain People. They used secret methods to rapidly ripen crops, even making them grow better than normal. After the Mountain People and the Ignivas people re-integrated, these so-called secrets were no longer secrets.

The excrement of the ancient serpent god was what could ripen crops.

For various crops, manure contains a large amount of nutrients. Just as a person will grow strong after satisfying their body's needs, crops will naturally grow well after absorbing a large amount of nutrients.

But that's where the problem lies.

The excrement of the ancient serpent god has been completely removed.

That mountain of excrement, which resembled a small hill, was eventually depleted by generations of Ignis people; all the serpent god's excrement had been used up.

Now, without the snake god's excrement, all the so-called rapid development will come to a standstill, and even the tribe will fall into famine.

"But that serpent god..."

Recalling those ancient legends, the 27th Akakage gritted his teeth.

Perhaps it is time to awaken that great serpent god from his slumber.

Chapter 71 The best arrangement

Awakening the great serpent god from his slumber is no easy task.

It was at this moment that the 27th Akakage realized that in the past years, they had been too focused on studying the essence of food itself, and knew very little about the great serpent god. They only knew that the worship of the serpent god had begun in the era of the old king, and that the people in the mountains called the serpent god "the ancestor of the Way".

And that was it; their understanding of the snake god seemed to end there.

"Perhaps we could try doing it the way we do the harvest festival?"

That's all the 27th Akakage could think of.

Every year during the harvest festival, they would build an earthen altar to worship the serpent god, and then place the finest delicacies on it to attract the great serpent god's attention. It is said that in the time of the Old Kings, the ancestors of the Ignivas worshipped the serpent god in this way—so perhaps this method would be feasible if they wanted to awaken the serpent god now?

"Let's give it a try anyway,"

The 27th Akakage was a man of action, and he quickly gathered his men to build an altar outside the mountain where the Serpent God slumbered.

But this attempt ultimately proved futile; nothing showed any sign of waking up.

"Thinking about it, that makes sense. Even if I wanted to communicate with the snake god, I would have to do it when the snake god is awake. Right now, the snake god isn't awake... So what's the point of me saying anything more?"

After three unsuccessful attempts, the 27th Akakage sighed and went to think of other methods.

The only other way is to visit the descendants of those people who lived in the mountains back then—as for why not the people themselves, it's because so much time has passed that even if those people in the mountains were eternally youthful, they would eventually be lost to the long passage of time.

"But my master's master did mention how to communicate with the Ancestor of the Dao."

When the 27th Akakage found a descendant of a mountain dweller, the latter gave him a surprising answer.

"It is said that at that time, Master's master, in order to escape the pursuit of his enemies, actually hid directly in the nostril of the Dao Ancestor... You know what it feels like to have something in your nostril. The Dao Ancestor woke up with just one sneeze."

To crawl into the nostril of the Dao Ancestor...

The 27th Akakage scratched his head.

This sounds like an extremely dangerous task, after all, that is the ancestor of the Dao, a true god—and now, he is going to crawl into the other party's nostril.

No matter how you look at it, this kind of thing seems a bit too much...

"Done!"

The 27th Akakage made a decisive decision.

Even though it was outrageous, he did it anyway, because it concerned the safety of his people. He was willing to risk his life so that they could continue to have enough to eat.

With this in mind, the 27th Akakage once again came to the mountain where the Serpent God slumbered.

Finding the location of the nostrils wasn't too complicated, since two caves side by side were indeed quite rare—and after finding the cave, he gritted his teeth and went straight inside.

However, to the surprise of the 27th Akakage, nothing has woken up yet.

Even after he had entered the serpent god's nostril, the serpent god still showed no signs of waking up.

"Did I go to the wrong place?"

The 27th Akakage began to doubt himself.