Once upon a time there was a greedy snake

"Ah this."

Listening to the Radiant Ones' description of the beast tide, Du Yi was speechless for a long time.

Calculating the time, this so-called beast tide was when he set off to find these savages. And when he heard the Radiant One begin to describe the enormous serpent god his father had seen, Du Yi gradually recalled his own appearance at that time.

He never imagined that his simple act of bringing some substantial food would become a nightmare that haunted the savage leader until his death.

"You've been eating those things these past few days too."

Du Yi thought for a moment and then added a sentence.

"You should understand that I didn't mean any harm at the time."

"yes……"

Thinking of those delicacies, the Radiant One couldn't help but sigh.

At that moment, the Radiant One suddenly understood why the Serpent God before him was so insistent on communicating properly.

The serpent god showed goodwill, but his father died because of it, and the reason for all this was simply because his father misunderstood the serpent god's intentions.

"No wonder the snake god said those words to me... If I still held onto that reverence for the gods, I would probably have misunderstood and misinterpreted the snake god's thoughts."

At that moment, the Radiant One felt he understood the profound meaning of this serpent god.

Yes, the snake god.

Even though the serpent god declared that he did not accept worship, this did not prevent him from still respecting the other as a deity.

"After all, even my life was saved by Him."

Thinking of this, the Radiant One couldn't help but recall the serpent god's preferential treatment of him during this period.

Since the snake god treated him this way, he had absolutely no reason to hide any information.

Therefore, the one who shone forth spoke freely.

As the nineteenth leader of the Ignivas family, he knew everything about the village, and now he was revealing everything, including the village's many secrets, the location of the magic stone mine, and even his three illegitimate children.

"But when it comes to our understanding of the world... we don't know."

At this point, the Radiant One lowered his head in shame.

Throughout history, the tribes have focused on development; they have fought against nature and multiplied, but they have forgotten to explore the world itself.

So much so that when the snake god asked him questions, he couldn't say anything except for some geographical information about the surrounding area.

"It's alright, we'll find out as we explore. It's not like we're only talking about this once."

Du Yi comforted the Radiant One.

This caused the Radiant One to suddenly raise its head.

"what do you mean……"

"Didn't you just say that you're the leader of those people?"

Du Yi said this.

“It’s never a good thing to be away from your post for too long. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, you should go back... If you discover anything I don’t know about, just remember to come and tell me.”

"This……"

Even though the Radiant One had gained some understanding of the Serpent God's temperament during their time together, he never expected that the Serpent God would be so easy to talk to.

However, as the leader, he had already realized this at that moment.

God and man hereby make a covenant.

Chapter 9 Things Are Getting Better

After ten days and nights, the Radiant Ones returned to the village and received a grand welcome.

No one could have imagined that their long-lost leader would return alive. They had even made preparations to relocate their entire tribe—but just the day before they were about to leave, their leader returned to the village.

They even brought back excellent news.

"The gods will not pursue the matter of the Ignivas family using magic; the previous beast tide was just a misunderstanding."

Facing his people, the Radiant One explained in detail the cause of the beast tide. It was not the serpent god's fault, but simply that the serpent god's procession was too grand, causing the wild beasts in the mountains to panic.

As for the village's misfortune, it was not a punishment from the serpent god, but simply because the village was too weak in the eyes of the gods.

So weak that it couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of the snake god's procession.

This made the group of mages lower their heads in shame. They never expected that their proud power would be so weak.

"I have also discussed this with the Snake God."

It was at this moment that the Radiant One continued speaking.

"The merciful serpent god originally wanted to stop holding those grand processions, but after discussing it with the serpent god, we felt it was better to retain a certain level of beast tides... Every now and then, dealing with a small-scale beast tide would give us more opportunities to practice our magic."

Upon hearing this, the mages looked at the Radiant One with even greater awe.

To be able to communicate with the gods, and even to such an extent...

The nineteenth generation leader is simply unfathomable!

"However, we also need to do something for the snake god."

After he finished speaking, the Radiant One added a sentence.

This was also part of the agreement he made with the Serpent God before he returned. The Serpent God would occasionally come out to roam around, allowing the mages of his clan to practice their skills regularly. He himself would also act as the Serpent God's eyes, exploring the world and bringing the Serpent God more information about this land.

It was a very fair agreement, at least in the eyes of that snake god.

But in the eyes of the Radiant Ones, that alone is not enough.

“We also have to offer sacrifices to that serpent god regularly.”

Thinking about the treatment he had received during this period, the Radiant One said this.

When he was entertained by the serpent god before, he ate and drank for free and even learned a lot of cooking skills for free. Now that he has returned to the village, he should at least entertain the serpent god in return—expressing his gratitude with food and ingredients is the best way that the Radiant One can think of.

Although the serpent god never made such a request, the Radiant One always felt that he should do so.

After all, he learned so much from the snake god.

These skills became apparent in the days that followed. The knowledge they learned from the Snake God about identifying and processing various ingredients made the tribe's food choices much richer. Some treatments that were extremely simple for the Snake God were far beyond the level of the tribe's shamans.

But what was truly important was that he realized the importance of communication from the snake god.

Unlike his predecessors who only knew how to expand their territory, the Radiant One values ​​listening to the opinions of every member of the tribe. When disputes arise among the tribe members, he can quickly find the root of the problem and make a decision that satisfies all parties.

With the constant mediation of the Radiant Ones, the entire Ignivas family became increasingly united, which made their expansion smoother, simply because they could trust each other without any reservations.

This led to the Radiant Ones gradually being given the title of Holy King.

But the Radiant One never felt that he possessed the kind of wisdom people spoke of. He only felt that he was far inferior to that serpent god—and this feeling became more and more profound with each meeting with that serpent god.

"You're seeing things through a filter."

During one of his meetings with the serpent god, the Radiant One overheard the serpent god roasting meat while commenting on his thoughts.

"What? You're asking me what a filter is? That stuff is transparent crystal... Oh, you don't even know what crystal is? It's just that kind of transparent stone... Speaking of stones, didn't we talk about making me a big stone pot? Is it ready yet? If it's ready, I can cook lots of delicious food for you to try... Remember to eat well, look how much weight you've lost."

When the Serpent God inquired about the progress of the cooking utensils, the Radiant Ones had to admit that their people had not found a stone that large, and as for the metal the Serpent God mentioned, they had never even heard of it.

But this also made the Radiant Ones marvel once again at the wisdom of the Serpent God. There were many things that even they did not know, but the Serpent God knew them perfectly well, and could even describe their specific appearance and shape to make it easier for them to find them.

"Even though the Serpent God knows far more than we do, he still sends us to explore the world... Is this some kind of training for us?"

The Radiant Ones once understood it this way.

But his response was the familiar beating.

"Don't overthink it, and don't misunderstand. I do know some things, but there are also many things I don't know... If you insist that I know everything, then what am I supposed to say if you ask me something I don't know someday?"

The serpent god's words remained utterly candid.

This made the Radiant Ones marvel once again at the wisdom of the Serpent God.

"Don't overthink it, and don't misunderstand it."

The Radiant One remembered these words deeply. He not only used them as a guideline for communicating with the Serpent God, but also as a guideline for communicating with others.

When he returned to the village with these thoughts in mind, the villagers admired his wisdom even more.

Under the rule of the Radiant Ones, the village quickly developed into a city-state—the concept of a city-state originated from what the Radiant Ones heard from the Serpent God. According to the Serpent God, a relatively good city-state in this era should have walls to defend against wild beasts and foreign enemies, as well as various artisans and shops to process and sell raw materials… In short, it should be a very convenient place, for everyone.

However, in the eyes of the tribespeople, these were all considered the wisdom of the Radiant Ones. Although the Radiant Ones themselves repeatedly emphasized that these were all accomplished under the guidance of the Serpent God, in the eyes of the tribespeople, being able to realize the guidance of the gods was already an extraordinary feat.

"Don't overthink it, and don't misunderstand."

Faced with what his people said, the Radiant One subconsciously said this.

This left the Radiant One momentarily dazed.

But no matter what the Radiant Ones said, the people insisted that the Radiant Ones were incomparably wise, that this was the best of times, an unprecedented era of glory, and that they desperately hoped that this Holy King would continue to lead them in this way.

However, as time passed, the Radiant One, who was known as the Holy King, eventually grew old.

Realizing his days were numbered, the aged Radiant One once again came to the Holy Mountain.

In the final moments of his life, he saw the serpent god once more.

Chapter 10 Lord of Abundance

"What happened? When did you get so old?"

Looking at the Radiant Ones who had come to him once again, Du Yi was quite moved.

In his memory, the other person was a rather young and strong man not long ago, but not long after, he became this frail and old man.

Just looking at that light and airy body, you could probably blow the Radiant One away with a gust of wind.

"Soon, this kind of thing will only happen to you."

The elderly Radiant One smiled and shook his head.

Perhaps for the serpent god before him, not much time has passed, but for the Radiant One, he has been on the throne for over fifty years.

Even if you search through all eighteen generations of ancestors, no clan leader has ever held the position for so long.

Moreover, his health wasn't that good to begin with.

His supposedly clever poisoning had ultimately caused irreversible damage to his body. If it weren't for the fact that he received some treatment every time he met the Snake God, he probably would have already passed away.

“I told you long ago, take advantage of your youth and retire early to live in the mountains. Your health will be better... Your job is really too mentally taxing. It would be better to move to the mountains. You won’t have to think about anything except hunting and eating every day.”

Upon hearing what the Radiant One said, Du Yi couldn't help but sigh.

Although he had been in this world for quite some time and had long since grown accustomed to the joy of solitude, it was still a good thing to have someone to talk to occasionally—and this savage named Radiant One, aside from occasionally being prone to wild thoughts, was indeed a very suitable person to communicate with.

"So it's not too late to come to the mountains now. The fact that you can still go into the mountains by yourself means you still have some strength. Just stay here and you can live a little longer."

"This……"

Faced with the serpent god's invitation, the Radiant One subconsciously swallowed.

Although he had received such invitations several times, he couldn't help but yearn for them each time he heard them—after all, the serpent god's concept of time was completely different from that of mortals, and the serpent god's talk of living a little longer, when converted into mortal time...

Longevity and immortality are things that people never dare to dream of.

What could a long life bring? The Radiant One didn't know, but the survival instinct stemming from life itself urged him to agree quickly—his intuition told him that if he really agreed now, he could truly extend his life and continue living even when he was almost out of breath.

But after taking a deep breath, the Radiant One shook his head.

"Forget it."

The Radiant One smiled.

“If I continue to live, I will have to continue to be the clan chief. Even if I live in the mountains, they will still come to me and ask me all sorts of questions... Just like you said, this kind of thing is really too tiring.”

At this point, the Radiant One sighed.

"As the clan chief, I have worked for the people for over fifty years. Now I am old and nearing death, and it's time for me to live for my own selfish desires one last time..."

"I should go and reunite with my father."

As he uttered those words, a hint of nostalgia appeared in the Radiant One's eyes.

This made Du Yi sigh.