Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 53 The Expansion Dilemma
(Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a little pig. People thought it was too young and planned to fatten it up before slaughtering it. Then... the little pig starved to death.)
Somewhere deep in the swampy forest.

In the center of an open space stood a solemn and imposing stone serpent statue, surrounded by various offerings made of fruits and meats, the delicious aromas making one's mouth water.

Beside the serpentine statue, a group of graceful young women, draped in magnificent robes woven from bird feathers and adorned with headdresses made of long, beautiful, multicolored feathers, were performing a solemn sacrificial dance around the statue, chanting obscure prayers as they danced.

“C_HAI_EHYE, HRII_'RON_'AI_C_GNAIIH! (We are gathered together at this moment, believers calling upon our Father!)”

The tone of the sacrificial sermon was exceptionally solemn, carrying a certain primitive and wild charm, accompanied by melodious and grand dance steps. Rather than a ritual, it seemed more like an art form.

The young and beautiful girls displayed their piety and fervor in every gesture and movement, trying to please the gods they worshipped. On their wrists, necks, and even behind their ears, one could vaguely see some tiny snake scales, proving that they were not pure human beings.

Alongside their dance steps, there were also some masked girls holding various bone or wooden musical instruments, playing deep and melodious accompaniment music, adding more beauty to their ritual dance.

“Y_LLLL_GEB_STELL'BSNA，VULGTLAGLN_C_FHTAGN_OG，C_GNAIIH_GOKA_SYHA'H_Y_NYTH…… (We pray here, beseeching our sleeping father, that we may serve you eternally as your servants……)”

The long sacrificial invocation would continue for a long time, and the entire sacrificial ceremony was filled with indescribable joy and vitality. The unadorned, primitive charm of the songs and dances was simple and pure, possessing a mysterious and soul-stirring magic.

Young girls surrounded the serpentine statue, singing and praising it, the joyous ritual seemingly never ending.

Not far away, a young maid watched the ongoing ceremony with some anxiety, glancing at someone in the ceremony from time to time. She clearly wanted to say something, but dared not disturb them.

No one dared to disrupt the ritual. In this swamp kingdom that had existed for hundreds of years, the worship and belief in snakes was absolute. Anyone who dared to offend the sacrificial ceremony had been thrown into the pit of ten thousand snakes and devoured to death by them.

Much later, as the last note of music abruptly ended, the many beautiful young women straightened up, curtsied, and slowly withdrew, concluding the entire ceremony.

Only then did the young maid's face light up with joy. She took small, quick steps and walked into the group of female musicians who wore masks and held musical instruments.

"Your Highness Snake Girl."

The young maidservant faced one of the women, half-kneeling in a respectful bow, barely daring to breathe, and said in a very humble voice.

"What's the matter?"

Surrounded by numerous graceful female musicians, the woman, like a star surrounded by the moon, gently removed the crescent-shaped mask from her face, revealing a young, beautiful, and gentle face. Gazing at the maid before her, she spoke in a calm and melodious voice as her pearly teeth parted.

For over a hundred years, there has been no trace of the passage of time on her face; she looks exactly the same as she did a century ago.

No, it can't be said that it had no impact at all. At least, it added a touch of solemnity and majesty to her face. Her upright snake eyes carried a majestic air that was hard to look directly at, and this majesty added an inviolable sacred aura to her already beautiful and charming appearance.

"It's outside the border..."

The young maid dared not look the snake woman in the eye and answered slowly.

Throughout the entire swamp world and the Serpent Cult kingdom with its millions of inhabitants, few dare to confront the majesty of the kingdom's master—the Serpent Daughter. The power she has accumulated over the past centuries is enough to instill fear in anyone.

After listening, the snake woman's face showed understanding, and then she nodded.

"I see."

This border war, a matter that would shake half of the Serpent Kingdom, was met with her merely a dismissive "I know."

"But……"

An anxious look appeared on the maid's face.

"You just need to tell the elders what I said."

The snake woman seemed to understand her meaning and spoke softly. The maid dared not speak again and had no choice but to retreat and leave the sacrificial site, then relay her message to the high-ranking elders of the kingdom. The musicians beside her also withdrew one after another, and the huge sacrificial site became empty in the blink of an eye, leaving only the snake woman behind.

After pondering for a long time, the snake woman clenched her hands, closed her eyes, and murmured a prayer to a certain being.

"My father..."

……

In the depths of the sea, the giant serpent opened its eyes. Its cold pupils held a silent, thoughtful gaze.

"Is it ultimately because the region is too barren...?"

For over a hundred years, Mona has been diligent and conscientious, carrying out her orders without any compromise, and even exceeding them.

When it was hungry, it did not hesitate to bear the infamy of being hated and cursed by the people of the swamp kingdom, and it gathered the food of tens of thousands of people for sacrifice in order to fill its belly as much as possible. It goes without saying how much the serpent could eat.

If it weren't for the fact that the giant serpent is the type that can live a thousand years on a single meal, and that even just filling a gap in its teeth would be enough to sustain it for several years, then even filling the entire swamp kingdom into the serpent's belly wouldn't be enough to feed it.

To prevent it from getting too bored at sea, she thoughtfully choreographed songs and dances to entertain it. It can be said that the girl had done everything in her power for her revered and worshipped father.

The giant snake had seen all of this and would occasionally use some of its memories from its past life to help the girl.

For example, he taught Mona everything he could remember about things like fertilization, land reclamation, and building structures, since this knowledge was completely useless to him anyway.

This was a tremendous help to a nascent civilization and kingdom, enabling its population to expand rapidly. Let's not forget that even now, the entire human world is still in a transitional phase from bronze to iron, and civilizations in all aspects are still extremely backward.

However, even the most brilliant mind cannot overcome the barrenness of a geographical environment.

The entire Eastern Great Swamp, although not entirely swampy with occasional plains and mountains, is so harsh that even with the girls' best efforts to gather a population of only a few million, it only has about one-fifth of the continent's territory, but its actual usable territory is extremely narrow.

In order to increase the population, she had to try to plunder people from the prosperous human kingdoms outside the swamp. However, this naturally led to fierce conflicts between the human kingdoms. The latest news is that the army of the Serpent Cult was defeated by the combined forces of several human kingdoms and had to retreat back into the depths of the swamp.

At the same time, there is also unsettling news...

Soldiers spotted what appeared to be some exceptionally finely armored warriors searching for something near the swamp.

"Heroic warriors... Is it because a powerful kingdom suddenly appeared in what should have been a desolate swamp, causing a god to turn its attention to this place...?"

The giant serpent murmured.

He doesn't want to confront those gods directly right now, at least not now.

In other words, the Kingdom of the Serpent Cult's wars of plunder must come to a temporary halt. It must retreat into the depths of the swamp, quietly accumulating strength, and refrain from rash actions.

However, letting the giant snake just wait around isn't in its nature. So, what should it do now...?

The giant serpent lay deep in the sea, its cold pupils flickering uncertainly.

However, one thing that Orochi gradually overlooked was that he, who had been too lazy to use his brain because of his confidence in his strength, was now forced to start using his brain because he was imprisoned in the depths of the sea and could not use his strength.

In a sense, this could be considered a benefit... right?

(End of this chapter)