Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 103 It's all for your own good

Day and night turn, and time flows by one day after another.

But the 36th Akakage didn't seem to care about this.

After all, what he was going to promote was a truly grand plan, the system he named "The Way of the Crowd," which was capable of truly changing all the people of Ignivas—something of this magnitude could not be accomplished overnight.

The Thirty-Sixth Akakage was even prepared to use all his strength in his life to accomplish this.

For Akakage, this kind of thing is actually quite normal. After all, every Akakage has spent their entire life trying to change something. Just like the first Akakage spent his whole life only bringing together the remaining Ignivas, while the second Akakage spent his entire life helping the Ignivas gain a foothold in the southern swamp.

By the time of the Third Akakage, the old territory of the Ignivas had been recovered, and the lost people had been found. The Fourth Akakage, on the other hand, spent his entire life researching how to extend the lifespan of the Ignivas through diet...

And then it came to him, the 36th Akakage.

He planned to complete the civilization of the Ignivas, so that they could truly escape their previous boring lives and find real happiness.

"This is for your own good... after all, we can't let you be tempted by those Hennu people."

The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage thought to himself.

Yes, the more he studied the various paths, the more he realized just how dangerous the Ignivas were when those Hennu people—that is, the minotaurs—arrived.

Indeed, the Ignivas may be skilled enough to fight and hard work, but they are completely devoid of spirituality and enjoyment.

On the contrary, the minotaurs were extremely skilled in this art, and upon their arrival, they conquered the hearts of many Ignivas with gold, jewels, and various forms of pleasure.

If the great One God hadn't awakened and strengthened the will of the Ignivas, if the minotaurs hadn't suddenly changed their ways and retreated... if the minotaurs had continued to spread their hedonistic ways on this land...

What will the Ignivas become?
The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage was already hesitant to even think about it; it was likely a tragic ending that none of the Ignivas could accept.

The Ignivas, it's even possible, will perish in his generation.

"Therefore... we must have our own way of enjoying life."

This is also why the 36th Akakage insists on promoting the Way of the People.

They must have their own way of enjoying life so that they won't be manipulated by those minotaurs in such an unheard-of way. The Ignivas must have their own way of enjoying life in order to go further and endure for a longer period.

"Unfortunately... not everyone can understand my good intentions."

Thinking of this, the 36th generation Akakage sighed deeply.

This was the most painful thing for him, because he was wholeheartedly for the good of the Ignivas, but now it was the Ignivas who stood up against him.

A segment of the Ignivas began to oppose the doctrines he promoted, and even the civilization he upheld. These Ignivas felt that since the tunnel had been opened, they should fight their way through to the other side, conquering the Hennu as they had conquered the Ice People.

"But if that's the case, how are we any different from those barbaric ice field people?"

The Thirty-Sixth Akakage said this more than once, after all, his perspective was completely different from that of the ordinary Ignivas—the ordinary Ignivas could only see that if they attacked, there would be gold and gems, and they could conquer all the Hennus just like they had conquered the Icefield People. But in the Thirty-Sixth Akakage's eyes, things were not like that at all.

Indeed, as long as they fight their way through, they are sure to win. The Thirty-Sixth Akakage has a clear understanding of the warriors' combat strength and is confident enough in the firepower of the mages. But the question is, what will happen after they win?

At the end of the Old Kings' era, when the Ice People invaded the capital of the Ignivas, they all thought they had won and that they had everything.

Then those giants vanished into the annals of history.

Winning is never the end; the hardest part begins after victory. If the Ignivas remain as ignorant of the ways of pleasure as before, then their victory in war will mark the beginning of their decline.

Just like those Ice People back then... no, even worse than those Ice People back then.

After all, compared to the old king's era, the Hennu people west of the Great Snow Mountain might not be able to defeat the Ignivas, but they certainly knew how to completely render the Ignivas incapable of fighting within a few generations.

"So... even if you're going to fight, you should at least accept the ways of the world first."

Only by allowing the Ignivas to have their own way of enjoying life can they avoid being seduced by the minotaurs and only then can there be talk of completely conquering them.

"So why don't you understand?"

At this moment, the Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage felt only bitterness in his heart. He had done everything for the good of the Ignivas, but not a single Ignivas understood his good intentions.

Yes, not a single one.

Even the guards who followed him only obeyed him because he was Akakage; none of them truly understood him.

"Perhaps the only way is to go and seek out those who seek the truth."

Taking a deep breath, the 36th Akakage decided to head to the Holy Mountain.

Ideally, he would have liked to meet the One God directly. All the people of Ignivas had unwavering faith in the wisdom of that serpent god. However, it was obvious that the One God would not bother with such a trivial matter. The One God had been busy with other things lately and had no time to answer his questions.

Therefore, he had no choice but to settle for second best and seek the wisdom of those who sought the Way.

Those seekers who live in seclusion deep in the mountains may not be able to give him any answers, but having someone to talk to at least makes him feel more at ease when he sleeps.

To the surprise of the Thirty-Sixth Akakage, the seeker who came to receive him this time was not the one he knew.

Instead, he was a young seeker of the Way, wearing a feathered headdress.

"Just call me Suixin."

The young seeker seemed eccentric, which gave the Thirty-Sixth Akakage a vague sense of foreboding.

(End of this chapter)