Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 12 begins with stealing offerings.

That year, the harvest festival in Ignis was marred by some unexpected events.

The beast tides that used to bring a bountiful harvest every year did not come; only the Firebringers themselves returned, along with a large quantity of pre-cooked prey.

“The serpent god thought it was too much trouble to make everyone hunt every year, so He simply cooked the hunted animals and had me bring them back.”

Faced with everyone's doubts, the successor of the fire gave this answer.

As for why there were so few cooked hunts, the Fire Chaser had his own explanation. On the one hand, there would definitely be losses during processing, and on the other hand, after years of hunting, there were far fewer wild animals in the mountains. Although the people in the city had some complaints, they eventually accepted the explanation when they saw the Fire Chaser's sincere face.

Although the hunt was less successful, something is better than nothing.

After doing all this, the Firebringer breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, this matter has been settled."

Yes, the successor is much smarter than his father. If his father had encountered this situation, he probably would have died in the mountains.

But he was able to resolve things smoothly and ensure that no one complained.

“My father said that the offerings were just the tribe’s way of thanking the snake god. The snake god didn’t actually need the offerings… So, at this time, it shouldn’t be a problem to use the offerings as the harvest for the harvest festival.”

After all, his father, the Radiant One, had met the Serpent God many times, so he was certain that the Serpent God did not need sacrifices.

Now, he has simply added his own interpretation to this established fact.

"I hope the Serpent God can understand my actions... This winter is not going to be easy."

The Firebringer quickly put the matter out of his mind, as there were more troublesome things waiting for him to deal with.

That is, the problem of food shortage.

In the past, each harvest festival brought a large catch, which greatly enriched the meat reserves of Ignis City. If people ate sparingly, it would even be enough to feed the people of the city for thirty days and nights.

But this time, the small amount of sacrificial offerings he brought back, disguised as hunted prey, was only enough for the tribe to eat for one day.

If you eat freely, even one meal might not be enough.

"The food shortage..."

The successor was starting to have a headache; this was a problem that his father's era had never encountered.

The previous generation left no experience, so the successor was at a loss as to how to deal with it. The ranch's output was limited, and all the food that could be obtained had already been harvested before winter.

Simply put, he needs to prepare some extra food, and he has to do it quickly.

"And if next year's harvest festival is like this too..."

The successor had a bad feeling.

To obtain more food, they had to look to their surroundings. It was at this moment that the Firebringer marveled at the Snake God's foresight. Although he had not been able to report the intelligence brought by the explorers to the Snake God like his father had, the information sent back from afar had become a lifesaver.

"The eastern end has been explored to its limit. There is only endless water there, and according to the explorers, the water is extremely bitter and undrinkable... Although there are many large fish there, there are also waves even larger than the river changing its course. It is not a good place to go."

"In the south, the explorer almost died in that miasma-filled jungle. Although it looks like it's rich in resources, it's far more dangerous than the east... You know, when the explorer came back, his body was covered in lumps. When you cut them open, they were full of white worms. Heaven knows how those things got there."

"To the west...to the west is the sacred mountain."

The one who inherited the fire slapped his forehead.

Although the serpent god did not explicitly state that sending explorers to the holy mountain was strictly forbidden, his father, the Radiant One, out of respect for the serpent god, still chose not to allow the explorers to go to the western mountains.

"Then I'd better not do that...after all, I've never actually met the Snake God."

He still remembered the words his father had told him to keep in mind.

Don't overthink it, and don't let your imagination run wild.

Therefore, he would not make any unnecessary moves before confirming the snake god's thoughts.

"So, what about the north..."

The Firebringer continued to ponder. The news brought back by the explorers who went north was quite intriguing. Some explorers said that there were towering giants in the north, even the shortest of whom was taller than two Ignis. Others said that there was nothing in the north, only empty frozen ground and endless snow—and some even said that they saw the presence of gods in that snowstorm.

However, that was not the god worshipped by the Ignis, but another being, one who could rival the gods.

But when the Firebringer continued to ask, the explorer could not describe what the god looked like. He stood there stammering for a long time, but could not explain what it was.

"Another group of people who have the backing of the gods."

The successor frowned slightly.

Judging from the news brought back by the explorers, the dangers in the north are no less than those in the other directions: the frozen ground is unsuitable for survival, giants taller than the Ignis, and even unknown gods... All of this means that the area is far more troublesome than the miasma jungle and the raging waves.

But just as the Firebringer was racking his brains trying to find a breakthrough, an explorer escaped all the way back.

The explorer who escaped was covered in wounds and even missing an arm.

"These were cut down by the giants from the north!"

The explorer wept as he reported the information he had gathered.

According to the explorer's description, he encountered giants in the northern tundra. It was the first time he had seen people other than the Ignis, which he found quite novel. So, wanting to communicate with these giants, the explorer took out the mammoth jerky he was carrying.

This is the personal ration prepared by the Ignis for the explorers. It is said that the cooking method was learned by the nineteenth Holy King from the serpent god who symbolizes harvest. Not only is it quite filling, but it also has a strong smoky flavor.

The giants enjoyed their meal immensely, seemingly relishing the food. But just when the explorer thought everyone was full and ready to communicate normally, the giants hoisted him up.

The giants beat him while speaking in an unknown language. At this moment, even though they couldn't understand each other's languages, the physical language that resembled torture had already made the explorer understand what the giants meant.

These giants wanted to know where the meat came from, and they wanted more.

"If I can't give it to you, then turn me into meat too."

The explorer pointed to the stump on his arm.

"This is what those giants cut down."

"You mean, they're going to eat us?"

This caused the Firebringer to suddenly raise his head.

"It seems... possible."

As if he had thought of something, the Firebringer narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed...it is possible."

"They want to eat us... so we can eat them too!"

Immediately afterwards, everyone in Ignis was summoned.

At the call of the Firebringers, the hunters and mages packed their bags, but this time they were not going to kill any ferocious beasts, but another group of people who came from the northern frozen lands.

"The enemies of God want to conquer our holy mountain! We must defend our homeland!"

"Defend our homeland!"

At the call of the Firebringers, the hunters and mages set out, using their honed hunting skills to attack the marching giants and seize large quantities of dried meat and bags of plant seeds.

Before the attack, they had seen the giants stuff these plant seeds into their mouths and eat them as food.

This means that the food crisis in Ignis City has been partially resolved.

Having tasted success, the Firebringer did not stop there. He planned to fight for an entire winter, using the spoils from killing these giants to make up for the deficit caused by the inability to hold the Harvest Festival normally.

What the Firebringer didn't expect was that this war would last for more than just one winter.

The war continued for more than two thousand days and nights, until he died on the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)