Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 121 The Serpent God Heard Your Call

Inside the temple, old Bhutto was still busy with the sacrificial rites.

Although this remote temple is not the sacred site called "Pal Vajit" dedicated to the cobra goddess, it still has everything a temple should have—an open-air altar, a serpentine statue symbolizing the cobra goddess Vajit, and reliefs carved on the walls depicting Vajit and the king of Buto jointly ruling the banks of the river.

Of course, there's also the most important thing: the living cobra hidden in the secret chamber beneath the altar.

These cobras with their broad necks are often seen as the earthly incarnation of the cobra goddess Vajit. People believe that these fierce venomous snakes can repel great evil, and some people even put cobras in their coffins when they die, believing that these incarnations of the snake goddess will protect them and ensure their safe passage across the River Styx.

Of course, old Bhutto is not yet ready to be buried. He brought the cobra out of the secret room only so that the cobra could receive his offerings in the name of the incarnation of the Holy Serpent Goddess.

"After all, the Snake God has only just woken up... so he needs to have a good meal."

With this in mind, old Bhutto offered the sacrifice he had prepared.

The first dish served was a snake-shaped bread made from the first harvest of wheat. In the mouth of the coiled snake, a small mouse decorated with berries was held—an imitation of the snake god hunting field mice, a gesture of gratitude and respect for the snake god.

After that comes honey and milk. Milk is the elixir of life, while honey symbolizes eternal protection. These two items are also common sacrificial offerings. It is said that in Pal Vajit, the priests of the holy land even use precious royal jelly as honey. However, such a remote place certainly does not have such high-standard preparations, so they can only use ordinary honey.

As for the last thing... it's fresh lamb chops.

This wasn't necessary for the ritual; it was mainly because Bhutto himself liked to eat it.

Considering that he couldn't get the highest grade royal jelly, he could only temporarily make do with the dishes he thought tasted best. If things hadn't been so serious today, he wouldn't have dared to be so extravagant. After all, this one serving of lamb chops was equivalent to half a month's worth of his normal meals.

But in Bhutto’s eyes, it was all worth it.

This is the day the Serpent God awakens, so any extravagance is worthwhile. After all, the Serpent God has awakened, and everything will be alright.

"But will everything really get better?"

Seeing the cobra peering out from the altar, old Bhutto finally broke down in tears.

That was not just his own sorrow, but the bewilderment that many serpent god believers had felt over the years—although everyone had been saying that everything would be alright once the serpent god woke up, when would the serpent god wake up?

No one knows when the serpent god will wake up, but as long as the serpent god remains asleep, his followers will be considered inferior.

And now, after countless generations of perseverance, their serpent god has finally awakened from its slumber.

Those followers of false gods, and even the false gods themselves, will naturally all be purged by the true god!
"Anyway, it's so good that you're awake..."

Facing the cobra peering out in front of him, old Bhutto muttered to himself, not caring whether the cobra could understand him or not.

"Do you know how we've survived all these years? The followers of false gods oppress us, the new generation of young people don't believe in us, food production is decreasing every year, and even eating a good meal has become a luxury..."

The more she spoke, the more grief overwhelmed her, and the more grief she felt, the more she wanted to continue... Her reverence for the serpent god, her steadfast faith—at this moment, Bhutto finally found a way to express herself.

Even as he wept, old Bhutto's hands moved with remarkable precision. While feeding the cobra tender lamb chops, he smeared a paste of milk and honey onto the altar, the statue, and the cobra. It wasn't just simple smearing; it was meticulous outlining. Each stroke drew an anka, a symbol of life. This method was said to enhance communication with the gods, allowing them to hear one's innermost thoughts more clearly. But only experienced priests could perform it with such skill.

"Great serpent god, have you heard my heart's cry?"

Old Bhutto thought so.

At this moment when the serpent god awakens, he wants to do his utmost to prove his piety.

He even felt that this method, which hadn't worked for a long time, seemed to actually be somewhat effective this time.

Just now, old Bhutto even had a faint feeling of being watched by a giant snake—not the small cobra in front of him, but a real, enormous snake that could swallow a whole cow whole.

Being stared at like that even gave Bhutto the illusion that he had become prey.

No, it's not even certain whether there was such a view at all.

But Bhutto preferred to believe that it existed; he preferred to believe that the enormous serpent god was watching him at that moment. As a follower of the serpent god, being watched by the serpent god was undoubtedly the most honorable thing.

Although he himself knew that such a thing was simply impossible.

Even though he considered himself the most devout to the snake god, the snake god was a high and mighty deity who would never pay attention to someone as insignificant as him...

"……Um?"

Looking at the huge shadow on the ground, old Bhutto suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

The shadow cast on the ground seemed a little too big.

That couldn't possibly be his own shadow, after all, the shadow looked exactly like...

"snake?"

Old Bhutto instinctively turned his head.

It was as if a mountain had blocked his way. Old Bhutto couldn't believe what he was seeing. When the huge snake head drooped down from mid-air, its tongue alone was bigger than his entire body.

And those enormous snake eyes were fixed on him, their gaze full of curiosity.

"Ah ah ah ah ah--"

The terrifying sight of the enormous creature that was coming at him startled old Bhutto so much that he fell to the ground with a thud. As he tried to get up, he accidentally knocked the altar over with his head, which caused the startled cobra to bite him on the spot.

In just a few moments, old Bhutto had lost consciousness.

(End of this chapter)