Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 58 Forever Young
Why do people get old?

Seeing that his hair had turned completely white, the Second Akakage couldn't help but cover his face and sigh.

In his perception, it seemed like he had only recently brought his people to the south. After all, there were still so many things to do, so much work to be done, and even the reconstruction of the city-state was only just beginning. So why, why did he suddenly grow old at this time?
"Actually, this kind of thing is normal, isn't it..."

Beside the Second Akakage, a young Ignivas attendant was cautiously offering words of comfort to the king.

After all, there was nothing that could be done about it. The first Akakage lived too long, which meant that when the second Akakage took over, he was already middle-aged—although at the time, that was still considered a vigorous and capable age, and could even be seen as a symbol of reliability.

But looking at it now...

The Second Akakage's reign was ultimately too short.

Actually, it can't be considered too short; it's been close to thirty years. If it were back in Ignis City, thirty years would have been enough to accomplish a lot—but right now they're not in Ignis City, but in the miasma swamp to the south. Just leveling this rotten land has taken the tribesmen countless hours.

As for the timber and stone needed to build the city, that was even more difficult. It was only after leaving Ignis that they realized just how privileged their ancestors had been.

Back in Ignis, they never had to worry about materials. If they wanted stones, they could just blast them in the mountains; if they wanted wood, there were towering trees everywhere.

But right now, this miasma-filled swamp...

Finding stone was already extremely difficult. The tribesmen had been exploring for many years but had not found any place to mine stone. As for timber... it was almost as if they had none at all. Those trees that grew crookedly and were not suitable as building materials at all. They were only fit to be thrown into the fire as firewood.

Fortunately, during the fifteenth year of the reign of the Second Akakage, a mage made an unexpected discovery while burning wasteland: the mud dried by the flames was as hard as stone. Although it was a bit more brittle than stone, it was still usable as a building material.

It was on this basis that the city of Ignis became possible to be rebuilt; otherwise, given the current circumstances, they probably would never have seen the city take shape in their lifetime.

Now, things are finally starting to get better. The tribespeople have fully adapted to the hot environment and are becoming more skilled at using the surrounding materials. The city is taking shape, and everything is looking promising.

But at this very moment, the second Akakage has grown old.

Like his mentor, the Second Akakage did not marry. After all, with his workload, he didn't have much time to get married and have children. However, unlike the First Akakage, the Second Akakage didn't even have time to train apprentices. This meant that if the Second Akakage suddenly collapsed, no one would know which successor to find to continue leading the team.

Originally, the Second Akakage intended for the mage who first discovered the process of firing bricks to take on this responsibility, since the mage had indeed made a great contribution and was qualified to inherit the position.

However, the mage was unlucky; while feeding his pet alligator, he was bitten to death by the alligator.

"So...it wasn't me, was it?"

Seeing that the second-generation Akakage had fallen silent, the young guards attending him immediately began to have all sorts of wild thoughts.

Theoretically speaking, it's not entirely impossible. After all, unlike back in Ignis Castle, the position of leader is no longer solely inherited by royal descendants. Both the first and second Akakage emphasize that background doesn't matter; if you have the ability, you can take the position.

The young guard didn't know whether he was capable or not, but he was very close to becoming the second Akakage. If everyone else was capable, he would definitely be the first one to be noticed.

"If I were to become the third Akakage... I would definitely become a Holy King even greater than the first Akakage!"

At that moment, the young guard seemed to have already envisioned himself being adored by the masses.

But at that moment, the Second Akakage suddenly spoke.

Do you think... it's really possible for a person to stay young forever?

"This..." The young guard was puzzled.

Although he didn't understand why the Second Akakage asked that question, it was clear that as long as one is human, one will grow old, and no one can escape birth, aging, sickness, and death.

The Second Akakage is the leader of the Ignivas, a wise man among wise men, he shouldn't be unaware of such a simple matter.

Or……

"Is the Second Akakage testing me?"

Realizing his current position, the young guard immediately understood what was going on.

Then, he immediately had the answer.

"To be forever young, that is, never to grow old... This is indeed a possibility. As long as a person dies young, they will never grow old, and thus will be forever young."

"Get out."

His response was a tirade from the Second Akakage.

The young guard was also puzzled as to why the Second Akakage had suddenly become so angry.

Perhaps only the Second Akakage himself knew the little thoughts in his heart. There were so many things he hadn't done yet, and he didn't want to die like this. So, any words related to death would inexplicably ignite his anger.

not to mention……

"I saw it with my own eyes."

The second-generation Akakage, sitting on the throne, vaguely recalled his youth.

That was when he had just become the second-generation Akakage, and also the day his mentor, the previous Akakage, passed away. He remembered it very clearly; he had indeed seen a young man.

According to his mentor's last words, that young man was a contemporary of his mentor, the first Akakage.

In a sense, that truly means being forever young.

"If I could be like him... no, I don't even need to be that young. I just need to be thirty years younger, or even twenty years younger, or even just ten years younger, and I could accomplish so much!"

Thinking of this, the Second Akakage took a deep breath and then called back the guard he had previously expelled.

"I have a task for you."

The Second Akakage said this.

"Return to our sacred mountain as quickly as possible."

"That is, the place where the serpent god lives."

(End of this chapter)