Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 67 One Step Ahead, Two Steps Ahead
Adding various ingredients to boiling water is a method that the Third Akakage learned from the Ignivas people near the Holy Mountain ten years ago.

However, ten years ago, those elderly mages used this method purely because of a shortage of food. So, those elderly mages would try to boil food in water so that the water would absorb the flavor of the food, thus filling their stomachs with water.

However, in the eyes of the Third Akakage, those elderly mages could only be considered to have stumbled upon this system by accident.

They didn't even utilize one-tenth of this approach.

In the history of the Ignivas, the pot was something the Great Serpent God specifically instructed their ancestors to make... It should be noted that the Great Serpent God only made two requests of the Ignivas.

Firstly, it serves as a warning to the Ignivas: never give up exploring the world.

As it turns out, the Serpent God was right. If it weren't for the earlier ancestors who explored the southern swamps in advance, the second-generation Akakage would probably have suffocated in his former homeland with his people because he had nowhere to go, just like those people who stayed behind.

As for the second one...

This is the pot.

The Ignis people were disrespectful to the serpent god and naturally disregarded his instructions. Although their ancestors had promised the serpent god to make this cooking utensil for him, the rebels quickly forgot about it.

They believed that by mastering so-called magic, they had mastered everything.

"But in reality, this cooking utensil called a pot truly embodies the wisdom of the serpent god."

With conventional open-flame grilling, no matter how well the ingredients are combined, they can never truly blend together; the ingredients are still eaten separately. But with a pot, it's completely different. A large pot filled with hot water can not only fully blend the flavors of various ingredients together, but also extract the essence from them.

The impact of this on the Ignivas people is immeasurable.

The idea that "you can eat your fill just by drinking water" was once considered a joke by the Ignivas people, but now, this seemingly impossible thing has actually become a reality.

And the practice of magic was finally no longer a torment.

Thanks to this achievement, the Third Akakage quickly gained everyone's recognition. This soup-making skill had truly benefited every member of the clan, and they all believed that the Third Akakage's achievements were even more substantial than those of the previous two Akakages.

Yes, that's right.

The first Akakage did bring peace, but that was decades ago. The second Akakage did lead his people to build a city, but the people also contributed to the construction.

The dietary improvements made by the third generation of Akakage were accessible to every Ignivas, and all Ignivas benefited from them. The assistance they provided for magical training could be felt every day, even at every meal.

This directly led to the Third Akakage becoming the most popular Akakage. Although he himself always said that he had only done some minor work, it did not stop the Ignivas from thinking that he was very reliable.

This adoration lasted until the later years of the Third Akakage.

At this point, the Third Akakage could definitively declare that he had indeed accomplished something, simply because he had now obtained the results summarized by his subordinates—he had never imagined that the power of dietary modification would be so great, even increasing the average lifespan of the Ignivas people by more than ten years.

It's important to know that this only counts those who have passed away. Before they died, they had spent a considerable amount of time indulging in unhealthy eating habits according to the ancestral customs of the Ignivas. Such eating habits put a heavy burden on the body. Even so, after changing their eating habits, their lifespans still increased.

"That way, I can close my eyes in peace."

At the end of his life, the elderly Akakage looked back on the past.

If there is any regret, it is that he did not obtain the true secret method that could keep people young forever. What his people are using now is only a tiny, insignificant part of that secret method. However, fortunately, before he grew old, he had already begun to have some mages study the mysteries of that secret method. "Of course, I probably won't need this."

With that in mind, he summoned the leader of the magicians.

This was someone he personally selected to be in charge of researching the mysteries of the secret techniques, and also the fourth Akakage, whom he personally chose.

"If the research yields results, we must make sure that all our people can use it... Don't be like those kings in Ignis back then, who only cared about themselves, or they would surely bring disaster upon themselves."

The fourth Akakage, who had not yet succeeded to the throne, held the third Akakage's hand tightly. He hadn't expected that even at the end of his life, the third Akakage was still thinking about the Ignivas.

Such willpower filled him with admiration, and he decided to carry on the legacy of the three generations of Crimson Shadows, determined to ensure that all his people could achieve true immortality.

Of course, the Fourth Akakage also knew very well that one must take things one step at a time and eat one bite at a time. Immortality itself was too abstract, but increasing the lifespan of his clansmen and making them healthier and younger was something he could see and touch.

With this in mind, the Fourth Akakage devoted most of his time to research. Although many clansmen commented that this Akakage was the least involved generation of Akakage, he seemed to have accomplished nothing since taking office, and was far inferior to the previous Akakage.

However, in the thirtieth year of the Fourth Akakage's succession, everything changed.

That year, the Fourth Akakage finally presented his research findings.

"what is this?"

The Ignivas frowned as they saw the tiny, round balls, no bigger than the tip of their little finger, that were distributed to them, resembling pebbles made from stone powder.

Their fourth generation of Akakage spent thirty years on this, and this is what they came up with?

"eat."

The Fourth Akakage's words were concise and to the point.

Although the small sphere looked strange, they carefully swallowed it out of trust in the Fourth Akakage.

Even if it really is a stone, it doesn't matter. They didn't swallow much anyway. They'd just vomit a few times a while, and that would be fine with them.

But what they didn't expect was that this thing wasn't actually a stone.

Not only were they not stones, but after these small spheres were swallowed, they all felt full to varying degrees after a short while!

"You felt it, didn't you?"

Seeing the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, the Fourth Akakage couldn't help but laugh.

"This is the result of my efforts over the past thirty years! I have further improved the methods left behind by the Third Akakage!"

"From now on, we won't need to eat anything anymore!"

"Just one food essence is enough to fill you up and keep you full all day!"

(End of this chapter)