Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 9 Things Are Getting Better
After ten days and nights, the Radiant Ones returned to the village and received a grand welcome.

No one could have imagined that their long-lost leader would return alive. They had even made preparations to relocate their entire tribe—but just the day before they were about to leave, their leader returned to the village.

They even brought back excellent news.

"The gods will not pursue the matter of the Ignivas family using magic; the previous beast tide was just a misunderstanding."

Facing his people, the Radiant One explained in detail the cause of the beast tide. It was not the serpent god's fault, but simply that the serpent god's procession was too grand, causing the wild beasts in the mountains to panic.

As for the village's misfortune, it was not a punishment from the serpent god, but simply because the village was too weak in the eyes of the gods.

So weak that it couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of the snake god's procession.

This made the group of mages lower their heads in shame. They never expected that their proud power would be so weak.

"I have also discussed this with the Snake God."

It was at this moment that the Radiant One continued speaking.

"The merciful serpent god originally wanted to stop holding those grand processions, but after discussing it with the serpent god, we felt it was better to retain a certain level of beast tides... Every now and then, dealing with a small-scale beast tide would give us more opportunities to practice our magic."

Upon hearing this, the mages looked at the Radiant One with even greater awe.

To be able to communicate with the gods, and even to such an extent...

The nineteenth generation leader is simply unfathomable!
"However, we also need to do something for the snake god."

After he finished speaking, the Radiant One added a sentence.

This was also part of the agreement he made with the Serpent God before he returned. The Serpent God would occasionally come out to roam around, allowing the mages of his clan to practice their skills regularly. He himself would also act as the Serpent God's eyes, exploring the world and bringing the Serpent God more information about this land.

It was a very fair agreement, at least in the eyes of that snake god.

But in the eyes of the Radiant Ones, that alone is not enough.

“We also have to offer sacrifices to that serpent god regularly.”

Thinking about the treatment he had received during this period, the Radiant One said this.

When he was entertained by the serpent god before, he ate and drank for free and even learned a lot of cooking skills for free. Now that he has returned to the village, he should at least entertain the serpent god in return—expressing his gratitude with food and ingredients is the best way that the Radiant One can think of.

Although the serpent god never made such a request, the Radiant One always felt that he should do so.

After all, he learned so much from the snake god.

These skills became apparent in the days that followed. The knowledge they learned from the Snake God about identifying and processing various ingredients made the tribe's food choices much richer. Some treatments that were extremely simple for the Snake God were far beyond the level of the tribe's shamans.

But what was truly important was that he realized the importance of communication from the snake god.

Unlike his predecessors who only knew how to expand their territory, the Radiant One values ​​listening to the opinions of every member of the tribe. When disputes arise among the tribe members, he can quickly find the root of the problem and make a decision that satisfies all parties.

With the constant mediation of the Radiant Ones, the entire Ignivas family became increasingly united, which made their expansion smoother, simply because they could trust each other without any reservations.

This led to the Radiant One gradually being given the title of Holy King. But the Radiant One never felt that he possessed the kind of wisdom that people spoke of. He only felt that he was still far inferior to that serpent god—and this feeling became more and more profound with each meeting with that serpent god.

"You're seeing things through a filter."

During one of his meetings with the serpent god, the Radiant One overheard the serpent god roasting meat while commenting on his thoughts.

"What? You're asking me what a filter is? That stuff is transparent crystal... Oh, you don't even know what crystal is? It's just that kind of transparent stone... Speaking of stones, didn't we talk about making me a big stone pot? Is it ready yet? If it's ready, I can cook lots of delicious food for you to try... Remember to eat well, look how much weight you've lost."

When the Serpent God inquired about the progress of the cooking utensils, the Radiant Ones had to admit that their people had not found a stone that large, and as for the metal the Serpent God mentioned, they had never even heard of it.

But this also made the Radiant Ones marvel once again at the wisdom of the Serpent God. There were many things that even they did not know, but the Serpent God knew them perfectly well, and could even describe their specific appearance and shape to make it easier for them to find them.

"Even though the Serpent God knows far more than we do, he still sends us to explore the world... Is this some kind of training for us?"

The Radiant Ones once understood it this way.

But his response was the familiar beating.

"Don't overthink it, and don't misunderstand. I do know some things, but there are also many things I don't know... If you insist that I know everything, then what am I supposed to say if you ask me something I don't know someday?"

The serpent god's words remained utterly candid.

This made the Radiant Ones marvel once again at the wisdom of the Serpent God.

"Don't overthink it, and don't misunderstand it."

The Radiant One remembered these words deeply. He not only used them as a guideline for communicating with the Serpent God, but also as a guideline for communicating with others.

When he returned to the village with these thoughts in mind, the villagers admired his wisdom even more.

Under the rule of the Radiant Ones, the village quickly developed into a city-state—the concept of a city-state originated from what the Radiant Ones heard from the Serpent God. According to the Serpent God, a relatively good city-state in this era should have walls to defend against wild beasts and foreign enemies, as well as various artisans and shops to process and sell raw materials… In short, it should be a very convenient place, for everyone.

However, in the eyes of the tribespeople, these were all considered the wisdom of the Radiant Ones. Although the Radiant Ones themselves repeatedly emphasized that these were all accomplished under the guidance of the Serpent God, in the eyes of the tribespeople, being able to realize the guidance of the gods was already an extraordinary feat.

"Don't overthink it, and don't misunderstand."

Faced with what his people said, the Radiant One subconsciously said this.

This left the Radiant One momentarily dazed.

But no matter what the Radiant Ones said, the people insisted that the Radiant Ones were incomparably wise, that this was the best of times, an unprecedented era of glory, and that they desperately hoped that this Holy King would continue to lead them in this way.

However, as time passed, the Radiant One, who was known as the Holy King, eventually grew old.

Realizing his days were numbered, the aged Radiant One once again came to the Holy Mountain.

In the final moments of his life, he saw the serpent god once more.

(End of this chapter)