Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 102 Transformation

Meanwhile, in the city of Ignis.

Just as the hunter Ignis, known as Bone Whistle, was dreaming, listening to the blue-faced giant lion recount the bravery of the Catan warriors.

A witch doctor named Leijing also received a broken piece of ivory by chance.

Since there are no more mammoths around Ignis, their ivory has become much more precious. Experienced shamans would grind the best ivory into fine bone powder and add it to wound medicine to promote healing.

However, this time, the old witch doctor named Leishin discovered that this ivory was completely different from other ivory—not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of efficacy.

When ordinary ivory is mixed with wound medicine, it can at most heal the wound. But the powder from this half-piece of ivory, when mixed with wound medicine, can not only heal the wound, but also make the skin in the wound area thicker and tougher.

Normally, such special materials would definitely be taken to the Crimson Shadow, and then the elites of the Ignivas would be gathered to study how to make the most of them.

But now...

The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage is promoting what is known as the "Way of the Crowd."

Even the old witch doctor, Leishin, knew a little about it.

So Lei Jing immediately thought that this piece of ivory, which could thicken the skin, might be used in some other places.

Of course, Lei Jing would not tell anyone this secret. As for why he was getting stronger and stronger, he would only say that it was because he had achieved success in cultivating the Dao.

But as he used more and more of the powder from that strange ivory, his physique began to change. His skin became rough, his body grew taller, and even his temper became more irritable.

If Lei Jing had ever been to the west of the Great Snow Mountain, had ever lived in a certain mountainous area, and had ever seen the Nata people who had long since become extinct.

He will then discover that he is gradually turning into the Nata people.

……

Just as the old witch doctor Leishin's body was becoming stronger and stronger, his mind was becoming increasingly confused.

A seeker of truth, living in seclusion on a sacred mountain, is also diligently studying a strange scripture.

In the history of the Ignivas, the Seeker is a rather ancient profession, its history even dating back to before the first Crimson Shadow. Unlike most Ignivas, Seekers do not usually live in cities, nor do they accept assignments from the Crimson Shadow. After all, when they choose to become Seekers, their pursuit of the Way and their thirst for knowledge have already permeated their lives.

And now, this young seeker of the Dao named Suixin is trying to decipher the strange scripture in his hands.

The scripture is not made of birch bark, which is commonly used by the Ignivas, but of feathers with golden edges—heaven knows why anyone would choose to leave a pattern on feathers that are difficult to preserve, and what is most strange is that this ancient scripture is so well preserved.

"It looks like it was left behind by the people from the ice fields in the north."

Based on the information available, the seeker, Suixin, made a rough judgment.

After all, it is recorded in the history of the Ignivas that at the end of the Old Kings era, when the northern Ice People were still quite powerful, those barbaric Ice People worshipped the giant eagle as a god, so using feathers to compile scriptures may be understandable.

However, here's the problem: even the Ignivas didn't leave any real records during the Old King's era. The formal writing of history only began around the time of the first Red Shadow. If this book was indeed written by the Ice People, wouldn't that mean that the Ice People at that time were even more civilized than the Ignivas?

“That shouldn’t be the case. Those Ice Plains people are clearly so barbaric…” Sui Xin was very confused. This historical mystery from the old era puzzled him.

However, this is not too bad. As long as he can decipher the contents of the scriptures, he will probably be able to unravel these long-forgotten mysteries.

As for the content of the scriptures, it is not complicated. Although the patterns drawn on the feathers are quite abstract, if you look closely, you can still make out the meaning they are trying to express.

"First, we need to obtain eagle feathers and wear them on our heads..."

As he tried to decipher the mottled patterns on the feather scriptures, Suixin attempted to understand them.

This appears to be some kind of ancient sacrificial ritual, but upon closer inspection, it is not entirely so. Apart from some parts that seem to be used for sacrifice, much of the content describes a method of training. According to the illustrations in the text, as long as this training method is completed, one can possess the ability of an eagle, fly into the sky, and look down upon all things in the world.

"Impossible, how can a person fly into the sky?"

Sui Xin naturally didn't believe in this.

However, the text describes the whole process in a very realistic way, from the very beginning, borrowing the power from the feathers, to how to control the divine power of the king of birds, and finally growing feathers and flying through the sky and disappearing into the earth... The whole process seems to be really true.

This made Sui Xin even more curious.

If it were an ordinary Ignis, they would probably just rely on their experience to judge that this kind of thing would definitely not work. But for seekers of the Way, they always have to verify it themselves to know whether it is possible or not.

So, Suixin began his experiment, following the pattern in the scripture.

The entire ritual was not complicated. It simply involved making a crown out of eagle feathers so that he could fully perceive the wisdom of the Eagle God. In order to experience the wisdom of the Eagle God more deeply, he also had to burn smoke to attract the Eagle God's attention. This was also within his understanding, since the Ignivas people also attracted the Dao Ancestor by burning smoke pillars.

"But those Icefield people's Eagle Gods are dead, right? I remember they were killed on the spot by the Ancestor of the Dao. That great battle even wiped out the entire capital of the Old King's era..."

Thinking this way, Suixin suddenly realized that her attempt might not be effective.

But to Sui Xin's surprise, just as he lit the smoke...

Yet a clear silhouette of an eagle was reflected in the smoke.

That was more than just an eagle; after all, its form was far broader and stronger than that of an eagle.

"Perhaps it should be called... the Roc?"

Gazing at the illusory figure in the smoke, a faint understanding arose in the heart of the seeker, Suixin.

As the roc began to cry out from within the smoke, the seeker of the Dao, Suixin, felt himself gradually beginning to understand everything.

"It turns out that true knowledge has always been held by the lost Mani people..."

"If you want to seek more knowledge... you must become a Mani!"

(End of this chapter)