Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 80 Tauren

The concept of an envoy delegation was still quite new to the Ignivas.

After all, apart from the Ice People, the Ignivas had never seen any other races. And the way the Ignivas dealt with the Ice People was always to use fireballs directly. They had never heard of minotaurs sending someone to warn them before the battle.

"Are these minotaurs here to die?"

This was the Ignivas' first reaction. They initially mistook these minotaurs for warriors who had come to scout ahead, since these minotaurs were all quite sturdy and clearly very skilled at fighting.

Just as the Ignivas were preparing to burn this small group of minotaurs to ashes...

These minotaurs, however, brought over several boxes made of wooden planks.

The moment the box was opened, all the Ignivas were captivated, for the colorful, clear stones shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

"A stone... can actually emit this kind of light?"

Looking at those dazzling stones, the Ignivas present all breathed heavily.

This was the first time the Ignivas had come into contact with gemstones.

Moreover, these minotaurs brought more than just gems.

The ornaments, radiating a clear yellow luster, were simple in design, but their golden color alone was extremely eye-catching. Although the Ignivas people didn't quite understand what these easily crushed objects were for, it didn't stop them from really wanting to take them back.

This was also the first time the Ignivas had come into contact with gold.

The appearance of gems and gold attracted the full attention of the Ignivas, and these minotaurs were naturally treated to good food and drink—firstly, because these minotaurs had given gifts, and in any case, they deserved the hospitality they were entitled to.

Secondly, these minotaurs need to be alive so they can find out where these gems and gold came from.

In order to obtain this information, they must at least establish the most basic communication with these minotaurs.

To the surprise of the Ignivas, these minotaurs were exceptionally intelligent. After only three days and nights, they were already able to greet each other in Ignis. After seven days and nights, they were even able to communicate with the Ignivas in Ignis, though not fluently, but with clear meaning.

After learning Ignis, the minotaurs made their first request.

“Our, Hennu’s, envoy.”

“Your king, our king, requests an audience.”

Hennu is probably what these minotaurs call themselves, and as for the king, it should refer to the leader of the Ignivas—the Ignivas reported the news immediately upon realizing that these minotaurs wanted to meet Red Shadow.

Meanwhile, the Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage, far away in Ignis Castle, also received two reports from afar.

One document came from the Minotaur delegation, these strange races with minotaur heads expressing their desire to communicate; the other came from the tunnel excavation site, recording the moment the tunnel was completed and the conflict that occurred between the Ignis and the Minotaur—or rather, the Hennu.

"It can actually shatter a mage's fireball?"

Upon seeing the battle report, the Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage's pupils suddenly contracted.

It's important to understand that even those Ice Plains people who claim to be bathed in divine blood are relying on their physical bodies to withstand the bombardment of fireballs. While those thick-skinned Ice Plains people can indeed withstand the power of fireballs to some extent and avoid being blown to death on the spot, they are far from being able to shatter fireballs with a single roar from these Minotaur.

These minotaurs are likely no less powerful than the Ignivas. The Thirty-Sixth Akakage keenly realized this.

Deploying war directly would not be a wise move.

Of course, the main reason is that these minotaurs have come to us willingly. Now that we have a way to find out their strengths and weaknesses, there is no need to confront them head-on without knowing anything about them.

"Let them come over first."

With that in mind, the 36th Akakage prepared to meet these minotaurs first.

Led by the warriors, these minotaurs were transported to Ignis, the ancestral home of the Igniswas. Although it had been ravaged by the Ice People at the end of the Old King's era, the ancient city had been renovated thanks to the efforts of several generations of Crimson Shadows.

After the mountain-moving movement began, people were more willing to move to this ancient city because it was closer to the snowy mountain. This was partly to make it easier for them to dig tunnels further west, and partly because the sacred mountain was on the way, making it easier for them to get closer to the great serpent god.

Of course, nowadays, he should be called Taiyi God.

In order to provide spiritual inspiration to people during the tunnel excavation process, the Thirty-Sixth Akakage once vigorously promoted the belief in Taiichi God. At the same time, in order to alleviate the work pressure of those excavators, the Thirty-Sixth Akakage also established several festivals to worship Taiichi God.

The minotaur envoys entered the city just as the harvest festival was taking place.

This was no coincidence; it was deliberately done by the Ignivas who were leading the way. After all, they had all realized how out of control they had been when they saw those gems and gold—their drooling expressions were as if they had never seen anything good before, almost no different from those of the Ice Plains people.

So rushing into the city during the harvest festival is a way for them to get back at the minotaurs and show them the prosperity of the Ignivas.

The giant wooden serpent, carved from solid wood, raised its head, and a large number of pills were fed into its mouth—this was a traditional feature of the harvest festival. The enormous wooden serpent, manipulated by the seeker of the Dao, became as if it were alive, and it was always awe-inspiring no matter how many times one watched it.

Naturally, this scene startled the minotaurs, while the Ignivas who were leading the way felt a surge of pride.

"This is our great serpent god, the One God."

Seeing that the minotaurs were still somewhat confused, one of the Ignivas in the group began to explain.

"He brought us Ignis a bountiful harvest, and we worship Him every year..."

"Does the snake bring abundance?"

The minotaurs were stunned for a moment, then shook their heads.

"How could a snake bring abundance? It is the god of the bull, Dehennu, who is in charge of the harvest."

“Dehennu created all things, and the sun and moon can revolve because of Him. With His will, all things can grow and crops can be harvested.”

"As for your serpent god..."

"It was probably created by Dehennu as well."

Upon hearing this, the previously lively crowd immediately fell silent.

(End of this chapter)