Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1002 - 602: Era Epic, Sage’s Great Achievement

Chapter 1002: Chapter 602: Era Epic, Sage’s Great Achievement

The lanterns flickered, and the long scroll unfurled, as beautiful as a painting of rivers and mountains. The king lifted his brush, painting the world with sweeping strokes. In the north were undulating highlands, with divine peaks too vast to grasp with one hand; in the south was the long river like a jade belt, gracefully winding, inviting exploration. And at the river’s end, on the map, surrounded by valleys, the lotus blooms and withers, reflecting the most beautiful scenery in the world!

"Roar! A myriad of flowers bloom, majestic and magnificent! This Lake Capital City, this taste of conquest... truly exquisite!"

After a night of toil, the flicker of the lamp faded in and out, with no memory of where the brush had landed, only the recollection of tiger roars and fox cries. It was not until the following morning that Xiulote awoke from a deep sleep. He looked at the table, and the painting scroll was long gone. He recalled last night’s painting, and the fire in his body reignited.

"Power and beauty, reflecting each other, most alluring... Eh?! As I look at the kingdom’s report, why do I feel such a strong desire? Am I... desiring... the world?"

Thinking of this, Xiulote furrowed his brows, pondering silently. He looked at last night’s incense burner, already extinguished, with even the ashes cleared away. The king showed confusion, and after a long moment, he breathed out heavily and tapped his head.

"Whew! The temptations faced from the throne are ten times stronger than those of ordinary mortals! If one were to be overwhelmed by desires..."

Xiulote shook his head and stood up. He donned a robe, covering his well-defined, chiseled upper body. Then, he searched with his eyes but saw no sign of the little fox, unsure where it was curled up resting, after last night’s exhausting ordeal. The young king chuckled and walked to the door, speaking in a deep voice towards the outside of the hall.

"Bur... Ecatl!"

Ecatl, draped in Leather Armor, appeared outside the hall. He knelt on one knee, respectfully inquiring.

"Family Head?"

"Come! Train swords with me!..."

What they called sword training was actually sparring with wooden blades, just like Obsidian war clubs, only the weapons were lighter. Ecatl wielded his blade with great strength, slashing horizontally. Compared to Bertade, he was less nimble and delicate, but more fierce and unstoppable. Such intense combat allowed no time for thought, and everyone’s fighting style was a direct reflection of their character. Through this sparring, Xiulote gained more understanding of the new Guard Commander.

After a bout of sparring, the young king was drenched in sweat, his mind finally cleared of distractions. Finally at peace, he turned to reviewing the remaining kingdom reports. After the documents from the County Magistrates of the five counties, he then opened the documents from the Chief Minister, Sage Jatili, to review the comprehensive overview of the kingdom.

"Honorable Majesty, this old official bows beneath the Divine Tree in the lake, reporting to the Divine Eagle of the sky... After four and a half years, the epic chronicle of the origin of the world has been initially compiled. At the Divine Power University, over ten several-meter-high inscribed stone slabs have been erected, engraved with drawings, pictographs, and square script. Henceforth, all Kingdom Priests in training and visiting foreign emissaries can look up to observe and learn about the common mythology of various tribes and the immortal divine will of the five epochs!"

Sage Jatili first mentioned the epoch epic, which he personally oversaw the compilation of. This was an immense and profound task that required great effort from the sage to finally reach this initial stage of completion.

This epoch epic starts with the First Era, narrating the mythological age of 5,000 years ago when the ancestors first emerged and the divine revelations were bestowed upon them; then the Second Epoch, 3,000 years ago, with the Olmec Era, when the ancestors shared the same origin and were one people, the Jiao People; further on, the Third Epoch, 1,600 years ago, the diverse tribes dispersed and built marvelous edifices during the Teotihuacan Period; following that, the Fourth Epoch, 600 years ago, the turbulent times of frequent floods and tribal warfare; finally, the Fifth Epoch, where the Chief Divine chose the Mexica king, promising the world and the reunification of all tribes, which is the era of integration currently taking place!...

"Unity of origin in the world! The tablet drawings passed down by all tribes, the temples built by all tribes, the pyramids established by all tribes, the turquoise revered by all tribes... For thousands of years, the cultural memories left behind by all tribes share similarities and commonalities. Over these years, I have painstakingly traced the origins of each one, providing illustrated explanations and mutual corroboration... so that future generations may know the truth of the five epochs!"

Upon seeing this, Xiulote nodded deeply, feeling a genuine admiration in his heart.

To integrate the various tribes culturally, it is not enough to compile mythological epics; there must also be illustration boards, wondrous monuments, and artifacts used for explanation and proof. How to interpret the drawn tablets and paintings handed down? How to prove the pyramids constructed are of the same origin? How do ancient artifacts testify to the lineage of the Jiao People? These tangible proofs are the key and the challenge.

"Incorporate two parts indistinguishable imagination into eight parts of reality; from the tangible evidence, derive the desired conclusions... Turn false into true, turn illusion into reality, blend truth with falsehood, intertwine the unreal with reality... Simply put, to construct a mythological epic that convinces, withstands the scrutiny of future generations, to integrate the people’s hearts, and be recorded for posterity!"

Reflecting on this, Xiulote’s expression flickered. Such grand cultural construction cannot be achieved without sufficient accumulation of knowledge. And without enough power to enforce it in the world, such cultural construction is also meaningless. A unified culture must be coupled with a unified empire! And at this very moment, as the various tribes are still in ignorance and writing is just beginning to sprout, it is the last and best opportunity!...

"The empire’s legions can conquer various peoples and rule millions. But if the empire wants to sustain itself without becoming fleeting, cultural integration must be completed to establish a common identity! This task has some similarity to Sima Qian’s writing of history books. But facing a more primitive and complex society, it needs to be done more thoroughly... The First Emperor’s burning of books and burial of scholars to eradicate old traditions is also necessary!..."

Xiulote pondered for a moment, his determination growing stronger. He tightened his lips and continued reading downward.

"The branches of the common Divine Tree stretch everywhere, northward to the endless continent, southward to the boundless rainforest... All tribes of the world have always come from the same ancestor; they are different branches of the Divine Tree. And the roots of all tribes are tightly connected! Whether it’s the Mexica, the Prepetcha, the Tlaxcala, the Tekos, the Totonac, the Vastec, the Mistec, the Zapotecs, the Tepanec, the Maya corn people, the Taino People of the eastern islands, the hunters of the north, the gold people of the south... all are Jiao People! The tribes that scattered during the Second Epoch will surely reunify in the Fifth Epoch! This is the testament of the ancestors, the promise of the Divine, the covenant of destiny, and the journey of a great king!..."

Seeing this, the king lowered his eyes, showing a smile. This was his requirement for the sage to include the North American tribes, Caribbean tribes, and South American tribes in the epic as well.

Decades or even a century later, when the kingdom’s colonial teams expand and encounter the Iroquois tribes of North America or the Inca Kingdom of South America, they can present this epic and tell them.

"...We share the same ancestors! Look, in the epic of the ancestors, it is clearly written, you are the dispersants at the end of the Second Epoch! ...And now, the Kingdom’s Warriors have come here to reunify you, to return to your ancestral roots!..."

No matter whether their nobility believes it, as long as the Kingdom’s Warriors and commoners believe it, it will lay the foundation for integration. Forced cultural integration requires the backing of military force, the support of religion, and it needs to be done before nationalism rises.

"Looking ahead hundreds of years, the road is long and arduous. I might not see the reunification of all tribes in my lifetime. But I must sow the seeds, even if not forming a vast American Empire, at least become a Zhou-Li of interrelated culture!"

Xiulote’s eyes lit up, his thoughts wandering far, a deep longing displayed on his face. Of course, the immediate priority is to integrate the various tribes of Central America. To achieve this goal, he has some unique advantages.

"Your Majesty, the initial compilation of the epoch epic is complete, and the subsequent editing and updating must continue. And for this epic to become the consensus of the world, much more needs to be done!... The Kingdom has conquered Cholula City, inheriting hundreds of legacy tablets and Divine Objects. This old official will lead the priests in studying and explaining the legacy drawings, ’discarding the false and retaining the true’... Regarding the priests and elders of various tribes who stray onto wrong paths, spread deceptive words, and refuse correction, may Your Majesty strictly deal with them, so as not to let their poisonous ideas spread throughout the world!"

Seeing this, Xiulote smirked and shook his head in amusement. Sage Jatili, appearing gentle, was ruthless when encountering such "orthodoxy" contests. Yet without such strictness, it would be impossible to accomplish the grand task of cultural unification... He continued reading, looking to the last part of this report, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Your Majesty, I have already arranged for half the image and half the text, to carve the printing blocks of the epoch epic. The scale of the papermaking facility in the Capital City has been expanded once again to ensure sufficient amounts of paper... And the first batch of prints will be ten thousand copies!"