Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1047 - 636: The Second Kingdom Exploration, Moon Mother Goddess, The Lure of Destiny_2

Chapter 1047: Chapter 636: The Second Kingdom Exploration, Moon Mother Goddess, The Lure of Destiny_2

"That old bastard’s been buried for years. His Majesty hasn’t mistreated him, gave him a grand funeral, and now there’s probably nothing left but bones... What are you thinking about?"

"... Old Qi, have you ever dreamt of the head of the Hummingbird chief coming to seek revenge on you? You did slice it off with your own hands!"

"Ha?! He wants revenge on me? I’m the one who wants revenge on him! My wife is dead, my son is dead, my daughter is half-witted, all because of him!... Ha!"

Chiwaco felt a surge of emotions, both angry and hateful, but somehow ended up laughing. He shook his head with a smile and sighed.

"Ah! Forget it, I killed him and avenged myself. There’s nothing more to say, it’s settled... Old Pu, stop overthinking, keep the Samurai ready, be on guard! We’re approaching the Mayans’ land, I feel uneasy, like something’s going to... Anyway, just pay more attention!"

"Hmm."

Puap nodded his head, lowering his gaze in silence. Yes, Puap was not a family Samurai of the Hummingbird chief, nor had he betrayed them... The Divine Eagle Curse shouldn’t fall on him. All things considered, if the Divine Eagle had a spirit, the one it would hate most would be himself...

"I am cursed and destined to die... Only the most revered Heavenly Serpent Divine Blood can lift the Divine Eagle Curse..."

Puap pursed his lips, looking towards Tikalo. The Mayan merchant also looked up and gave him a gentle smile. Puap had many things to ask, but with so many people on the ship, he couldn’t find the right moment to speak... Moments later, the two of them turned their gazes away simultaneously, keeping their thoughts to themselves. Yet their destinies were like magnets, gradually drawing closer to each other.

The sea was unpredictable, the tides surged violently. Under the bright sun, the fleet left the second ancient city, the ruins of La Venta, continuing their exploration eastward. Guided by the Mayan merchants, they traveled two hundred and fifty miles east, arriving at a sizable Maya village and town, Red Lake Town.

The fleet docked at Red Lake Town, sending crew ashore to replenish food and water, gather surrounding information, and sell a small amount of gemstones.

Red Lake Town had a scale of about several thousand people, with several villages in its vicinity and a large trading market. It lacked wooden fences and city walls, so it couldn’t be called a city. However, it had a Temple Pyramid over ten meters high, which was the reason it was called a town.

The name Red Lake came from a huge lagoon to the east of the village town, Red Lake. Red Lake was vast, its waters glistening with waves, teeming with flying birds and swimming fish, surrounded by large expanses of mangroves and swamps. This Great Lake was formed by a bay enclosed by a sandbar, making it, unfortunately, a naturally low-saline saltwater lake, difficult to cultivate around it.

Red Lake was connected to the Great River upstream. The sandbar enclosing the bay was formed by silt carried and accumulated by the upstream Great River. Locally, this river was called the Red River (now Rio Seco), named similarly because of the dense mangroves along its banks.

"Oh! You’re talking about this Red River, it’s quite remarkable, very long indeed!"

Tikalo, with a smile on his face, stood at the shore, pointing to the southern upstream of the Long River. There lay the depths of the contiguous rainforest, stretching into rising hills and even the mountains of Chiapas.

"This Long River flows southward for about two thousand miles! In reality, it’s not just one river, but many rivers connected together! These rivers diverge into various tributaries, linking all the southwestern Maya tribes into one, a region blessed by the Moon Goddess! There’s even a tributary that skirts the edge of the southern mountains, directly flowing into another sea!"

"And this Great River is more than just a name. It passes through countless Maya tribes, villages, and city-states. Each city-state gives it a local name. So, you ask me, what kind of river is it? To me, it’s the Moon Goddess Ixchel, who controls the floods from the divine bottle of tiger claws, pouring out the Great River, our Mayans’ Mother River!"

Listening to Tikalo’s account, everyone in the fleet looked towards the south. The Long River flowed from the depths of the rainforest, bringing goods and canoes from the upstream trade. The Mayan merchants from various tribes spoke similar yet different languages, trading at the markets along the riverbanks.

A keen-eyed mountain eagle observed for a while, noticing the frequently used trading items among the merchants that served as "money." The most common were cocoa beans, cotton cloth, small jade stones, and large bags of salt. Of course, there were also the Lake Gems gradually flowing into the world.

"The Moon Goddess controlling the floods, the divine bottle of tiger claws?"

Hearing such descriptions, Puap was somewhat curious. It sounded somewhat similar to the Prepetcha people’s traditional Moon Goddess, Xaratanga. But upon a closer inquiry, he understood that it was an Earth Mother Goddess-like deity.

"Oh! The Moon Goddess Ixchel is a great, revered, and awe-inspiring Mother Goddess! She governs the floods of the rainy season, women’s weaving, and childbirth. Poisonous snakes are coiled on her head, her hands and feet are tiger claws, and she holds a small bottle with endless floodwater. If you anger her, she’ll pour out massive floods, and even the mightiest city-states, like the great city Divine Capital Tikal, will face destruction!"

Tikalo reminisced for a moment, his expression somewhat complex. The greatest natural disaster feared by the Maya tribes was flooding. The rainfall in this rainforest was excessively abundant and unpredictable, reaching over 2000mm in a year. The periodic flooding that could submerge whole areas repetitively destroyed the farmlands of each state and tribe, posing the greatest threat to the Maya civilization.