Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1054 - 640: The Second Kingdom Exploration, Mother Goddess’ Blessing, Treasure Ships Coming from the East!

Chapter 1054: Chapter 640: The Second Kingdom Exploration, Mother Goddess’ Blessing, Treasure Ships Coming from the East!

The sunset descended, imprinting deep colors on the towering temple. The moon rose high, casting shadows and lights on the splendid palace. With a group of Maya Warriors accompanying, they stepped onto the silt-congested riverbank, passed through the gradually emptying market, and walked down streets lined with shacks. As the stone houses grew more frequent, a wide, two-story square palace appeared before them.

Chief God Priest Tomate observed the street scenes along the way with interest. Although Red Lake Town wasn’t large, it had plenty of brick houses. Most of the brick houses were within the inner circle’s nobility and warriors’ gathering area, outnumbering those in the ancient Feathered Serpent City of the Totonac people, with many being two stories. Clearly, the Maya’s brickmaking and building techniques were quite advanced, and the degree of obedience among the commoners was very high, with wealth more concentrated on the upper echelons.

Along the way, they also saw a small temple under construction. The temple facade was carved with a black Wolf God with a red tongue. The Wolf God stood on white silver sand, clutching a large gemstone and wearing a golden crown on its head.

"Hmm? This is, this is!..."

Priest Tomate paused, suddenly recalling something. He was speechless, and his expression started to falter.

"Haha! Priest from the Fierce Tiger Tribe, you guessed it right!"

The Warrior Leader Chaha smiled, forcefully patted his chest, and pointed towards the small temple.

"This is indeed the spirit from your Fierce Tiger Tribe! Bringing the Wealth God, Xiuluo, who bestows us with gemstones and copper artifacts!"

"We...Wealth God Xiuluo? Isn’t that the blind one..."

Old Militia Chiwaco’s eyes widened, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Haha! The Highland’s Wealth God indeed works miracles! He sent us gems that became the standard for trade, making commerce more prosperous. And just as the construction of the temple was completed, treasure-laden large ships arrived from the West!... Come, my friendly friends, please follow me. The venerable Water Serpent Descendant is waiting in the palace!"

"Treasure-laden large ships?"

Upon hearing this, Chiwaco’s eyes revealed a glint. He was about to inquire further but saw Warrior Leader Chaha lift the palace’s cloth door and gesture for everyone to enter.

The stone palace had two levels, the lower level being wide and the upper somewhat smaller. At this moment, dozens of Kingdom’s Warriors and sailors were sitting cross-legged in the lower level of the palace, eating and drinking heartily alongside hundreds of Maya Warriors. Some even held Maya maidens in their arms.

"Damn! These heartless turkeys!"

Chiwaco gritted his teeth, scanning the crowd harshly. Seeing the fleet’s captain and priest enter, the dozens of warriors and sailors froze, awkwardly standing up from their seats in a panic. A Kingdom’s Warrior hurriedly pushed away the woman in his arms and hastily explained.

"C-Captain, they forcibly invited us here..."

"We’ll talk about it later!"

With a stern face, Chiwaco glanced at the Maya Warriors standing in the palace and gave another order.

"Continue eating!"

As they spoke, they ascended the stone steps, reaching the palace’s second floor, which was far more luxurious. The walls bore murals of deities, colors of feathers hung down, and there was a sculpture of the Moon Mother Goddess inlaid with gemstones.

The Moon Mother Goddess held a small green vial in her tiger claws. On closer inspection, the vial was actually made from dozens of the Kingdom of the Lake’s emeralds, bonded by an unknown adhesive!

"The great Moon Mother Goddess, watching over this land! We worship and show piety, making her pleased so that floods will not descend, and wealth will flow with the waters to us!"

At this moment, a Maya Divine Descendant, donned in a magnificent robe, with a Feather Crown on his head, and a Divine Staff in hand, sat solemnly on a red volcanic rock low seat, gazing at everyone. He had a long divine head, peculiar cockfight-like eyes, long hair coiled like a serpent, and mysterious blue and yellow facial markings.

Tikalo stood at the back, raising an eyebrow. Here stood a true Maya noble, fitting the oldest Maya aesthetic.

The forehead was long and flat, shaped by bound wood planks when the skull hadn’t solidified at birth. The odd eyes were developed by hanging objects moving back and forth before infants, training them through continuous observation. The coiled hair, like knots, was adorned with feathers, resembling the tail of the Serpent divine. Whereas the blue facial markings symbolized the sky communicating with the Divine Realm, and the yellow ones represented corn, a plea for a bountiful harvest from the Rice God.

To attain such a divine-like face required nurturing from a young age, with pains and hardships beyond imagination. This distinctive appearance was also the necessary price for ruling over the commoners! Without a divine-like bearing, how could the Maya Nobles instill faith in the godly warriors and people? And a Maya commoner born into humble origins could never lead warriors and people, as they couldn’t even pass the divine facade test!

Hence, in thousands of years of Maya epics, the protagonists were always heroic divine descendants and priests, with perhaps an extraordinary noble warrior added in. Countless commoners were truly just eternally toiling, driven, enslaved, and sacrificed ants. Such a stable hierarchy of class was beyond what the martial-focused Nawa Departments on the Highlands could achieve.

"True Maya nobility, their divinity is not merely in their visage, but also in their mouths..."

Tikalo pondered, staring at the poised Maya Divine Descendant. Soon, the Maya Divine Descendant raised the Divine Staff, smiling as he welcomed them.

"Friends from the Fierce Tiger Tribe! I am the descendant of the Moon Goddess, sovereign of the City-State and all people. Crocodile King Aayin welcomes your arrival, and the wealth you have brought with you!"

Crocodile King Aayin’s words made Chiwaco, two steps away, jump in fright. The old militia member inhaled sharply, observing the other’s slightly curved teeth, filed to sharp points like serpent fangs, embedded with small blue gemstones between the "serpent fangs," flashing with treasure light as the mouth opened.

Meanwhile, the center of the red tongue was pierced by a stone spike, hung with a thin jade peg, which clinked divinely against the teeth while speaking.

"Hiss! How brutal! Filing the teeth like this, then piercing the tongue and hanging a jade peg... that must be agonizing!..."

Crocodile King Aayin, seeing the old militia’s shock at his divine visage, was quite satisfied. He waved his hand with a smile, indicating no formalities needed. Then, he pondered slightly before standing up, holding the Divine Staff, approaching Chiwaco, and condescendingly handing him a sky-blue, half-hand-wide ancient jade token. Engraved on the jade plate was an old woman with tiger claws and snake hair, the image of the Moon Mother Goddess.

"Friend from the Fierce Tiger Tribe! This is the token of the Water Serpent Descendant, a symbol of friendship acknowledged by the Moon Mother Goddess! Coming up is the welcoming banquet, where friends may eat and drink to their heart’s content, with beautiful maidens attending... This is a welcome the Moon Mother Goddess recognizes!"

Crocodile King Aayin smiled while expressing goodwill once more, his gaze swept over the astonished crowd, lingered briefly on Tikalo’s less divine face, then moved on unconcerned. Subsequently, he heavily pounded the Divine Staff on the bluestone ground, emitting a crisp "ding-dong." Crocodile King Aayin offered no chance for retort, announcing in a clear voice.

"Friends welcomed by the Moon Mother Goddess! The divine has already decreed, known to the coastal Maya tribes. Sailing treasure-laden ships, you came from the east, following divine guidance, first docking at my City-State. This is the Goddess’s shelter and the Wealth God’s blessing. Come! After the banquet, friends may enjoy eating and drinking to your heart’s content, with beautiful maidens attending... This is a welcome the Moon Mother Goddess recognizes!"

"What? Are we the fleet of gems? Known by the coastal Maya tribes?!..."

Upon hearing this, the old militia was stunned, looking to the Chief God Priest beside him. Priest Tomate frowned, gazing around, noticing the Maya Warriors who had stood up, and issued an instruction.

"Carry on eating!"

With that, they strolled up the stone staircase, finding themselves on the palace’s more opulently appointed second floor, with walls adorned with divine murals, draped in colorful feathers, and featuring a gem-encrusted Moon Mother Goddess sculpture.

The Moon Mother Goddess clutched a small green bottle in her tiger claws. Upon close inspection, this little bottle turned out to be crafted from numerous emeralds from the Kingdom of the Lake, bonded together with an unknown adhesive!

"The great Moon Mother Goddess blesses this land! We serve her with devotion and she rejoices, ensuring that floods do not fall and that wealth flows in with the waters!"

At that moment, a Maya Divine Descendant, clad in luxurious robes, wearing a Feather Crown, and holding a Divine Staff, sat solemnly on a red-colored volcanic rock low seat, gazing at the crowd. He possessed an elongated, divine head, peculiar crossed eyes like a cockfight, long hair tied like a snake with inserted feathers, resembling the tail of the serpent divine. The blue facial markings symbolized communication with the divine sky, and the yellow ones emulated the color of maize, a prayer for a bountiful harvest from the Rice God.

Tikalo, standing at the back, raised an eyebrow. This was truly a Maya Noble, fitting the most ancient Maya aesthetics.

To acquire such a god-like visage, one had to begin training from a very young age, enduring pain and hardship beyond imagination. But such a unique appearance was a necessary cost to govern the common people! Without a divine bearing, how could Maya Nobles inspire faith in the godly warriors and the masses? And a common-born Maya could never possess the ability to command warriors and the populace, lacking even the divine visage!

In the millennium-long Maya epics, the protagonists have forever been the heroic divine descendants and priests, at most accompanied by distinguished noble warriors.

"A true Mayan noble, his divinity face is not his only feature, it dwells also within his mouth..."

Tikalo mused within, fixating on the poised Maya Divine Descendant. Soon, the Maya Divine Descendant, sitting with dignity, stared at everyone sternly. He had a long, divine head, unusual eyes resembling that of a cockfight, long serpentine hair adorned with feathers, and his face bore mysterious blue and yellow markings.

Crocodile King Aayin finally spoke, sending a tremble through Chiwaco, standing two paces away. He took a sharp breath watching Aayin, who had a slightly curving set of teeth, their tips filed sharp, with the center of the red tongue pierced by a stone spike, a slender jade peg hanging from the center. When he spoke, the peg tinkled against his teeth with a divine sound.

"Sssss! So ruthless! To use a file to shape one’s teeth so sharply and pierce the tongue! That must hurt a lot!..."

Watching the astonished old militia, Crocodile King Aayin seemed pleased. He signaled everyone to rest with a smile, then pondered slightly before standing, clutching the Divine Staff, and approached the side of Chiwaco, handing him a sky-blue, half-hand-wide, ancient jade token with condescension.

"A token of the Water Serpent Descendant, a friendship recognized by the Moon Mother Goddess! Now, welcome to the banquet, friends. Feel free to eat; beautiful girls will serve you!"

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