Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1056 - 642: The Second Kingdom Exploration, Singing and Dancing, Farewell to Friends

Chapter 1056: Chapter 642: The Second Kingdom Exploration, Singing and Dancing, Farewell to Friends

The moonlight was like water, falling upon the Long River, bright and indistinguishable. The bonfire flickered, illuminating the flat riverbank and the busy crowd.

Crocodile King Quinn led four hundred Maya warriors, standing on the riverbank, personally observing the scene of the trade. Hundreds of Maya civilians bowed their heads, bent their backs, and carried wide bamboo baskets, like obedient worker ants at someone’s command. Basket after basket, all kinds of precious goods were piled on the riverbank front of the longship. Meanwhile, dozens of kingdom sailors were also carrying bags of expensive gemstones to the other side of the riverbank.

"The Chief Divine bears witness! A bag of gemstones exchanged for twelve baskets of salted fish... traded for ten bags of cocoa, eight rolls of cotton cloth, six bags of tobacco, four jars of honey..."

Mayan merchant Tikalo, proficient and familiar, called out the prices of the goods, presiding over the transaction between the two parties. Soon, baskets and baskets of goods were transported onto the ship, while bags of consistently high-quality lake gemstones flowed into the hands of the Mayan nobility.

Hearing these bargain prices, Crocodile King Aayin beamed with satisfaction. Red Lake Town lies downstream of the Red River, a hub of trade for dozens of Maya city-states upstream. The Maya nobles in each city-state sit high above, never overthrown by mortal people. For hundreds of years, they have accumulated immense wealth, even lacking places to spend it. Yet, the nobles’ intense craving for gemstones has never been fully satisfied!

Lake gemstones are of excellent quality, suitable for decorating walls, crafting statues, adorning clothing, teeth, worn around the neck and arms, and offered at ceremonies to the divine, buried alongside divine descendants in tombs. In other words, with so many gemstones in his possession, he was never concerned about selling them. The bargains from this gemstone fleet are a steal, earning once to feast for three years!

With that thought, Crocodile King Aayin turned his head, jade pegs clashing against his teeth, muttering a few words. Warrior Leader Chaha bowed and complied, then hurriedly left with a batch of civilians, seemingly to fetch more goods.

"Dark Snake, what are you dazing off for? Hurry up, buy all forty jars of honey! With so many people here, what’s there to fear about not finishing?"

Old militia Chiwaaco placed his hands on his hips, holding a bronze spear, waving his big hand. His eyelids twitched, but he shouted without hesitation. Frankly, old Chi had never been so lavish in his life.

"Ten baskets of dried spices exchanged for six bags of lake gemstones? Bought! Ten bags of crystal amber exchanged for ten bags of lake gemstones? Bought!... Ten bags of pure jade exchanged for thirteen bags of lake gemstones? What’s there to hesitate about? All bought!... You bunch of dumb logs, if you don’t buy all of these, will they even spare us to leave?... What? It’s not worth the price? Mayans are our brothers, even if not worth it, we have to buy!"

Dark Snake lowered his head, carefully holding a large jar of honey, heading for the ship. Mayans possess beekeeping techniques, producing high-quality honey, abundant in quantity, with prices much lower than on the Mexican Plateau. Such a precious sweet treat, even when Atlixco City was still in the family’s hands, he only tasted it during festivals.

"Such delicious honey... even the fearsome God of Death might not have tasted it, right? Old Chi actually lets us sailors eat freely... wah wah wah, old man is really kind!"

Dark Snake sneakily opened the lid of the ceramic jar a crack, extending his finger, stirring vigorously, and then sucked it thoroughly into his mouth. The sweet taste immediately filled his heart, making his eyes smile into crescents. Sailor Didi squatted nearby, drooling as he watched. He also held a jar of honey but didn’t dare to sneak a taste.

"Here, have some too, it’s on me!"

Dark Snake glanced around, the crew looking towards the trade on the riverbank, their eyes gleaming. He then decisively lifted the ceramic lid, offering the honey to Didi.

"Eat quickly, eat quickly! You’ve never tasted honey this sweet!"

Sailor Didi tremblingly extended his hand, carefully dipped some honey, and tasted it. Momentarily after, his eyes turned star-shaped, tears of happiness spilling from the corners. He took two more bites but suddenly felt unstable, as if intoxicated.

"I... I’m a bit dizzy..."

"Haha! Didi, seems like you’ve never tasted anything this sweet! Just a little bite, and you’re dizzy!"

Dark Snake chuckled, turned his head to look around, and then gazed at the moonlight in the sky. Tonight’s weather was perfect, the evening breeze calm and serene. Sailing could actually be this wonderful!

"The night is perfect, and the fire bright! All regular warriors, put on leather armor, warriors above third level, switch to copper armor, be ready for battle anytime! If these Mayans don’t behave, I’ll send them off to meet the Moon Mother!"

On the flagship, Puap, draped in copper armor, armed with a greatbow, strapped with a copper axe, exuded a murderous aura. Behind him, dozens of Prepecha warriors were fully equipped, ready for combat.

Brave warrior Huitu watched for a moment, his gaze fixating on the peculiar-looking Crocodile King Aayin. He closed one eye, gauging the distance, frowning. He pondered for a while, then looked to his side, asking in a deep voice.

"See that strange divine descendant? Peculiarly shaped, holding a divine staff! At this distance, who among you has confidence to hit?"

The warriors listened and looked over, seeing the Maya chieftain a hundred-odd steps away, all silent, except for two archers who stepped forward. Puap focused his gaze and saw it was Mountain Bird Cavado from the Yoreim group, and Frog Kexi, a surviving scout from Tiburon Island. And next to them, Silver Raven Warrior Fish Eagle opened his mouth, then looked again at the unfamiliar greatbow in his hand, choosing silence.

"Good! Mountain Bird, Frog, both of you prepare! If the other side makes any move, release the arrows together and shoot that Crocodile Divine Descendant!"

The two divine archers nodded silently, holding the greatbow in one hand, gripping copper arrows with the other, secretly regulating their breathing. On the riverbank, Crocodile King Aayin seemed to sense something and glanced at the ship. Soon, he gazed attentively at the warriors’ armor, greatbows, and copper axes, pondering.

"Hmm... these warriors from the Fierce Tiger Tribe seem very capable! These armors and weapons..."

Crocodile King Aayin estimated the number of warriors on the ship, feeling warier. At this moment, the trade on the riverbank was nearly concluded. The Mayans were exchanging precious cinnabar, gold, and silver grains for an equal weight of gemstones. Such high-value goods wouldn’t amount to much; exchanging two thousand pounds would likely suffice.

"Friends from the Fierce Tiger Tribe! Your armor and weapons seem quite extraordinary..."

Crocodile King Aayin wore a smile and pointed towards the ship.

"The Moon Mother Goddess watches over us! Could you bring your armors and weapons for me to take a look at?"

"Hm?..."

The old militia Chiwaco pondered for a moment, then responded with a smile.

"Honorable Chieftain Aayin, the Moon Mother Goddess bears witness! Our friendship is as unending as the Long River. On behalf of the fleet, I can give you five bronze spears, two bronze axes, and a crocodile leather armor!"

"Oh? Not bad, very good!"

Crocodile King Aayin nodded with satisfaction. In no time, a sailor from the kingdom hurried over to deliver the weapons and armor to the escort of the Maya chieftain. Crocodile King Aayin tested the hardness of the leather armor, raising an eyebrow. Then, he tried the blade of the spear, which easily pierced into the soil. Crocodile King Aayin’s eyes flashed as he picked up the bronze axe, ordering a Maya warrior to take up a flint dagger. As they clashed, the dagger tip snapped while the bronze axe blade remained unscathed.

"Hiss!"

Crocodile King Aayin suddenly changed color. He pursed his lips and, after lowering his gaze for a moment, reopened his eyes with a genuine, amicable smile.

"Haha! As expected of the warriors of the War God, the voyagers who bear the divine will! These equipments are truly enviable!... Praise the Mexica War God!"

"Praise the Chief Divine! Praise the Moon Mother Goddess! The gods bear witness, we are all friends!"

The old militia nodded with a smile, responding with a few words. Then, both sides suddenly fell silent, as if neither was inclined to speak further.

The Long River flowed gently, and the firelight flickered softly. Once the trade was concluded, the warrior leader Chaha reappeared, now accompanied by over three hundred Maya warriors. Witnessing this, all the kingdom’s warriors on the seven longships emerged, each armored and bow-ready, cautious and alert.

"Moon God protect us! Chieftain, I have brought enough warriors. Shall we..."

"Hm!"

Crocodile King Aayin raised his palm and gently waved it. Then, maintaining a serious demeanor yet smiling, he kindly addressed the fleet as the transaction came to an end.

"The Fierce Tiger Tribe is our friend! Let us send them off with song and dance!"

The Long River flowed endlessly as the sounds of celebratory singing and dancing reverberated along the shore. Warrior leader Chaha brandished a long spear, dancing a farewell war dance while mimicking the call of a cat owl. Crocodile King Aayin gestured with a divine staff, to which Chief God Priest Tomate responded with a similar gesture. The faces of more than a dozen Mayan nobles bore satisfied smiles, each holding a pouch of gemstones gifted by the fleet, as well as a copy of the Chief Divine’s "Book of Ama Colley."

Dark Snake embraced a honey jar, observing the genuinely welcoming crowd on the shore, filled with emotion.

"Truly simple-hearted Mayans! Such kind and hospitable Divine Descendant Nobility!"

Priest Tomate stood at the ship’s bow, watching the gradually receding shore and the slowly departing Mayan people. The bright moon was setting slowly, as the morning sun’s dawn began to rise.

"His Highness said, the world’s hustle is all for gainful exchanges. As priests guide people, they should act according to circumstances, ruling with both kindness and power!... Whew! It is truly the Chief Divine’s protection that we could emerge from this meeting unscathed!"

Priest Tomate glanced upward slightly towards the eastern sunrise, silently praying for a moment, before reciting a passage noted by His Highness.

"Alas! The Chief Divine cherishes the world, bestowing divinity upon people’s hearts. People originally have no desire to become demons, but are perpetually driven by material desires, often unconsciously becoming demons!"

Upon hearing this scripture, Maya Tikal raised an eyebrow, lowering his eyes. He sighed, looking at the hopeful red sun, whispering to himself.

"...If not becoming a demon, how can one survive? I have wagered my life on this journey, and am with all of you! Chief Divine protect us!"

Both silent and spoken prayers dissipated into the sea breeze. And in the corner of the fleet, Dark Snake and Didi clung to their honey jar, like two rats, snacking happily. The old militia Chiwaco, from far away, looked at the two sneaky youths, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Ha, onward we go! Kick aside stones when encountered; leap over puddles when met. A living person, after all, won’t be stifled by a mere need to urinate... Onward we go, there is no need to look back!"

Further ahead, Puap stood at the ship’s bow, still clad in armor. The valorous Huitu warrior did not look back. He gritted his teeth, gazed upon the eastern sea and sky, mumbling fiercely.

"Serpent Divine Descendant, Xiu Family... Your lord Huitu is coming!"