Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1058 - 644: The Second Kingdom Exploration, After the Fleet’s Departure

Chapter 1058: Chapter 644: The Second Kingdom Exploration, After the Fleet’s Departure

"Haha, the shrimp here is so delicious! When we return to the ship, let’s mark this village on the sea chart as Shrimp Village, and call this bountiful lake Big Shrimp Lake!"

The sea breeze was refreshing, with a fragrant aroma wafting through the air. After eating and drinking their fill, the group prepared to return to the ship. Puap reached into his pocket, and after feeling around for a while, generously took out a handful of shiny Lake Gems to pay for the meal that had fed dozens. However, the elderly village chief, with hair streaked with white, smiled humbly, bowing deeply at the waist, and carefully shook his head to refuse.

"Uh? What does he mean by this?"

Puap was taken aback and looked towards the Mayan merchant Tikalo. Tikalo smiled slightly and explained.

"Captain Pu, this fishing village has little contact with the outside world and is not under the governance of any Divine Descendant. They do not accept gems, only goods they can use."

"What? Goods they can use?"

"Yes, like the salted fish, cotton cloth, and cocoa that the fleet traded earlier."

"Uh... how much is needed?"

"Just two bolts of cloth will do. If you’re satisfied, you can add a basket of salted fish. There aren’t many people in their village, they lack tools, and chopping trees or boiling salt is not easy for them."

"Alright. Then let’s take two rolls of cotton cloth and add two baskets of salted fish! The smell of those salted fish is too strong; it makes the samurai on the ship dizzy!"

With a wave of his big hand, Huí Tú Puap had two samurai return to the ship, bringing back the snow-white cotton cloth and the much-detested salted fish. When the old village chief saw the cotton cloth, he showed no expression, but as soon as he caught the scent of the salted fish, his eyes instantly lit up. He bowed his head, prostrated himself, and continuously expressed his gratitude.

"Praise the Rain Divine! You noble lords who stand taller than the heavens, thank you for your generosity!... I will make sure your gracious words are passed on without a single omission!"

Seeing the respectful and kneeling old village chief, Puap smiled with satisfaction. However, he still had some doubts.

"Tikalo, what is he saying? He’s been mumbling for so long!"

"Oh, Captain Pu. He is expressing thanks to the Divine and to the generous noble lords! He also prays to the Rain Divine, wishing us a safe and smooth journey!"

Tikalo’s lips curled up while he respectfully translated. Upon hearing this, the Chief God Priest Tomate pondered briefly, then stepped forward, personally helping up the old Mayan village chief. Then, under the fearful and bewildered gaze of the old village chief, he took out a Sun Hummingbird Talisman from the Chief Divine and placed it around the old chief’s neck.

"Praise the Chief Divine! He has created such delicious shrimp and, through your hardworking hands, let me enjoy it! This proves you are loved by the Chief Divine. Wear this Sun Amulet, pray regularly, and light will naturally come! Praise the Chief Divine! Huitzilopochtli!..."

While praying, Priest Tomate also took out a pictorial "Book of Ama Colley" and placed it in the old village chief’s hands. This time, the old chief was directly frightened into trembling. He looked at the "sacred" images in his hands and plummeted to the ground.

"Honorable Lord Priest! I... I have no sacred bloodline, and I’m still able to work... I won’t accept your offerings. Please don’t sacrifice me to the Rain Divine!"

In the overpopulated, socially stratified Maya Tribes, when common people became too old and unable to continue working, their fate was often to be abandoned in the rainforest by the tribe or directly sacrificed to the various deities. And this "old" age was typically under forty.

"He... what is he?..."

Priest Tomate looked at the extremely fearful old village chief, somewhat surprised. He turned to Tikalo, who pursed his lips and whispered a translation of the old man’s words. Priest Tomate chuckled silently, but halfway through his laugh, he suddenly lowered his eyes and could no longer smile.

Abandonment of the elderly and sacrifice to the Divine, similar to the law of the jungle. The Maya Tribes were like this, as were the martial Highland Tribes, the cruel Wilderness Tribes, and in a world where the average life expectancy was just over twenty, was it any different? Yet, in this coastal fishing village, the lagoon and tides daily brought abundant food, making this old Mayan village chief truly fortunate to have survived to an old age...

"The Chief Divine brings light! His Highness who receives Divine Revelation leads all beings!... Priests should study agriculture and work hard to improve productivity. There need to be more farmlands in this world, where more corn grows to feed more people and allows the elders of various tribes to live longer!... This is the Chief Divine’s greatest compassion!"

Priest Tomate closed his eyes and sincerely prayed to the midday sun for a moment. This scripture segment was also written by His Highness, but in the Lake Capital City’s High Priesthood, it was not something many honored elder priests valued. However, in this moment, Priest Tomate truly understood, sensing a rare glimmer of light in this merciless era.

"... The Chief Divine’s compassion?"

Upon hearing this, the Mayan Tikalo raised his eyebrows, remaining silent. Priest Tomate concluded his prayer, lifted the old village chief once more, then reached out, gently grasped a strand of the old chief’s hair, left behind the scripture and amulet, and turned to leave.

The sun tilted west, and the longship set sail. The Yucatan Peninsula veered north from here, and the coastline emerged on the Kingdom Fleet’s eastern side. Moments later, this entourage from afar vanished at the northern horizon, like a bubble that had never been there.

The old village chief sat by the sea, watching the warm bubbles disappear, lost in thought. Later, with the sun amulet around his neck, he flipped through the "sacred book" he had never seen before, looking at the divine illustrations inside, until evening fell.

As evening approached, the western coastline’s end unexpectedly revealed two more "bubbles." The old village chief gazed for a moment, seeing the familiar flat ship hulls, recognizing them as Mayan ships. The two Mayan oar-sail ships rowed quickly, soon reaching the fishing village on the sandbank. A few Mayan sailors jumped off the oar-sail ships, approaching the old village chief, asking in a deep voice.

"... Has it arrived?"

"... It has arrived."

"... Has it departed?"

"... It has departed."

"... Any other words?"

"... That’s all."

After listening, the Mayan sailors nodded. One sailor took a small bag of medicinal tobacco from his pocket and tossed it at the old village chief’s feet. Then, they boarded the ship once more, disappearing into the northern horizon under the cover of night.

The setting sun completely disappeared, and the night deepened. The old village chief, with a stooped posture, rolled two leaves of tobacco, produced a flint, and laboriously struck a flame, lighting the tobacco. Then, he took a puff, and by the flickering light, contemplated the image of the Chief Divine holding lightning on the scripture, continuing in silence. Until the cigarette nearly burned out, he sighed, closed the scripture, and stumbled over the ancient Tokara Navajo language, reciting.

"Praise... the Chief Divine! Huitzilopochtli!..."

"The ancient... Kingdom of the Toltect, has perished. The Aztecs... call themselves the Toltect. The ancient... Kingdom of Mayapan, has perished. The Tutulxiu... call themselves Mayapan. Now, the Aztecs are about to meet the Tutulxiu. And between them lies the last, the people of Mayapan..."

The ancient Tokara Navajo language recited into the wind, carrying an unspeakable antiquity, only to be drowned out by the sound of the retreating tide. And when the great tide returns, what will it completely engulf?

The old village chief did not know, nor did he want to know. He merely rose slowly to his feet, hunched over, and walked back to the village. Perhaps the scripture should be shown to the youths in the village, as it might be needed in the future. But today, the shoals of salted fish should be hung to dry under the wind-sheltered eaves to prevent them from getting damp and wasting the precious salt~