Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 1061 - 647: Second Kingdom Exploration, First Close Encounter

Chapter 1061: Chapter 647: Second Kingdom Exploration, First Close Encounter

The tide rises and falls, flooding the coastal mudflats, washing over the calloused feet. The Putun warriors stand by the sea, raising shields and long spears, letting out beastly roars and wolf howls.

However, amidst their demonstrations and threats, seven invading longships once again approach, gradually nearing the shore. Dozens of canoes gather once more, with tribal warriors on board raising javelins, ready for combat at any moment.

By the coast, the chieftain of the Short Spear Tribe, Mochi, clad in wooden armor and wearing a vibrant feather crown, carried seven thick, short javelins. He stands among the tribe warriors, observing the sea invaders. Beside him are hundreds of tribal warriors in wooden armor, each also carrying javelins on their backs.

The Short Spear Tribe is the strongest among several Great Tribes of the Putun Tribe on the great plains. They occupy the open grasslands by the sea and the fertile downstream of the Great Grass River, named after their thrown "short spears." Most tribal warriors excel at throwing javelins and darts, especially the elite tribal warriors, who can even hit a running deer.

"Hmm? This is..."

Chieftain Mochi squints his eyes, looking at the Kingdom fleet by the shore. The fleet approaches for a while, then stops again. Next, a small canoe is lowered from the large ship. Two sailors row the small boat toward the crowd at the rivermouth. On the boat stands a foreign priest in a white robe with a feather crown, holding a book, alongside a Maya commoner with a long head but no face tattoos.

"Witness of the gods! Esteemed chieftain of the Putun Tribe! We are the envoys of the fleet, from the western Nava Tribe. We mean no harm! We come bearing gifts and wish to be your friends!"

From a distance of several hundred paces, the Maya commoner on the boat raises both hands high, shouting at the top of his voice, in the standard northern city-state accent.

"City people?... "

Hearing the accent, Chieftain Mochi furrows his brow slightly, then his attention is caught by the words that follow.

"Nava Tribe?!"

The Nava expedition five hundred years ago completely changed the landscape of the Maya world, bringing with it many eastward migrating Nava tribes. To this day, scattered Nava tribes remain in the jungles several hundred miles westward and have had previous contact with various Putun tribes. In the northern lowland city-states, there are many groups that speak Navajo, remnants of the collapsed Toltec Kingdom. Naturally, the Putun tribes, being considered barbaric Mayans, roaming the vast central grasslands and mountains, do not speak Navajo.

"Bring them over!"

More than a dozen tribal warriors surge forward, wielding shiny obsidian spears, spread out to guard the two landing individuals, leading them towards the strong chieftain. Priest Tomate, wearing a feather crown, faces them fearlessly and calmly. On the side, the Maya merchant Tikalo trembles nervously, near tears. Despite his reluctance, he steps by step, enters the "barbaric" realm of the Putun tribe.

"A brave Nava priest, a timid Maya commoner, what an interesting combination!"

Chieftain Mochi’s lips curl with curiosity. But it is merely curiosity, not kindness. He grabs a sharp javelin, holding it in his hand, watching the two get closer and closer, until they are within ten paces!

"Ancestors bear witness! The invaders shall die under my short spear!"

Chieftain Mochi shouts fiercely, raising a sharp short spear, and without hesitation, suddenly throws it forward!

"Whoosh!"

Maya merchant Tikalo shudders instantly, his knees go soft, and his body lowers almost half its height. He breaks out in a cold sweat on his back, recalling being used as a target by the Lord, blurting out a phrase.

"Chief Divine bless!"

"Chief Divine bless!"

The javelin whistles as it attacks, within ten paces, there’s no time to dodge. Priest Tomate closes his eyes, standing still, fiercely praying a phrase. Then, he feels a coolness on his scalp, the feather crown on his head is precisely shot off by the javelin. As he reaches to touch his head, he vaguely feels the scalp, evidently having a bald patch, truly life and death in a moment.

In full view, the feather crown symbolizing the priest’s identity was shot off. Priest Tomate narrowly escapes death, has no time to fear, as the anger in his heart rises steadily. His eyes fierce, he reprimands loudly in Navajo.

"Chieftain of the Putun Tribe! I come bearing the light of the Chief Divine, with the goodwill of the Mexica Alliance! How dare you rudely act, offending the dignity of the Chief Divine?... The powerful alliance rules the highland, with tens of thousands of fierce warriors! Do not let the scripture of the Chief Divine drop from my hand!"

Hearing Priest Tomate’s furious rebuke, the bright forehead of the Maya merchant breaks out in cold sweat. He can’t wait to stand up straight, racking his brains, translating loudly.

"Esteemed chieftain of the Putun Tribe! This is the War God Priest from the Fierce Tiger Tribe, coming with piety and friendship! Why would you attack without cause, harming the friendship of the noble priest?... The mighty Fierce Tiger Tribe rules the western highland, with warriors twenty times your number! Please do not let the kind priest be disappointed, drawing the wrath of the spirits!"

"The mighty Fierce Tiger Tribe, with warriors twenty times our number?"

Upon hearing this, Chieftain Mochi becomes slightly serious. He does not believe there is such a powerful tribe in the world. However, since the opposing side possesses seven large ships and hundreds of long-voyaging warriors, coming from a large Nava tribe should be beyond doubt. But why would such a tribe suddenly appear on the tribe’s land?

Chieftain Mochi ponders silently, carefully assessing Priest Tomate in front of him. Priest Tomate, still simmering with anger, grits his teeth, observing the Maya chieftain before him. Moments later, both parties’ expressions shift slightly.

"A slightly long head, facial tattoos, but without the eyes of a fighting chicken, nor filed teeth... The so-called divine features of the Maya nobility barely exist on this chieftain’s face!..."

Priest Tomate shifted his gaze slightly and saw the opponent’s strong arm, robust build, and rough large feet. Without a doubt, the leader of the Putun Tribe before him was also a formidable tribal warrior. This was starkly different from the Maya Divine Descendants he had seen along his journey.

Chieftain Moqi scrutinized the Navajo Priest in front of him, allowing his gaze to linger on the bronze axe at his waist. Then, with curiosity and a bit more seriousness, he acknowledged that such a robust priest was rare among the Mayan tribes. Pondering for a moment, he clenched his fist and thumped his chest firmly to express a warrior’s respect.

"Priest of the Navarre, the gods have departed, they will not unleash their wrath, nor will they return! I threw the short spear and beseeched the ancestors with spirit. Since you are not dead, you are not an invader. Now, tell me! Why has your fleet appeared on our land?"

Upon hearing the chieftain’s words, Tikalo wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling slightly at ease. As long as the other party was willing to engage in dialogue, rather than chopping people down at first sight, he would have room to employ his wits. He quickly made some slight modifications and translated the chieftain’s words, whispering a reminder.

"Throwing javelins upon meeting is both a show of intimidation and a demonstration of extraordinary combat skills, as well as a test of your courage... Priest Tomate, they have not offended the Chief Divine, so about our gift..."

Priest Tomate pretended not to hear. With a commanding gaze, he stared directly into Chieftain Moqi’s eyes and spoke in a clear voice.

"The Mayan gods have long departed, but the Nava Chief Divine has just ascended to the highest! He continually performs miracles, guiding us with divine revelation, leading an immensely powerful alliance. Our fleet has traveled from three thousand miles away, neither coveting your land nor bearing any hostility towards you. We have appeared here, guided by divine revelation, bearing a sacred mission to journey to Snake Island in the Eastern Sea!"

"Miracles? Divine revelation?..."

Upon hearing this, Chieftain Moqi shook his head. Since the calamity of the gods, there had been no divine revelation in the hearts of the various Putun tribes. However, understanding the devout nature of other tribes, he curiously inquired further.

"Witness of the ancestors! Did you really come from three thousand miles away? And what is your mission?"

"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! We are to journey to the Eastern Sea and prepare on Snake Island to confront the white-skinned demons!"

At this point, Priest Tomate’s expression was firm as he reiterated the prophecy of the white-skinned demons. Chieftain Moqi listened in surprise, his eyes widening. After a while, he finally came back to his senses, shaking his head vigorously.

"The ancestors with spirit have never given us enlightenment. But if invaders were to come, regardless of their appearance, we would fight them!... Priest of the Fierce Tiger Tribe, I respect your mission, as well as your devotion and courage. You are a qualified warrior! But if you have nothing else to say, you may leave! Do not set foot on our land again!"

"..."

Priest Tomate bit his lip, saying nothing, feeling somewhat frustrated. He bent down, picked up the priest’s feather crown from the ground, and placed it back on his head. Then, he looked at the obsidian javelin on the ground, pondered for a moment, and stood up straight again.

"Chieftain of the Putun Tribe! One of the purposes of our fleet’s eastward journey is to convey the prophecy of the Chief Divine. Since you have listened to the divine revelation, you shall receive the Chief Divine’s gift!"

Saying this, Priest Tomate reached into his bosom, took out a pouch of gemstones, and handed it to Chieftain Moqi’s trusted aide. Then, he bit his lip and took off the exquisite bronze axe at his waist, directly handing it to Chieftain Moqi.

"Hmm?"

Chieftain Moqi glanced at the gemstones in the pouch with no change in expression. The Short Spear Tribe rarely traded with the city-states and did not place much importance on the gods’ favored gemstones. Then, he took Priest Tomate’s bronze axe, touched the sharp blade, felt a slight pain in his finger, and his eyes immediately sharpened.

"Oh! This axe..."

Chieftain Moqi turned his palm, facing the bright sunlight, and was astonished to see his cut finger.

"What kind of axe is this? It’s so sharp!"

"This is the axe granted to warriors by the Nava War God, not only sharp but also resilient."

Mayan merchant Tikalo seized the opportunity to speak with a smile.

"And each warrior of the thousands in the Fierce Tiger Tribe has one such god-given battle axe!"

Hearing this, Chieftain Moqi raised an eyebrow. Holding the obsidian short spear, he clashed it against the bronze battle axe with force.

"Screech!"

With just one powerful strike, the tip of the short spear was chipped off, while the blade of the battle axe remained unscathed. Seeing this, Tikalo’s lips curled into a smile as he looked at the equally smiling Priest Tomate. Then, the two men turned to the shocked Chieftain Moqi, eyes full of expectation.

Chieftain Moqi’s expression changed several times as he thought deeply for a while. Moments later, he finally raised his head again, his eyes cold, and pointed to the two of them.

"Take them! Send an envoy to tell the Fierce Tiger Tribe! Bring a hundred god-given battle axes to exchange for their War God Priest!"