Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 755 - 411: Commerce and Religion, The Silhouette of Lake Capital City

Chapter 755: Chapter 411: Commerce and Religion, The Silhouette of Lake Capital City

As dusk approached, the water reflected the red sun, and the Lake Capital City shimmered in the twilight, like a magnificent painting by the Chief Divine. The expansion of the Great Temple Pyramid was nearing completion, and the tower, standing sixty to seventy meters high, became ever more majestic, resembling the throne of a deity on earth.

Gillim, dressed in a simple long robe and draped in a dark cloak, accompanied by only a few escorts, made his way to the Royal Palace. Though he held the prestigious title of "Lady Snake" and was among the most important advisors to the King of the Alliance, he still led a simple life and maintained a low profile.

Having worked in intelligence for many years, he had long become accustomed to minimizing his presence. At this moment, as he walked the bustling streets of the Capital City, stepping into the shadows of the evening, he moved as if he were traversing a vacant field. No one noticed him, nor could anyone identify him.

The Chief of Intelligence walked past the thriving market, silently observing the merchants coming and going, studying their attire, expressions, and movements. The mid-January New Year celebrations had ended, and the envoys who had brought tributes from various states were gone, but merchants from all over the world still lingered in the Capital City.

With the strength of the Mexica Alliance, wealth from around the world converged here. The Great Nobility had enough wealth to splurge, giving rise to a booming trade. The Alliance itself produced large amounts of obsidian, gold and silver, salt, grain, cotton, and spices, while tribes from all directions contributed furs, tobacco, feathers, shells, rouge, jade, and gold and silver ornaments.

Copper materials from the western Kingdom and the Weytamo mountain area were monopolized by the central government of the Alliance, prioritized for military production. Only merchants with official backing could engage in limited trade and reap huge profits. The craftsmen’s camps operated day and night, forging sharp copper spears, armor-piercing copper arrows, and sturdy bronze cloth armor from vast amounts of copper and tin.

As bronze weapons became more common, the control over obsidian relaxed. Obsidian produced by the Alliance became a highly sought-after commodity among the merchants coming and going. Due to the need for blood sacrifices, there was constant warfare among the tribes. Even the distant Zapotecs annually campaigned against the Maya Tribes of the eastern Rainforest. In Central America, obsidian, a material that could be used as a weapon and held religious significance, was as solid a currency as cocoa beans.

"Why does the Kingdom of the Lake in the west have so many gemstones?"

The Chief of Intelligence cast a scrutinizing gaze at Prepetcha’s gemstone shop.

In just a moment, a significant gemstone trade had been completed. A tall-headed Mayan merchant brought out tens of thousands of kilograms of grain and hundreds of rolls of fabric, trading them for two baskets of various colored gemstones. Both parties’ merchants were smiling happily, and the nearby tax collector looked pleased as well.

The production of gemstones by the Kingdom of the Lake was so immense and the quality so consistent that it even caused the price of gemstones worldwide to drop significantly. Now, the only ones who could afford to buy a large amount of gemstones were the Mayan merchants who controlled the coastal trade.

The Chief of Intelligence knew that the Mayan merchants were buying high-quality Prepetcha gemstones in bulk, not to sell locally but to transport them eastward to the seaside. They embarked on large Mayan sailing ships to trade with countless island tribes in the sea, purchasing cheap tobacco, spices, fabric, and grain with Prepetcha gemstones, even achieving profits up to ten times over!

At this moment, Prepetcha’s gemstones have probably spread to the ends of the world, becoming the third expensive staple currency after cocoa and obsidian.

"Numerous close guards have scoured the kingdom for years without finding any trace of a gemstone mine. All clues, instead, point to the kingdom’s Divine Revelation Place’s special trade bureau."

The Chief of Intelligence looked at the gemstone shop, lost in deep thought. He already had a startling suspicion, but in the current political climate of the kingdom, voicing this suspicion held no meaning.

Most of Prepetcha’s gemstone shops were run by official merchants of the Kingdom of the Lake, who sold large quantities of gemstones stably across the Alliance states in exchange for daily necessities the kingdom needed, especially grain and fabric. These necessities would then be shipped from the northern port of the capital by the kingdom’s naval forces to the west.

The Alliance, reliant on agriculture and war, has always had stringent controls on military and food resources. After the reforms to the religious laws, the outflow of military supplies was strictly prohibited. However, the Kingdom of the Lake was an exception because of its extremely close relationship with the Alliance and received special treatment. His Highness Xiulote, having enfeoffed the external states, both the king and the High Priest took great care of them, providing various kinds of support year after year.

In fact, without the continuous support from the Mexica Alliance, the Kingdom of the Lake could not have possibly restored its production order so quickly, let alone repeatedly deploy troops for conquest.

Apart from support with food, fabric, and tin ore, King Aweit even generously decreed to allow the Kingdom of the Lake to recruit impoverished Mexica farmers and city dwellers from the heavily populated Texcoco Lake District and relocate them to the western lake regions for settlement. The High Priest also ordered village priests throughout the region to cooperate and meet a certain migration quota annually.

Gillim slightly lowered his eyes. According to the intelligence he had, last year alone, more than ten thousand people had migrated from the Texcoco Lake District to the kingdom in the west. The Holy City of Teotihuacan had the highest number of migrants, almost two thousand.

"The king’s trust in His Highness is indeed greater than that for his own children..."

The chief intelligence officer pondered for a moment, then smiled wryly. Next, he watched a slightly overweight tax collector in the market holding an abacus. With the Alliance strictly prohibiting smuggling and forbidding local unauthorized tax collection to protect merchant safety, regulate commodity prices, unify measurements and standards... a series of commercial law reforms had rapidly increased the commercial taxes of the Texcoco Lake District. Now, the taxes collected by the Alliance each year were sufficient to support two legions of eight thousand troops each.

The position of the tax collector, controlled by the Priesthood and the Royal Family, had now become a notorious "lucrative post" within the Alliance. The sons of the Great Nobility who secured this position visibly grew fatter.

"The position of the tax collector can be used to appease the Great Nobility dissatisfied with centralization. And those who hold this position, mostly children of the Great Nobility, gradually wear down like Obsidian weapons, losing their fighting spirit..."

Gillim smiled faintly, catching the attention of the slightly overweight tax collector.

After observing Gillim for a moment, the tax collector suddenly trembled, his complexion ashen. It was the infamous "Lady Serpent," who had executed the most nobles within the Alliance! Rumors among the nobility held that Lady Serpent not only controlled the inspector warriors but also the secretive detective warriors. Not long ago, several tax collectors within the Alliance had been ruthlessly executed for taking bribes and allowing the military trade of foreign merchants.

Thinking of this, the tax collector immediately bowed and began walking towards him with small steps. Gillim glanced indifferently, waved his hand, and silently left again.

The chief intelligence officer continued forward, passing through a community temple. The evening praises emanated from the temple, and the scent of pine incense filled the air. Outside the temple, hundreds of people knelt on the ground, sincerely praying in the direction of the Great Temple under the guidance of the priests.

"Praise the highest Chief Divine! He grants us food, He protects our souls... He shields us during the night, promising a beautiful tomorrow!..."

Seeing this scene, Gillim frowned slightly and quickened his pace. Although knowledgeable in theology, he held little reverence for the divine.

Over the years, religious reforms had deepened, and the glory of the Chief Divine had taken root in the hearts of the people of the Lake Region. In the entire Lake Capital City, the belief in multiple gods had shifted to that of the supreme singular god. The image of the Chief Divine was gradually changing, becoming more abstract, transforming from the cruel and bloody Hummingbird War God to the majestic and benevolent Almighty Chief Divine.

Gillim could feel that with the strengthening of the monotheistic faith, the completion of theological doctrine, the complexity of prayer rituals, and the elaboration of the afterlife world... religion was increasingly controlling people’s hearts, with the priests’ power rapidly inflating and their influence growing daily. Throughout the countries beyond the Texcoco Lake District, devout believers would travel hundreds of miles regularly for pilgrimage.

"The priests’ prayers are getting louder, their speech more forceful, gradually suppressing the Great Nobility across the Lake Region. For the centralization of power by the Royal Family, this is not a bad thing. But the exalted status of the High Priest together with His Highness Xiulote’s Kingdom of the Lake... once the immortal sun departs, how could the king maintain balance and stay securely on his throne?"

Thinking this, the chief intelligence officer was filled with worry. The immense divine power in the hands of the High Priest, closer than even the seven-hundred-mile distant Kingdom of the Lake, was an even more worrying hidden issue within the Alliance. The elder had already heard the calling of the Chief Divine and would not linger in the mortal world much longer. Without Him to suppress everything, should the Great Nobility dissatisfied with centralization collude with divine authority, it was to be feared...

Gillim looked up, the monumental shadow of the Great Temple engulfing the central Temple District and the insignificant mortals below. At the base of the Great Temple, over a thousand believers from various states, tears streaming down their faces, prostrated under the magnificent shadow, praying to this awe-inspiring spectacle, glorifying the Chief Divine!

The chief intelligence officer silently watched for a moment, imperceptibly shook his head, then turned around and headed towards King Aweit’s palace.

There, King Aweit, who had endured through blood and fire and controlled strategies, was seated high on his throne, waiting. The king’s gaze, as calm and deep as Lake Texcoco yet as piercing as the burning red sun, looked towards the East.