Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 765 - 416: Golden Altar, Fireworks

Chapter 765: Chapter 416: Golden Altar, Fireworks

The sun shone brightly, the sky clear for miles. The noonday sun beamed down upon the Divine Might Priest University, as if under the Chief Divine’s gaze. The golden statue of the Sun Hummingbird stood proudly at the center, glittering radiantly; the Divine Curtain with the hand-held lightning soared high, fluttering in the wind.

After all, the Divine Might University was a religious university, and the symbols of the Chief Divine were visible everywhere. Vivid murals were carved into the stone walls, narrating the miracles and legends of the Chief Divine. And in the vast training ground, there were also two sublime altars dedicated to the Chief Divine. One was in gold for the Sun God, and the other in red for the War God.

At this moment, dozens of Priest Craftsmen were busy with care on the altars. Hundreds of Imperial Guard Warriors, clad in copper armor, maintained order in the field. Hundreds of priest apprentices solemnly waited beneath the altars,

Amidst the crowd, Yilian stood on tiptoe, craning her neck to gaze at the two altars. On the gold altar, there were several heavy wooden boxes with earth spilling from them, and inside the boxes were more than a dozen sealed short bamboo tubes. On the red altar, there was a strange, huge spherical paper ball, about six meters in diameter. The bottom of the paper ball was unclear, seemingly with some additional arrangement, and beside it was a turkey tied by the feet, gobbling noisily.

"The items on these altars are all imbued with a mystical significance, like offerings for some ritual."

Yilian pondered in her heart, her gaze finally finding the God of Death Great Chief. The Great Chief, clad in sturdy white gold armor, strode onto the golden altar and then conversed with Divine Revelation Priest Neierke on the altar.

"May the Chief Divine bless us! Is everything ready?"

Xiulote asked solemnly.

"May the Chief Divine bless us! Your Majesty, everything is ready!"

Divine Revelation Priest Neierke was somewhat excited. Originally a senior salt worker from Prepetcha, he had been selected by the Divine Revelation Place, becoming a gunpowder craftsman for the kingdom, and had been promoted to a First Level Divine Revelation Priest. He prayed devoutly to the Chief Divine and saluted the king.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Praise Your Majesty! As you commanded, we used tough old bamboo as the release container. We first added a sufficient quantity of launching gunpowder into the bamboo tubes, leaving one end open. Within the launching gunpowder, we then embedded many flammable small paper balls, filled with the same gunpowder and different mineral powders. As long as we light the fuse at the open end, the gunpowder will shoot out the paper balls and then ignite them, creating the Chief Divine’s grace, fireworks of various colors! Sacred fireworks!!..."

Neierke said, pointing to the markings at the bottom of the bamboo tubes.

"Your Majesty, you see, the bottom of the bamboo tubes is marked with the colors of the fireworks and also records the added minerals!"

"Excellent!"

Xiulote praised with a smile. He took out a firework bamboo tube and examined it carefully for a moment, noting it was not much different from the earth-made fireworks he remembered.

Fireworks generally use a Second Level layered gunpowder structure, with the First Level being launching gunpowder, which requires greater explosive force to send the simple Second Level structure into the sky. The Second Level structure is color-emitting gunpowder, mixed with various coloring agents. The Second Level structure of earth-made fireworks is relatively simple, but in future high-altitude fireworks, the Second Level would include specialized fuses, detonators, gunpowder, and light beads.

Of course, for a king, the simplified earth-made fireworks were sufficient.

After the inspection, Xiulote nodded in satisfaction. He himself took a firework bamboo tube and instructed Neierke beside him.

"Light the fire!"

A moment of silence ensued, with hundreds of apprentice priests watching unblinkingly as the king and the craftsman on the golden altar prepared. Neierke lit the fuse, the king raised the bamboo tube high, aiming at the sky. Then there was a sharp explosion that resounded in the ears of all spectators!

"Whizz~ Boom~ Crack!"

On the continent of America, amid the reverent gaze of the crowd, the first brilliant firework rose more than twenty meters into the sky, then burst open with a bang! It was a red firework, blooming like a red cicada flower, suddenly unfolding before everyone’s eyes, then in an instant, it was gone, leaving only a faint scent of fireworks in the wind!

"Ah! Praise the Chief Divine!"

A low prayer arose from the mouths of the watching apprentice priests, soon turning into neat, exuberant praise.

"Praise Your Majesty!"

Xiulote’s eyes widened, silently gazing at the fireworks in the sky. A flood of ancient memories surged into his heart, evoking a sense of longing that haunted his soul. Scenes from New Years of the past appeared like frozen stills, like distant, unreachable dreams.

The King cast his gaze downwards, calming the tumultuous emotions within him. It had been a very, very long time since he had felt such sentiment, even touched by it.

On the altar, Neierke bowed his head in prayer for a moment before reporting back to the King.

"Your Majesty, the red fireworks contain cinnabar powder."

"Excellent!"

Xiulote nodded slightly, and all his emotions seemed to vanish with the gesture. The composition of cinnabar was strontium sulfate crystals, and the burning of strontium salts produces a red light, a flame color reaction mentioned in high school chemistry. Next, he picked up a bamboo tube marked for purple fireworks and ordered in a deep voice.

"Ignite!"

"Whoosh~ Boom~ Pop!"

After a few breaths, a purple firework bloomed in the sky above, seemingly blending into the dark firmament. The apprenticed Priests watching once again gasped in awe, exclaiming the grace of the Chief Divine! If the fireworks during the day were already so fantastical, what kind of dazzling, colorful spectacle would they be at night?

"Your Majesty, the purple fireworks are made with wood ash."

Wood ash is essentially potassium salt, which burns with a light purple flame reaction. The King paused, then picked up a green-marked bamboo tube.

"Ignite!"

With a thunderous explosion, green fireworks blossomed in the sky, contrasting against the azure backdrop, tinged with a faint blue. In the legends of the Tekos Mountains, green flames were the passage to the land of the dead, capable of communicating with the fearsome God of Death.

Yilian watched the peculiarly colored flames blankly, her heart filled with reverence for the deities, yet also with an uncontrollable anticipation.

"The wondrous flames are the power of the deities! How then did the mysterious Great Chief God of Death grasp this?"

The King watched the pale blue flames and, without waiting for Neierke to speak, said in a low voice.

"Green with a touch of blue in the fireworks, here copper powder is added."

"Indeed! Your Majesty’s Divine Revelation."

Xiulote reached out for the next bamboo tube, a smile appearing on his face.

"Yellow marked, sodium salt."

The King’s eyes flickered with understanding, and an enigmatic Mnemonic Verse unexpectedly came to mind. He murmured softly, and Neierke listened attentively, yet it sounded like a spell of strange words.

"Lithium purple-red, calcium brick-red, strontium carmine, barium green-yellow, sodium yellow, copper green, potassium rubidium purple..."

After igniting more than ten bamboo tubes of fireworks, Xiulote finally ceased, satisfied. He looked towards the faces below the altar—shocked, fearful, devout, yearning—and smiled faintly. Then, the King spoke out loud, recounting the Principles of Nature he had long prepared.

"The Chief Divine is the highest and greatest, He who sets the Laws for all things, sustaining the operation of heaven and earth, never defying them. The Principles of Nature are the very essence of the Chief Divine! There is order and law in everything under heaven. Only by exploring the Principles of Nature can we grasp the supreme power!"

"The creations of the Divine Revelation Place are all derived from the Principles of Nature. Today, I will use these wondrous creations to reveal to you a glimpse of the Mystery of Deities behind the world!"