Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 860 - 479: Exploration of the Kingdom of the Lake, Sri Tribes, Northern Sea and Sky_2

Chapter 860: Chapter 479: Exploration of the Kingdom of the Lake, Sri Tribes, Northern Sea and Sky_2

"Mountain Bird, you say these poison arrows are very new?! How long can the poison last on such arrows?"

"...Right after drying in the shade, the toxicity of the poison arrows is at its peak. At this time, the arrowheads need to be wrapped and stored in the quiver, away from light. For the next four to five days, the poison remains potent, breaking the skin means certain death... After that, the poison mysteriously dissipates, gradually losing its lethality. After two weeks, it can only be used to hunt birds and small animals.."

"Break the skin and die... So these arrows were made within the last four to five days!"

Chiwaco’s face turned grave, muttering to himself. His mind was racing, a sense of impending danger surfacing once again.

"So, an enemy Seri tribe is just three days away from us... No, a hunting party wouldn’t travel in a straight line, it should be within two days’ distance!"

"Within two days? An enemy Seri tribe?"

Puap had just arrived. Upon hearing this, a fierce killing intent crossed his face.

"Let me lead the sailors to find this tribe!"

"Old Pu, don’t be reckless!"

Chiwaco shook his head. He looked towards the east of Bird Mountain Island, beyond the narrow strait, to the edge of the continent. The eastern continent was a vast expanse of grey and yellow, an extending desert in the north and south, and the increasingly desolate Gobi Desert.

"Look at the Eastern Coast! Do you really want to lead your men deep into an unfamiliar desert to search for an enemy tribe you don’t even know the whereabouts of?"

"But..."

Puap was momentarily at a loss for words. He stared at the eastern continent, asking hatefully.

"The Seri attacked without reason, killing the warriors of the Kingdom! Are we just going to let this go?"

"Let it go?"

Chiwaco bit his lip, worry surfacing on his face.

"Ah! The Seri attacked so decisively, and many of them got away... I fear they will come back!"

"Hmph! Damn Seri dogs! If they come again, I will personally cut off their heads!"

Puap gripped his bronze short sword, pressing against his leather armor, his face full of murderous intent.

Chiwaco sighed lightly and looked at the archer Kexi.

"Toad, do you remember what the other side said?"

"Uh..."

Kexi scratched his head with his bloodstained hand, staining his hair red, looking both simple and fierce.

"Captain, I don’t remember much... Something, something... Itako!... Yes, also something, Tah-york, Hante!"

"Tah what? Isn’t that the name of an island? What do Itako and Hante mean?"

Chiwaco looked puzzled, turning to Mountain Bird Cavado, who came along.

Cavado thought for a moment and hesitated before answering.

"Itako... should mean kill, kill them! As for Hante, it seems to mean land, soil... it could also be the ancestral land of a tribe!"

"Hmm..."

Chiwaco furrowed his brows, pondering silently. After a while, he murmured.

"Bird Mountain Island is so special, if it’s the ancestral land of the Seri... that could be trouble!"

"What trouble! They’re just Wild Tribes with crude weapons and shabby clothing, relying only on some brute courage!"

Puap’s face was stern, his chest boiling with killing intent, his grip on the short sword unyielding. He had inspected the Seri warriors’ bodies and equipment, finding no decent cotton armor or sharp obsidian weapons. These Wild People only had spears tipped with flint and hunters’ bows, along with a few poison-tipped bone arrows.

"I’ll kill as many as they come!"

"Let’s go! Bring the severely injured and the warriors’ bodies back to the landing camp."

Chiwaco lowered his eyes, calmly giving orders. Then, he looked at the Seri’s bodies, pausing before speaking again.

"As for these Seri bodies..."

"Damn it! Cut off all their heads and pile them on the stone heap covered with bird droppings to warn those Seri dogs!"

"No! Dig a big pit and give them a proper burial. Erect a wooden plank with the Chief Divine’s runes and leave an amulet of the Sun Hummingbird!"

"Old Chi, you!... Hmph!"

Puap widened his eyes, glaring at old Chi’s stern expression. He let out a cold snort but said nothing more.

The men soon followed their captain’s instructions, hastily burying the dead Seri. Then, they carried the severely injured and the bodies of the warriors back to the ship.

"Boom, boom, boom!..."

The assembly drums soon sounded, echoing for a long time. By evening, all the scattered warriors returned, cautiously on guard. They had scouted the island thoroughly, finding no Seri village, only deserted mountains and a river running north to south. Only the Priest Mekate remained on the mountain to measure the angle of the North Star.

The night was heavy, the moonlight dim; the dawn was faint, the midday sun bright. By noon the next day, the unconscious warrior could no longer hold on and breathed his last. Soon, the prepared pyres were lit on the shore, and three bodies were thrown into the fire. Thin black smoke wafted up, spreading into the vast sky, accompanied by low prayers.

The fleet was thousands of miles from the Kingdom, all they could bring back was a pile of still-warm ashes.

Mekate arrived just in time to preside over the funeral ceremony, sending the warriors’ souls to the Divine Kingdom. When the black smoke dissipated, and all was returned to dust, he reported seriously.

"Captain, our current position relative to the North Star is between 28-30 degrees... approximately 29 degrees."

"North Star 29 degrees..."

Chiwaco nodded heavily, pretending to understand.

"Uh, what was it when we started?"

"Tarsas Rivermouth, about 18 degrees of the North Star."

"So, we’ve sailed about ten degrees north?"

Chiwaco scratched his head, grumbling.

"Three whole months, just for these ten degrees... it’s too slow! Should we continue northwards then?"

The old militia thought for a while, uncertain. He then asked.

"Priest Mekate, not long ago, at the position of the Yoreim, what was the degree there? I remember the chieftain with the deer head said there were many bird islands to the west."

"Yoreim... Mayo people..."

Mekate pulled out a rare hemp paper scroll from his bosom, densely packed with small characters and diagrams, recording all the celestial and water observations along the way.

"Captain, it was at 25-26 degrees of the North Star!"

Chiwaco nodded again. After contemplating, he asked uncertainly.

"Priest Mekate, can you find our previous position based on this degree?"

"Captain, the North Star’s degree can only determine north-south, not east-west. However, the east-west direction has another marker, the Eastern Coast. As long as we follow the coast, we can roughly find our previous position!"

"Excellent! Wonderful! These stars in the sky can aid navigation, truly the Almighty’s revelation!"

The old militia nodded repeatedly, joy on his face, sincerely praising. Then, he put away his smile, his expression turned solemn, making a leader’s decision.

"In the afternoon, gather some stones, grayish-white, yellowish-brown, hard ones, and soft ones... pile them in the bottom hold of the ship to bring back to His Majesty! After that, everyone must be on alert tonight, staying aboard the ship! Praise the Chief Divine, He will protect us!"

"Praise the Chief Divine! May the Divinity protect us!"

Everyone responded in unison, looking towards the zenith. Their devout prayers echoed among the towering mountains, startling flocks of flying birds that vanished into the boundless sky. The northern sea and sky were so vast, seemingly endless!