Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 864 - 483: Exploration of the Kingdom of the Lake, the End of the Bay, the Boundless Northern Continent!

Chapter 864: Chapter 483: Exploration of the Kingdom of the Lake, the End of the Bay, the Boundless Northern Continent!

"Ancestors witness, Chief Divine watches us! I, Chiwaco, swear that the fleet will soon release the captives and leave the ancestral land of the Luwei people. The tribes in the Lake and the Konkaklik Tribe are friends, not enemies!"

"The flames of the ancestors witness this oath! I, Lobster Pikam, swear as long as the leader of the Large Ship releases me back to my tribe and leaves our ancestral land, he is my friend! I will lay down my weapons and join him in sharing and singing the northern songs of the ancestors."

The two men cut their palms, and blood immediately flowed. Then, solemnly, they first swore in different languages, then simultaneously extended their right palms, pressing them together tightly, letting the crimson blood mingle!

"Ancestors witness! The blood oath will not change!"

After the shouts, the blood oath was completed. In this era, the oaths of ancestors and blood held a sacred power in people’s hearts, a promise respected and adhered to by tribes across America!

After swearing the oath, Pikam’s face softened considerably and even wore a smile. Chiwaco laughed heartily, his face still twitching in pain. The two applied some yucca juice and bandaged their wounds. Then they bowed their heads, touching foreheads like a mountain cat and a wild deer meeting for the first time.

"Friend! Let me go, I won’t attack anymore!"

"Hmm... alright!"

Chiwaco hesitated slightly, then carefully untied the ropes binding Pikam. Pikam moved his thick wrists, glared fiercely at the ferocious Puap, then looked deeply at the old Militia. Then, he sat cross-legged on the deck.

"Friend, I’m thirsty and hungry. Is there anything to drink and eat?"

"...Yes."

Chiwaco raised an eyebrow and gave a low order. Soon, a sailor brought over hard corn cakes, watered-down black bean paste, and some non-perishable light fruit wine. Central America was not lacking in fruits, and fruit wine was common for both commoners and warriors.

"Gulp, gulp!"

Pikam drank several big gulps of the fruit wine, his face showing surprise and satisfaction. Then he took big bites of the cakes, spooned the bean paste, chewing like a bear gnawing on corn.

"Mmm... delicious! Mmm... tasty!"

"..."

Chiwaco’s eye twitched, watching Pikam wolf down his food. As a chieftain of a tribe, he ate as if he had never tasted food before, not even as civilized as the Warriors of the Kingdom.

"It seems that although the Luwei people are as combative as coyotes, their food is rather scarce."

Soon, Pikam finished his drink and cakes, licking his fingers with a bit of reluctance.

"Friend, your tribe in the Lake, eats very well!"

Chiwaco smiled and nodded.

"Good, good! Friend, are you full?"

"Me? Of course not! But this is enough, if I eat too much, I won’t be able to run."

Pikam shook his head. As a member of the Desert Tribe, food was always a major issue. They were generally lean and tough, with no excess fat, and rarely had the chance to eat heartily.

"...Uh, well then. There are plenty of cakes on the ship, you can take a bag back with you when you leave."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

Chiwaco blinked, seeing Pikam’s face light up with delight. The old Militia smiled kindly and patted him on the shoulder, then got down to business.

"Lobster, how many warriors did the Luwei bring this time?"

"Warriors? Our warriors are as numerous as the stars in the sky, impossible to count! Across this vast desert, extending to the distant North, our tribes are everywhere. To defend the sacred ancestral land, all tribes set aside their differences and united! And more tribal warriors are still on their way!"

Pikam straightened his back, speaking boastfully.

The range of the Luwei people was indeed broad, but mostly in arid deserts, severely lacking in food, making long marches difficult. Only the tribes within a hundred or two hundred miles could mobilize warriors to protect the ancestral land. Moreover, they couldn’t abandon fishing and hunting to stay long. Other tribes wouldn’t send more than a few warriors skilled in battle. Reinforcements, whether they existed or not, made little difference.

"Uh... okay."

Chiwaco blinked, noting Pikam’s guarded expression, and refrained from asking further about the Luwei warriors. He thought about it and changed the topic.

"Lobster, why is that Tahyok Island your ancestral land?"

Hearing the translator’s explanation, Pikam sat up and solemnly replied.

"Friend, Tahyok Island is the common ancestral land of all Konkaklik tribes. No matter where the tribes are, whether on the east, north, or the Peninsula on the west of the Great Island, each has a song passed down from the first ancestor."

"The west of the Great Island, the Peninsula?"

Hearing this, Chiwaco took note.

"What, there are also songs?"

"Yes. We are a tribe skilled in singing, using songs to pass down epics."

Pikam looked up, gazing into the vast night, watching the boundless sea, and sang softly.

"At such a time, as night falls. The Spirit Whales reside around the ancestral land, floating and diving in the sea, hiding in caves... Swift-running tribesmen! When you visit the ancestral land at midnight, you will see the giant Spirit Whales sliding on the waves. This is a sign of good fortune, protectors of the tribes! Look at them, they will leave the water, rise in the air, and fly towards you! Envelop you with mighty spirits, bestow upon you divine blessings... This is the covenant of the ancestors and the Spirit Whales, at this blessed ancestral land! You shall be free from evil attacks, bestowed with powerful healing, able to walk safely in the dark night... Tahyok is the sacred land, the island of the Spirit Whales!..."

"Tahyok, sacred land, island of the Spirit Whales..."

Chiwaco gazed at the sea, vaguely seeing the rising and falling whales. He bowed his head slightly, paying respect to the mythic legend. Then, the old Militia felt a bit troubled. Scratching his head, he asked seriously.

"Friend, the Great Chief of the Lake tribe sent us to sea to find the islands where the flock of birds resides! This Great Island has flocks of birds but is your sacred ancestral land. So, are there any other islands nearby?"

"Oh! So, you are searching for the sacred islands."

Pikam scratched his head, casting a wary glance at the warriors on the ship. After thinking for a bit, he pointed westward.

"Friend, in a long and narrow bay, we have a large number of whales and countless seabirds. In the northwest of Tahyok, a day or two’s rowing, there is another large island with many birds. To the southwest, there are several small islands with many birds. Then, if you follow the long Peninsula to the west, turn south from the middle of the Kochimi people’s territory to the southernmost small tribes, there are many small islands along the way!"

"We are in a long and narrow bay? The west is a long Peninsula? So, the end of the sea is to the Northwest?"

Chiwaco was surprised. He always thought he was still sailing on the vast sea.

"Yes. We are in a bay, and the west is a north-south stretching Peninsula. Blessed by the Spirit Whales, it’s calm and tranquil. The tribes paddle small reed boats to fish in the sea without worrying about the waves."

Pikam nodded firmly. As the chieftain of the tribe, endowed with epic tradition, he knew the surrounding conditions. He turned and pointed northward.

"Since it’s a bay, naturally, there is an end. From here, paddling a small boat for about ten days, you will reach the end of the bay, the edge of the northern desert. That’s the direction our ancestors migrated from. North of the bay, west, and east, all are our Konkaklik tribes! The vast northern wind comes from the broad Northern Continent and mountains, called ’haaha’ or ’haitáapa’!"

"’Haaha’? ’Haitáapa’?"

Chiwaco widened his eyes, repeating the mysterious words, feeling the mystical power.

"Yes! ’Haaha’!"

Pikam exclaimed, his face full of piety and longing.

"’Haaha’ is the northern wind, the true wind. ’Haitáapa’ is the truth of all, and the place of tribal origin! Ancestors, to escape the dreadful flood, had to leave the warm and fertile lands. Through hardships, they journeyed long distances, singing inherited songs, shaking stone bells. They traveled south along the coast, south all the way, across thousands of miles, finally blessed by the Spirit Whales, settling in the desert and bay! And Tahyok is where the ancestors met the Spirit Whales!"

In the end, Pikam emphasized again. His eyes still gazed north, whispering dreamily.

"Maybe, in my lifetime, I can journey a thousand miles to the ancestral origin. To see what the fabled fertile land is truly like!"

In the Luwei language, "east, west, south" were ordinary terms. Only "north, northern wind" symbolized noble origin. The fertile soil of Luwei’s origins might be around San Francisco Bay in California.

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Chiwaco was dumbfounded. He clicked his tongue in surprise, asking incredulously.

"Lobster, did you say there is boundless land to the north of the sea?"

"Of course! According to our ancestors’ songs, the northern lands are endless, with lively rivers and numerous tribes like forests. The bay where the ancestors lived was always warm and bountiful in food, the east being continuous mountains, never threatened by cold tides. Only terrible floods..."

Pikam sighed. Ancestors’ songs mentioned that fields could yield several times, but in this arid and desolate land, there was hardly any fertile land for farming. The tribes had long lost the planting skills, unless...

The Lobster Chieftain glanced deeply south, pursing his lips. Then, as if remembering something, added.

"Friend, you misspoke. The north isn’t the end of the sea, it’s the end of the bay. West of the long Peninsula is still the endless sea. Our ancestors moved south along the coastline, so our language is different from surrounding tribes."

"Hmm, I see."

Chiwaco nodded slightly. He touched his wrinkled old face, pondering in silence. According to the Lobster Chieftain’s description, the bird islands are along the Peninsula to the west, heading south, that’s the way home. But going north, ten days by small boat, probably less by large ship, reaches the northwest bay’s end, some endless Northern Continent’s border... "Next, should the fleet head south to explore the sea bird islands, or continue north to see the endless Northern Continent?"

The old Militia frowned deeply in thought. After a moment, he glanced at Puap’s expression, lowered his eyes, and finally made a decision!