Aztec Eternals

As April draws to a close, the sea breeze becomes wetter and the weather becomes hotter. Zuwaro, tanned, stood at the bow, looking out. The vast sea is endless, and the long journey has come and gone, and the familiar scenery also greets his eyes. Not far away, three long rivers came from the east, converged and parted, and flowed into the boundless West Sea together. And a low and prosperous city-state appeared on the fertile soil interlaced by long rivers.

"Whoa! Praise the Lord God! It went four thousand miles north and turned back three thousand miles. It took more than three months to sail seven thousand miles back and forth. The fleet finally returned to the land of the Tekos and arrived at the city of Three Rivers! And from here again Traveling southeast for a thousand miles, we returned to the coast of the Kingdom, the mouth of the Talsas River. This shocking and long journey is finally coming to an end! "

Thinking of this, Zuwaro felt emotional. As a Prepecha priest from Apa County, in the past 20 years, the largest lake he has known is Lake Ato, which is more than 100 miles long. The longest road he ever traveled was only more than three hundred miles from Apa County to the capital of Chin Cong Chan to study at Shenwei University.

However, after he graduated from Shinway University in the capital with excellent grades, an order came from the chief minister, the sage Jatiri. And this order itself comes from His Highness's will. In various affairs of the kingdom, young priests who graduated from Shenwei University will always be given priority.

"Witness of the Lord God! Travel four thousand miles to the north, scout out information along the way, stay with familiar tribes, trade coal, and dig for guano stones."

The newly promoted priest Zuvalo, full of piety, embarked on a long journey to lead the merchant fleet and perfect the northern sea route. A vast world that he had never imagined suddenly came and walked towards him. But at this moment, after traveling through seven thousand miles of waves, his whole body has lost weight and turned into a black charcoal, leaving only a pair of piercing eyes, always looking into the distance.

"O supreme Lord God, thank you for protecting me! What a vast sea, what a boundless northern land, what raging waves!"

Zuvaro prayed in a low voice, looking at the more than 20 catamaran canoes around him, the cargo carried on the boat, and the warriors and sailors with weather-beaten faces. Scenes of voyage memories flashed in his mind.

"More than three months ago, I took thirty-four catamarans and more than four hundred warrior sailors, carrying gems, weapons and spices, and set off from the mouth of the Talsas River. We first arrived at the land of the Nantex people , trading along the banks of the Fire River Plain. In recent years, the tribes of Colima have surrendered to the Kingdom of the Lake, and the trade between the two sides has been very frequent. The land of the fruit of the tree", Zongshi Town. The area around Zongshi Town has already been infiltrated by long-distance businessmen from the south of the kingdom. According to the tradition of the kingdom, long-distance businessmen must shoulder the mission of collecting information."

Zuwaro squinted and looked far to the southeast. Zongshi Town is on the seaside six or seven hundred miles away, and it is the first key town on the northbound trade route. And the second key town is Sanhe City where the fleet is located.

"At Three Rivers City, the Trapanic merchant who surrendered to the kingdom, Trali, took six or seven ships and seventy to eighty people, and separated from the brigade. His task was to present gifts and make friends with the chieftains in Three Rivers City. , and found out detailed information about the various ministries of North Tekos. Although this businessman lacks faith in the main god, he has had friendship with the various tribes of North Tekos for many years, and he is also very afraid of the kingdom and His Majesty, so there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Zuvaro pondered for a while, thinking in his heart. Some great chiefs in Sanhe City once planned the attack of the kingdom's expedition fleet. One of the tasks of the merchant Tralee is to investigate the tribes and chiefs involved in the attack and seek refuge from other chiefs. Before there was any reliable news, the merchant fleet led by him would bypass Three Rivers City and resupply at a Tekos village dozens of miles away, where the leader was more reliable.

"Witness of the Lord God! When the army of the kingdom arrives, these tribes and chiefs who dare to offend will be sent to the sky one by one to meet the Lord God!"

Zuvaro held the sun talisman and prayed silently, feeling ruthless in his heart. He sent a small boat with several sailors to inform Tralee, a merchant in Three Rivers. Then, the Kingdom's merchant fleet set sail again, passing through Sanhe City without entering.

"The northern sea route is desolate after all. The Three Rivers City of the Northern Tekos people is the last city-state on the route. After passing the land of Northern Terkos, along the coast, and six hundred miles northwest, there is a big river that flows into the West Sea. This The estuary at a moderate location is the third important node on the route. The fleet can camp here, replenish fresh water, salvage fish, and hunt some birds and beasts that come to drink."

"However, when we boarded the mouth of the river and set up camp, we encountered a fierce Huichol (Teopan) tribe (Teopan) on the banks of the great river with abundant prey."

Zuvalo looked north, his expression flashing. Ten days ago, they returned from Yushan Village of the Totomei people and rowed continuously for more than 400 miles before stopping at Dahe Estuary to recuperate wearily. It's just that no one expected that the Thorpan tribe had just migrated to the river mouth area, and the ancient and sacred Mitote ceremony (Mitote) was being held.

This inherited ceremony has an obvious wilderness atmosphere. The Torpan tribe of more than a thousand people first migrated for dozens of days, and then hunted huge bison or groups of gray wolves. After obtaining the internal organs and skulls of these beasts, the tribe will follow the guidance of the priests of the wasteland to find a vast or towering place of divinity.

Then, the priests of the wilderness will offer sacrifices to the gods and the mother of the earth in the place of divinity, praying for their divine power to come. The wilderness warriors picked special cacti, sat down against nearby trees or rocks, and took cones with hallucinatory effects. These tribal warriors will sit quietly with their eyes closed, whisper to themselves, try to communicate with the gods in their dreams, and get enlightenment from heaven and earth. As for the leader of the tribe, together with the priests of the wasteland, they will use the skulls and blood of wild beasts for divination to decide whether to settle here.

For the Huichol people who migrate indefinitely, such a ceremony is very important, and it will last for several days to decide the migration, settlement, war, and even survival of the tribe, and no outsiders should be disturbed. Around the place of the ceremony, the Thorpan Department sent many alert scouts, lurking in the mountains and forests, to ensure the progress of the ceremony.

When the kingdom's merchant fleet went north, it used to replenish fresh water here and scouted the surrounding situation. So when they came back from the south, they boarded the river bank with little defense, and camped to rest. And in the evening, when night falls, danger strikes. The merchant fleet camped on the shore was directly surrounded by hundreds of fierce Torpan fighters.

"Huh! It's really the Lord God's blessing! At that time, the spears of the two sides were facing each other's foreheads, and it was only a little bit short, and I was going to the Kingdom of God!"

Thinking of that evening with hidden murderous intentions, Zuvaro's forehead was dripping with sweat, and his heart beat a little faster. He shook his head vigorously, thinking about the reaction of the Huichols, he couldn't help feeling puzzled.

"It's really strange! Why does this tribe say that?"