Aztec Eternals

"Lord God bless, set sail!"

The morning is bright and the sea is shimmering. Two intact longships set sail under the rising sun and rowed east. The old militiaman Chihuaco led the nautical priest Mecate, judged the direction of the wind, and raised the bow and stern sails.

The wind-receiving area of ​​the horizontal sail is relatively small, and the wind-receiving angle is also small, but it is the easiest to manufacture and apply. At present, the alliance's sailing technology is still at a relatively low level, such as complicated triangle sails, schooners and even spinnakers, I am afraid that it will take a long time to explore.

The two longships took advantage of the wind, and the sailors on board rowed hard. In just two hours, after traveling fifty or sixty miles, a large green island suddenly caught everyone's eyes. Around the big island, some small canoes can be vaguely seen, as well as the nearest seaside village on the island.

"Captain Chihuaco, this is the Big Island of Scales! Those small boats are all Taino fishermen. Their fishing skills have always been very good. And that village is where the Taino people live. Kuba said , we can visit directly, and they will be very happy to welcome us!"

Speaking of "Welcome", the Mayan merchant Tikalo hesitated. This journey came from the plateau, and the "welcome" from various ministries along the way was all frightening. Chivaco turned his head and took a deep look at Cuba, only seeing the Cuban guide's face, the joy of seeing the village.

As the fleet approached, the villages on the shore also became clear. The villages of the Taino people can be seen at a glance. There are no fences or walls to cover the enclosure. It may be described as a settlement. Most of the settlements are low and small huts, and in the center are a few large huts with round pointed roofs. In the center of the entire settlement, there is no iconic temple or altar. On the contrary, around the large thatched hut, there are some wood carvings, pottery carvings, and stone carvings erected, with unclear patterns painted on them.

On the outskirts of the settlement is a circular square surrounded by stones, and I don't know what it is for. Further out, there are small fields near the river, scattered widely. There seemed to be many strange mounds in the field. On the tidal flat near the sea, there are several small weirs and dams, and there seems to be something moving in the weirs and dams.

Looking from a distance, one or two hundred Taino villagers are busy all over the village, and the atmosphere is very peaceful. Several fishermen who were fishing were paddling canoes and were the first to spot the longboat. They waved and shouted at the fleet, and then separated two more people to inform the village. In just a short while, the village was boiling with people walking around.

"Bless the Lord God! Put on your armor, set up your bronze spear, and raise your longbow! Prepare to fight!"

Seeing the changes in Taino village, Huitu Puap's expression became serious. With murderous looks in his eyes, he ordered in a deep voice, ready to fight.

Unconsciously, the four canoes rowed closer and closer, entering the range of the bow and arrow, until they reached the edge of the long boat. The Taino fishermen on the boat put down their oars and stood up, revealing their tall and naked upper body. The leading Taino fishermen looked at the longboat warriors and sailors who raised their weapons and bows, and shouted loudly with bright and simple smiles.

"Yaya Yaya! Piragua'? Guarico Ke'? Ana Tanama! Uicu'? Veycosi?"

"Huh? What is he talking about?"

The old militiaman Chihuaco touched his head and looked at Tikalo and Kuba. Kuba looked at the fishermen, stayed there for a while, and translated word by word.

"The great spirit of divinity (Yaya)! The long ship (Piragua')? Come to (Guarico) our land (Ke')? Flowers (Ana) with butterflies (Tanama)! Fruit wine (Uicu')? Tapioca juice (Veycosi)?"

"What? What does that mean?"

Chihuaco looked confused, while Kuba spoke directly, and said a few words in Guanahani to the surprised and surprised Taino fishermen. Then, he relayed with a complicated expression.

"Great spirit, bless all people! Long boats, you come to our village, are you coming to visit us? Beautiful flowers, will welcome the butterflies flying! Come on, you want to drink new brew fruit wine, or freshly pressed cassava juice?"

"."

Hearing Kuba's translation, the old militiaman Chivako and Huitu Puap looked at each other, and their expressions changed a little. The Taino people seem to be very friendly, I don't know if it is true or not. Huitu Puap thought for a while, and then made a gesture, asking the warriors to lower their weapons. Chivaco touched his chin and said gently.

"Tell him that we are friends from the land of Maya! We want to go to the village, talk to the village chief, and trade some water. Please tell the villagers not to be nervous, we have no malicious intentions."

Kuba and the Taino fishermen exchanged a few more words. The fishermen were visibly confused. He scratched his head, rowed the small boat, and led the two long boats to the coast where the crowd gathered. It wasn't until reaching the edge of the coast that the old militiaman Chihuaco was surprised to find that the one or two hundred villagers gathered by the sea were not on guard at all!

In the hands of the Taino villagers, they did not hold wooden spears, stone spears, stone axes or hunting bows. Apart from flint knives, they don't have any weapons on them! The dozen or so villagers standing in the front were holding a few big grass baskets, which contained long cassava bread, fresh palm fruit and guava, and clay pots filled with clean water!

"My friends in the long boat! The flowers welcome the butterflies, and the trees welcome the birds. We welcome you, to our village!"

An elderly Taino village chief, wearing a crown of short feathers, stepped forward happily with his hands raised high. There was a simple and sincere smile on his face. In his hand, there is also no spear, only a handful of rolled tobacco leaves, a spear made of rolled tobacco leaves, "Cohiba spear".

"Come, friends! Light last year's tobacco and let us share the tobacco of divinity, Cohiba, and communicate with the gods! The great spirits of divinity, the immortal ancestors, are watching the meeting of the two tribes .In the blessing of the mother goddess Atabeyra, let us drink water together, wait for the moon, and continue the tribe!"

"Huh? The welcome this time is really different from before!."

The old militiaman Chihuaco boarded the shore, seeing the Taino people's warm welcome, his smile was a little dull at first, but soon became sincere.

The tall Tainuo Village Chief opened his arms and gave him a hug. Then, the elder village head couldn't wait, lit the long Cohiba, put it in his mouth, took a deep breath, and immediately felt refreshed. Then he lit another "tobacco lance" and stuffed it in Chivaco's mouth, laughing and shouting.

"Cohiba! Blessings of the Mother Goddess and Patriarchs! Tobacco of the Guanahani! Friends welcome!"

"Hiss! This smell? Cough cough!"

The old militiaman Chivako stared wide-eyed, took a deep breath of the rich magic smoke, and then couldn't help coughing. The surrounding Taino villagers all laughed in good faith, and the village chief made another demonstration of blowing smoke.

Amidst the laughter and the magic smoke, the old militiaman took a few more puffs, and his whole body gradually eased. His mind became active, but his spirit was in a trance. A smile appeared on his face involuntarily, and an inexplicable thought flashed in his heart.

"Sincerely welcome friends and share the smoke and food. It turns out that the Taino people are really a kind tribe! But, what will happen to such a kind tribe if they encounter the white-skinned demon that His Majesty predicted?"

Note: Cohiba is the Taino people's name for tobacco, and it is also the source of the name of Cuba's top cigar, Cohiba.