Aztec Eternals

The bright sunshine fell on the palace of the chief minister, reflecting the brilliance and tenderness of the painted curtains. And along the long stone road, deep into the interior of the palace, the darkness gradually devours the light, like cold and hard stone bricks replacing soft cloth curtains, and the tentacles are cold.

The elder descended steadily and slowly, every step was measured like a ruler. This is not deliberate, but his habit of precisely controlling his body over the years. The leaders of the past generations of Mexica all came from outstanding warriors, had the best teachers since they were young, and had decades of daily training. When the elder was young, he was also a strong eagle warrior, fighting bloody battles with the Tepanek people for the establishment of the empire.

However, time has taken away the youthful vitality. The elders who have crossed the century can only move forward slowly. In order to take care of the physical strength of the elders, the passage was deliberately built to be slow and long, reaching the depths of darkness. There are solemn warriors and expensive candles. Candlelight lights up the murals along the way and outlines a solid stone gate.

It was pitch black inside the stone gate, and Avit sat down cross-legged quietly, closing his eyes and resting his mind. In this deep and uninhabited space, he didn't know how long it had passed. The ethereal sandalwood permeated his body and mind, and his thoughts gradually became ethereal, as if sinking into the depths of his body, feeling the power hidden in his body.

"Konglong." The stone door slowly opened, and a little bit of candlelight entered the stone chamber, outlining the murals of the gods on the four walls, which are majestic and unpredictable patron saints.

Avit opened his eyes, and saw the vicissitudes of life and the majestic elder. Behind the elder, there is a warrior chief holding a pottery pot.

"Respected elder, your most outstanding descendant, Avit, salutes you!" Avit bowed his head solemnly, without any dissatisfaction.

The elder silently stared at Avit, watched his expression and demeanor, listened to his voice and heartbeat, and watched his meticulous salute.

After a long time, he asked slowly.

"Avit, my son, you killed Tisok, your brother. Do you admit it?"

Avit was silent for a moment, then shook his head firmly.

"I am not wrong!"

The elder just looked at Avit calmly, with a heavy pressure in his eyes. After a while, he continued to ask.

"My child, you are a descendant of Montezuma I. As long as you admit your mistake, I will forgive you."

Avit pondered for a moment, then firmly refused again.

"I am not wrong! Tisok does not have the ability to lead the alliance to grow, he is not as good as me! I will lead the Mexica to conquer the world!"

Listening to Avit's ambitions, the elders have no waves. He still looked at Avette calmly, even with indifference in his eyes. There was a murderous intent in the indifference, like the will of a god.

Avet instantly felt cold all over his body, as if he had fallen into a deep pool in February naked. This is the prestige that comes only after being at the pinnacle, doing what you say, and mastering millions of lives. Inspired by this killing intent, he no longer concealed his majesty, and looked back at the elder with the same coldness, although his hands were trembling slightly.

After a long time, the elder nodded slightly.

"As the supreme ruler, reasons are not important, means are not important, good and evil are not important. The only important thing is firm belief, unyielding will, efficient action, and correct goals."

"My child, tell me, what is a priest?"

Avette let out a long sigh of relief. He leaned against the wall slightly, feeling weak in his hands and feet. After a while, he answered calmly.

"Priests are the tools of the royal family to rule the alliance. They use the created gods and rituals to maintain the bond of Mexica hearts! They must obey the supreme king and serve the royal family in the name of God!"

The elders cannot deny it. He calmly asked again.

"My child, tell me, what is a king?"

"The king is the king of the country, the supreme one. All priests, nobles and warriors must be loyal to him. And he will lead the warriors of Mexica to conquer Tarasco, Tlaxcala, Sapo Turks, Mixtecs, Otomis, Vastecs, Totonacs until the known world!"

Now that his true colors have been revealed, Avitt no longer hides them. In his eyes is a burning desire, in his words is the ambition to annex the world!

The elder remained unmoved. He quietly waited for Avit to calm down before asking again.

"My boy, tell me, what does the future of the league look like?"

This time, Avitt thought for a long time before answering seriously.

"The future of the alliance is a huge country, from the great lake in the west to the great lake in the east, from the white plague in the north to the rain forest in the south, ruling all known lands. The king has supreme authority! Priests, under the king's command, maintain The hearts of the people of the country. The small nobles hand over the withheld taxes, the big nobles hand over their private savings warriors, and the city-state's city-state is decided by the king with one word!"

Listening to Avit's description, the elder was silent for a long time. He didn't make any comments, neither affirming nor denying. Finally, he just said slowly.

"My child, remember what you said today, remember the goals you promised. In the future you will encounter many choices. When making choices, you have to remember that in a country, there is no one who is not It can be sacrificed. The only difference is when, how much to sacrifice, and for what. As long as the value is enough, you and I can also sacrifice.”

After listening to the elder's words, Avit fell into deep thought. The elder looked at him silently for a while, then turned and left, leaving his last words.

"This is the prayer room of the patron saint Vitzilopochtli. Before taking the throne, your elder brother Asaya Cartel fasted here for seven days, contemplating himself and the gods."

"My child, you are the same. Seven days later, it will be your enthronement ceremony."

The tall figure of the elder disappeared behind the stone gate. The stone door closed again with a sound of "Konglong." The stone chamber fell into complete darkness again.

Avitt was still firm. He leaned against the wall cross-legged, relieved, and slowly fell into a quiet breath. Before the long meditation, there is only one worry: what about Xiulot now?

At this moment, in the not-too-distant depths of the ground, in the same darkness and coldness, Shulot leaned against the wall, dazed in a daze. He suspected that he took the wrong script. This kind of development is completely different from what he expected? He has fully demonstrated the potential of a great inventor, but he was thrown into the underground dungeon just like that.

Xiulot sniffed, and there was a faint animal smell in the air. He groped suspiciously, but the tentacles were cold. Just as he was startled, a kind of icy coldness snaked up his arms, and finally settled on his warm chest. A pointed tail poked his chin, then swirled around the boy's neck, like a big "?" sign on his chest and neck.

The boy froze immediately, broke out in cold sweat for a moment, and dared not move. He could tell that it was a small snake. But without light, he couldn't tell whether the snake was poisonous or not. Soon, the little snake fell asleep peacefully on the boy's comfortable chest, leaving behind a boy who couldn't fall asleep.

Time passed so long, it seemed that a whole century had passed. Leaning against the wall, the boy was finally exhausted, and fell asleep with his head tilted. His saliva left along the corner of his mouth, along the body of the snake, and wet his chest. In the dream, it was a sumptuous dinner.

After an unknown amount of time, he was woken up by the twisting of the snake's body. He subconsciously opened his sleepy eyes, and by the light of the candle, he looked down and saw a small emerald green snake. The little snake made a straight "!" sign on its chest, then quickly twisted, driven by the breath of unknown herbs, and got behind the boy.

Shulot raised his head following the smell of herbs, and vaguely saw an old man with white hair, who seemed to be smiling slightly. He rubbed his eyes, and took a closer look, only to find the tall and straight figure of the elder, and his indifferent gaze. He sniffed it carefully, and found that in the enclosed space, apart from the mixed herbal smell, there was also a faint old man's smell.

The elder looked at the boy quietly, and he didn't know how long he had stood here. But it shouldn't be too long, after all, the water belly snake has an extremely keen sense of smell. Yes, that's a small green waterbell snake with a white "cotton mouth", a triangular head, knife-shaped pupils and fangs.

Shulot thought carefully about the appearance of the snake, and cold sweat oozes from his back. Cotton snakes are extremely poisonous, and once they bite a human, they will attack within ten minutes. The wound turned black and bled, and gradually spread inward. Once the internal organs bleed, no one can be saved without serum.

Of course, he didn't know that the water belly snake's aggressiveness was actually extremely low. As long as he doesn't threaten or hurt the little green snake, the little green snake won't use its extremely precious venom to attack him. Like most snakes, its diet is frogs, lizards, birds, or small shallow water fish.

The elder looked at Shulot. The child was calm and not reckless. It seemed that he got along well with the waterbellied snake. He stared at the boy with heavy eyes, without saying a word.

Xiulot thought for a while, bowed his head and saluted seriously. He does not regard the elders as gods, but simply worships them. Revere the great achievements of establishing the Aztec Empire and shaping the Mexica people.

"Dear Elder, the Chief Architect of the Mexica, the descendant of Acama Pichitli, Hulot, greets you!"

Counting, he is the fifth grandson of Acama Pichitli, the first king of Tenochtitlan, Avet is the fourth grandson of Akama Pichitli, and the elder is Acama Pichitli Li's grandson, so he should also be the elder's great-grandson?

The elder closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, he was completely indifferent and murderous. His gaze pierced into the eyes of the young man, and unquestionable power came to his face, bringing a strong sense of danger of impending death. The boy subconsciously took a step back. He leaned against the wall tremblingly, barely supporting his body, avoiding the eyes of the elder.

"Son, you killed Tisok, your king. Do you plead guilty?"

Xiulot thought for a while, then simply shook his head, although he was still trembling.

"I'm not guilty! Tisok tried to kill me several times. I killed him first to protect myself. For the alliance, Tisok is not a qualified king, and Avitt is more suitable."

"Son, you killed the king, and your crime cannot be forgiven."

The elder's words were as cold as snow and as hard as iron.

"Then take my life to pay for it! One person does one's job and one person does it. It has nothing to do with my father, grandfather or Avit."

Xiulot's legs were still weak. But this time, he finally stubbornly raised his head, stared at the elder firmly, summoned up the courage of a warrior, and kept his trembling to a minimum.

The elder was silent for a moment before asking in a low voice.

"Son, are you willing to dedicate your life to the gods?"

Shulot was stunned for a moment. He thought of the sacrificial ceremony, shivered again, and shook his head firmly.

The elder pondered for a moment, then changed another sentence.

"Son, are you willing to dedicate your life to the cause of the Mexica people?"

This time, Xiulot nodded without hesitation. The cause of the Mexica is now his own, his family's, his clan's, and his community's.

The elder looked at Xiulot's firm demeanor, serious expression, and nodding. He paused for a moment, withdrew his awe-inspiring killing intent, and then asked again.

"Son, tell me, what is a priest?"

"Priests are people who worship the gods, preside over sacrificial ceremonies, and comfort the hearts of believers. Whether they believe in gods or not, they serve those who believe in gods and guide the hearts of believers. In our alliance, they use a common culture and faith, the link that connects the various city-states."

Xiulot thought for a moment, then responded frankly based on his own understanding.

The elder thought about the boy's answer. He felt a novelty that he hadn't seen for a long time, so he asked sternly and ruthlessly.

"Son, do you believe in the existence of gods?"

Shulot shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but when he remembered his own experience, his words changed immediately.

"Maybe there is. But they have nothing to do with the world. We govern the country in the name of God. The rise and fall of the country is only a matter of the world."

The elder looked at the boy carefully for a moment. He also doesn't comment, just continues to test.

"Son, tell me, what is a king?"

"The king is the ruler of the country. They control the country's wealth and manpower, and use these wealth and manpower to accomplish meaningful things for the country, to develop the power of the country, and maintain the stability of the country. For example, open up fields, build canals, unify Ministries, establish institutions. In our alliance, the king needs to lead the Mexica people forward to overcome the difficulties and challenges ahead."

Xiulot was thinking about the future, with anticipation and heaviness in his tone.

The elder looked down again. He pondered for a long time before continuing to ask questions.

"Son, tell me, what does the future of the league look like?"

This time, Schlott thought about it for a long time, from the early rise of civilization in the Stone Age, to the long development of the Iron Age, to the infinite development of the Age of Sail, to the reshaping of everything in the Age of Steam and Electricity.

In the end, he shook his head slightly, those futures beyond the economic foundation and technological limitations of this era are meaningless now.

"The future of the Union is a unified and powerful nation. We want to eliminate the Tarascos in the west and the Tlaxcalans in the east. We want to establish a center of centralized power and take back the power of the city-states. Establish a top-down The ruling system also provides bottom-up promotion channels.

The alliance wants to widely use metal farm tools and tools, build long canals, develop commerce and mining, increase the production of food and other wealth, and cultivate low-level warriors who own land. Maintain the balance of power among the royal family, priests, great nobles, minor nobles, warriors, and commoners to maintain the stability of the country.

More importantly, we must unify the alliance's writing, and use the form of books to spread the mythology, history, astronomy, geography, herbal medicine, sacrificial rituals, and ideas in the hands of the priests. More importantly, establish the foundation of ruling the country, that is, a sound grammatical system and a code of law that clearly stipulates rights and responsibilities! "

This time, the elder pondered for a long, long time. He looked at the boy carefully again, and then asked calmly.

"Son, you have Su Hui. Some people say that you are the reincarnation of my eldest brother, Montezuma I, and you will rule the country in the future. Do you think they are right?"

Shulot just recovered from his imagination and prospect, but when he heard this plain question, he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. After a while, he answered with difficulty.

"I am not the reincarnation of Montezuma I, but I am eager to govern this country. Because only I can realize dreams that others cannot."

The elder nodded slightly for the first time. He returned to the previous topic, with some gentleness in his words.

"My child, you said that you want to compile a legal code in words, and the code is the common principles of the country. So, what is the content of the code?"

Hearing this, Xiu Luote tried hard to recall. He first tried to recall the Great Ming Law of the Celestial Dynasty in this era. He only thought of the five major punishments: cane, staff, disciple, exile, and death. He recalled the earlier content again, the criminal law of the Song Dynasty, did not kill scholar-bureaucrats? It doesn't seem right. Liu Bang's three chapters? It feels too short.

He changed his mind and thought of the Western Roman Code, the Twelve Tables Law, which seems to be closer, the Law of Nations, which distinguishes between citizens and non-citizens, the Code of Justinian? What exactly is it.

Regretting that he didn't study hard at the beginning, Xiulot sorted out the fragmented knowledge with difficulty, and slowly explained it according to his own understanding.

"The code should strictly define the rights and duties of each class, and regulate the distribution and inheritance of property. The king has supreme power, limiting the power of priests and nobles, but guaranteeing the private property of citizens. We need a citizenship law for the Mexica. , the Laws of Peoples for the other departments, and the Laws of Religion to balance the different religions. State affairs are based on a social contract of obedience to the law."

The elder frowned slightly, and soon became expressionless again. He patiently listened to all of Shulot's memories, and then fell silent.

Shulot looked at the elder, but the elder looked at the opposite stone wall. Under the weak candlelight, there is a giant snake body of Feathered Serpent carved there, with three-colored long feathers on the snake body, and crawling crowds under the snake body.

The two looked at it for a long time before the elder spoke slowly.

"My child, this is the snake house of the old god Feathered Serpent God, which tests the priest's concentration, state of mind, wisdom, and divine protection. The priests will meditate here for seven days, accompanied by the snake, and seek God in life and death. revelation."

"Give him a potion and a candle." The elder ordered the warrior commander behind him. The warrior commander took out a tube of light yellow potion from the clay pot in his arms, and placed it at Shulot's feet. He lit another slender fish oil candle and stuck it on the wall.

"My child, I will give you a candle and take a good look at the murals. I will give you a potion, which you will need at critical moments."

"Starting tomorrow, I will come to ask you about the text. You have seven days to think about it. After seven days, I will ask you about the code again."

"Remember, you've lost one chance. For your gift's sake, this is the last chance."

After finishing speaking, the elder turned around and left without a pause, without explaining the effect of the potion.

If Shulot fed the potion to the water-bellied snake, the snake would die. If he is accidentally bitten by a snake, the medicine can temporarily save his life if he is applied to the wound. If he was stupid enough to drink the potion directly, he would no longer need to think about who he should choose.

Destiny lies in the choices of mortals.

Xiulot watched the elder leave. He lost all his strength and fell on the ground covered with straw. He didn't care about the gleaming potion beside him, just lying down and looking at the roof.

In the faint candlelight, there was a feathered serpent in human body. He is smiling, white-skinned, and bearded, standing on the snake boat, sailing towards the great lake in the east. Behind him were the crying and desperate crowd, and the even taller God of War.

"What a strange mural." Shulot sighed, "What a strange fate."

Smelling the terrible smell of herbs and leaving, the little green snake came out from nowhere. It sits cross-legged on the boy's chest, forming a ":" sign. Then he shook his head and hissed softly at the big snake on the roof, as if announcing something that he wanted to drive Feathered Serpent God out of his territory.

"What a strange little snake." The boy finally thought, and then fell into an unknown dreamland.

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