Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The dark clouds drifted in from the sea in the East, carrying moist water vapor that fell as sudden rain upon the seaside. Giant, strange human face stone statues stood silently like giants, unmoved in the wind and rain, standing by the sea for thousands of years. A mighty river surged into the sea, spreading fertility to the riverine fields. And amidst the vast fields, there lay an ancient city, sustained for thousands of years, perhaps even longer.

This is the Caribbean coast, with its tropical rainforest climate, where it is hot and rainy year-round, with precipitation exceeding 2000 millimeters. The ancient city lies one thousand three hundred li away from the Lake Capital City, on the outskirts of the Tototanak territory, a flourishing coastal city-state, the Hidden Serpent City (Coatzacoalcos).

The river that flows through the Hidden Serpent City from deep within the jungle is known as the Hidden Serpent River. According to legend, it was here that the Feathered Serpent Divine embarked on a serpent raft to venture into the endless Eastern Sea...

"What? We rowed seven hundred li by sea to get here from the Feathered Serpent City. How is it that this place is also the legendary departure point of the Feathered Serpent City to the sea?!"

The old militia member Chiwaco scratched his head, looking at the bald-headed Maya merchant Tikalo above him. He eyed the nonchalant bald merchant with suspicion and voiced his skepticism without reserve.

"Tikalo, you bald fox. Exactly how many Feathered Serpent Gods are there in the legends? How many times did it set out to sea? Do you even know the details of these city-states?"

"Ahem! Captain Chiwaco, of course, I know!"

Tikalo choked for a moment, touching his smooth divine-like head, and forced a laugh in response.

"Legend has it that there's only one Feathered Serpent God, and it only set out to sea once! But the location of its departure... For the coastal departments that worship the Feathered Serpent God, it's a holy land of pilgrimage, bringing not just a sacred aura to the divine descendants of the city-states but also substantial pilgrimage income..."

"So, the various coastal city-states often claim that the river near them is the river where the Feathered Serpent God set out to sea!"

"Hmm, no, wait! ... With so many river mouths seen by the fleet along the way, are they all holy lands? Surely, the Tototanak tribes by the seaside are no fools; there must be details in the legends to discern the true holy land, right? ... Besides, after so many years, even the turtles in the water could figure out who is the millennia-old tortoise and who is the phony toad!"

Chiwaco glared at Tikalo, speaking with the most basic dialectic. He instinctively felt that this bald merchant was unreliable.

"Ahem! Ahem!..."

The Maya merchant Tikalo coughed several times before responding, somewhat embarrassed.

"Captain Chiwaco is truly... like an old sea turtle, seemingly ordinary yet possessing great wisdom. Indeed, all this disputation would surely yield results. Whichever city-state is strongest, whose surrounding monuments are oldest, and who influences the most tribes, that's the genuine holy land!"

"As of now, the Tototanak's holy land, truly believed by people, is down to two. One is the Feathered Serpent City to the north, and the other is the Hidden Serpent City to the south. Both city-states are very strong, each with over a thousand years of heritage, and distanced from each other, they are trusted by surrounding tribes... They're like the East and West holy lands!"

"Oh, I see, just like the Kingdom and the Alliance."

Huitu Puapu scratched his head and casually uttered a remark out of turn. Quickly, his sight was drawn to the enormous statues by the sea. Curiously, he glanced at them for a moment and inquired repeatedly.

"Chief Divine bless! What are these giant stone heads, three men tall, used for? Some of them have standard features, very much like ours. Others have faces that protrude significantly, I don't know which tribes they resemble!... And their expressions, why so melancholy? What's with the hats they're wearing?"

"...Uh... those are giant stone heads carved by the Divines of the First Era, modeled after themselves. The Divines hailed from various parts of the Divine Realm, hence the differing appearances... They knew from long ago that the era's end would come one day, which is why their expressions are mournful."

"... Within those giant stone heads lie the seeds of divinity left behind after the Divines' departure. Only the noble-blooded divine descendants can inherit them. To the seaside tribes, nobility is innate, divinity is divinely bestowed. Divine descendants inheriting divinity are destined to lead the tribes! When a noble divine descendant is born, reaches adulthood, or dies, the major tribes conduct rituals under the giant stone heads to inherit the ancient and esteemed divinity and tribal authority! As for the hats on their heads..."

The Maya merchant Tikalo pondered for a while, being unsure, he concocted an explanation.

"Those hats are used to connect with divine power. When worn, the lightning from the sky will strike down with divine power, 'boom'..."

"Boom!"

Just as Tikalo finished, a thunderclap struck down from the heavy clouds, hitting the nearby sea. All three on the ship were startled, showing fear for various reasons.

"Ah!... So dangerous? It's best to steer the ship further away, far from these giant stone statues!"

With reverence, Puapu looked up at the heavy, rain-laden sky. He gave a few instructions, and the sailors waved flags to notify the other ships, then moved two or three li into the river mouth, before finally dropping anchor outside Hidden Serpent City. The flag signals used aboard were devised as a simple means of inter-ship communication, inspired by the divine revelation of His Majesty.

As the Kingdom Fleet approached the city-state, the ancient city gradually revealed itself. The White Stone Temple stood tall, while the low green-bricked walls surrounded it closely. The nobility's houses were luxurious and spacious, while the common folk's straw huts were simple and crowded. At the center under the towering Temple of the Feathered Serpent, there was a wide central market. At this moment, departments from both southern and northern skies gathered here for trade.

Tikalo stood at the prow, tiptoeing to glance at the market, soon squinting his eyes. The Hidden Serpent City was at the junction of the northern Maya city-states and the western Nawa departments, linked to various inland cities by the Great River. Unsurprisingly, he saw elongated divine heads, the trademark of his Maya counterparts from various city-states. What vexed him more was that his colleagues there all had hair on their heads!

"Ha! A bunch of not-so-smart fools..."

Tikalo gritted his teeth and softly cursed.

"What? Tikalo, what did you say?"

The old militia member touched his hair, carefully observing Tikalo, his eyes filled with ongoing doubt. In sailing to this point, they had completely left the influence of the Mexica Alliance. The Silver Raven Tribe's osprey no longer recognized the way ahead. Continuing east would bring them into the Maya city-states. Maya merchant Tikalo was their sole navigator for every departure and docking along the uncertain path, far from Alliance reach. Hence, it was crucial to keep a close watch on this cunning merchant!

"Uh..."

Tikalo slightly lowered his head, avoiding the old militia's gaze. Before this keen-sensed old captain, he felt an inexplicable dread, hesitating over his long-schemed plans. After a few breaths, he looked up, wearing a sincere smile.

"Honorable Captain Chiwaco! This Hidden Serpent City has over a thousand years of history and is the center of various city-state remnants of the Olmec forebears! Here, if you possess a keen enough sense, there's a great chance of obtaining the unique divine objects left by the ancient forebears!"