Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The sun was setting, and the sea was deep and mysterious. On the desolate, wide coast, an ancient small Pyramid Temple stood silently for millennia, recounting the vicissitudes and tranquility of history. However, at this moment, the long-lasting silence was shattered by the shouts of the warriors on both sides.

Two hundred of the Kingdom's Warriors, clad in armor, standing with long spears and wielding great bows, faced off against over six hundred elite Maya Warriors. The Gray Soil Noble, Puap, with blood-red eyes, stared at the Divine Descendant of the Heavenly Serpent, Prince Xiutur, who stood hundreds of steps away, holding a shield.

Prince Xiutur of the Xiu Family looked solemnly at the Chief God Priest Tomate, who rushed to the front of the formation. And just a few steps away was the Nava Translator of the Xiu Clan, a remnant of the Toltec people, Usto.

"Nava leader, Maya prince, greetings! Trade gemstones, don't fight!... "

Usto, the Nava translator, wearing a commoner's robe, raised his hands, shivering involuntarily as he loudly called out to the priest opposite. He immediately recognized the opponent's attire, wearing a tall Feather Crown, a robe with Divine Runes, and a divine talisman around the neck, precisely the respected Highland Priest from ancestral stories.

"Honorable priest! We, trade, gemstones!"

"Hmm?"

Priest Tomate perked up his ears, trying hard to discern the other's language. This Nava language seemed to incorporate many Maya tones and words, making it very difficult to understand. It differed greatly from the Nava language of the various highland tribes, even more so than the differences between Mexica and Prepetcha languages. Of course, another possibility was that the speaker was using the orthodox ancient Toltec language.

"May the Chief Divine protect! We come from the Mexica Alliance, the exploration fleet of the Kingdom of the Lake! Guided by the Chief Divine, we have sailed to the Eastern Sea, to the distant Snake Island! We mean no harm and are open to fair gemstone trade... Which Maya city-state army do you belong to?"

"Uh?... Is this... is this Toltec language?"

The response from the Highland Priest left Usto, the Nava translator, stunned. He struggled to make out the words, racking his brain to fill in the gaps, then turned to the Prince Xiutur who was tens of steps away and called out.

"Honorable Prince! They are from... the Great Prickly Pear Tribe, the fleet of the Small Lake Tribe! Guided by the God of Wealth, they are headed to the eastern sea, to find that serpent-shaped island... They have a hint of hostility. They have gemstone trade. They ask us, where do we come from?"

"...Hmm?"

Xiutur frowned, his face showing confusion. He raised his shield and, with his guards, stepped forward to stand opposite Priest Tomate. He studied the foreign priest's attire, holding scriptures, and carrying a Bronze Axe, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. After a moment, his gaze fell on the Maya merchant Tikalo, who rushed over beside Priest Tomate.

"Huh! This familiar attire? This is..."

Xiutur's eyes narrowed, his expression suddenly froze. The Maya merchant opposite had no divine patterns on his face, no nose adornments, or strange teeth symbolizing identity, clearly a commoner. However, a humble commoner wearing the classical robe of the Maya nobility, with the "Great" serpent-shape pattern on it, gave him an extremely familiar impression, although he couldn't recall its origin at the moment.

"May the Chief Divine protect! Honorable Maya leader, greetings to you! Thank the guidance of the divine for our meeting. I am the Chief God Priest from the Kingdom of the Lake, Tomate!"

Priest Tomate, observing expressions and gestures, realized the unreliability of the translator opposite. He reached out, patting Tikalo on the shoulder, letting the Maya merchant translate for him.

"Which city-state do you come from? Why have you brought so many warriors?"

Maya merchant Tikalo bowed his head, translating in a deep voice. He carefully chose his words, only daring to slightly obscure certain details. Facing him, Usto also translated in a stammering and ambiguous manner.

"May the Father Divine protect! Greetings to you, Nava priest from the Western Highland. I am the Divine Descendant of the Heavenly Serpent, Xiutur!"

Xiutur lowered the shield in his left hand, raised his head, and with the proud posture of a Maya Divine Descendant, met the Western Highland Priest. He looked directly into the eyes of the Priest Tomate and declared loudly.

"I am also the envoy of virtuous embodiment, arriving at the northern coast. I carry the divine decree from the Father Divine to trade a large amount of gemstones with your God of Wealth's fleet!"

"Hmm?"

Hearing the cautious translation tweaked slightly by Tikalo, Priest Tomate furrowed his brow. The other's posture was haughty, boasting grandly, without answering where they came from, demanding trade for the fleet's gemstones. He scanned around but only saw hundreds of Maya warriors opposite, not the goods for trade, making him instantly wary.

"May the Chief Divine witness! We are carrying out the Chief Divine's decree, telling the prophecy to every tribal prophet. We also accept gemstone trade, but it must be fair!... Honorable Maya Divine Descendant, may I ask, where are the goods you bring for trade currently located?"

"Fair trade, trading goods?..."

Hearing the Nava priest's skepticism, Xiutur was momentarily stumped. He indeed came with hundreds of civilians and a large batch of goods. However, the rainforest roads were difficult, civilians carried heavy loads, making their pace terribly slow. The Nava fleet moved very swiftly, fearing missing the fleet, he rushed ahead with over six hundred warriors.

Now, two hundred Xiu Warriors escorting hundreds of transporting civilians were still tens of miles behind at the stone-carved city. By the time they genuinely reached the tail village, it might take another day.