Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

As the sun set and stars became scarce, birds and beasts called amidst the wilderness, and the tropical coast jungle was full of vitality. Everyone lit bonfires, set up a camp in front of the spectacular iron ore belt, took out the wine and food they brought, and celebrated indulgently until dawn. And from the next day, careful and busy scouting work began.

Under the guidance of Priest Mekate, everyone roughly determined the surface range of the Mayari Iron Mine. To be honest, the scale of this open-pit iron mine far exceeded everyone's expectations. The northernmost end of the iron ore belt was actually only thirty li from the nearest coast. Meanwhile, the southern end penetrated deep into the mountain forest, covering a vast area. The surface outcrops alone extended over twenty to thirty li.

After all, the Mayari Iron Mine is one of the largest shallow iron ore belts in the world. The iron ore here ranks high globally in terms of both reserves and quality. Moreover, what is more precious in later generations is the "chrome" contained in the ore belt, a critical element indispensable in special steels.

Along the way, six mineral deposits with abundant reserves—nickel, cobalt, manganese, chromium, iron, and copper—are concentrated in the eastern part of Cuba Snake Island, within a four-hundred li snakehead area. Added to this are the dormant tungsten mines on the Scaled Island and the oil in the near-shore Gulf of Mexico... Indeed, "Cuba Rich Mines" lives up to its name.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Praise His Highness! The reserves of this iron ore belt are sufficient for the entire alliance to mine for an era! And the quality of the ore here is also far superior to Black Rock Mountain!"

Three days later, Priest Mekate gathered all the information and resolutely gave a conclusion. Even though several days had passed since the discovery of the large iron mine, the excitement and enthusiasm on his face had yet to subside. Because each day, the scouting teams brought back new discoveries, expanding the new boundaries of the iron ore zone.

"The Maria Iron Mine must be firmly controlled by the kingdom! We must establish a permanent camp to control this vital forest and coast to the kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, Priest Tomate and the old militia Chiwaco exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously. Then, Priest Tomate held the sun amulet around his neck and spoke firmly.

"Chief Divine, bless us! Now that we've found the large iron mine in His Highness's prophecy, the kingdom's fleet needs to establish the first permanent foothold here, as well as the first main god temple on Cuba Island! The Chief Divine's glory must spread across Cuba Snake Island, and the suppression by the Feathered Serpent Divine must also be completed by the Main God Temple!..."

Pausing here, Priest Tomate's expression was solemn, with an indomitable will.

"Praise the Chief Divine, I will dedicate my life to you!... I will stay in Cuba to oversee the construction of the foothold and temple, and preach to the surrounding Taino villages! The several Chief God Priests who came with the ship will also stay!" Upon hearing Priest Tomate's words, the old militia Chiwaco lowered his gaze, filled with emotion. Priest Tomate chose to stay, as was his duty. But this time staying, across an eight-thousand-li long voyage, returning to the kingdom, he did not know in which year it would be...

"Devout priests of the Chief Divine! Truly a group... hm, a group of moths willing to plunge into the flame..."

Chiwaco was complex in his thoughts, silently unresponsive. To be honest, if he were asked to dedicate the rest of his life to the divine and bury himself overseas, he couldn't do it.

"The kingdom's fleet sailed here, with sailors dying and being replenished, recruiting Putun warriors along the way... Currently, there are four hundred people in the fleet. Among these four hundred, only slightly more than two hundred are samurai and sailors that departed from the kingdom."

Chiwaco didn't speak, and Priest Tomate spoke again, stating the cold reality.

When the fleet set out from the kingdom, there were more than three hundred loyal Prepecha warriors and sailors. Yet now, at the Cuba destination, a full third of these initial people were gone! Storms, disease, slaughter, getting lost... Each of them would continually claim lives. The difficulty of long-distance navigation could be seen at a glance.

"The kingdom needs to establish a permanent foothold here, build warehouses, stockpile food, cut timber, construct temples, and even mine iron ore to lay the groundwork for more manpower to arrive!... And to achieve all this, not only wealth is needed to mobilize the manpower of nearby tribes but also sufficient force to control the surrounding..."

Priest Tomate remained solemn. He looked around at the leaders of the fleet, speaking his Highness's will word by word.

"Before I set out, His Highness granted me the authority to make decisions! I need the fleet to leave behind three longships, at least half of the manpower, that is, more than two hundred warriors and sailors, to stay with me in Cuba! Among these two hundred people, at least one hundred must be reliable Prepecha tribesmen... Um, most of the gemstone cargo, weapons, armor, and fabric wealth in the fleet must also be left behind as much as possible."

After Priest Tomate solemnly finished, the first person he looked at was the captain of the exploration team, the old militia Chiwaco.

"Captain Chiwaco, what do you think?"

"Leave two hundred people?..."

Chiwaco pursed his lips, tugged at his hair. Familiar young faces flashed in his mind. At this moment, he would decide the fate of these young men, whether to leave them here or let them return... It was a long time before he nodded and promised.

"I will leave three ships, select one hundred reliable Prepecha lads, um, eighty sailors, and twenty warriors. For the remaining deficit of one hundred... more than fifty Putun tribesmen familiar with the tropical jungle environment can all stay. And of the more than thirty members of the Silver Raven Tribe, half are shipwrights, familiar with woodworking, so I'll leave them with you too! As for the last remaining twenty or so..."

Chiwaco paused, wanting to leave behind the manpower newly supplemented in the Maya lowlands. In his heart, he still held some favoritism, thinking to bring back as many of his fellow Prepecha compatriots as possible.

"The last twenty or so should still be loyal Prepecha warriors!"

Priest Tomate raised his eyebrows, discerning Chiwaco's thoughts, and decisively interrupted. He gazed into the old militia's eyes and spoke sincerely.

"I believe that the Prepecha warriors participating in this voyage have unwavering loyalty to the Chief Divine! Here in Cuba, reliable manpower is needed!... Furthermore, the return voyage ahead spans eight thousand li of difficult sea routes. Staying here is actually lighter and safer than returning to the kingdom!"

The eight thousand li long sea route might just be the boundary between life and death. When the fleet came, nearly a third died, and during the return, the deaths would certainly not be few.

Thinking of this, the old militia remained silent for a while, looking toward Deputy Captain Huitu Puapu. Puapu casually nodded his head, indicating agreement. In his view, letting the Prepecha warriors and sailors stay here was not a bad thing. No worries about food and drink, women throwing themselves at them, without needing to fight hard battles. If it were him, he would also be happy...

"Phooey! I, Huitu Puapu, am esteemed by both the Divine Eagle and the Serpent! His Highness has promised me, I'm destined to become a Commander-in-Chief of the legion, how could I remain on this barren island of Cuba!... Um, I still have a dozen young wives in my hometown in the Lake..."

Thinking of this, Puapu felt his chin, a rare wistful look in his eyes. This voyage, he had suffered the mental torture of being cursed and no longer wished to sail out.

"Chief Divine bless! When I return to the kingdom this time, based on my valiant efforts in battle, slaying the Maya Prince, and discovering the large iron mine... I must beg His Highness, in any case, not to send me to explore the sea again..."

The old militia's eyes flickered as he watched Huitu Puapu's expression, then pursed his lips again. Knowing Puapu well, he shook his head inwardly and said nothing further. Subsequently, the old militia looked at Priest Tomate, his expression solemn, and raised a matter that was crucially important to him as well.

"Respected Priest Tomate, you will stay in Cuba, establish the kingdom's foothold, spread the glory of the Chief Divine... Then, how do you plan to interact with the simple Taino people?"