Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The wind and rain cleansed, and the vegetation was lush. The iron mine mountain lay like a giant beast, and the small river at its foot meandered like a long snake. In the lowlands of the bay, there was a gentle ripple of clear waves, and all things burst with vitality.

"With the protection of the Chief Divine! To the northeast of this mining area, there is just a river, connecting the flat northern bay and the undulating mountains to the south. As the first settlement the Kingdom established on Cuba, it might as well be located at the foot of this mountain!"

Priest Tomate stood at a high point, gazing around with a face full of smiles. The fleet meeting was over, and a foothold proposal was made. The preliminary scouting of the Mayari Iron Mine was also almost complete. Only then did he enthusiastically drag the old militia Chiwaco around, determining the location of the first settlement.

"This place is forty li from the western Mayali Region, and less than ten li from the northern bay. The coastal transportation is convenient, the terrain along the river is flat, the arable land area is vast, and the settlement has enough room for expansion... Hmm, there's also clay along the river, which can be used to make bricks."

Orioles and sparrows flew, parrots chirped, making the riverside lively. Priest Tomate watched for a long time, becoming more and more satisfied. He touched his chin and smiled as he spoke to Chiwaco.

"This kingdom's first settlement should smelt the Serpentine Iron Ore and build the Chief God's Great Temple! Since it's meant to suppress the Feathered Serpent Divine, why not call it 'Serpent Town'?"

"Uh, Serpent Town..."

Upon hearing this, Chiwaco scratched his head, thought for a while, and offered another suggestion.

"Chief Divine witness! We came to Cuba Snake Island to search for traces of the Feathered Serpent Divine. But strangely, these local tribes do not seem to revere the Feathered Serpent Divine, nor even know of its existence. If we name it Serpent Town, the local tribes might inquire about the origin and find out that the serpent divine's body is suppressed here..."

"It might be better to name it according to the local geography. The south has the iron mine, the north has the bay, combining them, it could be called Iron Bay! And since the settlement hasn't been established yet, the name doesn't have to be too grand; it can just be Iron Bay Town."

"Iron... Bay?"

Priest Tomate pondered for a while and also found it satisfactory.

"Good, let it be called Iron Bay Town! Like the Iron Bay, it shall become an unbreakable fortress of the Chief Divine, standing firm in the east of the Cuba Main Island!"

With the location selected and everything settled, the fleet members didn't stay longer and embarked on their return journey the next day. Seven longships were docked forty li away, at the coastal Mayali Region Village. Their destination was back to the village, and on their way back, they happened to pass a river teeming with prey.

Dart Mokai, with excellent eyesight, spotted a floating piece of "driftwood" while wading through the river. He pointed to the riverside with his hand, joyfully shouting.

"Crocodile! There's a crocodile in the river! What a big catch!"

The crowd looked and indeed saw it. A large Cuban crocodile, black mixed with yellow, lay quietly ambushed in the river, nearly three meters long!

This fierce large beast, with protective bony protrusions over its eyes, was immensely powerful, capable of leaping entirely out of the water to seize prey. To the local Taino people, such a thick-skinned, immensely powerful beast had almost no natural enemies in the area, and hunters from three or two tribes generally never wished to encounter it.

While for the exploration fleet, such a large prey could not be missed! Apart from the hundreds of pounds of crocodile meat, the crocodile skin alone could be tanned into two pieces of leather armor.

Dart Mokai's face lit up with excitement as he called upon seven or eight Putun Warriors, all of them taking out their sharp bronze short spears from their backs, and slowly approached. No matter how powerful this beast was, and how dangerous it was at close range, one round of heavy javelins would surely put it out of action.

"Mokai, wait a moment!"

Priest Tomate, observing the Cuban crocodile, felt a stir in his eyes and stopped Mokai with simple Maya language. Then, he touched his chin and called Puap over.

"Deputy Captain Puap, your archery has always been excellent. Witness the Warrior's endurance! Can you shoot this giant crocodile with a bow and arrow? Use an armor-piercing bronze arrow, just one shot!"

"Hmm? Use an expensive armor-piercing arrow to shoot a crocodile? And only allowed to shoot one arrow?"

Huitu Puap scratched his head in confusion but Tomate Priest mentioned the Warrior's honor, so as the self-proclaimed "First Warrior" of the fleet, he could not refuse. He nodded decisively, took off his greatbow, and moved cautiously within about a dozen paces of the crocodile, carefully observing this massive yet quiet beast.

"A crocodile's heart is particularly robust, even having several lobes. If I am to kill it with one shot, I mustn't aim for the heart; I have to pierce its cranial armor and hit its thumb-sized brain!"

Puap's gaze turned sharp as he moved a few steps closer. At less than ten steps away, the floating "driftwood" barely started sensing something. Only then did he suddenly draw his greatbow fully, nock the armor-piercing arrow, aim for a few seconds, and then release!

"Hit!"

"Sss! Splurt!"

The low sound of the arrow hitting, accompanied by the crack of piercing the bone plate, echoed softly by the riverside. Puap immediately stepped back, but a furious wave splashed toward him first! The once-still crocodile burst out with incredible force, leaping entirely onto the water's surface. Its powerful long tail slapped down heavily, sending water splashing ten meters high!

"Hmm? Did it fail?"

Priest Tomate frowned but saw a confident smile on Huitu Puap's face.

"Haha! With such penetrating arrows, I truly am like a Black Wolf General warrior!"

Hearing Puap's laughter, the crowd looked again. The giant crocodile, after a few powerful struggles, lay limply on the river. This time, its posture was not one of ambush, but its muscles had fully relaxed.

The fierce arrow had penetrated its sturdy skull and destroyed its tiny brain. After its reflexive thrashing, the beast of the jungle and river was paralyzed, unable to resist again. At this moment, its body was still alive, but the brain was already dead!

"Good! Praise the Chief Divine! Puap, well done!"

Priest Tomate nodded and for the first time in a long while, patted Puap's shoulder. A faint smile appeared on his face as he carefully instructed the samurai to step forward and handle the situation.

"Tie up this crocodile for me! Do not remove the arrow in the forehead, nor inflict another wound!"

"Yes! Just like that! Keep it as it is, have six people carry it together and bring it back to the Mayali Region!"

"Haha! When we return to the Mayari Village, this crocodile shot dead will be the best gift for the Water Chief Anani!"

Tomato Priest's laughter echoed by the riverside, filled with bold ambition. The old militia Chiwaco raised his eyebrow, pondered slightly, and nodded gently.

"Phew! Before negotiating with the Mayali Region's chieftain, this indeed is the best gift..."