Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The long wind billows, flags flutter high. When Xiulote led the grand army, carrying heavy cannons, towards the coast of the Totonac in the East, in the Kingdom of the Lake two thousand miles away, a new long expedition was about to set sail!

By the Atoyac Lake, the Zicao port was bustling. Batches of immigrants from Water Valley City were boarding the foreign yet vibrant southern counties under the escort of Prepecha Warriors. Large groups of county warriors had already been waiting at the port for some time.

These transported captive immigrants would rest for a few days at the camp outside Zicao City before being sent to the garrison camps in the two counties. Everything was familiar and orderly. Among the team were Preaching Priests of the Chief Divine, as well as the True Believers from last year's Tlaxcala garrison, tasked with comforting the immigrants' hearts.

As the immigrating team moved northward, leaving the port, a wide secondary compacted road appeared in front of them. This road was recently constructed as part of the kingdom's major construction plan, connecting the Zicao port with the county town. On this compacted road, many militia carrying spears were transporting vast quantities of kingdom supplies with wheelbarrows. Judging from the bamboo baskets visible on the wheelbarrows, they seemed to be transporting a large amount of dried cakes and cured meat, along with piles of cloth and copperware, all treasures desired by the immigrants!

In the distance, at the towering Pyramid Temple in Zicao County town, a large group of Divine Revelation Priests were also busy. They were meticulously inspecting and preparing the "Heart of the Divine" hot air balloon for its miraculous ascent! Dozens and even hundreds of Preaching Priests were also waiting for the miracle to strengthen faith and convert new arriving immigrants. Among these lower-level priests, appearances of the Telascallans were no longer uncommon.

The sun was shining, the calm lake mirrored. The militia pushed their loaded wheelbarrows, sweating profusely, heading into the bustling back area of the port. There, the Southern Shipbuilding Department was equally busy. A large group of shipbuilders busied themselves within the department, and twelve sturdy longships were lined up, undergoing final inspections before delivery!

At this moment, two Divine Revelation Priests in ritual robes were solemnly examining these sturdy seafaring longships. Both wore the emblem of the "Scholar" on their robes, and they were both Second Level Divine Revelation Priests! They watched as the wheelbarrow teams arrived, the militia unloaded heaps of food and treasures, and their expressions gradually changed.

"Chief Divine! So many dried cakes? So much cured meat?…"

Second Level Priest Zuwaro's eyes widened as he calculated in his mind, gradually feeling pressured.

"Scholar Mikki, tell me, how many people are we taking out to sea?"

"Zuwaro, I've already told you once!"

Scholar Mikki frowned, speaking in a deep voice.

"Twelve exploratory oar-sailed longships, each carrying seventy people. Thirty trade twin-hulled war canoes, each carrying twelve people. Together, how many is that?"

"Chief Divine! It's… it's twelve hundred people! So many people, are they really all entrusted to just the two of us?!"

"You could say so! We are the exploration captain and vice-captain. And the entire fleet consists of one-third warriors, one-third militia, and one-third sailors. Each longship must have a priest. Therefore, there will also be a Warrior Leader, two Militia Leaders, over twenty Preaching and Divine Revelation Priests, all sailing with us! Moreover, according to Your Majesty's decree, the fleet must carry two months' dry rations. At the highest standard of three pounds per person per day at sea, what does that translate to in tons of supplies?"

"Chief Divine! It's… it's 216,000 pounds, which equates to 108 tons of dry rations?!"

Calculating up to this point, Second Level Priest Zuwaro drew in a sharp breath. His forehead was already sweating, such a massive fleet and material preparation almost reached the limits of the kingdom's seafaring capability, unprecedented before...

"Scholar Mikki, do we have to bring so many supplies? I have traversed the northern trade route once. Along the way, there are many friendly tribes we can trade kingdom gemstones and cloth with for food and water…"

"Trading is certainly necessary, but with our fleet's magnitude, how much can those small tribes supply? Your Majesty decreed an exploratory royal decree, granting us 2 tons of Lake gemstones, 10 tons of cloth, and 10 tons of copperware, all for trade along the way. Additionally, the fleet also holds reserve longbows, arrows, copper weapons, and copper armor for two longships… furthermore, we even have the right to prioritize replenishing the fleet, crew, and materials every time the exploration returns!"

Scholar Mikki repeated the royal decree from His Majesty expressionlessly. He enjoyed observing Priest Zuwaro's dumbfounded expression, a smirk subtly forming at the corners of his mouth. Of course, when he first heard His Majesty's decree, he too was equally shocked and at a loss, no better off.

"Chief Divine bear witness! Look at the bows of those longships!"

Second Level Priest Zuwaro glanced over as instructed, his eyes tightening. At the bow of each of the twelve longships, a small copper Tiger Squat Cannon was placed, glittering brightly under the sun.

"Chief Divine! We also have twelve small Copper Beasts?"

"Zuwaro, those are twelve Tiger Squat Cannons, alongside 6,000 pounds of Gunpowder, and a ton of leaden stone bullets! These reserves are enough for each Tiger Squat Cannon to fire hundreds if not thousands of times…"

Upon saying this, Scholar Mikki finally sighed. At this point, the pressure in his heart was also as heavy as the mountains, unable to help but speak softly.

"For preparing our seaborne supplies, Divine Revelation Director Talaya apportioned Gunpowder and gemstones, County Magistrate Ezpan of Apa dispatched warriors and militia, County Magistrate Etalik of Zicao prepared cloth and copperware, and the warehouses of both counties were cleared out with large quantities of grain…"

"Director of the Shipyard, Pucuta, even personally came from Rivermouth County in the North to entrust me face-to-face: this voyage is absolutely extraordinary! His Majesty even vetoed County Magistrate Ezpan's plan to deploy a legion to raid the Northern Ticos, solely to provide stable diplomatic relations for our voyage, allowing smooth navigation past the coast occupied by the Northern Ticos…"

"Chief Divine bear witness! His Majesty's royal decree was officially delivered, and the maritime exploration plan was also entrusted to us. From this moment on, this long-term plan will continue unceasingly! No matter how much resources are spent, no matter how many warriors are drafted, no matter how many longships are depleted, no matter how many years it takes… our maritime exploration will not cease until success is achieved!"

"Ah! Chief Divine!!"

Upon hearing such an exploratory royal decree, Second Level Priest Zuwaro was shocked to the point of numbness. He pressed his lips tightly together, remaining silent for quite a while before asking somewhat laboriously.

"But we only submitted a plan to move southward to scout the Mistec and Zapotec tribes, and explore the Maya Coast…"

"Zuwaro, that plan was also approved by His Majesty. Only it was entrusted to the Trapani merchant Telali, who sailed with you, and another First Level Divine Revelation Priest Neri, a graduate of the Divine Might University! Although the kingdom maintained a ceasefire with the Mistec and Zapotec tribes, they were still practically at an adversarial stage. That scouting fleet only consisted of forty canoes, disguising themselves as Trapani traders, then secretly gathering intelligence on the City-States of the Cloud People along the coast…"

"Mikki, what about our objective? What is our actual goal? With such a massive fleet, surely we're not merely going to the islands in the Northern Continent to mine guano rock?"

"Chief Divine bear witness! Mining guano rock is indeed one of the supplementary tasks of the fleet. However, this task is primarily assigned to the thirty trade twin-hulled canoes. Once they finish mining guano rock, they'll be the first to return. And our destination is much farther, much, much farther…"

Scholar Mikki displayed solemnness, exhibiting a sense of reverence and fervor. He carefully took out a long scroll made of bison hide from his back, praying as he unfurled it.

"Chief Divine's blessing, Your Majesty's Divine Revelation, the sacred mission calls upon us! Look! Our destination is inscribed on this sea map, specially divine-revealed by the Chief Divine and personally drawn by His Majesty. We are to follow this divinely revealed sea route, heading three thousand miles to the west to the Great Island foretold in His Majesty's prophecy!"