Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The night star illuminates the earth, with a mysterious glow hidden in the forest. A black figure traverses silently through the woods, reaching the City-State by the seaside, and with the guidance of guards, quietly enters until it arrives at the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.

The great hall of the temple is lit with bonfires, carved with snake-shaped divine reliefs. The glow from the bonfires outlines the silhouette of a strong but indistinct figure in the dim side hall. That figure reaches out, touching the ancestral relief wall carvings, remaining motionless.

The flickering firelight casts the contours of the mural. To the left is a Divine Descendant warrior holding a Long Spear, as tall as a man. To the right is a giant serpent, half the size of the mural, battling with the warrior. Between the warrior and the giant serpent lies the earliest Totonac City-State!

"The legend of the Ancestor... The Descendant of the Sun God warrior, battling and merging with the giant serpent Miyawakotel..."

The Great Sun Chief Qiqini spoke softly, standing before the warrior on the mural. The faint light flickered, becoming difficult to describe. His shadow alternated between merging with and separating from the warrior in the mural, reflecting his complex, urgent, and anxious emotions.

"The Sun and the giant serpent, who is right and who is wrong?... "

"The divinity of the Sun and the divinity of the giant serpent are both inheritances from the Ancestors. The Sun is the father of the tribes, the light and honor; and the giant serpent is the mother who nurtures the tribes, darkness and cunning..."

A graceful figure in a Black Robe lightly steps to the front of the mural, standing on the serpent's side. Her lips curl up, and in the shadow of the serpent, she speaks, her voice low and hoarse.

"This is the duality of the Totonac people, merely for survival, there is no right or wrong to speak of..."

"Hmm... merely for survival, there is no right or wrong to speak of..."

Only then did the Great Sun Chief Qiqini shift his gaze to his vibrant sister in front of him, the Serpent Priestess Miyava. His eyes were a mix of complexity, lightly sniffing, and he asked in a low voice.

"Miyava, did you sing joyfully with the God of Death's eminence? Why can I only smell your scent and not a man's?"

"Brother, your nose is as sharp as ever, like the tongue of a serpent. It seems you are the one inheriting the giant serpent's divinity rather than me!..."

Miyava's eyes danced, and she replied with a smile. Then, she shook her head, her expression turning serious, somewhat resentful, yet inexplicably relieved.

"The God of Death's eminence did not touch me... He restrained his desires impeccably, just like the hardened blood jade in the southern mountain forest. He is a terrifying man, reminding me of the Divine Eagle atop the peaks, hunting the giant serpent in the mountains..."

"The Divine Eagle hunting the giant serpent? Are you saying?..."

"Yes. This man seeks to conquer the entire Seaside Lands, to conquer the Totonac Long Snake. The tribes' Golden Bay City is the center of the thousand-mile coast, more precisely the seven inches of the Totonac Long Snake. So, this City-State beneath our feet, he will capture it into his hands, he won't allow us to retain it!"

"Surrender the tribes' Golden Bay City..."

Hearing this, Qiqini lowered his eyes, remaining silent for a long time. After a while, his eyes turned dark, speaking in a low voice.

"Tell me, Miyava, since you have returned alive, then tell me... what terms did the God of Death propose to the tribes?"

Upon hearing this, the Serpent Priestess Miyava slightly lowered her head, her expression flickered inexplicably as she softly repeated Xiulote's original words.

"Within three days, we are to capture the chieftains and leaders of the Eastern tribes within the City-State. Invite the Mexica Army into the city to suppress and subjugate the Eastern Totonac Allied Forces... Once accomplished, the Golden Bay tribes will retain twenty thousand tribespeople to migrate to the southwest inland..."

"... After doing so much, even surrendering our City-State passed down through generations, we can only retain twenty thousand tribespeople?!"

Upon hearing such terms, the Great Sun Chief Qiqini's eyes flared with sternness, anger surging in his chest. He suppressed his fury, asking in a deep voice.

"Did you agree?"

"Mm. I agreed."

Miyava nodded, replying calmly.

"The God of Death promised that the Golden Bay tribes would convert to the Chief Divine, migrate inland, and seek new fiefs to settle. If we can subjugate Feather Bird City and Earthen River City, we can retain half of the tribespeople..."

"How can you agree to such terms betraying the Ancestors, betraying the Divine?!"

The Great Sun Chief Qiqini roared lowly, interrupting the words of the Serpent Priestess. A fierce look appeared in his gaze, directed at his sister's beautiful face, he spoke coldly.

"Miyava, the envoys sent to the Mexica Alliance have already brought back detailed responses. This Totonac eastern campaign is entirely the doing of the Lake Kingdom's God of Death's act alone, not part of the Mexica King's plan! Which means, this is the Lake Kingdom's army, not the Mexica Alliance's army! The situation within the Alliance is very delicate, if the God of Death's eminence were to perish here, both the King's faction and the Great Nobility's faction would welcome it, and they wouldn't launch a significant campaign of revenge...."

"The Lake Kingdom is thousands of miles away, relying solely on the Lord of the Lake's leadership over the various tribes. As long as he dies, the entire Kingdom will be instantly divided! Many Great Chiefs controlling legions will each occupy a land, engaging in mutual conflicts..."

"Therefore, as long as the Lord of the Lake dies, as long as he is killed! The Mexica's Totonac eastern campaign will collapse instantly, with no possibility of continuation!"

As he spoke, Qiqini's expression turned fierce, like a giant serpent ready to devour its prey. He extended his hand, pinching Miyava's chin, forcing her to look up at him, asking with a murderous intent.

"So, my sister, why didn't you assassinate the Lord of the Lake? Is it because you didn't bring the 'snake's fang'? Or is it that you're unwilling to sacrifice yourself for the continuation of the tribe?!"

"... Qiqini, if you don't want to die here, then let go of your hand!"

Facing Qiqini's questioning, the expression of the Serpent Priestess Miyava changed, putting away all her charms as a fierce look appeared on her face. She puffed her cheeks, her tongue moving in her mouth, like a sign of a serpent before its strike.

Seeing this scene, Qiqini felt a chill in his heart, immediately releasing his grip. He swiftly retreated two steps, drawing his Obsidian Long Dagger from his waist, vigilantly watching the Serpent Priestess.

The Serpent Priestess Miyava kept her cheeks puffed, her eyes vertical slits, coldly watching Qiqini for a while. Then, she deeply inserted a finger into her mouth, exerting a bit of force, and though a look of pain crossed her face, she didn't stop. She then fiercely extracted a perfectly embedded, unnoticeably abnormal 'tooth' from the gum where her wisdom tooth was located, spreading it in her hand!

In the dim firelight, this 'tooth' appeared slightly yellow, bearing the marks of time. The side and bottom of the tooth had clear carvings and embellishments, to fit the wisdom toothless gum of the Serpent Priestess.

In fact, this was a 'snake's fang' used by the Serpent Priestesses to mimic a venomous serpent's hunt, meant for assassination. The 'snake's fang' was extremely secretive, passed down only among the senior priestesses, used for a self-sacrificing attack on the most dangerous enemies. And this 'snake's fang' was also taken from a young woman's wisdom tooth, precisely sculpted, internally hollow, containing fresh blood-soluble snake venom, lethal when it draws blood.

"Qiqini, if you don't want to die here, then listen to me!"

With her face stern and her eyes cold, the Serpent Priestess Miyava glared at the silent Qiqini, and declared word by word.

"Witness the Ancestors! The God of Death's eminence was on guard the entire evening, he wasn't seduced by me, and we didn't sing joyfully. I had no opportunity to use the 'snake's fang' to draw his blood!"

"Moreover, by assassinating the God of Death's eminence, whether successful or not, I would truly have harmed the tribes and brought disaster to the Golden Bay Tribes! You must know, the Black Wolf Great Chief has been lurking like a wolf before his eminence, ready to pounce and bite us at any time! Think about it, you fool blinded by greed..."