Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The black tent was deep, and the candlelight shone brightly. A faint scent of herbs permeated the tent, vaguely resembling the fragrance of musk. Cotton blankets laid spread on the ground, with the faint marks of a human figure and damp dew. Under the candlelight, two newly placed redwood wine cups and a black ceramic wine jug stood.

To the left of the jug was a shallow bowl partially filled with fish paste. On the right was a torn piece of black gauze, almost shredded into rags and rolled into bundles—a mystery unfolded what had occurred.

Xiulote wore a short garment, his expression cold and hard, sitting cross-legged before the jug, and picked up the redwood cup. On his neck were two scratches made by a cat and several snake-bite marks on his shoulders. He paid no heed, drinking tequila, and occasionally glancing at the warm, soft woman in his embrace.

Miyava's gaze was blurry, her expression dazed, like a boneless soft serpent leaning in the king's arms. She leaned sideways, draped in Xiulote's black robe, struggling to close her outstretched legs, like a heron unable to stand up. Her flushed neck and the blue-green handprints on her ankles seemed like a flamingo savagely tasted by a pouncing jaguar.

The sea lay silent, the quiet night without a sound. All the raging waves scattered in the night wind, leaving only the persistent musk scent. The pair sat with heads bowed, close together, smelling the scent of their own on each other, wordless for a long time.

"Ecatl! Is there more wine?"

The king finished his cup, shook the jug, and called out towards the tent entrance.

"This wine is good, bring me another jug!"

"Yes, family head!"

Outside the tent, the guard commander Ecatl answered firmly. Soon, he fetched a wine jug and prepared a towel, coming outside the tent.

"Family head?"

"Come in!"

Ecatl lifted the tent door, his gaze flickered, seeing the king and the serpent mother chieftain sitting opposite each other. Their expressions were calm, one speaking gently, the other listening patiently. Ecatl placed the jug down, poured a cup for the family head without asking a word, then stepped back leaving the tent.

"My lord, the name Totonac is merely a generic term. It represents the land of heat, encompassing both the highland people of the inland and the lowland people of the coast, both tribes from the west devoted to the Feathered Serpent Divine, and tribes from the East revering the Sun God..."

"But in reality, there never existed a powerful tribe claiming to be Totonac. Nor has any Seaside Tribe ever unified this Totonac land!... Hmm, except for the legendary Teotihuacan people, and aside from your mighty self, of course..."

Serpent Mother Chieftain Miyava smiled subtly, sensually tousling her sweaty hair, her brow full of charm and her eyes brimming with boundless allure. She spoke charmingly yet earnestly, detailing the Totonac Tribes.

"Thus, the Totonac Tribes have never submitted to a single powerful chieftain, nor followed the same traditions, not even worshipped the same gods... The western tribes' beliefs, influenced by highland conquests, have always regarded the Feathered Serpent of the ancient Toltec as the paramount deity; whereas the eastern tribes' beliefs inherit more from the Olmec, similar to the eastern Maya Tribes, with the Sun God revered as their supreme deity..."

"Therefore, my lord, the Totonac Tribes of the East and West are like loose white sand of the seaside... You wish to mold it into a ceramic cup, it surely won't be an easy task!..."

Upon hearing this, Xiulote nodded slightly. Unlike the Highland Tribes or even the southern Mistec people, the Totonac Tribes have indeed never unified, nor have they ever been consolidated by external forces. Each tribe's beliefs, culture, customs, and legends differ slightly. And the so-called Totornak Alliance was merely a chieftains' assembly forced by external pressures.

"So, Miyava, how do the Totonac people of the East and West maintain their connections then?"

Upon hearing this, Miyava's eyes sparkled, with mock anger glancing at the king, then chuckled.

"Hehe! My lord, what else could it be? Naturally, it's through inter-tribal marriages between the divine descendants, the similar ancestral myths among the tribes, and the two holy lands of the East and West!... The shared ancestral myths are the foundation of dialogue between tribes. The two holy lands of the East and West thus divide the Totonac Tribes of the East and West. And indeed, most importantly, the greatest impact comes from the marriages of the divine descendants!..."

"The marriages of the divine descendants have persisted for centuries; the chieftains of the Seaside Tribes are all offspring of such marriages. Only those with esteemed bloodlines have the right to rule the tribes! For hundreds of years, such concepts have penetrated deeply into the hearts of the tribal warriors and tribespeople, many firmly believed in this. The chieftains of various tribes, their ability to rule over the tribes, derives from their own valor and the divinity within their bloodline!"

"Sometimes, to prevent the divine blood of the tribe from flowing out and being acquired by other tribes... Many Great Tribes choose holy marriages within the tribe. Uncles and nieces, aunts and nephews, siblings... Marriages between closely related divine descendants are quite common... And tribes capable of inter-marrying, exchanging divine blood, tend to have extremely close relationships, forming actual alliances..."

Speaking of this, Miyava smiled gently, looking at the expression of the king, and sighed softly.

"Over the years, so many tribe chiefs wanted to marry me, not only for my body but also to get their hands on the Golden Bay Tribes... And Qiqini kept me from marrying anyone, just to keep the Golden Bay Tribes tightly in his grasp... Until I met you, my lord, both me and the tribe have become your spoils of war!..."

"Common ancestors, Holy Land of the East and West, the marriage of divine blood..."

Upon hearing this, Xiulote rubbed his chin, pondering silently. Judging by the situation, the seaside tribes seemed somewhat similar to Ancient Egyptian tribes under divine authority. The emergence of such traditions was also due to the long-standing inheritance of each tribe, where the upper ruling class was completely solidified, forming a divine blood-born nobility.

"So, the Totonac tribes keep resisting me because I do not possess the divine blood to rule over them?"

"Hehe! My lord, this is merely the excuse chiefs use to rally warriors and tribespeople, but of course, it's not just that! Even if a Great Chief with divine blood were to attempt to unify the tribes, they would still face resistance from them... And those who resist you are especially numerous, naturally because you desire too much!"

Miyava closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she had the innocence of a girl. She reached out her hand, gently caressing the king's cold and firm face, her eyes seemingly sparkling with admiration.

"My lord, you want the faith of the tribes, want to destroy all priests; you want the land of the city-states, want to sacrifice revered divine descendants; you also want the population of the tribes, to seize control of the tribespeople by their chieftains... You almost pushed all powerful figures from the Totonac tribes to the opposing side..."

"Yet, even when faced with all the powerful, you are still able to defeat them, trample them, and force them to submit to you... Ah! My lord, you truly are the most powerful king! Ah! I like you very much!..."

"Being enemies with all the powerful Totonac people, all are enemies!..."

Upon hearing this, Xiulote stretched out his hand and rubbed his aching brow, feeling somewhat headache again. He remained silent for quite a while before restraining the woman's unruly hand and calmly spoke.

"Miyava, priests, divine descendants, chieftains... the upper ruling class of each tribe is indeed the enemy that the alliance needs to address. We need to seize the power to rule the tribes from their hands. However, the alliance has never thought of exterminating them all! Although the conditions are harsh, we still offer them opportunities..."

"The conditions of the kingdom..."

Upon hearing this, Miyava smiled gently. She understood what the so-called "harsh" conditions were, as she was forced to accept them. However, the alliance's conditions went beyond harsh; they aimed to completely seize the tribes. Unless faced with the brink of survival, the chiefs would reluctantly accept. Whenever there was a slightest chance or possibility of reversals, they would choose to resist till the end.

"While the middle and lower tiers of the tribes, warriors and tribespeople, are what the alliance wants to embrace... rewarding military achievements with fields and titles, ensuring the rise of warriors. Priests guide farming, ensuring proper subsistence for the people... These ruled tribespeople, once they surrender to the alliance, will be better off than before!"

Saying this, Xiulote's expression turned grim, his eyes once again glimmering with red.

"However! These warriors favored by the alliance, the tribespeople given leniency, even after listening to the will of the kingdom, witnessing the unstoppable army... will still incite endless rebellions under the provocation of chiefs and priests after the army withdraws!..."

"Now, the surrendered Totonac tribes and warriors amount to hundreds of thousands! So many surrendered tribes, so many surrendered armies, all suppressed by the kingdom's legion, any slight error would lead to a massacre! ...But killing is not what I wish for! If I were to kill the Seaside Lands into a wasteland, even occupying them holds no meaning..."

Upon hearing the king's words, the woman blinked thoughtfully. After intimate contact, the king finally opened up a bit to her, letting her come closer to the true supreme.

"Miyava, I ask you... how should I rule over these surrendered seaside warriors and tribespeople, establishing true kingdom dominance? I will give you seven days to think about it carefully, don't rush to answer! This answer is very important, both to me and even more so to you!"

Upon finishing, Xiulote took up the wine cup and drank the remaining liquor in one go. Then, he gazed deeply at the Serpent Mother Chieftain, who was silently pondering, pinched her cheek, and walked away briskly.

The tent door opened, the starry river shone brightly, the evening breeze blew warm. The tent door closed, the candlelight flickered dimly, and fragrance lingered. Serpent Mother Chieftain Miyava, wearing the king's black robe, sat quietly on the cotton blanket, in silence for a long, long time. Then she smiled gently, picked up the lord's wine cup, poured a cup of tequila, and smilingly drank it all in one go.

"Hehe! True kingdom rule, ruling over the entire Seaside Lands? Actually, it's quite simple!..."

"My lord, you have the strength, but you can't do it. I have no strength, and can't do it either. But if I have your strength, then I could do it!"