Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 2106 - 1539: The Grand Heavenly Temple Festival! Death and Life, Prophet and Divine King! (Part 2)

"Very good, Little Montezuma! The Alliance will grant you five years of food support and exempt you from five years of tribute... In the coming campaign against the Zapotecs, you need not send troops... Govern well the prosperous Cloud Coast! With Gold and gemstone, raise upon the coast a great ancestral temple and statues for your father, my elder brother Acatl!""Yes! I obey you! Great Divine King!... Uncle!..."

Montezuma II once more kowtowed in return, his expression one of heartfelt reverence. Then he retreated backward a few steps before carefully turning around, walking toward the base of the Temple of Heaven pyramid. As his gaze swept the crowd, it paused faintly in a few places, then quickly moved away; no one knew whom he was looking at. On these four sides of thirteen tiers of steps, each side split into two ranks, stood packed with Nnobility, Samurai, and Sacrifices!

The people upon these four flights of steps were clearly divided into two lines. One line was driven up, proclaimed before the Chief Divine, consigned to the Prophet, and then rolled down again in a "sacrificial death." The other line walked up, listened to the divine decree, knelt before the Divine King, and walked back down in an "ennobling life."

In this very moment, "life and death" alternated upon the ancient Temple of Heaven pyramid! And this voiceless sacred contrast carved the majesty of the Divine Spirit deep into the hearts of the multitude, like the Sun hanging in the void!

"Two suns not only do not tear at each other, but work in concert, oppressing the entire Alliance! This accursed blazing summer sun—when will one of them finally sink, so that people may catch their breath?..."

Wordless thoughts echoed in the hearts of who knew how many of the Alliance’s Great Nobility. At this moment the Highland sun was so searing, there was not the slightest pretense, and there was nowhere at all to flee!

"Descendants of the Gummy People, Divine Descendant of the Divine Stone City, Chief Rain Divine Priest Viko, before his death turned to the Chief Divine and has gone to the Chief Divine’s Divine Kingdom! His Spirit will become a Hummingbird, circling the flowers of the Divine Kingdom, flying for eternity without care or sorrow!..."

Prophet Xiulote again proclaimed, the Obsidian Dagger in his hand worn down by the Sacrifices and replaced with a new blade by his assistant Yun Tian. Yun Tian Andevi’s expression was reverent, yet his heart held a thousand tangled emotions. He watched the "living freshness" burning in the Fire, and within his heart he softly took his leave of Chief Rain Divine Priest Viko, this old acquaintance from Divine Stone City who had once sat in the foremost seat and negotiated with the Black Wolf General.

"Chief Elder... with today’s parting, past grace and past grievance all turn to blue smoke!... Seven years ago, you chose Yun Chen of your own will, I was forced to choose His Highness... Seven years later, you go first to the Chief Divine’s country; as for me, I must still wait a few more years..."

"Today, for the sake of the ritual of the Sacrificial Rite, in order to prevent you from shouting wildly, we numbed you beforehand with the Knife and Water, yet still could not let you leave behind a final farewell poem... Then let me, this old acquaintance, recite for you one last line of verse!"

"Tlein, tlahuiz. zan, teicniuhtli! Tlein tlahuiz, zan teicniuhtli..."

"What is past is like the morning light, already borne away by brightness!..."

Prophet Xiulote’s Sacrificial Rite was steady and unceasing, like the tides of the great sea. Divine King Avit’s investitures were blazing and impassioned, like the Fire of the Sun. And the "Sun" hanging above the "sea" drew all the Nnobility’s upturned eyes. After investing Prince Meng Er, the next to ascend the platform was another branch of Acatl’s descendants, an equally exalted Prince—Prince Yu Yan, Mixcoatl!

"By the mouth of me, the Chief Divine grants titles for military merit! Prince Yu Yan Mixcoatl has established military merit in the Southern Expedition, both in slaughter at the front and in the provisioning of the rear, specifically as follows... His Fief is to be transferred from Sun City of the Raziko State to Ye Guo City and Xianggou City in West Mixteco, tripling what he held before!... He is richly rewarded with spices and cacao, Feathered Garment and Chinese Clothes, gemstone, Gold and Silver, Bronze Ritual Artifact, and the Cloud Divine Staff!..."

"..."

Prince Yu Yan Mixcoatl clenched his jaw and lowered his head as he mounted the Temple of Heaven pyramid. The Sacrifices of the Cloud Divine Race lay within his field of vision, that fresh hot red carved full of the traces of death, portending as well the consequences of defying the Divine King’s decree.

"Hm?"

When the Divine King’s indifferent gaze fell upon him, Mixcoatl trembled all over and at last collapsed to his knees with a thump, accepting this reassignment he could not refuse!

"Yes! I obey you! Exalted Divine King... Sun City will complete the transfer of the Fief as swiftly as possible and migrate into the Mountain Forest valleys of the western Cloud!..."

"Very good, Mixcoatl! The Alliance will grant the Feathered Goose Clan of Sun City one year to migrate. The central Royal Family will also dispatch legions to assist... Your Fief in the western Cloud is three times your original holding. Though somewhat remote, as long as it is well opened up... after a single generation, it will be enough to double your subjects!... And the Alliance will also support you with food and farming tools, and send Priests to aid in conversion, so that in Mixteco Land you may firmly strike root!"

"Yes! I thank you! Divine King Uncle!..."

"Mm. Take your Divine Staff! Go down!"

"Yes!!..."

At this moment, the "Sun" blazed with boundless radiance; none dared defy it, and all the Great Nobility bowed their heads before the Divine King. Under such centralization and Royal Decree, the Alliance’s traditional "great decision-maker" thus truly became a "king" whose word could not be gainsaid!

With the two highest-born and most powerful nephews of the Royal Family dealt with, the expression on Divine King Avit’s face relaxed slightly. Next would be, in accordance with the already settled plan, the mass investiture of the Southern Expedition Nobles and Samurai who had rendered war service, followed by the reassignment of the Hereditary Noble houses of the Alliance’s Southern Three States.

Thinking of this, Avit looked around to left and right and gave a slight nod to the sacrificing Xiulote. This long Grand Festival, with three full days of Sacrifices and investitures, had only just begun!