Aztec Eternals

Bronze cauldron boils, carving up the world. This kingly, hearty feast continued late into the night. Fortunately, although the two rulers were pleased, they were both very restrained. They didn't arrange for any "dance performances and service" from the conquered Mistek beauties to liven things up.

On the one hand, the two were both father-in-law and son-in-law, teacher and student, and political partners and rivals, and would unconsciously show a "solemn and steady" side in front of each other. On the other hand, the two were indeed very self-disciplined, completely different from the common hedonistic practices of the great nobles of the Alliance.

And "when the superiors have a preference, those below will go even further," power will be amplified level by level, like a spreading ripple. With the God-King and the Prophet at the top, as examples of self-discipline for the powerful, the discipline of the Alliance's nobles and various legions has always maintained a certain bottom line. Even the looting by the legions was divided into areas, and the spoils were distributed centrally, without being scattered into a chaotic mess... It really had a flavor of classical militarism.

Of course, as the founder of all this, Shurote clearly understood that the Mexica's classical militarism was essentially different from the Qin-Han and Rome of the classical era. Because what maintained this Alliance's militaristic discipline in the Bronze Age was not entirely the strict laws of Qin-Han, nor solely the honor, punishment, and wealth of Rome. The most crucial foundation in the middle was actually the "religious sacrifices" that comforted the souls of the warriors, the constantly strengthened "divine authority and faith!"

"The great affairs of the state are only sacrifice and war! And sacrifice comes even before war!"

Therefore, when the Alliance legions formally entered the Mountain-River City three days later, the first thing they did was to tear down the old god statues in the temples and erect the Hummingbird emblem of the main god! Then, raging flames devoured the ancestral temples of the Cloud-Born, and the charts recording the lineages of the Cloud-Born were also completely erased.

"Well, Shurote, the sooner the grand sacrificial ceremony, the better. It's the end of June now, and it would be best if we could have three clear, auspicious days in the rainy season in early July! ... As for the location of the grand sacrifice..."

Speaking of this, Avete pondered for a while and asked.

"Divinate and ask the ancestors and the main god... Is the ancestral land of the Mistek people to the north, the Cloud Altar, or the ancient city of Tilantongo to the south? Which is more auspicious? ..."

For such a simple inquiry, there was no need for gossip; turtle shells and animal bones would suffice. Shurote took out two pieces of deer bone, drew patterns of the two locations on them, and roasted them in the fire one after the other, watching the cracks that formed. The bronze cauldron next to him bubbled, and another small turkey was cooked. And the turkey's head was naturally to be offered to the main god, thrown into the fire to be charred.

"July, grand sacrifice at the Cloud Altar... Minor auspiciousness! ..."

Generally speaking, the characteristics of an auspicious omen could be "clear, straight cracks," or "symmetrical cracks," or "continuous cracks," or, very special, "cracks surrounding the content of the divination." Simply put, the more "beautiful" the bone patterns that were burned, the more "auspicious" it was!

And once the cracks were too messy, too ugly, there was no way to explain it, and it was undoubtedly a "bad omen"! However, if you were really dissatisfied and wanted to insist, you could still offer sacrifices and burn the animal bones again...

"July, grand sacrifice at Tilantongo... Great auspiciousness! ..."

Shurote looked at the second bone pattern, a smile appearing on his face. Tilantongo was located in the Highland Mistek, and the distance from the ancestral Cloud Altar was actually only a few dozen miles north and south. These two "holy sites" belonged to the original Mistek ancestors, the origins of building tribes and establishing nations on the plateau. And "Tilantongo" in the local tribal language meant "Black City and Temple of Heaven."

About four or five hundred years ago, the most powerful chief in Mistek history, "Lord Eight Deer," or "Eight Tiger Claw," was the descendant chief of Tilantongo. Through marriage and war, he succeeded for the first and only time in uniting the Mistek tribes, creating the most prosperous era in the Cloud region! Since then, in the hearts of the Mistek tribes, "Tilantongo" had a special status, and "Lord Eight Deer" was also promoted to the status of ancestral hero.

And in later generations, the records of this history also survived from the hands of the Spanish, leaving behind two ancient manuscripts: the Codex Nuttall and the Codex Bodley.

As for the results of the divination, the Mexica ancestors and the main god chose "Tilantongo" as the location of the grand sacrifice. It was probably to tell "Lord Eight Deer" in person, "The Mistek Alliance has been destroyed!", "The Mistek people are all going to become Glue People!", "The Land of the Clouds is now the territory of the main god!", "You, this ancestral god, can also rest, or join the main god's sect and become a Glue People hero!"...

"July, grand sacrifice at Tilantongo... Great auspiciousness?! ... Good! Very good! Let me think about the number of sacrifices..."

Avete took the two deer bones and looked carefully at the patterns burned on them, his face solemn and excited. Then, the most crucial question was: how many sacrifices to offer to the supreme main god?

If a merchant faced such a question, the usual method would be to write down the time, place, number of sacrifices, and method of execution on a turtle shell... and then ask the ancestral god if it was auspicious? If the divination was an auspicious omen, it would prove that the ancestors agreed, and they could prepare prisoners of war or slaves as sacrifices.

For the Alliance, things were much simpler. The mathematics inherited from the Maya provided a set of "auspicious numbers" from small to large. Each auspicious number represented a different omen and had a corresponding sacrifice. Sometimes the specifications and number of sacrifices could be increased, but usually not by too much. And for a grand sacrifice like the destruction of a tribal alliance...

"Shurote, this grand sacrifice cannot be delayed for too long, and the number of priests is limited... Then let's take the doomsday number of '800,' shall we? Fortunately, the Mistek descendants, nobles, and priests who have been captured are probably of this scale... Well, you will be the chief priest!"

"I will be the chief priest? 800 sacrifices? ... Well, that requires the cooperation of eleven level-four chief priests, sacrificing two groups at the same time... It will probably last three days, and it is best if they are all sunny days!"

Shurote calculated in his mind for a few breaths and calculated the time required for this grand sacrifice, which was really a physical task. And Avete thought for a while and smiled.

"The main god blesses! There should be three consecutive sunny days in July! It will be difficult to find them when the rainy season is in full swing in August... So, we still have to complete the ceremony as soon as possible! The warriors have been waiting anxiously..."

"Yes! Sacrificing to the Temple of Heaven in the Clouds, devouring the old gods of the Clouds, the main god will definitely be happy! ..."

"Haha! Shurote, when you sacrifice the old nobles of the Clouds, I will personally reward each newly appointed meritorious noble and announce the name of each one! This is the cyclical alternation of death and new life, the cycle and beginning of the end of the era! ..."

"Yes! The old Cloud nobles will all die and turn into fertilizer for the fields. And on this fertile land in the Clouds, new corn will grow, surrounding the Mexica's cacao trees... Until everything merges, without distinction?"

"Good! The Mexica's cacao trees, very good! ... Until everything merges, without distinction? Well, interesting..."

Hearing this poem, Avete smiled and tapped his fingers lightly. And Shurote's expression was gentle, and he lowered his head humbly. Then, he looked at his rough hands, his eyes deep.

At this moment, he seemed to see his hands full of bright red, warm blood. But his expression was calm, like a calm grandfather, and he just whispered.

"... Now weapons are ominous instruments, detested by all creatures, so those with the Way do not abide in them... When slaughtering many people, one should weep for them with sorrow; when victorious in war, one should treat it with funeral rites."

"Shurote, what mysterious scriptures are you reciting? ..."

"Reporting to the God-King... I am praying, asking in advance for the path to the red kingdom for the souls of the dead in the ceremony!"

"Ha! My student, you are still soft-hearted..."

"No, teacher... My heart is very calm. My hands will be very steady. I will not prolong the suffering of the sacrifices. And the elders and grandfathers, they will also be watching me in the sky~~ May the main god bless the Alliance!"

"Oh! The ancestors of the divine kingdom... May the main god bless the Alliance!"