Aztec Eternals

"May the Chief God protect you! Greetings, esteemed High Priests! These eleven artisans from the Western Sea and its tribes are all exceptionally skilled 'Master Craftsmen.' They possess mastery in blacksmithing, papermaking, lacquering, pottery, woodworking, carriage making, house building, sculpting, hemp spinning, weaving, and dyeing… ten Western Sea skills that the kingdom urgently needs! Especially this elderly, one-armed blacksmith, Tie Tian Zongyi, a top-tier blacksmith master even rare to find in the Western Sea!…"

"Oh?! Praise the Chief God! Excellent! The kingdom indeed urgently needs skilled blacksmiths to forge weapons and armor, and also skilled carpenters to build ships… As for crafting 'carriages'? Could it be the two-wheeled contraption divinely inspired by His Majesty, drawn by horses?…"

"Yes! High Priest!… Carriage maker Che Mu Zhenji can build two-wheeled vehicles that can be pulled by horses or oxen. On well-maintained dirt roads, the load capacity of these two-wheeled 'horse-drawn carriages' or 'ox-drawn carts' can reach at least 'twenty times' that of a commoner's wheelbarrow, and they can travel for extremely long distances, making them military and national instruments for land transportation!… Look, this pair of horned, breeding behemoths are the four-legged beasts of burden that His Majesty specifically requested, 'oxen'! Their strength is second only to the massive northern yak, but their temperament is far more docile than yaks. They can not only pull carts and transport grain, but more importantly, they can plow fields and increase production…"

"…! To think there would be such an important tool for transporting grain? And such enormous, docile beasts?! Using carts to transport grain, raising oxen to pull carts or plow fields… Good, good indeed! Losanda, you have performed a great service this time!…"

The Z遮洋 (Covering Ocean) ship was docked in the harbor, twilight turning into night as the bonfire for the evening banquet was lit. Hundreds of warriors were divided into a dozen or so groups around the fires, the fish and potato soup emitting a rich aroma that even the Khitan hounds brought back were drooling over. However, the warriors' celebratory shouts, the clamor of eating, and the 'devotion' and joy of surviving another voyage through the storm… all merged with various laughter and shouts, turning into a cheerful tide that completely drowned out the hounds' cries.

"Ah haha! Ticualtzin in octli, we drink the pulque! Ticualtzin in xochitl, we enjoy the flowers! Ticualtzin in yolotl, our hearts are joyful! Tocuicatl, tocuicatl! Sing, sing!… Ipan huey tlālticpac, in the vast distance, Ipan miquiliztli ixiptli, at the end of death! ~ ~"

This was the song of the Nahua warriors, always unrestrained and powerful, as brilliant as flowers, yet containing the ephemeral meaning of imminent withering. After all, a warrior's life was often only thirty or forty years. Starting to fight at the age of twenty, heading towards aging or death in battle at thirty or forty, it was only a fleeting "flowering period" of a little over a decade. And in this dangerous voyage to connect with the Western Sea continent, their average lifespan would be even shorter, even more brilliant and devout. In this dangerous and chaotic world, their innermost spiritual reliance was only the truly long and peaceful "Divine Kingdom after death!"

"Ya iya! Iluulixtaangis ax, our village! Tanam ungii ax, our land! Aangis kiduugis ax, our food! Anii qangis ax, our song!…"

This was the song of the Sugpiaq sailors, always short and drawn-out, repeatedly recounting, like the recurring tides and streams. As natives of the Alaskan coast, their lives were even shorter, often only in their early twenties. And in the fleet, these tall tribal sailors were on average even younger than twenty years old. They didn't have much understanding of life and death. Wasn't life just a small boat on the vast sea? It drifts wherever it drifts, and when it stops, it sinks into the sea, just like the natural cycle of summer and winter… At this moment, those simple tribal faces were full of pure smiles, singing for a good evening of being full and satisfied, for the prosperity of their tribal villages!

"Hey ya hey! As the sun rises, the rice paddies gleam with golden light. The rice is fragrant, the wine fills the large bowl. Grandpa laughs, Grandma sings, everyone dances together, dancing until the moon is white!…"

This was the song of the Wa people artisans, although a rural field song, it was also catchy and easy to sing. As artisans from the capital region of Wa, their average lifespan was much better than that of Wa farmers, probably reaching thirty or forty years old. It's just that the poor and difficult life of the Wa country folk, even in the capital region, could not compare with the Great Ming or Joseon. And now, they had traveled ten thousand miles away from their homeland, enduring the endless "breath of the Zhi Na Du Bi," crossing the terrifying "raging waves of the Great Watatsumi," they already knew that there was no possibility of returning to their hometown in this lifetime. Therefore, as several master craftsmen sang, their old tears flowed, and they hurriedly wiped away their tears, striving to smile and sing.

"… Grandpa laughs, Grandma sings, everyone joins in the revelry, partying until the sky brightens!… Praise the great spirit who nourishes the radishes!"

After the craftsmen finished singing, everyone turned their expectant gazes towards Cai Shan, the lone Joseon medical woman. Cai Shan's face flushed crimson instantly, and she became flustered, unsure of what to sing.

"Come, don't be afraid. First, drink a cup of wine, then begin singing!"

Looking at this deer-like "shamanic healer," Losanda smiled and handed her a cup of fruit wine. Then, he turned to the two smiling high priests and respectfully whispered.

"She is the 'shamanic healer' from a large Joseon tribe on the West Sea Continent, possessing the 'medical skills' of the West Sea Continent… She is the one His Majesty specifically requested, capable of treating the 'evil demon plague' and researching that 'smallpox inoculation technique'… Yes, the 'Great Shamanic Healer'!…"

"Oh?! The West Sea Great Shamanic Healer who will 'inoculate' in His Majesty's prophecy?…"

"Ahem… Respected High Priest! She may currently lack… well… shamanic 'ingredients.' According to her, inoculation requires 'cultivating seedlings' using living people, weakening the toxicity repeatedly to obtain 'vaccine seeds' before 'inoculating.' And cultivating 'vaccine seeds' will probably take several years…"

"Oh! So that's how it is, sacrificial offerings are needed for cultivating seedlings?… Not bad! Already very good! Losanda, your bringing back the 'West Sea Physician' is a truly great achievement! This is a matter of concern to His Majesty, and I will bring this good news back as soon as possible, writing a letter myself to inform His Majesty, especially reporting your merits!"

"Ah? Personally commend me?! This… Thank you! High Priest! Thank you sincerely!…"

The erudite Miki nodded in satisfaction, patting Losanda's shoulder in a very friendly manner. Losanda was immediately overwhelmed by the favor, bowing his head in salute, and for a moment, he didn't grasp the hidden meaning in Miki's words. On the other side, Kimel smiled silently, took a sip of wine, and gazed thoughtfully at the pretty and shy "medical woman" Cai Shan.

"Um… I haven't learned anything else… All I've learned is what's taught in the Jeseongwon… Then I… I'll… I'll sing a song from the palace, 'Changchun Music - Ode to Peace'? It's modeled after the elegant music of the Shang Kingdom… This is what the nobles in the palace used to love to listen to, especially with the 'Six Il' performance, thirty-six singing girls dancing together, and it must be sung in ancient Han Chinese… And I was often chosen by the nobles to be one of the 'Six Il' dancers, offering dances and songs…"

The so-called "Six Il" is six rows and six columns, a dance that conforms to the ritual standards of the vassal lords. At this time, Joseon Korea did not have the audacity to overstep the bounds and offend the suzerain Ming Dynasty by holding an "Eight Il" dance of the Son of Heaven's specifications. However, when they were happy at banquets, they would close the door and stage a "Changchun Music Dance," having the singing girls and medical women sing "Odes to Peace," thereby imitating the ancient Zhou rituals and secretly comparing themselves to "sage rulers and ministers," indulging in the addiction of "sage emperor's elegant music"… That was often done.

This kind of Confucian moral "spiritual pleasure of comparing oneself to a sage" was probably more enjoyable for the Joseon monarchs and ministers than the Yuan Dynasty's indulgent "Sixteen Heavenly Devil Dance." If they were not monarchs and ministers in the East Asian Confucian cultural circle, they probably wouldn't be able to appreciate the subtle beauty of it.

"May the Chief God protect you! Cai Shan, don't worry. Everyone is very happy, it doesn't matter what you sing!"

So, under everyone's kind gaze, Cai Shan pinched the corner of her clothes, bit her lip, and took a deep breath. Then, she looked at the vast Arctic starry sky, surveyed the boundless Arctic Sea, and in the pure wind that seemed to come from ancient times, she began to dance a true "musical dance" and sing "elegant music" in ancient Chinese. At this moment, time rushed by, as if returning to the ancient times two thousand years ago, when the Yin and Shang dynasties passed away, the Zhou Dynasty rose, the ancestral temples were first built, and elegant music was born.

"Heaven and earth are created, all things are transformed, sacred virtue is high and far, and the world is in great peace.

Rulers and ministers are harmonious and happy, the people are happy, what is this music like, blessed is this world!…"

"The world is in great peace, all people are harmonious and happy, the ruler's virtue is high and far, the people are happy.

The mountains and rivers are beautiful, the harvest year has arrived, what a blessing this is, what a blessing this is~~"

After the two sections of elegant music and dance were finished, the bonfire banquet was silent for a moment. Kimel's eyes flickered, carefully savoring the solemn meaning in it, and immediately had the idea of ​​referring to the West Sea's "sacrificial songs" to compile solemn songs and dances for the Chief God. When Cai Shan finished singing, she also subconsciously followed the "rules of elegant music" and "knelt down with her knees together" to the priests at the head, performing a dignified kneeling salute. This made the priests a little uneasy, and they quickly asked Cai Shan to get up and arranged a seat at the head. After all, in Central America, shamans and doctors are inseparable. If this "West Sea Physician" really had the shamanic skills to cure the plague, then her future in the kingdom would probably not be inferior to theirs…

"May the Chief God protect us! Tonight we celebrate and praise! Celebrate the wind-filled white sails, the fleet returning to shore in the light! Praise the Chief God's guidance, we have passed through the night!…"

"Sing and dance to your heart's content! Until dawn comes, the Chief God's morning light floats over the East Sea, then sleep soundly in the light!…"

"Tlā zohcamati! Thank the Chief God! Thank the Chief God!…"

"Wiinaqutukut! We have won! We're going home!…"

"神 よ！神 啊！神 呀！…"

At this moment, on the snow-capped Whale Island in the far north, the shouts of more than a thousand tribes, in different languages, were all venting freely under the night sky, rising to the longing night sky. Then, the stars in the sky seemed to be drawn down by the joyful cheers of the banquet. Like the blessing of the Chief God, those pairs of black eyes, whether simple or fierce, bloomed with divine brilliance!

This night, starlight shone in the pupils, joyful songs and laughter echoed on the seashore at the end of the world. Until the long night passed, the dawn fell into the intoxicated eyes, like a mother's caress, letting everyone fall asleep soundly, resting peacefully in their hearts~~