Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 2066 - 1509: Red and White, Crossroads of Fate

"Legion Commander! The esteemed Divine King has decreed, and I have brought the reply!...""What did His Majesty the Divine King say?..."

"The Divine King said that we can hold a funeral for the Zapotecs! To reduce some future resistance for the southward conquest of the Alliance’s grand army... But it absolutely, must, and definitely protect His Highness Xiulote’s safety! Oh, and there’s a team of twenty Shadow Guards who have come along..."

"Good! I’ve already contacted the Zapotecs on this side... Then report to His Highness the Prophet. Three days later, in front of the Zapotec encampment at the mouth of the valley, a sacred funeral shall be held!..."

The sun rose three times, and the sacrificial Divine Platform was erected once more. Two thousand Alliance Warriors clad in armor and holding spears guarded the high Divine Platform, watching the East vigilantly.

Two or three miles to the east is the end of the narrow valley, the encampment at the mouth of the Oaxaca Valley. Hundreds of Zapotec Warriors stood on the simple wooden walls, clustered and looking westward. And over thirty envoys from various Zapotec tribes wore bird feathers and donned feathered garments, standing with complex expressions beneath the Divine Platform.

The morning sunlight carried the orange hue of bonfires, casting a warm glow on both the living and the dead. Over two hundred bodies of Zapotecs Nobles and Warriors were wrapped in war clothes, lined up neatly in the open space.

The Zapotecs Envoys had already checked the identities of these bodies; some wept, some prayed, and others carefully removed the teeth and hair of the deceased, placing them in small cloth bags. Of course, more bodies remained unidentifiable, unclaimed, like wandering souls without a home. The War Priests of the Alliance chanted divine names, sprinkling the bodies with the symbolic "Twenty Flowers" (Cempohualxochitl, or Chrysanthemum), as a form of pre-burial solace.

At this moment, both the Mexica Alliance and the Zapotecs Alliance, originally at war, rare maintained peace. In the tribes of this era, life’s greatest events revolve around "death." For the devoutly spiritual tribes throughout Central America, nothing is more significant than a sacred funeral guiding the spirit!

Even if after the funeral, both sides continue to battle relentlessly... If any tribe raises arms during the funeral, it would be a violation of the Divine Spirit, earning scorn from all tribes!

In some respects, this is an ancient consensus still maintained in Central America’s world, akin to the ceremonial rites of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Perhaps, this ancient consensus is also some foundation for "unifying the world." In contrast, the disputes among nations in the Old Continent, especially between different civilizations, have long abandoned such "ridiculous" limits in brutal skirmishes, breaking into a more primitive jungle...

"Ye nechca xochitl xochic, icelihui cuicatl. Amo huel tlaltikpak tlapani huey chimalli!..."

"In the land where flowers bloom, song surrounds the Divine Spirit. The great shield should not destroy the earth’s sanctity!..."

In the gaze of thousands of warriors and tribespeople, Xiulote recited a poem in Nava as he walked step by step from the Divine Platform. This funeral was prepared for the Zapotecs, and he had carefully prepared a set of Zapotec-style ceremonial dress to match. As soon as he appeared, the Zapotecs Envoys collectively paused, many of them watched for a moment, then reverently bowed their heads.

"Ah! The two semicircles of the sun, the messenger of Divine Spirit on the path of light!..."

"Hiss! The holy hand! Holding the Divine in six directions!..."

Xiulote kept his gaze straight, stepping slowly and steadily, ascending the Divine Platform one step at a time. He wore an exceedingly tall Obsidian Feather Crown, with over a meter-long bird feathers stretching to either side, forming a vibrant curtain resembling "Five-colored Palm Tree" atop his head. He was clad in layered ceremonial dress, with varicolor feathers hanging from behind, adorned with peculiar small gold ornaments reflecting golden light, resembling a "golden turkey" on his back.

Most distinct and uncanny was the additional four "tiger claws" embedded within the sleeves of his ceremonial dress, bringing a rotating "Divine Essence" in every move! In fact, this was also part of the Zapotecs Priests’ divine attire, but the Zapotecs Priests preferred using real and even more horrifying "human hands"...

"Praise be to the Chief Divine Huitzilopochtli! He is supreme and great, ruling mountains and rivers, commanding forests and valleys, from the vast Mexican Plateau to the endless Cloud... One hand burns with Heavenly Fire, the other wields mighty Thunderbolt. When He opens His blood-red eyes, gazing at the Land Amidst the Clouds, the Sun has already arrived!..."

"The Divine has arrived! He is watching over you and me!!..."

Xiulote sang loudly, his arms slowly expanding and closing, six "palms" alternately swirling like Divine Spirit’s rotation. This impressive "Divine Spirit Dress" weighs sixty to seventy pounds, weighing heavily upon him. Being able to turn his arms is already the maximum effort he can make. Moreover, this sacrificial rite will last half a day; an average Priest’s body couldn’t sustain it...

"Ai ya! Ai ya!..."

As Xiulote chanted, twenty War Priests jumped together in a sacrificial dance, shaking wooden bells of southern style. Their attire still reflected the style of the Alliance Priests, after all, besides the "Divine Revelation Prophet," no one dared be so "heretical"...

"Oh brilliant sun! It illuminates the earth, illuminates the world, illuminates all descendants of the Gummy People! I wish to pray for the Zapotecs Warriors who died in battle, for they dedicated their lives to the tribes and ancestors, sacrificing the vitality of their blood..."

"Merciful Chief Divine! I wish to lead their valiant souls to the Divine Kingdom of the Chief Divine, away from the cold abyss! This is their destiny, the peace they deserve, just like those brave Alliance Warriors..."

The new sacrificial texts echoed between heaven and earth, and the War Priests’ expressions were stiff, even their sacrificial dances slowed down. However, the expression of the Zapotecs gradually changed. They could understand the attire of the Highland "Prophet," recognize his divinity, and barely comprehend his Nava speech. More importantly, they could feel the goodwill of this "Prophet," and for the first time in such a sacred ceremony, they heard, in such a solemn form, a "political declaration" from the powerful North!

"Merciful, bright Chief Divine! He has already revealed it to me! The southern Cloud Central Tribes are our kin as well—descendants of the Gummy People. You, Zapotec people, are lost brothers to us Mexica, estranged compatriots to the Nava Tribes!..."

"The Chief Divine has long since prophesied! He chose the Mexica to reconcile the world of the Gummy People! From the Tarasco of the lake to the Tlaxcala of the valley, from the Chichimec of the wilderness to the Otomi of the mountains, from the Vastec of the swamps to the Totonac of the seaside, from the Tekos of the mountain rivers to the Tlapanec of the mountain forests... then from the Mistecs of the clouds to you, the ancient Zapotecs!..."

"The new era has already descended, all Nava Tribes shall unite! And all descendants of the Gummy People will return, reforging as the people of the Gummy Clan! This is the unwavering guidance of the Chief Divine, the predetermined celestial destiny!!..."

Xiulote’s soul-stirring chant echoed before the mouth of the Oaxaca Valley, resounded in the ears of the living and the dead. At this moment, listening was the silence here, chanting the sole melody. No one could make a sound or knew how to respond...

Until the long funeral reached its conclusion, the final declaration floated down from the Divine Platform, and everyone suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, falling back from the unimaginable future of the Gummy People to the fighting reality of life and death separation.

"Chief Divine’s blessing! The butterfly of the soul has flown away!"

"Bury them! The earth will accept all, life will turn into corn, sprouting anew from the soil~~"

"Finally, new children will be born in the name of the Gummy People!~~"

"Whaa... whaa!..."

Stone shovels swung, new burial pits covered the "old bodies" and planted "new seeds." They were the Chrysanthemums, the "Flower of the Dead," the cycle of death and rebirth. After eighty days and nights, these "Flowers of the Dead" would bloom on the vibrant earth like living tombstones.

"Ancestral witness! Thank you for the sacred funeral held, oh Prophet from the northern Highland Nava!"

The Zapotecs Envoys bowed their heads nervously or fearfully, performing a formal ritual of reverence to Xiulote, who wore no mask. Then they hastily bid farewell, almost fleeing, leaving the land where the dead were buried, escaping the gaze of the "Highland Prophet."

"..."

Xiulote gazed with a somber expression at the retreating figures of the Zapotecs until they finally disappeared behind the wooden walls filled with warriors at the valley eastern entrance camp. He stood there unmoving, gazing deeply for a long time. Until two War Priests hurriedly ascended the Divine Platform, helping him slowly down, removing the "Divine Spirit Dress"... Only then did Xiulote take a deep breath, gradually recovered from fatigue, once again becoming lively.

"Divine authority, funeral, and people’s hearts... The last unconquered Zapotecs..."

As the sun set in the west, Xiulote embarked on his journey home. Today marked his first encounter with the Zapotecs at the edge of the Oaxaca Valley. The day of reunion would not be long in coming, though the next meeting would not be peaceful as today; it would demand the Obsidian War Clubs, the fire of Thunderbolt, blood and fire, to decide the future of the Gummy People!

"And what follows next? The surrender of Cloud Mountain City, the main force of the Eastern Army going west, and a decisive battle with Yun Chen Leader? Then completely capturing the last Mountain River City, extinguishing the Mistecs, and dividing the fertile lands of the Cloud?"

Xiulote pondered silently until the mountain crossroads. Two Envoys of the Divine King approached through the night, and murmured something... He frowned abruptly and said deeply.

"The Divine King wants to reward military achievements, punish desertion, then have me use Divination Deciding Cases? ...Who are they?..."

The Envoy thought for a moment, glanced around and softly said three names.

"Chief Divine’s blessing! Esteemed Prophet, I dare not hide from you... The one given a title for military merits is Legion Commander Kwahu, along with officers of the Royal Legion. The ones rewarded with promotions are Guard Captain Turquoise and Tonsured Guards who survived ambushes. As for those subject to Divination Deciding Cases, there are several Great Nobility... among whom the highest in rank is Mountain Clan Chief Izel..."