The blue sky sheds warm sunshine, the wind from the Mexican plateau is still cool, and the moist air carries the freshness of Lake Haltokan. The southern part of Lake Haltokan is connected to Lake Texcoco, and more than ten kilometers on the east coast is the ancient holy city of Teotihuacan, where Xiulote was born.
After seeing Lake Haltokan, the team suddenly became lively, as if there was a certain kind of vitality.
The warriors rushed to the lake, fetched some water on the shore, and drank in the taste of their hometown. There were small boats on the lake, and the villagers who saw the warriors greeted them warmly and inquired about the harvest of the prisoners. There was also a young girl paddling a small boat close to the scene, wearing only a half-length sarong, boldly showing off her youthful figure, and singing a love song of admiration for the warrior.
Shulot blushed a little and turned around to look at the village near the lake. Simple canals divert the lake water into the continuous corn fields outside the village, where black beans and pumpkins are grown. The agriculture here is obviously much more developed, and the population seems more dense.
There are many small ponds between the village and the lake. In the ponds are rectangular floating fields of different sizes called Chinampa. Chinampa can be harvested 6-7 times a year, making full use of the nutrients in the river mud, with sufficient water and fertilizer, and few insect pests. The yield is nearly ten times that of ordinary rough farmland. These chinampa were controlled by the nobles of the city-state to maintain a prosperous life. Great nobles often had chinampa gardens, filled with flowers, herbs, and cocoa.
Shulot's gaze paused for a long time on a pond near a village. Until Teres woke him up, the team set off again. Soon, a grand and simple city appeared in Shulot's field of vision.
Teotihuacan has no city walls. Its walls have been buried in the dust of history, along with most of the city. In distant ancient times, this was the "city of the gods" and the place where the gods left.
Shulot entered the city from the west and passed through the unclear city boundary. What appeared in front of him was a magnificent spectacle that spanned thousands of years. Under the sun, a 40- to 50-meter-wide paved avenue runs from north to south, as if leading to the end of the era. This is the famous "death" avenue.
To the north at the end is a stone square, two hundred meters long and wide, with a square altar in the center. This is the Moon Square, a place of sacred sacrifice and a place to please the gods. It was here that Shulot saw bright reds gathering together to form a lake for the first time. That unforgettable shock made him understand for the first time that he had left the bloodless modern civilization forever and came to this fierce and cruel jungle. era.
The warriors led their horrified captives down the Avenue of Death. Further north of the altar is a magnificent pyramid, three times as long and wide as the avenue, and about forty to fifty meters high. Looking up, the five-story tower is made of huge stones, and an exquisite temple stands on the top of the tower. Red and blue dyes render simple patterns, and many moons, stars, jaguars and snakes are carved between the patterns.
On both sides of the temple door are four temple guards wearing wolf-headed hats. Their black leather coats are engraved with blue and yellow stripes, and they are as motionless as sculptures. The sculptures hold a half-meter-long leather wooden shield in their left hand, and a one-meter-long obsidian stick in their right hand. The sharp obsidian blades on both sides of the long stick shimmer with cold light.
Shulot tried to climb to the top of the tower several times to find a way back, but was blocked by the sculptures. This is the Pyramid of the Moon, the bridge between heaven and earth.
Facing the team, directly east of the avenue is another huge pyramid, facing the sun, with a base two to three hundred meters long and wide, the same five-story tower, but taller and more majestic. The top of the tower is open, with a half-man-high sacrificial stone in the middle, and a half-open Sun Temple to the east.
There is a tall statue of the sun god in the temple, facing the east. A gold crown, gemstone eyes, and silver jewelry hang from the arms and waist, and behind it is a pure gold sun several meters in diameter.
The sun was shining on the top of the sun pyramid, and the dazzling golden light dazzled Shulot's eyes. It is the most lofty Pyramid of the Sun. Only sacred sacrificial ceremonies can be held here. Climbing is absolutely prohibited.
Orosh led the warriors to stop and kneel down towards the Sun Temple in the east.
He prayed loudly with a solemnity that Shulot had never seen before: "Great patron saint Huitzilopochtli, under your sunshine that shines on all things, we completed this capture! As your eternally loyal warrior, We will sacrifice the hearts and blood of our enemies to you until we return to the earth and sacrifice ourselves. May you bless our bodies and weapons so that we can win the next noble battle!"
Shulot also finished his prayers and stood up, and saw Orosh ordering the prisoners to kneel down to the Sun God and offer their faith. The prisoners thought death was imminent, trembling with fear and howling randomly. Fear makes one's limbs weak, and the captives lie limply in a heap on the ground.
Not far from the west side of the procession is a gorgeous palace complex, with colorful paintings carved on the walls and fluttering on the pure white cotton curtains. The heaven and earth of gods, sacrificial farmland, rain forests and lakes, tigers, leopards, snakes and deer are all alive in the palace and society. The painting shows the past and present, beliefs and life of the Aztecs.
This gorgeous complex was the residence of priests and nobles, as well as the place where the servants of God worked daily.
Seeing the returning team, a young aide hurriedly came from the palace community. The young man is twenty years old and has a face as gentle as jade. He did not wear a feather crown, and wore a white shawl on his upper body and a white short skirt, exposing his chest. Around the neck is an ordinary obsidian necklace that represents the identity of the aide.
"Dear Orosh warrior, oh, and little Xiu Luote." The aide smiled and winked at Xi Luo Te, "Did everything go well with the capture?"
"Not bad, Akapu. This time we captured the Huastec territory and found a tribe of savages. The opponent was very weak, and none of our soldiers were injured." Orosh nodded, with a serious expression as if he hadn't yet. Recover from prayer. Then he pointed to the kneeling crowd and said, "The prisoners are all here."
"Okay." He briefly counted the prisoners, and then looked at the damaged leather armor of the warriors standing at the back. Acap smiled again, "You have gained a lot from the returning team. Leave the male prisoners to me, and you can handle the female prisoners by yourself. With twenty-five sacrifices, it seems that every newcomer can be promoted. ”
Orosh also smiled, turned around and roared at the warriors: "Turkeys, let me tell you good news. After this capture, each of you will be promoted to a first-level warrior 'Binder'."
"Tels, Marli." Orosh then roared, "You two will be promoted to the second-level warriors 'Vastek Hunters'."
Shulot saw two smiling faces that were equally eager to fight, but one was cruel and the other was innocent.
"After I report to the elders, you can go get your new uniforms and cloaks tomorrow." The warriors cheered and howled excitedly. "But remember, this time the opponent is very weak, and you are still a bunch of turkeys! Only when you capture a Tlaxcala or Tarasco warrior on your own can you be called a true brave."
"Tels, Marli. You brought these four-handed women to the southern city and sold them to civilians without wives. The cocoa beans in exchange were divided among the brothers and they repaired the weapons and leather armor!"
Hearing this, the warriors cheered again.
"By the way, if you are one of your own, it can be cheaper."
As Orosh said, he patted Shulot on the shoulder again, and laughed and said: "Xurot, it's a pity that this is not your share! Of course, you don't lack this either."
Shulot seemed not very interested. The young man lowered his head and watched the prisoners being taken away and handled like cargo.
Akapu then took over the words, and he smiled and said: "Okay, Orosh. Now that things have been arranged, you and Shulot will come with me. Captain Shusok has already given instructions, once you come back , go see him immediately." After saying that, he led the two of them towards the gorgeous palace society.
