The bright sunshine fell on the chief minister's palace, reflecting the brightness and gentleness of the painted curtains. Along the long stone path, deep into the interior of the palace, darkness gradually swallows up the light, just like the cold and hard stone bricks replace the soft curtains, and the tentacles are filled with a cold feeling.
The elder descended steadily and slowly, each step measured like a ruler. This was not deliberate, but a habit of precisely controlling his body over the years. The leaders of Mexica in the past generations were all outstanding warriors. They had the best teachers since childhood and had decades of continuous training. When he was young, the elder was also an eagle warrior with strong armor and fought bloody battles with the Tepanek people for the establishment of the empire.
However, time takes away the vitality of youth. Elders who have spanned centuries can only move forward slowly. In order to take care of the elder's physical strength, the passage was deliberately built slow and long until it reached the dark depths. There were solemn warriors and expensive candles. Candlelight illuminates the murals along the way and outlines a solid stone door.
It was pitch dark inside the stone door, and Avitt sat down cross-legged quietly, closing his eyes and concentrating. He didn't know how long had passed in this deep, uninhabited space. The ethereal sandalwood penetrated the body and mind, and his thoughts gradually became ethereal, as if sinking into the depths of his body, feeling the power hidden in his body.
"Konglong..." The stone door slowly opened, and a little candlelight filtered into the stone chamber, outlining the murals of gods on the four walls, which were the majestic and unpredictable patron saints.
Avitt opened his eyes and saw the vicissitudes of life and the majestic elder. There is also a warrior chief holding a clay pot behind the elder.
"Dear elder, your most outstanding descendant, Avitt, salutes you!" Avitt bowed his head and saluted solemnly, without any dissatisfaction.
The elder silently watched Avitt, his expression and demeanor, listened to his voice and heartbeat, and watched his meticulous salute.
After a long time, he slowly asked.
"Avit, my son, you killed Tisok, your brother. Do you admit your mistake?"
Avitt was silent for a moment, then shook his head firmly.
"I am not wrong!"
The elder just looked at Avitt calmly, with a heavy pressure in his eyes. After a moment, he continued to ask.
"My child, you are a descendant of Montezuma I. As long as you admit your mistake, I will forgive you."
Avitt thought for a moment and firmly refused again.
"I'm not wrong! Tisoke doesn't have the ability to lead the alliance to grow. He is not as good as me! I will lead the Mexicans to conquer the world!"
The elder was unfazed by Avitt's ambition. He still looked at Avitt calmly, even with indifference in his eyes. There is killing intent in the indifference, like the will of a god.
Avitt suddenly felt as cold as if he had fallen naked into a deep pool in February. This is the power that comes only from being at the top, being true to your word, and having control over millions of lives. Inspired by this murderous intention, he no longer concealed his superiority and looked back at the elder with the same coldness, although his hands were trembling slightly.
After a long time, the elder nodded gently.
"As the supreme ruler, reasons are not important, means are not important, good or evil is not important, right or wrong is not important. The only important thing is firm belief, unyielding will, efficient actions, and correct goals."
"My child, tell me, what is a priest?"
Avitt then breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned slightly against the wall, feeling his hands and feet go weak. After a while, he answered calmly.
"Priests are the tools of the royal family to rule the alliance. They use the created gods and rituals to maintain the ties between the hearts of the Mexica! They must obey the supreme king and serve the royal family in the name of God!"
Elders cannot comment. He asked again calmly.
"Tell me, my child, what is a king?"
"The king is the king of the country, the supreme one. All priests, nobles and warriors must be loyal to him. And he will lead the warriors of Mexica to conquer the Tarascans, Tlaxcalans, Zapo Teks, Mixtecs, Otomi, Huastecs, Totonacs... to the known world!”
Now that his true face has been revealed, Avitt no longer hides it. There is burning desire in his eyes, and the ambition to annex the world in his words!
The elder remained indifferent. He quietly waited for Avitt to calm down before asking again.
"My son, tell me, what is the future of the Alliance?"
This time, Avitt thought for a long time before answering seriously.
"The future of the Alliance is a huge country, from the Great Lake in the west to the Great Lake in the east, from the White Plague in the north to the rainforest in the south, ruling all known lands. The king has supreme authority! The priests, under the king's instructions, maintain It touches the hearts of the country. The small nobles hand over the withheld taxes, the big nobles hand over the private warriors, and the city lord of the city-state is decided by the king with one word!"
Listening to Avitt's description, the elder was silent for a long time. He made no evaluation, neither affirmative nor negative. In the end, he just said slowly.
"My child, remember what you said today, remember the goals you promised. You will encounter many choices in the future. When making choices, you have to remember that in a country, no one is not It can be sacrificed. The only difference is when, how much, and for what. As long as the value is enough, you and I can also sacrifice."
After listening to the elder's words, Avitt fell into deep thought. The elder looked at him silently for a while, then turned and left, leaving his last words.
"This is the prayer room of the patron saint Huitzilopochtli. Before he came to the throne, your eldest brother Asiacatel fasted here for seven days, thinking about himself and God."
"My child, the same goes for you. In seven days, your enthronement ceremony will be held."
The tall figure of the elder disappeared behind the stone door. The stone door closed again with a "konglong..." sound. The stone chamber fell into complete darkness again.
Avitt remained determined. He crossed his legs and leaned against the wall. He felt relieved and slowly took a quiet breath. Before the long period of silence, there was only one worry: What will happen to Shulot now?
At this moment, not far away deep underground, in the same darkness and coldness, Shulot was leaning against the wall, dazed. He suspected that he had picked up the wrong script. This development was completely different from what he expected? He had fully demonstrated his potential as a great inventor, but was thrown into an underground prison.
Shulot sniffed, and there was a faint animal smell in the air. He groped around doubtfully, but his tentacles turned cold. As soon as he was startled, a cold and smooth feeling snaked up his arms and finally rested on his warm chest. A pointed tail poked his chin, then swirled around the boy's neck, like a big "?" on his chest and neck.
The young man froze immediately, breaking out in cold sweat, and did not dare to move. He could already tell that it was a small snake. But without light, he couldn't tell whether the snake was poisonous or not. Soon, the little snake fell asleep peacefully on the boy's comfortable chest, leaving the boy unable to fall asleep.
Time passed by like this for a long time, as if a whole century had passed. The young man leaned against the wall, finally exhausted, and fell asleep with his head tilted to one side. His saliva left the corner of his mouth, along the snake's body, and wet its chest. In the dream, it was a sumptuous dinner.
After an unknown amount of time, he was woken up by the twisting of the snake's body. He subconsciously opened his sleepy eyes, and with the faint candlelight, he looked down and saw a small emerald green snake. The little snake made a straight "!" mark on its chest, then twisted quickly, driven by the unknown herbal breath, and got behind the young man.
Xiulote raised his head following the smell of the herbs and vaguely saw an old man with white hair, who seemed to be smiling slightly. He rubbed his eyes and took a closer look. All he saw was the tall and upright figure of the elder, and his cold and ruthless eyes. He sniffed carefully again, and in the closed space, in addition to the mixed herbal smell, there was also a faint smell of the elderly.
The elder looked at the young man quietly, and he didn't know how long he stood here. But it shouldn't take long, after all, the water-bellied snake has an extremely keen sense of smell. Yes, it was a small green water-belly snake with a white "cotton mouth", a triangular head, knife-shaped pupils and fangs.
Shulot recalled the appearance of the snake carefully, and a cold sweat broke out from his back. The water-belly snake is extremely venomous, and once it bites a human, it will cause an attack within ten minutes. The wound turned black and bleed, gradually spreading inside. Once the internal organs were bleeding, no one could save him without serum.
Of course, he didn't know that the offensive nature of the water-bellied snake was actually extremely low. As long as he does not threaten or harm the little green snake, the little green snake will not use its extremely precious venom to attack him. Like most snakes, its diet is frogs, lizards, birds, or small, shallow-water fish.
The elder looked at Shulot. This child is in a peaceful mood and is not rash. He seems to get along well with the water-bellied snake. He looked at the young man with heavy eyes and said nothing.
Shulot thought for a while, bowed his head and saluted seriously. He does not regard the elders as gods, but simply respects them. Reverend the great achievements of establishing the Aztec Empire and shaping the Mexica people.
"Dear elder, the chief architect of the Mexica people, Hulot, the descendant of Vizili Vitel, greets you!"
After all, he is the grandson of the third-generation ancestor, Vitzili Vittel, Avit is the great-great-grandson of Vitzili Vittel, and the elder is the son of Vitzili Vittel, so he should also be the elder’s son. Great-great-grandson?
The elder closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, he was filled with bone-chilling indifference and cold murderous intent. His gaze pierced into the young man's eyes, and undoubted power rushed towards him, bringing with him a strong sense of imminent danger of death. The young man subconsciously took a step back. He leaned against the wall tremblingly, barely supporting his body and avoiding the elder's eyes.
"My child, you killed Tisok, your king. Do you plead guilty?"
Shulot thought for a while and simply shook his head, although he was still trembling.
"I am not guilty! Tisok tried to kill me several times. I killed him first to protect myself. But for the alliance, Tisok is not a qualified king, and Avit is more suitable."
"My child, you have killed the king, and your crime cannot be forgiven."
The elder's words were as cold as snow and as hard as iron.
"Then take my life to pay for it! It has nothing to do with my father, ancestors or Avitt."
Shulot's legs were still weak. But this time, he finally raised his head stubbornly, looked at the elder firmly, mustered up the courage of a warrior, and tried to minimize his trembling.
The elder was silent for a moment and then asked in a low voice.
"My child, are you willing to dedicate your life to the gods?"
Shulot was stunned for a moment. He thought of the sacrificial ceremony, shuddered again, and shook his head firmly.
The elder thought for a moment and then changed his sentence.
"Son, are you willing to dedicate your life to the cause of the Mexica people?"
This time, Shulot nodded without hesitation. The Mexica's cause is now his own, his family's, his family's, and even his ethnic group's cause.
The elder looked at Shulot's firm demeanor, serious expression, and nodding movements. He paused for a moment, retracted his awe-inspiring killing intent, and then asked again.
"Tell me, child, what is a priest?"
"Priests are people who worship the gods, preside over sacrificial rituals, and soothe the hearts of believers. Regardless of whether they believe in gods or not, they serve those who believe in gods and guide the hearts of believers. In our alliance, they use a common culture and faith, the ties that connect various city-states.”
Shulot thought for a moment and then responded frankly based on his own understanding.
The elder thought about the young man's answer. He felt something novel that he hadn't experienced in a long time, so he asked seriously and ruthlessly.
"Child, do you believe in the existence of gods?"
Shulot shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but when he remembered his own experience, his words immediately changed.
"Maybe. But they have nothing to do with the human world. We govern the country in the name of God. And the rise and fall of the country only happens in the human world."
The elder looked at the young man carefully for a moment. He also made no comment and just continued the test.
"Tell me, child, what is a king?"
"Kings are the people in power of the country. They control the country's wealth and manpower, and use these wealth and manpower to accomplish things that are meaningful to the country, to develop the country's strength and maintain the country's stability. Such as opening up fields, building canals, unifying Ministries, institutions. In our alliance, the king needs to lead the Mexica people forward to overcome the dangers and challenges ahead."
Shulot thought about the future, his tone full of hope and heaviness.
The elder lowered his eyes again. He pondered for a long time before continuing to ask.
"Kid, tell me, what is the future of the Alliance?"
This time, Shulot thought about it for a long time, from the beginning of civilization in the Stone Age, to the long development of the Iron Age, to the infinite development in the age of sails, to the reshaping of everything in the age of steam and electricity.
Finally, he shook his head slightly. Those futures that exceed the economic foundation and technological limitations of this era are meaningless now.
"The future of the Alliance is a unified and powerful country. We will destroy the Tarascans in the west and the Tlaxcalans in the east. We will establish a centralized center of power and take back the power of the city-states. Build from the top down The governance system also provides a bottom-up promotion channel.
The alliance wants to make extensive use of metal farm implements and tools, build long water canals, develop commerce and mining, increase the production of food and other wealth, and cultivate a low-level warrior class that owns land. Maintain the balance of power among the royal family, priests, big nobles, small nobles, warriors and common people, and maintain the stability of the country.
What's more important is that we need to unify the alliance's writing and use the form of books to spread the mythology, history, astronomy and geography, herbal medicine, sacrificial rituals, and ideas that the priests have in their hands. What's more important is to establish the basis for ruling the country, that is, a complete legal system and a code that clearly stipulates rights and responsibilities! "
This time, the elder thought for a long, long time. He looked at the young man carefully again, and then asked calmly.
"My child, you have Suhui. Some people say that you are the reincarnation of my eldest brother Montezuma I, and you will rule the country in the future. Do you think they are right?"
Shulot had just come back from his thoughts and prospects. When he heard this plain question, he felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. After a while, he answered with difficulty.
"I am not the reincarnation of Montezuma I, but I am eager to govern this country. Because only I can realize dreams that others cannot complete."
The elder nodded slightly for the first time. He returned to the previous topic, with some gentleness in his words.
"My child, you said that you want to compile a code in words. The code contains the principles that are common in the country. So, what is the content of the code?"
Hearing this, Shulot tried hard to recall. He first tried to recall the Ming Dynasty laws of this era, and he only remembered the five major punishments: whipping, rod, disciple, exile, and death. He once again recalled the earlier content, the criminal law of the Song Dynasty, not killing scholar-bureaucrats? It doesn't seem right. Liu Bang made three chapters? It feels too short.
He changed his mind and thought of the Western Roman Code, the Law of the Twelve Tables of Bronze, which seemed to be closer, the Law of Peoples, distinguishing between citizens and non-citizens, the Code of Justinian? What exactly is it?
I regret not studying hard at first. Shulot struggled to sort out the fragmented knowledge and slowly told it based on his own understanding.
"The code should strictly stipulate the rights and obligations of each class, and stipulate the distribution and inheritance of property. The king has supreme power, limiting the power of the priests and nobles, but guaranteeing the private property of citizens. We need a civil law for the Mexica people , the law of nations used in other ministries, and the religious law that balances different religions. The maintenance of state affairs is based on the social contract of obedience to the law..."
The elder frowned slightly and soon became expressionless again. He patiently listened to all of Shulot's memories and then fell silent.
Shulot looked at the elder, but the elder looked at the stone wall opposite. Under the weak candlelight, there is a giant snake body of Quetzalcoatl, with three-color long feathers on the snake body, and a crawling crowd under the snake body.
The two looked at each other for a long time before the elder spoke slowly.
"My child, this is the snake house of the old god Quetzalcoatl. It tests the concentration, state of mind, wisdom and divine blessing of the priests. The priests will meditate here for seven days, accompanying the snakes, and pursue God's secrets in life and death. Enlightenment.”
"Give him a tube of potion and a candle." The elder ordered the warrior captain behind him. The warrior commander took out a tube of light yellow medicine from the clay pot in his arms and placed it at Shulot's feet. He lit another slender fish-oil candle and stuck it on the wall.
"My child, I will give you a candle and take a good look at the mural. I will give you a potion that you will need at a critical moment."
"Starting tomorrow, I will come and ask you about the text. You have seven days to think about it. After seven days, I will ask you about the code again."
"Remember, you have already lost one chance. For the sake of your gift, this is your last chance."
After saying that, the elder turned around and left without stopping, without explaining the function of the potion.
If Shulot feeds the potion to a water-belly snake, the snake will die. If he was accidentally bitten by a snake, applying the medicine to the wound would temporarily save his life. If he was stupid enough to drink the potion directly, there would be no need to think about who to choose.
Destiny lies in the choices of mortals.
Shulot watched the elder leave. He suddenly lost all his strength and fell down on the straw-covered ground. He ignored the glimmering potion beside him and just lay there looking at the roof.
In the dim candlelight, there is the human Quetzalcoatl. He is smiling, white-skinned, and bearded, standing on a snake boat, sailing toward the great lake in the east. Behind him were the weeping and desperate crowd, and the taller God of War.
"What a strange mural." Shulot sighed, "What a strange fate."
After smelling the terrible herbal smell, the little green snake emerged from nowhere. It sat cross-legged on the boy's chest and abdomen, forming a ":" sign. Then he shook his head and hissed at the big snake on the roof, as if announcing something that he was going to drive Quetzalcoatl out of his territory.
"What a strange little snake." The young man finally thought, and then fell into an unknown dreamland.
