The early morning sun illuminates the earth, and the songs of celebration fill the sky. Burning sandalwood drifts between heaven and earth, and lingers in the palace area where the celebrations are bustling. The sacred aura enveloped every street, and the power of the Lord God was omnipresent and descended on Shulot.
The young man wore a feather crown and gorgeous priestly clothes, followed behind the high priest dressed as a god, and solemnly arrived at Montezuma Palace. Then, he conjured a small golden eagle with its head peeping out from the large sacrificial robes, handed it to the girl in white with a smile, and took the opportunity to hold Alyssa into his arms.
The girl whispered "Yeah". She carefully protected the cute eagle, and tried to escape awkwardly, but was kissed on the ear, and a blush rose on her face. Avitt immediately coughed slightly, and little Avelot was also "chirping" struggling in his arms. Shulot blinked at the girl, shook her delicate hand, and returned to stand in the team.
Avitt dressed up in royal attire and said goodbye to his blushing daughter. He didn't take his beloved Alyssa with him because he didn't want her to see blood.
After a while, everyone walked out of the palace. The king was majestic in front, the high priest was solemn behind, and the young man was two steps behind, looking up at the big temple not far away. His eyes rested on the palace of the chief minister. There, a tall and old figure was vaguely visible, standing as tall as a mountain and as calm as the sea.
Entering the temple area, the temples along the way light sacred flames and raise the green smoke of pine branches. The priests began to sing hymns and blow the mysterious ocarina to welcome the arrival of the distinguished person.
The main god walks in the world, and when he stops again, it is already a magnificent temple. Shulot climbed to the top of the magnificent temple and observed the changes in the temple. The golden sculpture of the God of War is as tall and bright as ever, surrounded by countless flowers and gems, with the three-color feathers of Quetzalcoatl inserted on the back; the sculpture of the God of Rain has no decorations, and is surrounded by the flags of the God of War, like the glory of the main god. under.
Seeing this, Xiuluo nodded. All changes in the temple are agreed upon by the high priests in advance and have different meanings. The supreme god will eventually rise to the level of a conceptual god without an idol, but it is not the time yet.
Afterwards, everyone took their seats with solemn expressions. The high priest stood at the front, holding a sacrificial obsidian dagger, leading the group of twelve priests, who were arranged around the two sacrificial stones. Later, Avitt stood high on the throne, looking majestically at his ant-sized subjects.
The young man stood calmly at the back, looking straight at the chief palace facing far away, and his eyes met the equally calm elder. Immediately, he bowed his head sincerely and paid tribute, and his eyes fell into the distance again. Everything is so clear from above.
At the foot of the temple are the people celebrating the god. The priests sang and danced religiously, as if communicating with the gods. The nobles were sitting at the table, looking a little nervous, and they were not as relaxed as last time when talking and laughing. The warriors were engaged in competitions and rituals, waving their arms and roaring in excitement. The civilians indulged in singing and dancing, singing poems and dramas, and performing Mexica myths and legends.
In the Kingdom of God on this earth, the only people who cannot integrate are the foreign envoys. With awe and serious expressions, they silently watched the Otomi nobles being escorted into the arena.
The noble one takes his place in the sacred place, and the people of the capital are eagerly waiting. The first act begins.
The king raised his topaz scepter high to salute the god, and tens of thousands of people in the temple area knelt down to salute together, like spreading waves. Afterwards, Avitt opened his arms and welcomed the cheers of the crowd, feeling the supreme enjoyment. Amid the roaring waves, his eyes were filled with sparkle, his chest was surging, and his mouth was laughing freely. This is an intoxicating pleasure!
The cheers lasted for a full quarter of an hour. Then, the high priest raised the sun staff high and chanted loudly in the ancient accent of the holy city.
"The sun rises high, and the Lord God Huitzilopochtli ascends to the highest place! He will swallow the darkness and control all things! He will rule everything and be omnipotent!"
Hearing these obscure divine words, a few distinguished people stood in front and nodded silently. Under the temple, most people did not understand and still cheered. Immediately, the low drums sounded, the sharp conch whistle blew, and the crowd gradually became quiet. Only the priests sang loudly, praising the name of God.
The priests call upon the gods, and when the gods arrive, the second act is the sacrifice.
First up was the dedication of the stadium. In the four semi-underground human sacrifice courts, the Ottomi nobles competed fiercely and fought brutally. But today, their endings are doomed: the winner will be sacrificed in the temple, and the loser will be slaughtered anonymously, and they will inevitably die in the end.
Watching the wonderful football game, the nobles gradually became involved, sometimes cheering and sometimes cursing. Their emotions were finally soothed and they felt a little satisfied.
At the same time, in the small temple, hundreds of nobles from Tracopan were dyed blue and were silently sacrificed to the main god, quietly warning the interested nobles.
Next, the sacrifice to the rain god was altered. The rituals of sacrifice became simpler and the scale of sacrifices was greatly reduced. On the platform in front of the Rain Temple, there were only single duels one after another, pleasing the great God of War. In a fair duel and unfair equipment, the captured Ottomi leaders died one after another, adding more blooming blood flowers to the ceremony.
The Mexica warriors in the audience enthusiastically praised the warrior's heroic death and enthusiastically sang the praises of the God of War. Unconsciously, the rain god faded to the edge of the corner, erasing its presence in the ceremony.
Watching all this, Shulot nodded calmly.
Of all the sacrifices, the most important is the sacrifice in front of the main temple. The twelve priests and elders were divided into two groups, performing sacrifices at the same time and calling for prayers alternately.
"The Lord God is supreme and great. He forgives the nobleman Mitrante of the Otomi people, accepts his final conversion and pious confession, and leads him to the beautiful kingdom of God to enjoy eternal peace!"
"The Lord God is omnipotent. He judged Oradea, the descendant of Herotepec, and sentenced him for the sins of his bloodline and the crime of rebellion. He threw him into the burning abyss to suffer forever!"
The obsidian dagger passed through again, and the sacred liquid spilled down the stone steps. The devout heart carried the soul and was taken away by the holy fire. The sinful heart rolled down the stone steps with its soul sinking. These were the first sacrifices to the new god, with two different deaths.
Hearing the priest's eternal sentence and seeing the scene of the rising and falling of souls, all the nobles, warriors and civilians were shocked. At this moment, the Lord God replaced the God of War and the Sun God and became a more supreme existence, deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people of the capital.
The elders perform sacrifices in turn until the sun rises in the middle, and the third act is the announcement.
At noon, the hot sunshine radiates infinite power, just like the supreme god in mythology.
At the top of the great temple, the high priest once again raised the sun staff and announced loudly. Immediately, up and down the great temple, hundreds of priests repeated their chants one after another.
"The sun rises high, and the main god Huitzilopochtli ascends to the highest place! He is the highest, most powerful, and omnipotent. He swallowed the body of Quetzalcoatl and occupied the priesthood of the old god. Quetzalcoatl is dead!"
Hearing this sentence, there was a "boom" under the towering temple. The faces of the people in the capital were confused and frightened, and they asked each other in disbelief. The priests had already been arranged to talk about the changes in mythology, instilling new concepts word by word.
Shulot smiled slightly. This was the proposal he insisted on. Quetzalcoatl must die and must never retreat into a saint! From then on, his body and priesthood belonged to the Lord God. All coastal tribes that believe in Quetzalcoatl must convert and completely erase the image of Quetzalcoatl. Those who do not follow will be eradicated!
Hearing the boy's unusually firm proposal, the high priest shook his head at first, but was finally convinced by the reason for war.
"The sun rises high, and the Lord God Huitzilopochtli ascends to the highest level! He is the highest, most powerful, and omnipotent. He rules over all gods and controls all responsibilities and powers. He is the God of all gods!"
Hearing this, people in the bright temple were filled with surprise and exclamation. The patron saint has been upgraded again, and the people in the capital are filled with heartfelt joy and incomprehensible doubts. The prepared priests then led the people, singing praises to the Lord God's majesty together, and dispelling all doubts with devout prayers.
This time, the singing lasted for two full moments, and the singing was covered with old concepts. The high priest looked solemn, sweeping his feet like a god. Wherever he tapped his divine staff, the singing suddenly became louder. After another moment, looking at the immersed expressions of the people, he nodded with satisfaction.
"The sun rises high, and the Lord God Huitzilopochtli ascends to the highest place! He is the highest, most powerful, omnipotent. He gives victory and land, and he desires the holy blood to fight with the gods.
All things will eventually wither, and the warriors will return to the kingdom of God. Only the holy blood can make the sun perfect, destroy the evil moon, and illuminate the endless darkness! Only the divine war can allow the Lord God to devour everything of the gods and grant us almighty and eternal blessing...Holy blood, divine war! Holy blood, divine battle! "
At this time, under the sacred temple, the shouts had reached their highest level. The nobles had expected it, and their faces were clear; the warriors were bloodthirsty and eager, and their expressions were excited; the civilians were frightened, and their eyes were blank... All emotions were gradually guided into fanatical and blazing shouts, until tens of thousands of people shouted hoarse. Chanting:
"Holy blood, divine battle! Holy blood, divine battle!..."
The loud sound startled distant birds and caused the water of Texcoco Lake to tremble. Along with the spreading shouts, the priests of each community also led the believers and joined in the strong resonance, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands, until the entire lake capital!
The cry of war is like continuous thunder, exploding in the vast heaven and earth. Boundless prestige came, carrying the bloody will of the nation!
The foreign envoys and merchants then knelt on the ground in horror, trembling with fear, and prayed deeply and feebly toward the direction of the great temple. Strong uneasiness and fear arose in the hearts of every foreigner, crushing their will and determination to resist.
After a long time, the terrifying shouts gradually stopped. The faces of every citizen in the capital showed the reverence and obedience of a group of people, and the same was true for Shulot. His face turned red from roaring, and a wave of excitement surged in his chest, which took a long time to calm down.
Later, in the communities of the capital city in the lake, the priests no longer praised Quetzalcoatl for the New Year, but instead praised the ascended main god. The Lord God is higher than all gods and is omnipotent!
However, long-term concepts cannot be changed temporarily. Facing the new doctrine, the common people once again became confused. At this time, they needed the endorsement of authority to truly appear in front of them.
When the praises of the community ring out and God's spokesman travels, the fourth act is the parade.
In the great temple, the high priests still presided over sacred sacrifices. King Avit stood up from the throne, nodded his staff to Shulot, and the boy followed him. He looked at the elder again, and the figure in the palace was no longer there.
The two stepped down the red stone steps, sat on a tall shoulder cart, and were carried by loyal warriors to patrol the city majestically.
The king represents the main god, the sun god and the war god. His shoulder carriage is extremely broad and requires dozens of people to carry it. In front of and behind the gorgeous shoulder carriage are the lofty altars built. On the altar at the front are the golden symbols of the sun and hummingbird, which are two meters high, with a circle on the outside and a dagger on the inside. The altar at the back is filled with the three-color feathers of Quetzalcoatl and is inlaid with emeralds of wisdom.
A few meters away, Shulot understood clearly.
The king's parade announced the expansion of the main god's ministry, and the feathers and turquoise symbolized the main god eating Quetzalcoatl. From then on, the main god became more powerful, gained the wisdom of the Quetzalcoatl, and controlled peace and prosperity.
The king's carriage marched majestically, and the solemn priests loudly announced: The king has brought the divine decree, Quetzalcoatl has been swallowed by the main god!
Quetzalcoatl is one of the four traditional gods and an important object of prayer in New Year sacrifices. Hearing this, the civilians along the way looked uneasy and whispered in confusion and fear. The warriors were in high spirits and chanted the prayers of the God of War. The nobles gathered around him enthusiastically, smiling and sincerely greeting the king.
Shulot followed behind and vaguely heard various praises, with the simplicity and roughness unique to this era: "The king has the determination and strength to kill his brother!" "The king is a mercilessly roaring jaguar!" The king is like a lonely eagle flying high!" "The king has the piety and courage to sacrifice himself!"...
Hearing this, the young man found it interesting and couldn't help but laugh out loud, which immediately attracted the attention of other nobles.
So, within a moment, Shulot was also surrounded by simple praises.
"Your Highness beheaded the marshal and shot the late king to death. He is truly extraordinary and extremely brave!"
"Your Highness is not interested in beauty, but loves powerful warriors and craftsmen, just like the great Toltecs!"
"Your Highness is as beautiful as a flower, which makes people admire you. I wish to protect you forever!"
"His Royal Highness received divine inspiration and was able to stand for seven days and seven nights, listening to the voice transmitted by the gods!"...
Shulot's expression was stiff and he forced a smile on his face. Until suddenly, all the praises suddenly stopped, and there were only sincere cheers from the civilians.
The young man felt something in his heart. He turned his head and saw the elder's carriage slowly coming from another intersecting street.
The elder stood high on the altar, his face calm and without any disturbance. His hair was pale, his back was still straight, and his eyes swept over him without emotion.
As soon as the god looked at them, the nobles immediately stopped talking and became as silent as cicadas. But the warriors showed excitement and reverence for the heroes. The common people cheered and praised the sun that had illuminated them for fifty years! ...Everyone saluted the elder one after another, and the elder nodded slightly, calmly facing the more excited cheers.
In front of the elder's shoulder carriage, the priests held high the symbols of the main gods, and behind them were small symbols of the gods. Among them, the rain god is the most obvious. From the two equal gods, he was demoted to the subordinate god of the main god.
From a distance, Shulot bowed deeply to the elder and lowered his head in greeting.
The reason why the elders were sick and paraded was to announce the elevation of the Lord God. From then on, the Supreme Lord God would be higher than all the gods and absorb all the priesthood until he became the only true God!
Finally, the king and the elders saluted each other at the same time, and the two different parades passed by each other in this way.
Sitting on the shoulder carriage, traveling like a god, Shulot was filled with emotions.
He looked down at the people crawling along the road, savoring the awe and obedience in their eyes, feeling the supreme power, and also experiencing the spiritual impact of power: Everything can be decided with one word, and whatever is said is sacred. Supreme!
Magnificent emotions pulsed in the boy's chest, making him want to scream, and a smile of enjoyment appeared on the corner of his mouth. After a while, thinking of the elder just now, the young man woke up and restrained his unbridled emotions.
Next, Shulot fell into deep thought.
He followed the king, silently paying attention to all the changes, and thus saw more essential things. Nobles, warriors, civilians, different classes had different psychological changes when facing the religious reform. This change depends on their devotion to the gods and their ability to control power. Commoners were the most pious, nobles held the most power, and warriors were the most reliable.
As for the priest class, the ongoing reforms are actually promoting the rapid expansion of their power, and also making the priest group become larger and larger. Even if the priests of the gods are all subordinate to the main god, the number of low-level priests is still insufficient.
Because the priests have penetrated deeply into the lives of the people. They have to preside over daily rituals, preside over major rituals every ten days, accept confessions from the people on a regular basis, and also accept tours of holy places. What's more important is that the priests must fully implement the teachings in society according to the code!
The new religion became increasingly important in Mexica's daily life and had a lasting impact on all groups. This is also a characteristic of powerful monotheistic religions that penetrate deeply into people's lives. And the deeper one goes into life, the more the priest's power expands. In the foreseeable future, priests will eventually become the core of society, guiding people's words and deeds.
"The power of priests developed to its extreme is just like the power of the gentry at its peak in the Ming Dynasty. It requires sufficient checks and balances!"
Shulot thought silently, thinking about the unknown future, and his thoughts also extended to the distance.
After a long time, the young man came back to his senses amidst the cheers. He listened carefully and saw that everyone was unanimously praising the Lord God, countless people were sincerely praising the elders, and many people were praising the king's choice... This difference in quantity and emotion showed the ranking of status in people's hearts. Among these praises, only few people mentioned His Highness.
"In the future, I have just started!"
Thinking of this, Shulot smiled slightly. He looked around and found that he had reached the junction of the main city and the northern city. It was time to leave. So, in front of everyone, His Highness bowed respectfully to the king and then left quietly.
The young man left the supreme and lonely kingdom of God and went to the human world where beauty gathers together. He wants to find a pure girl in white clothes and cuddle up to the New Year who is close to his heart.
