The sky is clear after the rain. There is only one crimson sun, sinking low at the end of the sky, gazing at the human kingdom, like the lowered eyes of gods. The sky was illuminated by the setting sun. The red clouds gradually spread until they turned into boundless blood color, covering the sky of Qin Cong Can City like the unfurled cloak of the Sun God.
Shulot walked to the light-transmitting window and looked down at the capital city and the people under his rule.
The spectacular celestial phenomenon has attracted the attention of the people in the capital, and it has already reached the time of evening prayers. Continuous chants of prayers sounded in the majestic capital city. The young king listened carefully, and he heard the name of Huitzilopochtli, the main god of Mexica, with a high and passionate voice, accompanied by the chants of the priests; he also heard the title of Curricaveri, the sun god of Tarasco, The sound was low and humming, scattered in every corner of the capital. In more subtle ways, he also heard the names of the Earth Mother Goddess Kweravaperi and the Moon Goddess Haratana.
"The old faith of Tarasco is still spread among the Prepecha people. The conversion of faith is by no means a temporary achievement. Once the conversion is complete, it will be indelible."
Shulot's eyes were calm and deep, with the awe of a king and the patience of a priest. Jatiri listened silently for a moment, then smiled and pointed to the seventh stone slab.
"Your Majesty, this last stone tablet tells the story behind the god Tarasco."
"Oh? What's behind the gods?"
Shulot asked with a smile.
“Nature is the one who gives meaning to the gods.”
This is the answer given by the learned elder.
Hearing such words, Shulot was stunned. He looked at Jatiri for a moment, his expression serious.
"Chief, in a country that believes in gods, you don't seem to have qualified beliefs."
"Your Majesty, if you are like me and know enough ancient epics to understand how the kings and sages of the past have reshaped the belief in the gods. Then the light of the gods will no longer be able to shine into a mind full of knowledge. "
There was still a smile on Jatiri's lips. He looked at the king's serious expression and bowed his head slightly in greeting, but his eyes had already seen through it.
"The gods of Prepecha...faith restored..."
Shulot pondered for a moment. In his mind, the murals in the corridors of the chief's palace appeared, as well as the elder's transformation of the Mexica myth... The king nodded slowly. He waved his hand and ordered his personal guards to retreat, leaving only the samurai commander.
"There is no one in the side room. Chief, please speak freely and tell me in detail."
Jatiri's smile spread at the corners of his mouth. He walked to the last slate and raised his hand to point to the first group painting.
The brush strokes of the first painting are abstract and mysterious. In the center are two gods radiating light, one with a cold male face and the other with a gentle female smile. Behind the male god is the bright sun, which is painted with gold powder and flashes with golden light from time to time. Behind the female god is a thick mountain, based on copper powder, which has long been oxidized to black over time.
Under the two gods, there are two nobles in gorgeous clothes. They were a man and a woman, arms wrapped around each other. The man wears the hunting attire of the Nahua people, using cold and straight lines to outline the strength of the man. For women, the dress of the Prepecha people symbolizes the softness of women with round arcs. The men's feet are cacti on the plateau, and the women's feet are small islands in the lake. In the hands of the two of them, they were holding a baby together.
Shulot looked carefully and saw a deep full moon behind the baby. The full moon was colored with silver powder and is still bright today. The young king thought for a moment and understood.
"The Sun God and the Earth Mother Goddess, the Nava people and the Urishi people. The combination of the two tribes gave birth to the Moon Goddess... Is this the interconnection between gods and humans, and the gods reflecting the world?"
"Indeed!"
Jatiri smiled lightly.
"Your Majesty, this painting was painted in the early days of the establishment of the kingdom. The most important issue in the kingdom at that time was to deal with the conflict between the two clans. The first generation of ancestors settled their capital in a religious holy place and suppressed the power of the priests. Reconstructing the kingdom's beliefs. He reinterpreted the gods of the two tribes to stabilize the rule of the royal family and strengthen the integration of the tribes migrating south to the original ethnic groups.
In this painting, the Nahua people who migrated south are descendants of the sun god Kulikaveri, a god in the heavens. The native Ulishi people are descendants of Veravaperi, the mother goddess of the earth, who is the deity of the earth. The two gods got married, and the races of the two gods naturally followed the gods to marry each other. In the union of gods, the new moon goddess Haratana was born. She is a human god and is also in charge of life and death. The Moon Goddess also symbolizes the reborn Prepecha people after the fusion! "
The knowledgeable elder paused. He looked at the king and said with profound meaning.
"Your Majesty, gods and humans are indeed connected to each other. However, it is the human world that reflects the gods!"
Shulot's eyes flashed and he nodded slowly. He didn't speak, and just continued to look at the second group of paintings.
The second group of paintings seems to be a continuation of the first painting, but it has many differences. The nobles of Nava and Urishu combined with each other and gave birth to a sparkling baby. The blessed child then grew into a king wearing an eagle's helmet, holding a scepter and a spear. And behind the Condor King, there is a golden sun!
"Your Majesty, this second painting was painted after the death of the first generation of ancestors. At that time, the integration of the two races had been initially completed. The second generation of ancestors began to revise myths and beliefs, on the one hand, to unify the formed country, and on the other hand, to endow the royal family with sacred status.
In this painting, the first generation ancestor Talia Kuri is described as the descendant of the union of the Nahua people and the Ulishi people, and he is also the descendant chosen by the sun god! He has the inherent authority and divinity to rule over all the people in the lake. During this period, the Sun God was also upgraded from the god of the south-migrating ethnic group to the protector of all people in the lake! "
Hearing this, Xiuluo nodded and commented affirmatively.
"Similar to the alliance. The main god was promoted and the former king was deified... This is a sign of the unity of the kingdom's will."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Hearing this, Jatiri's wrinkles trembled and he smiled deeply, with all the time in his smile.
He then pointed to the third group painting. In the sky above the painting is a striking sun, shining on the towering pyramids on the ground. And a king with a condor helmet is in the center of the picture. He connects the sun and the pyramid, like a bridge between heaven and earth, God and man, and the Kingdom of God and the mortal world!
"The third painting was painted by the third generation of ancestors. It describes the scene of the new king ascending to the top of the pyramid to offer sacrifices to the gods when he ascended the throne. During this period, after the efforts of the second generation of ancestors, the condor The family has gained divinity in the hearts of the people. The Lake Patzcuaro area has become the mythical source that maintains the movement of the world; and the pyramid of Qinchongcan City is the true center of the universe!
The king's power is granted and guaranteed by the gods. The king's power is destined to be in the royal blood of the gods and passed down through sacred rituals. Through the sacrificial ceremony of the pyramid, every king will establish a sacred connection with the gods that exceeds people's understanding! "
"Sacrifice to heaven and earth, God grants kingship."
Shulot muttered to himself, and many scenes in his memory flashed before his eyes. After a while, the young king nodded first and then sighed softly.
He looked toward the last broad picture. The king of the condor is still in the picture. The king has been promoted and transformed into the god king of the ethnic group. He stands between heaven and earth, emitting divine light. His feet were spread apart, one on land and the other on water. Surrounding the God King were countless people prostrating themselves in worship. At the bottom of the picture, there are a series of mysterious graphic inscriptions engraved, like the conclusion of a mythological epic.
"Chief, is this the epic of the gods?"
The young king traced the inscription with his finger and looked at the knowledgeable elder in front of him.
Jatiri nodded. He cleared his throat and recited the last kingdom epic in an ancient and distant accent.
"The sun shines on the heaven and earth, and the ancestors rule the four directions! Praise you, Talia Kuri, you are the descendant of the sun, you are the incarnation of the condor, you are destined to rule the sky, the earth and the lakes!
People from all over the world, we worship the divine kingdom of our ancestors at the same time. He has one foot on land and one foot on water. He has the supreme power and uses the hands of the gods to create the new Prepecha people...
And we are the descendants of the God King! We are the Holy Prepecha people and will become a great people! We are conceived and grown, reproduced and died in the land of the lake... and the great kingdom of Tarasco will continue for generations to come and stand for thousands of years under the rule of the supreme Condor Royal Family! ..."
The deep chanting echoed in the vicissitudes of the stone palace, as if it had some strange magic power, stimulating the king's mood. It wipes away the dust of history, uncovers sealed memories, and re-sings the lost epic into a masterpiece. And the setting sun on the horizon finally disappeared completely into the earth, leaving only the deep darkness and the dots of candlelight in the stone hall.
The candlelight flickered, leaving behind an elongated figure. Shulot stared at the inheritance slate that could no longer be distinguished in the shadow. At this moment, his thoughts were ups and downs, and he was lost in thought for a long time.
From these silent stone slabs, he heard the myths of the four eras converged into a unified story; he witnessed the collapse of the old kingdom and the rise of the new kingdom; he thought about the intermarriage of the fused ethnic groups and looked forward to it. With the enfeoffment of the world in mind...
In the new feudal state, it is necessary to reconstruct the three-level structure and deal with different classes; it is necessary to strengthen the centralization of power and control the wealth of the feudal state; it is also necessary to give birth to a completely new god over a long period of time. , evolving an ever-strengthening faith!
Countless sparks of thought flickered in the king's heart, and then gathered into a blazing flame in his chest. There was silence in the stone hall, everyone was waiting quietly, like a picture frozen in history. It wasn't until a gentle smile appeared on the king's face that time flowed in the hall again.
"I benefited a lot from listening to the sage narrating the epic today. It saved me ten years of hard work."
Shulot smiled and held Jatiri's hands.
"Chief, you are my wings to fly in the sky. The future governance of the kingdom cannot be separated from wise men like you; the newly built official government of the feudal country also needs more good birds that are good at flying. If you know any wise men , please don’t be stingy and definitely recommend them to me! I will select and appoint talents based on their moral character and talents, regardless of ethnicity or proximity!”
Hearing this, joy flashed across the face of the knowledgeable elder. He bowed his head solemnly and saluted, and repeated what he had said once again.
"Your Majesty, all the river turtles, lake fish and water birds in the land of the lake are willing to serve the true eagle!"
Hearing this, Shulot laughed and nodded with satisfaction. He looked around, took one last look around the wide stone chamber, and was about to leave. Suddenly, in the corner of the stone room, a black-gray short knife flashed with cold light and caught the king's eyes.
"A black and gray dagger?"
The young king was stunned. He took a few steps, picked up the dagger, and examined it carefully. Then, he reached out and gently touched the still sharp and smooth edge, feeling the unique hard touch of metal, but it was not the common obsidian material.
"Dark gray metal...this is...an iron knife!"
Surprise appeared on Shulot's face. He looked at Jatiri beside him and asked urgently.
"Chief, where does this weapon come from?"
The knowledgeable elder glanced at the special-shaped dagger and smiled knowingly.
"Your Majesty, this is an ancient weapon captured by the Kingdom many years ago when it conquered the Tekos tribe in the southwestern Colima state. There are several similar daggers, all stored in a nearby trophy cabin. These weapons are very sharp, but slightly less sharp. Compared with the sharp pieces of obsidian, it is far superior in toughness and wear resistance, even stronger than the latest bronze!
The royal family once sent people to carefully search for the black-gray metal that could be used to forge such short knives in the complex Colima Mountains, but found nothing. In the end, they can only be classified as weapons given by God, as the elders of the Tekos tribe said. The Divine Eagle royal family claimed to be descendants of gods, so they also chose the strongest dagger and put it in this inherited stone palace. "
"The Colima Mountains...well, that's what it is."
Xiuluo nodded, a little disappointed. He thought of the experiences Ezpin had once recounted, and he could only sigh faintly as the two reflected each other. Then, the young king looked solemn. He pondered for a while and looked at his most trusted warrior captain.
"Bertard, has copper mining resumed in the south? What is the current situation of the craftsman camp? What is the output of longbows? Has the production of the bronze farming tools I ordered started? And the small bronze cannon I mentioned in particular, the latest How is the progress?"
"Your Highness, I have summoned thousands of miners and initially resumed copper mining in the south. The priests have settled in the craftsman camp and taught the craftsmen. More than two thousand craftsmen have all been organized and have begun to assume their previous functions. If there is enough wood, the production of longbows can be maintained at more than a hundred per day. The losses of the Longbow Legion have been replenished...
Expensive bronze agricultural tools are not difficult to make, and they have all been trial-produced. It's just that although bronze farm tools can facilitate farming, the cost is too high. Their output is limited by the copper mined in the south of the feudal state, and they also need to import more tin ore from the south of the alliance. As for the bronze cannon you requested..."
At this point, Bertard hesitated to speak. He thought for a moment and replied cautiously.
"The craftsmen have just made a trial production, but they encountered some problems and cannot be used yet... Please go and check it in person."
Hearing this, Xiulote thought for a moment and solemnly gave the order.
"Okay! You go down and get ready. August will be almost over when I finish the government affairs in hand. The time is set in September before the autumn harvest. I will take the trained personal guards and go to inspect the craftsman camp first. Let’s inspect the mines south of Ivacchio again!”
