It's almost dusk, the waves reflect the red sun, and the city in the lake shines in the glow, like a magnificent painting by the Lord God. The expansion of the Great Temple Pyramid is coming to an end. The sixty- to seventy-meter-high tower is becoming more and more majestic, like the throne of the gods in the human world.
Gillim wore a simple robe and a dark cloak, and walked all the way to the palace with a few guards. Although he has become a "female snake" and is the most important king's advisor in the alliance, he still lives a simple life and has a low-key style.
Having been engaged in intelligence work for many years, he has long been accustomed to minimizing his personal presence at all times. At this moment, he was walking in the bustling streets of the capital, stepping on the shadows of dusk, as if walking in an open wilderness. No one noticed his presence, and no one recognized him.
The chief intelligence officer walked through the prosperous market, silently sizing up the merchants, observing their clothing, expressions and movements. The New Year celebrations in mid-January have long ended, and the tribute envoys from various states have returned, but merchants from all over the world are still staying in the capital.
As the Mexican Union grew stronger, wealth from all over the world gathered. The great nobles had enough financial resources to squander, which gave rise to prosperous commerce. The alliance itself produces a large amount of obsidian, gold and silver, salt, grain, cotton cloth and spices, while the tribes from all directions contribute furs, tobacco, feathers, shells, rouge, jade, gold and silver ornaments.
Copper materials from the Western Kingdom and the Weitamo Mountains are monopolized by the Alliance Central Committee and given priority to military production. Only businessmen with official backgrounds can trade in small quantities and make huge profits. The fireworks in the craftsmen's camp continued day and night, and a large amount of copper and tin materials were forged into sharp copper spears, armor-piercing copper arrows, and strong bronze cloth armor.
With the popularity of bronze weapons, the control of obsidian was gradually relaxed. The obsidian produced by the alliance has become a valuable commodity that merchants from various countries will definitely purchase. In order to meet the demand for blood sacrifice, all the ministries in the world fight every day. Even the distant Zapotecs were conquering the Mayan tribes in the eastern rainforest every year. In the world of Central America, obsidian, which can be used as a weapon and has religious significance, is as hard currency as cocoa beans.
"Why are there so many gems in the Western Lake Kingdom?"
The chief intelligence officer cast a scrutinizing gaze at Prepecha's gem shop.
In just a few moments, a huge gem trade was completed. A Mayan merchant with a slender head took out tens of thousands of kilograms of grain and hundreds of rolls of cloth, and exchanged two bamboo baskets for various gems. The merchants on both sides were beaming, and the tax collector who was witnessing the incident was also beaming.
The number of gems produced by the Kingdom in the Lake is so large, and the quality is extremely stable, that the price of gems in the entire world has even dropped by several percent. Now, the only ones who can purchase gems in large quantities are the Mayan merchants who control coastal trade.
The general intelligence officer knew that Mayan merchants purchased high-quality Prepecha gems in large quantities and did not sell them locally, but transported them eastward to the seaside. They went out to sea on Mayan galleys and traded with countless island tribes in the sea. They used Prepecha gems to purchase cheap tobacco, spices, cotton cloth and food, and could even earn up to ten times the profit!
At this moment, Prepecha's gems may have spread to the end of the world, becoming the third most expensive hard currency after cocoa and obsidian.
"Many secret guards have been exploring the kingdom for several years, but they have not found any traces of gem mines. Instead, all clues point to the special trade bureau of the Kingdom's Divine Enlightenment Institute."
The chief intelligence officer looked at the gem shop and was silent. He already had a shocking guess in his mind. But in the current political situation of the kingdom, it is meaningless to express this speculation.
Most of the gem shops in Prepecha are run by official merchants of the Lake Kingdom, and they steadily sell large quantities of gems in the alliance states in exchange for daily supplies needed by the kingdom, especially food and cloth. Then, these daily supplies will be put on the ship at the port in the north of the capital and transported to the west by the kingdom's navy.
The Alliance was founded on farming and war, and the control of military supplies, food and cloth has always been very strict. After the reform of the religious law, the outflow of war preparation materials was strictly prohibited. But the Kingdom in the Lake is different after all. It has an extremely close relationship with the Alliance and has always received special treatment. His Highness Shulot entrusted the foreign countries with enfeoffment, and the king and the high priest took great care of them, providing various supports year after year.
In fact, without the continuous blood transfusions from the Mexican Alliance, the Lake Kingdom would not have been able to restore production order so quickly, let alone continuously launch troops to fight foreign wars.
In addition to material support such as food, cloth, and tin mines, King Avit even generously issued a decree allowing the Kingdom of the Lake to send manpower to recruit poor Mexican farmers and city residents in the densely populated Texcoco Lake area. Lakeland settlement in the west. The high priest also ordered the village priests in various places to cooperate and complete a certain quota of migration every year.
Thinking of this, Gillim lowered his eyes slightly. According to the information he had, more than 10,000 people migrated from the Texcoco Lake area to the Western Kingdom last year alone. The holy city of Teotihuacan has the largest migration population, with almost two thousand people.
"The king trusts His Highness more than his own children..."
The chief intelligence officer thought for a moment and smiled helplessly. Then, he looked at the fat tax collector in the market, holding an abacus in his hand. With the alliance strictly prohibiting smuggling, prohibiting local governments from setting up private cards to collect taxes, protecting the safety of merchants, regulating commodity prices, unifying weights and measures... After a series of commercial law reforms were implemented, commercial taxes in the Texcoco Lake District increased rapidly. The commercial taxes the alliance now obtains each year are enough to support two legions of eight thousand men.
The position of tax collector is controlled by the priesthood and the royal family, and has now become a famous "fat vacancy" in the alliance. After the children of various noble families obtain this position, they will become visibly fatter.
"The position of tax collector can be used to appease the nobles who are dissatisfied with centralization of power. Most of the children of the nobles who hold this position will gradually wear away and lose their fighting spirit like obsidian weapons..."
Gilliam smiled slightly, catching the fat tax collector's attention.
The tax collector watched carefully for a moment, then suddenly his whole body trembled and his face turned pale. The other party turned out to be the "snake woman" who executed the most alliance nobles in the entire world! According to rumors among the nobles, the female snake not only controls the supervisory inspection warriors, but also controls the secret detective warriors. Not long ago, several of the alliance's tax collectors were mercilessly executed for accepting bribes and acquiescing in the military trade of foreign merchants.
Thinking of this, the tax collector immediately bowed his back and walked this way in small steps. Gillim glanced lightly, waved his hand, and left silently again.
The Chief Intelligence Officer continued forward, past the community's shrine. In the evening, the sound of singing came from the shrine, and the scent of rosin praying to God filled the air. Outside the temple, hundreds of people knelt on the ground, praying devoutly in the direction of the big temple under the guidance of the priests.
"Praise the Most High Lord God! He gives us food, He protects our souls... He protects us in the dark night, and promises a better tomorrow!..."
Seeing this scene, Gillim frowned slightly and quickened his pace. Although he was well versed in theology, he did not have much reverence for gods.
Over the years, the religious reform has deepened day by day, and the glory of the Lord God has taken root in the hearts of all the people in the Lake District. Throughout the lake city, the belief in many gods has been transformed into one supreme god. The image of the Lord God is gradually changing and becoming more abstract, from the cruel and bloody hummingbird God of War to the majestic and benevolent Almighty Lord God.
Gillim could feel that with the strengthening of monotheistic belief, the perfection of teaching theory, the complexity of prayer rituals, and the perfection of the afterlife...religion's control over people's hearts became more and more powerful, and the power of priests was rapidly expanding. The influence is also increasing day by day. From all the countries outside the Texcoco Lake area, there are devout believers who come from hundreds of miles away to pay regular visits.
"The priests' prayers are getting louder and their words are getting stronger, and they are gradually suppressing the great nobles from all over the Lake District. This is not a bad thing for the centralization of the royal family. But the high priest's lofty status, His Highness Shulot's Lake The Middle Kingdom, both combined... Once the immortal sun departs, how will the king maintain his balance and sit firmly on his throne?"
Thinking of this, the chief intelligence officer became worried. The powerful divine power within easy reach of the high priest was a hidden danger to the alliance that worried him far more than the kingdom in the lake seven hundred miles away. The elder has heard the call of the Lord God and will not stay in this world for long. Without Him to suppress everything, once the great nobles who are dissatisfied with the centralized power collude with the divine power, I am afraid...
Gillim raised his head, and the large temple, more than sixty meters high, cast a huge shadow, covering the central temple area and also covering the tiny mortals. Under the great temple, more than a thousand believers from all over the world were weeping, lying down under the majestic shadow, praying to this shocking spectacle, and singing praises to the glory of the Lord God!
The chief intelligence officer looked at him in silence for a moment, then shook his head imperceptibly. Then he turned around and headed towards King Avit's palace.
There, King Avit, who had experienced blood and fire and controlled the power, sat on the throne and had been waiting for a long time. The king's gaze is as calm and deep as Lake Texcoco, and looks to the east like the burning red sun.
