April is deep in spring, orioles are singing thousands of miles away, green vegetation is growing in the endless wilderness, and bright flowers are blooming in the plains of the lake area. When travelers return from a long journey and see the picturesque spring scenery around them, they will forget the troubled times they live in.
After the first rain fell, the pink cicada flowers smiled for the first time in the gentle water town, welcoming the king's triumphant return. The black smoke of burning wasteland rose from every village where military and civilian settlements were located, and the singing of busy farmers was loud and clear in the newly reclaimed fields. The season of spring plowing has arrived, and the entire kingdom in the lake is glowing with life through hard work.
Hulot led the Guards Corps northward from the mouth of the Tarsus River and first stopped in Culamo City for a day. He ordered the veteran Etalik to concentrate manpower and material resources and give priority to the development of the Heiyanshan iron ore at the mouth of the river. Then, he took a slight detour and stayed for a day in the Chinganbat mining area. He summoned Nekali, the director of industry and mining, and asked him to send skilled miners and craftsmen to assist in the mining and smelting of the river mouth iron ore.
The southern part of the kingdom has finally calmed down, and both the Prepecha farmers who have been incorporated into the Mintun and the Tekos tribesmen who have been incorporated into the flag team are busy busy with spring plowing. This is the top priority of the year and determines the food and clothing survival for the next year.
Ezpan sent an envoy to report back, and thousands of southwestern tribesmen poured out from the mountains of Coalcoman and surrendered to the royal army in the plains of Apa. After they finished eating their crops, if they didn't want to starve to death, they had no choice but to submit to the kingdom and be incorporated into the flag team village.
It took a month for Xiulote to return to the capital of Qincongcan from the mouth of the river seven hundred miles away. He immediately met with the chief minister Jatiri. In the sage's exclamation of wonder, he told the story of the southern campaign and entrusted the government affairs of the kingdom. Because, he will soon leave for Tenochtitlan, the capital of the lake, to get married.
At the end of April, the king issued military orders to all the legions in the kingdom. The First Lance Corps guards Hekou County, the Gyeonggi Corps guards Gyeonggi Province, the Second Lance Corps guards Apa County, and the Purple Grass Corps guards Shicho County. The Guakili Corps returned north to Hekou County to rest and be ready to be called up again at any time. The Guards Corps will go to the Alliance with the King in early June.
After arranging everything, Shulot settled down and started preparing the congratulatory gifts to bring to the alliance.
"The most precious gift, the grandest celebration, and the most unforgettable surprise for Alyssa!..."
On the way back to the royal capital, he had thought about it for a long time and had roughly made up his mind.
"First of all, it's a gift to the alliance, 20 boxes of jade, 20 boxes of obsidian, 20 boxes of bronze, 20 boxes of gold, 20 boxes of silver, 20 boxes of gems... Well, this time we don't use Prepecha gems, we use Prepe Traditional gemstones obtained by searching for gemstones.”
In Mesoamerican culture, 20 is an auspicious number, the number of days in each month of the solar calendar, and symbolizes the sacred gathering. And 18 is the number of months in the solar calendar, symbolizing different divinities.
"Then there are lavish gifts for the royal family, 18 pieces of purple clay pottery, 18 pieces of agarwood furniture, 18 boxes of fine cotton cloth, 18 boxes of feathered clothes, 18 bundles of vanilla and spices...all the treasured luxuries!"
Shulot picked up a pen and made a large outline of the kingdom's inventory, making sure that it was both rare and valuable, and that it was in sufficient quantity.
"Then there are tribute gifts to the king, 365 pairs of bronze cloth armors, 365 bronze Qin swords, 365 500 long bows..."
Similarly, the number of days in a year, 365, is also an auspicious number. Then, Shulot paused for a moment, blinked, hesitated for a while, thought of his grandfather's hint, and wrote down.
"Add 36 Tiger Crouching Cannons and 4 Condor Cannons!"
The Cannon Casting Bureau can cast 1 condor cannon and 10 squatting tiger cannons every month. In the six months since Wang Zhe went south, the inventory of Crouching Tiger Cannons increased by sixty or seventy. It was not a big deal to take out 36 of them. The real pain for Shulot was the Condor cannon. The casting success rate of this 2-pound cannon was too low.
"Finally, a gift for Alyssa! First, a travel album that I drew by myself, recording my experiences in the north and south of the kingdom; hundreds of strange flowers and plants, collected from the northern wastelands and southern mountains; a fist The best fire opal, large and small, with sunset-like flames inside, is a tribute from the chief of Colima. Well, the Colima mountainous area is originally one of the most famous sources of rare opal in the world."
Opal is a colorful gemstone that is formed by the solidification of melted silica deposits. It is similar to amber to some extent, but its formation conditions are more demanding. Before the discovery of opal in Australia, the rarest opal origin in the world was in the southwest mountainous area of the kingdom.
"... plus a 60-carat pigeon-blood ruby, from the Mixtec trade; a pair of crystal clear jade bracelets, a tribute from Mayan traders... Haha, girls should all like these bright Sparkling jewelry. Oh, and two unique surprises for the new era!”
Thinking of the cloud-like girl, Shulot smiled sincerely. The value of these gifts in later generations is inestimable, but to the king of the Lake Kingdom, they are not very valuable. What worries the king most are the two surprises of the new era, which require his personal participation in the production. After sketching for a while, he threw down the pen and paper, took a few personal guards, and headed to Shenwei University.
Divine Power University is located in the palace area of the capital. It was converted from a mansion of the glorious nobles of Tarasco, not far from the Palace of Winds. This priestly university was established together with the Kingdom of the Lake, and it has been three years now. By this time, the first batch of quick-service missionary priests had graduated and were serving in various villages and communities. The latter two groups of students need to study for more than three years and flow to different branches of priests.
Compared with when it was first established, the size of the university has expanded significantly. The number of students admitted each year is about two hundred. These people come from a wide range of sources, 40% are from nobles and priests at all levels, 30% are from various warrior families, 20% are merchants, commoners and their children, and 10% are descendants of noble chiefs from various Otomi states. Now, at the request of the king, the tribes of Tekos will also send the children of noble chiefs to receive the education of the kingdom.
In the eyes of the people of the royal capital, this Shenwei University is a true road to heaven. As long as you can enter the university, it means that you have the status of a reserve priest, and you will become a reserve member of the ruling class.
The king came to Shenwei University lightly dressed and with dozens of guards. Bravo, the vice president of the university and the third-level officiant, has been waiting for a long time.
"Blessed by the Lord God! The Divine Enlightened Sect Priest, the Supreme Priest King, Bravo greets you!"
Bravo looked solemn and saluted respectfully. His character was not so serious to begin with, but now that he was in the key position of vice-president of Shenwei University, he was envied and scrutinized by many high-ranking priests, so he had to be cautious and rigorous.
"God bless you! Are the chief priests of Bravo, divine priests and senior craftsmen ready?"
"Get ready, sect leader. The two experimental sites are right there."
Bravo smiled and nodded, pointing towards the vast campus behind the university.
"According to your previous instructions, the priests and craftsmen have been busy for half a month. The two experimental sites, materials and experimental products have been fully prepared."
"good!"
The king looked at it for a moment, smiled and nodded.
"Gather the students of the Divine Enlightenment Institute, I will conduct a public experiment and tell them the natural principles of the Lord God. Students from other institutes can also observe."
"I will obey your decree, Chief Priest."
Bravo bowed and nodded, and immediately asked the following priest apprentices to pass the message.
Shenwei University uniformly trains priest apprentices for the kingdom. According to the kingdom's priestly system, it is also divided into: the Classical Academy, which studies astronomy, teachings, scriptures and rituals, the School of History, which studies mythology, epics, history and literature, and the Academy of History, which studies administration, The missionary academy for preaching, confession and sacrifice, the war academy for studying herbal medicine, medical treatment, fighting and sacrifice, and the divine enlightenment academy for studying instruments, craftsmanship, mystical reactions and the principles of nature.
To put it simply, they are theological school, liberal arts school, administrative school, military academy and polytechnic school. The subjects that all colleges must learn are reading and writing, basic teachings and common mathematics.
Following the announcement from the priest's apprentice, the entire Shenwei University was in a state of excitement. Students came from all over the university to see the priest-king and hear the divine teachings. If you can leave some impression in front of the throne, that would be even better.
Elaine, a young girl from Tekos, ran over quickly with her eyes flashing, accompanied by two guards. She wore a ponytail, a white apprentice robe, and held an Ali Sutra in her hand.
Not long after Elaine entered the school, she entered the most mysterious Shenqi Academy. As the daughter of Chief Tekos, the other academies have little meaning to her. Only the strange creations in Shenqiyuan are the most fascinating and possess infinite power.
"Furthermore, the only one taught by the Death Chief personally is Shenqiyuan!"
Elaine smiled brightly, showing the fighting spirit of a female leopard.
"I must master the most powerful mysterious power in the Northern Kingdom!"
Thinking of this, the Tekos girl quickened her pace and ran towards the mysterious place in the school grounds. In the past half month, there have often been loud sounds, brilliant lights, and flying strange objects. The guarding warriors were strictly vigilant around the site and no close prying was allowed. Regarding the mystery, she felt as if her heart was being scratched by a cat's claws from time to time, curious and in awe.
