"Didi! Didi! Didi!..."
The conch horn of the warrior team sounded not far from the mountains. Chihuaco stopped, listened for a few breaths, and his expression relaxed slightly. He signaled the sailors to speed up their pace, and after passing two mountain passes, a bloody battlefield suddenly appeared!
On the yellow-brown ground, more than a dozen corpses lay everywhere, turning into pools of bright red. And where the corpses were concentrated, two injured Prepecha warriors were squatting on the ground, checking something anxiously.
"Damn it! It must be Sri Dog!"
Seeing the team being attacked, Huitu Puap shouted loudly, furious. He searched eagerly for a while and found a corpse with an arrow in the eye. That was the captain of the reconnaissance team.
"Chikari!"
Puap's heart trembled. He let out a scream, staggered, and ran towards his fallen henchman.
He was demoted to the seaside, with only a dozen trusted subordinates, dozens of capital warriors, and three hundred surrendered southern warriors following him. Since he went to sea, he had already killed two of his close friends, and now another one died here. It was really heartbreaking.
You know, these battle-hardened cronies are the backbone of his army and the capital for future comebacks! This trip to explore the sea, even if it is closely along the coast, is still a first-rate deal!
"Damn it... Sri Dog!"
Puap cursed angrily and suddenly paused. When he spoke the second half of the sentence again, his name was changed.
"Chikari..."
Chihuaco's eyes jumped when he saw the miserable state of the corpse. In the Prepecha language, "chkari" means log, which is somewhat similar to the meaning of his name. The old militiaman pursed his lips, stepped forward, and asked about the two remaining wounded warriors.
"What just happened? Was it an attack by the Sris?"
"We encountered a group of Sri tribal warriors, possibly hunters, and were subsequently attacked by them!"
The young archer gritted his teeth and said bitterly. In many hunting tribes, warrior and hunter are often the same word, because bow and arrow are essential skills for survival.
"We couldn't understand what they said at all. The captain lowered his weapon and expressed goodwill to them, but was shot to death by the leader of the Sri people! Then, the Sri people came directly to kill... There were more than a dozen of them , we only had four, but we still defeated them!”
"Hoo!... Praise the Lord God! You are all brave warriors! May the souls of the deceased fly to the resting kingdom of God... Anyone who died for exploration, I will report back to Your Majesty and ask for generous compensation!"
Chihuaco looked serious, said a rare prayer, and made a solemn promise. Then, he asked in a deep voice.
"I remember you, your archery skills are very good! Your name is... Kexi? The toad who is good at water?"
"Yes! Captain!"
Ke Xi nodded in surprise. His name is Kexi Koki, which is a common toad in the countryside. If it were the custom of the Celestial Dynasty, it would be like Ergou or Goudan. In traditional beliefs, choosing such a name is not only a nickname to make a living, but also a way to communicate with divine animals, thereby resisting the invasion of monsters in the world.
Chihuaco squatted down and saw a middle-aged warrior on the red ground who was not dead yet, but his face was red and he fell motionless into a coma.
"What's up with him?..."
"During the battle, the Sri people shot a red arrow, which should be poisonous. He was hit by two arrows, and soon..."
"Red arrow?"
"That's it!"
Kexi took out a bone arrow, and the arrowhead was dark red. Chihuaco frowned and smelled the arrow carefully, only smelling a faint hint of blood.
"Mountain bird, what kind of poison is this?"
The young mountain bird was staring blankly at the tragic battlefield, his hands and feet trembling slightly. Chihuaco asked twice before Shantiao came back to his senses. He took the bone arrow and looked at it carefully for a while, unable to make up his mind. Later, he recalled the song his mother had sung, and suddenly realized it.
"...The powerful tribes in the desert raise scorpions and rattlesnakes. The warriors shoot dark red arrows, like the rays of the setting sun, taking away the enemy's light... These are the arrows of scorpions and rattlesnakes! "
"What? Scorpions and rattlesnakes?"
"Chief, the Sri tribe lives on hunting and has a small population. They have neither forging skills nor materials to exchange. Their bone arrows, the arrowheads come from coyote teeth, and the arrow shafts come from grass stems. The stalks and feathers are taken from seabirds. When fighting against hostile tribes, such bows and arrows are difficult to cause fatal damage. In order to enhance the power of the arrows, larger tribes will tame scorpions and rattlesnakes. They will throw the thin prey into the scorpions Put it in a cage with a snake and let the poisonous beast bite it. Then, take out the poisonous liver of the prey, pierce the arrow into the liver and soak it for a few days, then take it out and dry it in the shade. It will be a good poisonous arrow that can be stored for a long time!"
"Make poison arrows..."
Chihuaco blinked, understanding another layer of the dangers of the desert safari tribe. Then, he asked eagerly.
"Shanniao, is there an antidote for such poison? Can he be saved?"
"Uh... scorpion venom and snake venom..."
Yamatori looked into the eyes of the unconscious warrior, and then touched the warrior's feverish face. He hesitated for a moment, then answered hesitantly but firmly.
"This poisonous arrow is very new... He should be... hopeless..."
"...Hey! Blind God!"
Chihuaco looked sad and sighed heavily.
"To die in this barren land, thousands of miles away from home... It's really the end of the world..."
After sighing for a moment, he suddenly paused, thought of something, and asked sharply.
"Shanniao, you said this poisonous arrow is new?! How long can this kind of arrow retain its poison?"
"...Poisoned arrows are most toxic just after drying in the shade. At this time, the arrows should be wrapped and inserted in the quiver, out of sight. Within four or five days, the poisonous arrows will be very toxic. As long as the skin breaks, it will be fatal... After that, the poison will dissipate inexplicably, and it will gradually no longer hurt people. After two weeks, it can only be used to hunt birds and small animals..."
"If the skin breaks, you will die... Then these arrows were newly made within four or five days!"
Chihuaco looked solemn and muttered to himself. Thoughts flashed in his mind, and the omen of danger came to mind again.
"So, a hostile Sri tribe is just three days away from us... No, the hunting team will not go in a straight line, it should be within two days' distance!"
"In two days? A hostile tribe of Sris?"
Puap has just arrived. Hearing this, he showed ferocious killing intent.
"Let me take the sailors to find this tribe!"
"Lao Pu, don't be impulsive!"
Chihuaco shook his head. He looked to the east of Shantiao Island, across the strait of just a few miles, to the edge of the mainland. The continent in the east is full of gray and yellow. It is the desert extending from north to south, and the Gobi is becoming more and more desolate.
"Look at the eastern coast! Do you want to lead your men and go deep into the unfamiliar desert to look for hostile tribes somewhere?"
"But..."
Puap was speechless for a moment. He looked at the continent to the east and asked bitterly.
"The Sri people attacked for no reason and killed and wounded the kingdom's warriors! Is this how we let it go?"
"never mind?"
Chihuaco bit his lip, concern appearing on his face.
"Hey! The Sri people attacked so resolutely and escaped a lot... I'm afraid they will come back again!"
"Hmph! Damn Sri Dog! If they come to the door again, I will cut off their heads with my own hands!"
Puap held the bronze dagger tightly and pressed it against his leather armor, with a murderous look on his face.
Chihuaco sighed lightly and looked at the archer again with joy.
"Toad, do you remember what the other party said?"
"Well..."
Kexi scratched his head with his bloody palm and dyed his hair red, looking honest and fierce.
"Captain, I don't remember... There seems to be something, something... Itako!... By the way, there is another sentence, Tahyok, Hunter!"
"Taha? Isn't this the name of the island? Itaco, Khante, what do they mean?"
Chihuaco was a little confused and looked at the mountain bird Cavado who was following him.
Cavado thought for a moment and answered hesitantly.
"Itako... should kill, kill them! As for Hante, it seems to be the land, the soil... can also be the ancestral land of the tribe!"
"Well..."
Chihuaco frowned and was silent. After a while, he whispered to himself.
"Santori Island is so special. If it is the ancestral land of the Sri people... that would be troublesome!"
"What's the trouble? They're just some savage tribes with crude weapons, half-clothed clothes, and some bravery!"
Puap's face was sullen, murderous intent boiling in his chest, and the dagger in his hand did not loosen at all. He had already inspected the corpses and equipment of the Sri soldiers, and found that there was not even decent cotton armor, nor sharp obsidian weapons. These savages only have flint spears, flaccid hunting bows, and at most poisoned bone arrows.
"I will kill as many as they come!"
"Let's go! Take the seriously wounded and the bodies of the warriors and return to the camp at the landing."
Chihuaco lowered his eyes and ordered calmly. Then, he looked at the body of the Sri man, paused, and said again.
"As for the bodies of these Sris..."
"Damn it! Cut off all their heads and place them on piles of guano to warn the Sri Dogs!"
"No! Dig a big pit and bury them all properly. Put up a wooden board, draw the runes of the main god, and leave a sun hummingbird talisman!"
"Old man Qi, you!...Hmph!"
Puap's eyes widened and he saw the serious expression on the old man Huiqi's face. He snorted coldly, but said nothing more.
Everyone quickly followed the captain's instructions and buried the dead Sri man hastily. Then, they hurried back to the ship with the bodies of the seriously wounded and warriors.
"Dong dong dong!..."
The drums of the assembly beat quickly and for a long time. At night, all the warriors who had been scattered to investigate returned and were on guard. Everyone roughly surveyed the island and found no Sri village. There were only desolate and uninhabited mountains and a long river running from north to south. Only the priest Mecat was left in the fleet, and he still stayed on the mountain to measure the angle of the North Star.
The night is dark and the moonlight is dim; the early sun is faint and the afternoon sun is brilliant. At noon the next day, the comatose warrior finally couldn't hold on anymore and breathed his last. Soon, a prepared fire was raised on the seashore, and the three corpses were thrown into the fire. The faint black smoke then dispersed and rose into the vast sky, accompanied by low prayers.
The fleet was thousands of miles away from the kingdom, and all they could bring back was a pile of warm dust.
Meikat arrived in time and presided over the funeral ceremony to let the warrior's soul go to the kingdom of God. When the black smoke dissipated and everything returned to dust, he reported it seriously.
"Captain, our current position is between 28-30 degrees from the North Star...about 29 degrees."
"North Star 29 degrees..."
Chihuaco nodded heavily, pretending to understand.
"Well, what, how much was it when we set off?"
"The mouth of the Tulsas River, about 18 degrees North Star."
"That is, sailing more than ten degrees north?"
Chihuaco pulled his hair and grumbled.
"It took three months to travel so many degrees... This is too slow! Do we still want to continue walking north?"
The old militiaman thought for a while and was a little undecided. he asked again.
"Priest Mecat, not long ago, where was the location where we met the Yorem tribe? I remember Chief Deer Head said that there are many small islands with birds to the west of there."
"Yoremmen...Mayo people..."
Meikat took out a roll of precious hemp paper from his arms, on which all the astronomy and hydrology along the way were recorded with dense symbols and figures.
"Captain, it's Beixing 25-26 degrees!"
Chihuaco nodded again. He thought for a moment and asked uncertainly.
"Priest Mecat, according to what degree can you find our previous location?"
"Captain, the degree of the North Star can only determine north and south, not east and west. However, there is another marker for east and west, and that is the coast in the east. As long as you follow the coast, you can roughly find the previous location!"
"Very good! How wonderful! The stars in the sky can actually help navigation. Your Majesty is truly inspired!"
The old militiaman nodded repeatedly, looked happy, and praised him sincerely. Then, he put away his smile, looked majestic, and made the decision of a leader.
"In the afternoon, we will dig out some stones, gray and brown, hard and soft... pile them in the bottom cabin and bring them back to His Majesty! After finishing, everyone must be careful tonight and spend the night on the boat. ! Praise the Lord God, He will protect us!”
"Praise the Lord God! May God bless you!"
Everyone responded in unison, looking at the sun at the top of the sky. The devout prayers spread far and wide among the towering mountains, startling a large number of birds, and then disappeared into the endless sky. The sea and sky in the north are so vast and seemingly endless!
