"The witness of the Lord God is true! I am just a Mayan businessman who has no clan affiliation, wandering around the world, and was taken in by His Highness!"
In front of everyone, Tikalo held the sun hummingbird amulet around his neck and swore sincerely.
"I am loyal to His Highness! Your Highness has never treated me badly and granted me the right to manage the kingdom's goods. His divinely inspired Highness also promised me that when the army goes east in the future, he will allow me to become a respected noble in the land of Maya. Lord... Lord God witnesses! I am sincerely planning for the kingdom, and I will be a good guide for the fleet, and I will never hide anything!"
Hearing this, Chihuaco raised his eyebrows. He looked at the Mayan merchant's sincere expression, heard Fang Kang's generous oath, and pondered for a long time in silence. After a moment, he touched his chin and asked the key to his suspicion.
"Ti Carlo, you know so many epics and secrets, and you are definitely not from a commoner background. What is your relationship with the Mayapan Kingdom and the Coco family?"
"Um..."
Tikalo thought for a moment. His true identity should only be known to His Highness Shenqi in the entire alliance. And what he has always told is the real Mayan story, without any lies. Next, the fleet will head to Yucatan, and a series of plans will be completed. This conversation is about gaining the trust of the fleet. The leaders on the ship were very alert except for the dust. What he said must be nine percent true, but in some critical places, one percent falsehood was quietly added.
"Dear Captain Chihuaco, Mayapan has been destroyed for more than forty years, and the Cocom family has also been slaughtered. What relationship do I have with them now?"
Tikallo looked into Chihuaco's eyes with a magnanimous expression.
"Of course, we Mayan merchants who are in exile and sailing on the sea do have an inheritance of astronomy and geography. These inheritances all come from Mayapan. Most people's ancestors are merchants from Mayapan. And mine My ancestors were the sailing nobles left behind after the destruction of Mayapan, and they passed down many epics. Therefore, I miss the lost kingdom and yearn for the once glorious family! But all of this has passed away, and it has nothing to do with the present. relation..."
"When the magnificent Mayapan was destroyed, we merchants on the sea no longer had a suzerain, no fiefdom, and a clan. From now on, we only lived for ourselves. And now, His Highness is my suzerain. He promises me today and the future. Then live for Your Highness!”
"The maritime nobility of Mayapan, the inheritance of astronomy and geography...live for His Highness?"
The old militiaman's eyes flashed and he stared at the Mayan businessman Tikalo. Tikalo smiled and faced it calmly. The two stared at each other for a long time, until the main priest Tomat coughed slightly and came out to rescue them.
"Ahem! Praise the Lord God! Captain Qi, Tikalo prays three times a day and is very devout to the Lord God. He has served the kingdom for many years, and His Highness also trusts him... As for the Mayan stories he told, as long as you find Just ask the local nobles and they will know the truth and falsehood. We have sailed five thousand miles, and the most important thing is to stay together in the same boat and stay together under the guidance of the Lord God!..."
"Well... Priest Thomas, what you said is indeed reasonable."
The old militiaman nodded and looked away. He did not find any definite doubts about Ti Carlo. But in his heart, he always felt something was wrong.
"Hey! A large group of Mayan warriors are coming towards us!"
Puap kept looking around and immediately said hello to everyone in the fleet.
"Be careful and take up arms!"
Everyone came to the side of the boat and watched hundreds of Mayan warriors paddling dozens of canoes coming from the river bank, getting closer and closer.
Due to the hot climate of the rainforest, most Mayan warriors are different from the Mexica warriors on the plateau. They do not wear cotton armor or leather armor. They only wear a crown with short feathers on their head and a bag and rope tied around their waists. . They would tie a small shield on their left arm, carry a flint spear as tall as a person on their back, and have one or more flint daggers around their waists.
After observing carefully, the eagle eye discovered that the Mayan warrior's shield rope was also inserted with a small spear dart specially used for throwing. Among the Mayan warriors behind, some also carried specialized spear throwing devices and spear throwing, as well as a small number of short bows.
Priest Tomat narrowed his eyes and looked at the naked upper bodies of these Mayan warriors. Many people have similar drawings and patterns of gods carved on their chests and backs, as well as abstract symbols symbolizing their family. Obviously, these Mayan tribes believe in gods and have a strong family affiliation.
Soon, a warrior leader wearing short cotton armor and a tattoo on his face came to the flagship ship. He frowned, carefully looked at the equipment of the warriors on the ship, and immediately grasped the spear, very vigilant. Then, ten steps away, he shouted loudly to everyone on the flagship, first in Mayan, and then again in Nahua with a strange accent.
"Warriors and merchants from the powerful Menghu Tribe! This is the divine domain of the Moon Goddess, a place where rivers flow and trade flourishes... The Moon God gave the descendants of the gods a will, let me tell you through the mouth of Chaha ! She said that the fleet coming from afar has been known to the gods for a long time. You are not enemies, but friends. Friends should sit down, drink and eat together, and do business together!..."
"At this moment, the crocodile king Aayin, the revered moonwater god in the city-state, is in the palace, waiting for the arrival of his friends! The friend who came ashore first is already eating and drinking, holding a beautiful girl, waiting The sun is setting. Come, respected leader of the fleet, please come with me to meet the descendants of the city-state and enjoy a glorious dinner!"
"Um?"
Upon hearing the invitation from the leader of the Mayan warriors, Chihuaco pursed his lips, confusion appearing on his face. He looked at Puap and asked aloud.
"Have all the samurai and sailors who went out to buy water come back?"
"No. None came back!"
Puap frowned and looked at the market not far away, but did not see any warriors from the kingdom.
"Listen to what this Mayan said, are all the crew members who came ashore controlled by them?"
"Well..."
Chihuaco scratched his head and looked at the Mayan warrior leader. There was a smile on the other party's face, no hostility was seen, and he even looked a bit sincere. He looked around again. Most of the hundreds of Mayan warriors were not wearing armor, and the expressions on their faces did not look like they were about to fight...
"All right!"
After hesitating for a moment, Chihuaco finally nodded. He looked at Puap and gave instructions carefully.
"Lao Pu. I will go ashore and go to Red Lake Town to see what the crocodile king A Yin wants to do with us! You and your warriors stay on the boat and be careful. If I don't come back tonight, you Just hurry up..."
"Don't worry! Old man Qi, I will lead the warriors in armor and fight in to rescue you!"
Puap patted his chest and made a promising promise. When he saw the equipment of these Mayan warriors, he immediately felt confident in his heart and wanted to beat the other five with one!
"...you..."
Chihuaco originally wanted to say that if he didn't come back, Lao Pu would run away quickly. But looking at the promise of the Gray Earth Warrior, he pursed his lips, softened his eyes, and changed his words.
"Okay, you can figure it out!..."
Then, Chihuaco looked at the revered priest of the main god on the boat. The decision-making power of many kingdom negotiations lies in the hands of the Thomat priests.
"Priest Tuomat, please come with me to meet the other party's leader during this meeting!"
"God bless you! Okay, I will go with you to see the lost brothers."
Priest Tomat nodded heavily, reached out and took out another copy of Ali Sutra, with a copper ax tied around his waist.
Mayan businessman Ti Carlo stood aside, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. Hearing the Mayan warrior's call and invitation, he could already guess what was going on.
"The Serpent God protects her descendants! It seems that the previous arrangements have finally paid off..."
"Tikallo!"
The old militiaman gave a few instructions and suddenly turned around. He looked at the cunning Mayan businessman and gave a serious order.
"You also come with me and go to the town to meet the descendants of the Mayans!"
"Well?..."
Hearing this, Ti Carlo's smile froze and he was stunned. But the old militiaman didn't give him a chance to speak. He waved his hand, put his spear on his back, and jumped onto the Mayan boat.
"Let's go! Go early and come back early!"
