Silver moonlight floats on the sea, and gray-black mountains loom along the coast. In the bay between the sea and the sacred mountain, there is a stone-built water village, which is low, ancient and desolate.
In fact, this is also one of the ancient relics of the Olmecs. Like the two ancient statues at the crater of the Holy Mountain, they were both built at the end of the Warring States Period of the Celestial Dynasty, more than a thousand years ago. The original purpose of this water village was to be a shrine under the sacred mountain to worship the "Mother of the Ocean" revered by the seaside and one of the gods of the Mexica Plateau, Cihuatéotl. .
"Blessed by the sun and the feathered serpent! This time we attacked the Mexica, we achieved a rare victory!"
Feathered Serpent Priest Pappu smiled loudly and announced loudly to the temple priests and warriors who greeted him. Afterwards, he arranged for everyone in the fleet to rest, and also arranged for craftsmen and manpower to repair the ship. It wasn't until everything was done and the moon rose into the sky that the senior priest of the Quetzalcoatl and the naval commander of the Holy City silently walked into the depths of the Water Village Sacrifice under the protection of the leader Chu Chute.
"Chuchute, you take several warriors from the tribe and guard the outside carefully!"
"Yes! Priest Pappu!"
Chuchute, the leader of the Snake Lake tribe, bowed his head respectfully, just like Pappu's personal bodyguard. With the re-emergence of Priest Papu, his status has also increased, and the tribesmen he has settled with him have also been protected. The two of them fled thousands of miles together and experienced so many lives and deaths. Their trust in each other exceeded the faith of the Sun and the Quetzalcoatl, and they were able to find a way out together!
"Very good! Chuchute, I will take you, just like the previous escape... to find a way out!..."
Priest Pappu's eyes flashed and he gave a slight reminder. The Chuchut leader lowered his eyes and nodded solemnly. The two understood each other and passed by each other. Later, the cold ancient sacrificial hall and the sacrificial dungeon beneath the sacrificial hall, along with the snake-shaped carvings extending all the way, gradually appeared in front of Priest Papu.
"Open the stone door!"
"Yes! Lord Priest!"
At the end of the underground of the sacrificial hall is an ancient and gloomy stone prison, which is used to hold the sacrifices and how many souls have been buried there. The deepest stone prison is also the widest and is used to imprison the most noble divine sacrifices.
These stone prisons have no door locks, only heavy stone doors everywhere. And with the weight of the stone door, it is definitely not something that one person can push open. Therefore, the method of imprisoning the sacrifices was very simple and simple: tie them with ropes and throw them into the stone prison. Open the stone door once a day, deliver some food, and then close it again.
"Boom..."
The four guarding warriors pushed the heavy stone door open with all their strength. The light of the torch reflected into the stone prison, illuminating a hunched figure in the corner.
"Well...you guys wait outside!"
"Yes! Lord Priest!"
Priest Papu sniffed his nose and raised his brows before holding a torch and walking into the cold underground prison. Soon, he covered his nose and walked to the figure in the corner. The other person covered his eyes, struggling to adapt to the sudden light, and let out a low groan.
"O Serpent God!...I finally...saw the light again!..."
Mayan businessman Tikalo covered his eyes and adjusted for a while before opening them with tears. Under the torch of Priest Papu, his face was weak and pale, and his figure was so thin that he was almost out of shape. However, he opened his eyes with difficulty, recognized the person in front of him, raised a sincere smile on his lips, and greeted him in Totonaknahua language.
"Pap...priest...sir! We meet again!..."
Priest Papu held a torch and looked down at Tikallo in the corner. His eyes flickered, and then he said calmly.
"Maya, I remember you said before...do you know the Mexica's Temple of Death?"
"Yes! Dear Priest Pappu...His Highness Shulot and I are old acquaintances...I can also say something in front of His Highness..."
"Witness the gods! How can you, a Mayan businessman, know someone from the Temple of Death?"
"Well... His Highness Hulot's Gyeonggi Army Commander, Orosh... owed me a lot of tobacco money, and he is also an old friend of mine!... He used to be His Highness's martial arts teacher, and took His Highness to my shop... Later, I also searched for copper materials for His Highness, and transported them from the Huetamo Mountains to the Alliance... Later, I went to sea for Your Highness, to the Snake Island of Cuba in the east, until I was attacked by a fleet... Lord Priest, I will explain all this. Go through it again!…”
"I know. But this time, you have to swear by gods and ancestors!"
"The Lord God witnesses! Ancestors..."
"No! Use the Mayan Serpent God."
".Witnessed by the Serpent God! Witnessed by the ancestors! What I said before is all the truth! If there is any trace of fraud, let me..."
"Your family is extinct."
Priest Papu’s eyes were cold and he said in a deep voice.
"Don't use yourself. Swear on your family!"
"."
Mayan businessman Tikalo remained silent and looked at Priest Pap's solemn eyes. After a while, he nodded imperceptibly.
"The Serpent God and the ancestors witness! At this moment, if I tell a lie, my family will be extinct!..."
"Ah, very good!"
Priest Pappu narrowed his eyes and looked at the Mayan merchant Tikalo carefully, then smiled and guided like a priest.
"Blessed by the sun and the feathered serpent! As long as you have sincere faith and follow the guidance of the priest... your family will continue like a root system and have a future rooted in high places!"
"A future rooted in...high places?..."
Hearing this, Mayan businessman Ti Carlo blinked, and the weak smile on his face spread like ripples. He licked his dry lips, looked at Priest Pap who was suddenly silent, and tried with a smile.
"Master Priest, is there any water? I'm very thirsty... Can you give me some water?"
Priest Papu pondered for a while and waved to the guards behind him. Soon, the sweet well water flowed into the Mayan merchant's throat, making him feel relaxed all over.
"Well... God bless you!"
The Mayan businessman Tikalo shook the skin bag, licked the last drop of water, and prayed to the main god intentionally. Then, he looked at Priest Pap's silent reaction, his eyes flashed, and he said with a smile.
"Dear Priest Papu...do you have anything to eat? One meal of rotten pumpkin every day really makes me hungry...Can you let me have a bite of corn pancake? Just one bite..."
Hearing this, Priest Papu raised his eyebrows. He took a deep look at Ti Carlo and then gave instructions to the guards behind him.
“Get some tortillas and give them to him!”
"Etc., etc!…"
Mayan businessman Tikalo stretched out his hand weakly, but his face was full of a sly smile like a fox.
"Dear Priest Papu! This stone prison has not been cleaned for a long time... It is really not suitable for eating... Can I change to a clean cell, preferably with light..."
"Change a cell? One with light?..."
Priest Papu frowned, but calmed down after taking a few breaths. He turned his head again and gave orders to the guards stationed in the stone prison.
"Give him a different room, one with ventilation holes. From now on, give him two meals a day and take good care of his hygiene! Well, let's follow the status of a divine sacrifice!..."
"Yes! Priest Pappu!..."
Soon, the two of them moved to a clean and ventilated stone house, and Tikalo also had hot tortillas. Almost like a greedy and weak old fox, he licked up the last bit of cake crumbs before sighing with satisfaction.
"Lord God! I never knew...simple corn pancakes could be so delicious!..."
"Simple corn tortillas? Ha!"
Upon hearing this, Priest Pappu sneered, shook his head and said.
"Mayans! Did you know? Most of the thousands of tribal warriors outside can't even eat this piece of corn cake!..."
"oh?"
Mayan businessman Tikalo's eyes flashed as he savored these words. After a while, he asked cautiously.
"Dear Priest Papu...I have one last request!...As a sacrifice for your captive, I want to go to the sacred sacrificial lake and take a bath..."
This time, Priest Pap's silence was longer than before. Conversations between smart people do not require too many words or explicit explanations. He lowered his eyes in silence, and after a while, he spoke in a low voice.
"Not now! The sacrifices to the lake have stopped. And you are not qualified as a sacrifice!..."
"But...in the future...you may have a chance!"
"Gods bless you! Gods bless you!"
After leaving these words, Priest Papu held up the torch and turned around to leave. Behind him, the heavy stone door "bang" and was closed by four people again. Ti Carlo, who was in the stone chamber, raised his head and saw a little light in the distance above his head through the ancient ventilated holes. Those simple holes were like the eyes of gods, looking at him calmly, but their eyes were filled with starlight.
"I see…"
"Has the Kingdom actually reached Jihu City? God's blessing?..."
"O Serpent God!...I finally...saw the light again!..."
(End of chapter)
