Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

"Ecatl, light a refreshing divine smoke with no random herbs added. And bring some herb snacks, along with a cup of green grass cocoa tea!"

"Yes, Family Head!"

The bright moon hung high, and the royal tent was solemn. Xiulote, holding the letter paper, turned his head slightly and gave a command to the Guard Commander holding an axe on guard. Then, he closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and patiently waited.

Soon, the fragrant aroma of tobacco rose from the purple clay smoking furnace, dispersing inside the well-ventilated tent. These whole tobacco leaves came from the Maya City-States, of very high quality. As they burned, a faint oil would seep from the surface of the dried leaves, giving the aroma a particularly rich flavor.

Xiulote took a deep breath, feeling the floral scent in the smoke, alongside a slight sweetness, instantly invigorating his spirit. Having served as a High Priest for many years and frequently holding ceremonial rituals, he had gained a keen sense and understanding of the quality of divine smoke.

"Hmm, it must be tobacco from Tabasco. After a simple fermentation, it has lost some of its astringency and bitterness. Oh! It's carrying the flavors of almonds and raisins, indicating it's been aged for several more years... It's well-matured, and even has a floral fragrance!..."

Xiulote closed his eyes, holding a mouthful of rich smoke. He held his breath, savoring it for a while, and then exhaled the smoke. The aroma of this tobacco was entirely different from the paper cigarettes of later times. Xiulote found it hard to describe, but intuitively, it might be more like the cigars he had heard about, here burning boxed.

After a moment of relaxation, Xiulote's weary mind finally became active. Ecatl also returned with a plate of herb snacks and a pot of green grass cocoa tea, striding powerfully.

This plate of herb snacks was something Xiulote instructed the chef to invent specifically to improve life. It involved grinding aged vanilla beans into true vanilla powder. The vanilla powder was then mixed with honey, cornmeal, and turkey eggs, fermented, and finally baked.

Simply put, it was "vanilla honey cornmeal cake." Once the expensive vanilla powder was added, it became a unique and precious delicacy of this era in America. The taste of natural vanilla powder, a single bite...

"Excellent! The natural fragrance is lasting and incomparable to artificial vanillin!"

Xiulote nodded in satisfaction, eating two pieces of vanilla cake in succession. However, despite its deliciousness, vanilla was rare in production. Even in its native land, Mexico, vanilla remained expensive. The natural pollination probability of the plant was only about one-tenth, requiring the unique bees of Central America for pollination.

Thus, historically, it wasn't until 1841 that a slave named Edmond from Réunion Island discovered a method of artificial pollination for vanilla. From that point forward, through artificial pollination, vanilla could finally propagate normally beyond Mexico, greatly increasing its yield. In the following decades, vanilla gradually transitioned from a royal tribute as valuable as gold to a delicacy consumed by the ordinary nobility and great merchants. As for the common people's consumption, it would take another century.

"Hmm... Even just to eat more vanilla cake, I must teach the Alliance the artificial pollination method to increase the pod rate of vanilla several times! Of course, this method should first be offered as tribute to King Aweit, who owns most of the Chinampas, and the High Priesthood of the Capital City..."

Xiulote pondered for a moment, noting this matter down. Then, he picked up a slightly warm cup of green grass cocoa tea, taking several large gulps, feeling instantly refreshed throughout his body.

The Alliance's green grass tea had a strange name yet was a drink that many in later generations had tasted. It was made with Mexican sarsaparilla, known as "sarsaparilla" in the future—an herbal drink originally created by American Natives, mainly used for a cooling effect in summer, as well as treating colds, rheumatism, gout, and fever.

The natives of Brazil had a more intense flavor. They added the stimulating Brazilian cocoa (guarana) to the green grass tea as a stimulant drink. As for Xiulote, he preferred adding a little cocoa to the green grass tea to refresh his mind.

"Cigar divine smoke, herb snacks, green grass cocoa tea... This is the luxurious life of the Great Nobility of Mexica!..."

Xiulote laughed at himself with a hint of self-mockery. Then, he finally picked up the letter from Talaya once more, concentrating fully as he drew and noted down potential new gunpowder improvements.

"My esteemed Highness... After obtaining saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, the craftsmen need to weigh and proportion them. According to my experiments over the past few years, approximately at a ratio of 5:1:1, the clay tribulus explodes most stably and with the greatest power. This ratio is easier to manage than the 15:2:3 that you've calculated. Of course, if it's to create poisonous smoke, you can increase the proportion of sulfur. Whereas for the gunpowder arrows intended for setting fires, not as much saltpeter is needed..."

Seeing this ratio, Xiulote contemplated for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. The Alliance's technique for refining sulfur was limited, necessitating the use of more service. Silently, he gave Talaya a thumbs-up, eager to read onward.

"...After mixing, the three ingredients need to be thoroughly combined in a clay mortar, ground slowly with a clay pestle. From this point on, craftsmen must be extremely cautious, allowing no open flames near... When the gunpowder is fully ground into a powder, it must be sealed in large clay jars as per your instructions, with the seal wrapped in a circle of rubber."

"...Since the eastern expedition, the kingdom's gunpowder transportation has been done via waterways and has experienced rainy seasons. If exposed to rain, the gunpowder loses its effectiveness. You had reminded me before of the reason: the solubility of saltpeter in water, washed away by the water."

"Last year's rainy season was very wet, and some gunpowder in large clay jars, improperly sealed, became damp during transport. After discovering the issue, the craftsmen brought them back to the kingdom. However, the dampness in these jars wasn't severe, and the saltpeter inside hadn't been fully washed away by the rain."

"By the end of last autumn, after the rainy season, the craftsmen and I distributed this batch of gunpowder into clay boxes, carefully dried them. When dried, some of the powdered gunpowder formed into small pellets. I loaded some clay tribulus with this gunpowder, originally intending to test if it was still usable. Unexpectedly, trouble ensued! The power of the gunpowder was extraordinarily great, the broken clay fragments even pierced through the blocking bag and cut my cheek..."

"What?!"

On seeing this, Xiulote suddenly stood up. He recalled Talaya's graceful face, suddenly tightening in his heart. A moment later, he took a deep breath and continued reading.

"My Highness, my Sun God... I did not embarrass you; I finally discovered a way to improve gunpowder!..."

However, Talaya's letter barely mentioned the injury. Her handwriting was light and soaring, with excitement almost emanating from the page.

"Highness! By merely adding water and then drying into pellets, the potency of the gunpowder increases significantly! I would never deceive you; it truly can increase once, or even more than that!!..."

"Initially, I couldn't believe it, and I conducted numerous experiments. The power is indeed overwhelming and I almost injured myself again... adding water while slowly mixing, as long as the gunpowder presents a thick claylike texture, it's blended well! The ratio of water added ranges from one part in twenty to one part in ten!"

"When the water has been added, the gunpowder coagulates into pellet form. At this stage, using a clay sieve, we divide the gunpowder balls into many parts and small granules. Finally, they are set to dry on grass paper, retaining their granular form, with a potency like the thunderbolts in the Chief Divine's hands! ...My Sun God, I want to kneel on the ground and offer the thunderbolts to you..."

Upon reading this, Xiulote pursed his lips. His expression shifted, from worry to joy, moving through amazement to a sense of sudden understanding.

"So that's it! ...Add water, dry, form into granules... this, this is the granulation of black powder! This marks a qualitative change in gunpowder, akin to the secret formula that appeared on European battlefields in the early years of this century!"

"...With granulated black powder, even gaps are maintained to fully retain oxygen's inclusion, facilitating flame spread and gunpowder combustion! In other words, it greatly enhances the combustion efficiency of gunpowder, unlike powder that fails to fully combust. The multiplied increase in combustion efficiency effectively results in a multiplied increase in gunpowder power!"

"Henceforth, the firing of the kingdom's cannons will stabilize, eliminating the need for superb gunpowder loading techniques. After granulation, gunpowder also won't separate into layers of sulfur powder, charcoal powder, and saltpeter powder due to the jostling of long-distance transport, eliminating the need for remixing before battles... and establishing one of the technical foundations for the heavy musket!"

In the curling divine smoke, Xiulote wrote vigorously, jotting down each thought as it emerged. A moment later, he was left with one final thought, raising his pen but unable to put it down.

"Talaya, my loyal one... for your contributions and efforts over these years, how should I reward you?"

The divine smoke slowly burned out, rising to the top of the tent and drifting towards the bright moon. The king lowered his gaze, setting down paper and pen. A full moon illuminated his heart, flickering for a long while before settling into the depths of his heart's lake, hidden amidst the dust and smoke.