Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Layered clouds drift across the azure sky, while the blue sea sparkles with ripples. Fresh verdant hues sprout from the coastal forest, and the long river girdles like a jade belt. The scenery of the Northern Land seaside resembles nature's most magnificent painting, outlining a colorful future.

The newly appointed Priest Zuwalo gazed at the mountains and seas along the way, heading toward home, yet his thoughts leisurely drifted northward.

Not long ago, after an unexpected encounter with the Torpan Tribe, the fleet stayed for an entire day. At the initial meeting, no deep agreements were reached; both sides merely confirmed their friendship and expressed closeness. He gifted Chief Visaka ten bundles of cotton, ten bags of cocoa, and ten Long Spears as tokens of friendship. Chief Visaka, in return, offered two baskets of unused Jin Shi, Silver Ore, and flash stones, several bags of furs, and some red mineral dye. As for the Kingdom's invincible Lake Gems from the Southern Tribes, Chief Visaka expressed they were unnecessary and preferred exchanging them for a bag of food.

According to the tribal tradition, in the next six months, the Torpan Tribe would cultivate at the rivermouth, planting a season of corn. If the harvest was good, they might establish the Torpan Rivermouth as a stable migration point, returning each spring and moving in autumn.

"Our merchant fleet will regularly trade, bringing you the goods you need."

Priest Zuwalo sincerely said this to Chief Visaka.

"You might consider establishing a village at the rivermouth and settling down. Or at least leave some people behind to maintain the camp's presence."

"The Wilderness always lacks food. In the fall, when we cannot farm, we must expand our search area to find more prey or battle other tribes."

Chief Visaka grasped the Copper Spear tightly and forcefully plunged it half a foot into the earth. Then, he gazed at the clearly sharper Copper Spear, pondered for a moment, and promised.

"Faraway brothers, if you can regularly bring us useful goods and weapons, someone will always remain at this rivermouth camp."

"Even if the tribe migrates, it will only follow this Torpan River to the upstream Wilderness, where more Huichol tribes reside. They too possess more furs, dyes, Jin Shi, Silver Ore, and flash stones. The tribe will try to bring back as much as possible for trade with you."

The so-called flash stones consist of cassiterite and stannite, associated with sphalerite, present in hydrothermal vein-type deposits. These Tin Ore stones are plentiful in the Huichol lands, just like the Silver Ore stones scattered northwest of Sakatekas and the not-so-rare Gold stones. However, while there are Tin Ore stones here, there is no copper. The Red Crow Tribe discovered Copper Mountain but found no tin.

The three thousand li Wilderness of the Northern Land is extremely barren, with scarce rivers and rainfall but rich mineral resources distributed unevenly. Interactions between tribes often involve conflict, making large-scale trade challenging and mineral development impossible. The deeper into the Wilderness, the more barbaric and savage the migrating tribes become.

As a result, the Huichol tribes only use these mineral stones for grinding into dyes or as decorations. They are isolated from other tribes, with no City-State established nearby, and haven't learned smelting. Or perhaps they once learned, but migration in the fuel-scarce Wilderness led to its forgetfulness.

"In the depths of the Wilderness, the Huichol tribes, speaking ancient Aztec, lie between mountains in the world's northwest..."

Priest Zuwalo pursed his lips, observing Chief Visaka's honest eyes and the bold tattoos, feeling the Wilderness warriors' fierceness and killing intent. Many thoughts surged in the new Priest's mind. After a while, he nodded and made a farewell agreement with Chief Visaka.

"Chief Divine as witness! Brothers of the mountain Torpan Tribe, I will leave ten crew members stationed here. They will assist you in farming and help build the camp. Upon returning to the Kingdom and repairing the ship... in two or three months, we will head north again and surely reunite before autumn harvest."

"Good! All Gods watch from the red skies, observing the earthly agreement. We will meet again with the ship's tribe, trade again as friends and brothers!"

Chief Visaka nodded in agreement. He had fewer thoughts than the other side and did not fear the ship's tribe remaining. Even if a threat is encountered at the seaside in the future, it's merely a long migration, just a few hundred li ahead. However, now, such trade, beneficial for the tribe's continuation, needs to be grasped tightly, worth doing!

The sun rose and set, marking another day. The merchant fleet sailed into the sea, and the rivermouth returned to calm. Moving south to north, past the Southern Ticos' Zongshi Town and the Northern Ticos' Three Rivers City, the Torpan Rivermouth, where Huichol people migrate, was the third node of the northward route.

Continuing north, the fourth node is Fish Mountain Village of the Totomei people, where food and fresh water can be replenished. Small-scale trade of Jin Shi is possible. When the merchant fleet returned, they also left a dozen crew stationed here. Another six to seven hundred li northwest is the fifth node, the Yoreim Tribe of the Mayo people.

Priest Zuwalo sat at the ship's bow, remembering his experiences at the Yoreim Tribe, and couldn't help but smile.

During the Kingdom's first exploration, a Prepecha Warrior named Gray Cat Putu was left with the Yoreim Tribe. Last month, seeing the Kingdom's merchant fleet arrive, Gray Cat Putu was overwhelmed with emotion, even tears welled up in his eyes.

"Chief Divine's blessing! You have finally arrived! Honorable Priest Zuwalo, I beg you to take me away. I can't endure such days any longer!..."

Upon their reunion, Gray Cat was visibly thinner and had a more weathered face. As the exchanged tribal warrior, his most important task was to breed, improving the bloodlines within the Yoreim Tribe through marriages. In daily life, he was constantly entangled by the tribe's women, with little time to rest. In less than a year, he already had four confirmed children, and perhaps many more uncertain...

Putu's request was naturally rejected by Priest Zuwalo. The Kingdom needed familiar envoys of the Northern Land to reside among the northern tribes. He conversed with the diligent Prepecha Warrior for a while, learned more about the Yoreim Great Tribe's situation, and then laughed heartily as he watched Putu get dragged off by several robust women.

Then came a secret talk between the Kingdom's newly appointed Priest, merchant fleet captain Zuwalo, and Chieftain Kalan of the Yoreim Great Tribe.

"Ancestor as witness! Friends from the sea, your weapons are very useful, very good! We need more. Hmm, Jin Shi, Silver Ore, Copper Ore, Firestone, all can be exchanged, all are acceptable."

Chieftain Kalan wore his signature deer head with a sincere smile on his face. From Gray Cat Putu, he had long learned of the Southern Great Tribes' might and thus was increasingly amiable.

"Chief Divine as witness! Sacred will guided our meeting, a reunion of brothers. This distant sea route links us together, bringing light and prosperity!"

Priest Zuwalo spoke sincerely, conversing equally with Chieftain Kalan.

"Respected Chieftain Kalan, your Copper Ore is excellent, and the Jin Shi is good, both of very high quality. Once I return to the Kingdom and repair the ships...in two or three months, we will return to the North, and certainly, meet again before the autumn harvest."

"Ah! All Gods in the red sky are watching the promise on the ground. We will meet again with the tribe on the ship and trade again as friends and brothers!"

Chief Visaka nodded, agreeing. He wasn't as contemplative as his counterpart, and didn't fear the stay of the ship's tribe. Even if a threat were to arise by the seaside, it would only be a long migration, perhaps a few hundred miles on. But for now, this trade that benefits the tribe's continuity is something worth holding onto and doing!

The sun rises and falls, ushering in another day. The merchant fleet sails into the sea, and the rivermouth returns to calm. From south to north, passing the Southern Tekos' Brown Town and Northern Tekos' Three Rivers City, the Huichol's migrating Torpan rivermouth becomes the third node of the northern route.

Continuing northward, the fourth node is Fish Mountain Village of the Totome people, where provisions and fresh water can be replenished, and small-scale trades for Jin Shi can occur. When the merchant fleet reaches the Yoreim Tribe in the north, they can exchange goods. Zuwaro Priest sits at the bow of the boat, thinking of memories with the Yoreim Tribe, and a smile spreads across his face, watching Putu being dragged away by several strong women.

"The Ancestor bears witness! Friends coming from across the sea, your weapons are very practical, very good! We appreciate your friendship and would like to benefit from it," the Chieftain said with a grin.

"Chief Divine as witness! I will leave ten sailors here to help you with cultivation and camp construction. We will return to the Kingdom, repair the ships...two or three months later, we will head north again, and we will definitely meet again before the autumn harvest."

"What a bold proposal! It is related to the Yomei Great Tribe of the North..."

Évoque Zuwaro, sitting at the ship's prow, envisioned the sights from the Yoreim Tribe and felt his thoughts surge. He had spent many sleepless nights pondering. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he nodded, setting an agreement with the Chief Divine of the Yoreim Tribe before parting ways with Viisaga, the Chieftain.

"Our Envoy shall guide the worthy of the Wilderness back to the Kingdom, to witness the power of the Chief Divine." Zuwalo said solemnly, clutching a heavy long spear tightly.

Chieftain smiled again, agreeing without much thought. Though he wasn't as contemplative as the other, he recognized trading which favored the tribe's continuity was always worth capturing!

The sun rose and set, marking another passing day. The merchant fleet sailed into the horizon, leaving the rivermouth in restored calm. Moving from the South to the Northern Ticos' Three Rivers City, through Sakate, and finally to the Torpan River, was the third point on the northward route of migration.

As the journey continued north, the fourth node was Fish Mountain Village of the Totome people, where supplies of food and freshwater could be replenished. The fleet could engage in minor trades involving Jin Shi. Sitting at the bow of the ship, Zuwalo recalled his experiences with the Yoreim Tribe, a smile slowly spreading across his face as he watched Puto being dragged away by several strong women.

Then it was the turn of Chief Divine witness Zuwaro, to whom Zuwalo said, "Honorable Chief Kalan, your copper ore is excellent, and the Jin Shi is of good quality - both are very high grade. When we return to the Kingdom and repair the ship, we will surely come north again two to three months before the autumn harvest, and we can further establish our connections. As the Chief Divine watches over us, we who come from across the sea will return to meet again and trade as friends and brothers!"

Chieftain Visaka, nodding his head, agreed. He was not overly concerned about the stay of the ship's tribe. Even if a threat were to arise by the seaside in the future, it would only necessitate a lengthy migration of perhaps hundreds of miles. But for now, this trade opportunity that benefits the continuation of the tribes is worth seizing!

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