Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

"Chief Divine bless us, set sail!"

The morning light is splendid, the sea shimmering. Two intact longships set sail under the rising sun, heading toward the East. Old militia Chiwaco, alongside Nautical Priest MeKate, judged the wind direction and raised the cross-sails at the bow and stern.

The cross-sails have a relatively small wind-receiving area and limited angle but are the simplest to manufacture and use. At present, the Alliance's navigation technology is still at a relatively low level, complex triangular sails, vertical sails, and even spinnakers might require a long time to explore.

With the help of the wind, the sailors on the two longships rowed vigorously. In just two hours, they had traveled over fifty or sixty miles when a green Great Island suddenly came into view. Around the island, some small canoes were faintly visible, as well as a coastal village on the island.

"Captain Chiwaco, this is the Scaled Great Island! Those small boats belong to the Taino fishermen. Their fishing techniques are always outstanding. And that village is the Taino's settlement. Kuba says we can directly visit, they will gladly welcome us!"

Speaking of "welcome", Maya merchant Tikalo seemed hesitant. This journey from the highlands had made the "welcomes" from various tribes along the way quite startling. Chiwaco turned his head and gave Kuba a deep look, only to see the joy on the Cuban guide's face at the sight of the village.

As the fleet approached, the image of the village on the shore also became clearer. The Taino village was fully revealed, with no fences or walls to obscure or protect it, perhaps better described as a settlement. Most of the settlement consisted of low thatched huts, with a few round and pointed thatched huts in the center. There was no sign of a temple or altar characteristic of such settlements, but around the large huts, there were some erected wood carvings, pottery carvings, and stone carvings with undecipherable patterns on them.

On the outskirts of the settlement was a circular plaza formed of stones, its purpose unknown. Further out, by the river, small plots of land were widely scattered. It seemed the fields had many strange soil mounds. And near the seashore flats, several small weirs were enclosed, with something seemingly moving inside.

From a distance, one or two hundred Taino villagers were busy throughout the village, the atmosphere very peaceful. Several fishermen in canoes first spotted the longships. They waved and shouted at the fleet, then sent two people to notify the village. Within moments, the village was buzzing with activity, silhouettes bustling everywhere.

"Chief Divine bless! Put on armor, ready the copper spears, raise the longbows! Prepare for battle!"

Seeing the change in the Taino village, Huitu Puapu's expression turned stern. With a murderous look in his eyes, he ordered preparations for battle in a deep voice.

Four small canoes moved obliviously closer, entering bow and arrow range, until they reached the edge of the longships. Only then did the Taino fishermen aboard put down their oars, stand up, revealing tall figures and bare torsos. The leading Taino fisherman glanced at the weapons and longbows raised by the warriors and sailors on the longships, and smiled brightly and genuinely, shouting loudly.

"Yaya! Piragua? Guarico Ke? Ana Tanama! Uicu? Veycosi?"

"Huh? What is he saying?"

Old militia Chiwaco scratched his head, looked at Tikalo and Kuba. Kuba stared at the fisherman, was stunned for a bit, then translated word by word.

"Great Spirit (Yaya)! Long large ship (Piragua)? Arriving (Guarico) our land (Ke)? Flower (Ana) and butterfly (Tanama)! Fruit wine (Uicu)? Cassava juice (Veycosi)?"

"What? What's this supposed to mean?"

Chiwaco looked confused, while Kuba directly responded in Guanahani, conversing surprisingly yet joyfully with the Taino fisherman. Afterwards, he translated their exchange in a complex expression.

"Great Spirit blesses everyone! Long large ships, you have arrived at our village. Are you guests? Beautiful flowers welcome fluttering butterflies! Come, do you want to drink newly brewed fruit wine or freshly pressed cassava juice?"

"..."

Hearing Kuba's translation, old militia Chiwaco and Huitu Puapu exchanged glances, both with subtle changes in expression. The Taino seemed genuinely friendly, uncertainly sincere. Huitu Puapu thought for a while, then signaled the warriors to lower their weapons. Chiwaco, stroking his chin, spoke gently.

"Tell him we are friends from the Maya Lands! We wish to go to the village to talk with the village chief and trade some food and water. Please let the villagers not be nervous or defensive, we mean no harm..."

Kuba and the Taino fisherman conversed again briefly. The fisherman seemed somewhat puzzled. He scratched his head, then paddled the small boat, leading the two longships toward the crowd gathered at the coast. Upon reaching the edge, old militia Chiwaco was surprised to find that the one or two hundred villagers gathered at the shore had no defense!

The Taino villagers held no wooden spears, stone spears, stone axes, or hunting bows. They carried no weapons except for small flint knives! And the ten or so villagers standing at the front held large baskets filled with long cassava flatbreads, fresh palm fruits and guavas, and pottery jars filled with clean water!

"Friends on the longships! Flowers welcome butterflies, trees welcome birds. We welcome you to our village!"

An elderly Taino village chief, wearing a short feather crown, raised his hands joyfully and approached. His face carried a genuine and sincere smile. He bore no long spears, only a spindle of rolled tobacco leaves, "Cohiba Long Spears".

"Come, friends! Light last year's tobacco leaves, let us share the divine tobacco, Cohiba, and communicate with the Divine! The Great Spirit and immortal ancestors are watching the meeting between the two tribes. In the blessing of Mother Goddess Atabeyra, let's drink water together, await the moon, and continue the tribes!"

"Ah? This... this welcome is truly different from those before!..."

Old militia Chiwaco stepped ashore, observing the warm welcome from the Taino, initially with a dazed smile that soon became genuine.

The tall Taino village chief spread his arms and embraced him warmly. Then the elder chief eagerly lit a long Cohiba, took a deep puff, invigorating himself immediately. Next, he lit a "tobacco long spear", placed it in Chiwaco's mouth, and cheerfully shouted.

"Cohiba! Blessings from Mother Goddess and Ancestors! Guanahani people's tobacco! Welcome, friends!"

"Hiss! This flavor?... Cough, cough!"

Old militia Chiwaco widened his eyes, inhaling the rich Divine Smoke deeply, then couldn't resist coughing. The surrounding Taino villagers chuckled kindly, and the village chief demonstrated smoke exhaling.

In laughter and divine smoke, the old militia took a few more puffs, gradually relaxing his whole body. His thoughts became active, his spirit hazy. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face, as an inexplicable thought crossed his mind.

"Sincere welcomes to friends, sharing Divine Smoke and food. Truly, Taino people are a kind tribe!... But, this kind of tribe, encountering the white-skinned demons from Your Majesty's prophecy, what outcome would they face?"