Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

In late May, it was the busiest season of spring. Zuwaro led the returning fleet of merchant ships, finally sailing into Atoyac Lake, and docking at Zicao Port, south of Zicao City. The Southern Shipbuilding Department occupied the port's rear side, with hundreds of shipwrights inside and outside the shipyard constructing ships, while even more civilians moved large timber and planks under the command of shipwrights.

"Praise the Chief Divine! After four to five months, we finally returned to the port of departure!"

Zuwaro stepped onto the dock and watched the busy scenes of the shipyard for a while, showing surprise on his face.

"One hand, two hands... there are ten tens-longships of dozens of tons being built at the same time? Oh, that finished longship, with Copper Beasts placed both fore and aft, are they Rain Divine's Tiger Squat Cannons?"

People came and went on the dock, each running about, with no one answering Zuwaro's question. But there was no doubt that the Southern Shipyard of the Kingdom was frantically building the expedition longships at any cost.

Zuwaro sniffed and smelled the smoky aroma of burnt fields, as if he could smell the fervent scent of war. He looked far out into the fields, where thousands of agricultural slaves from Tlaxcala were busy in the vast farmland. Looking toward the port, a fleet returning with grain from upstream was under the watchful shout of Prepecha Warriors, escorting hundreds of Totonac war prisoners ashore.

Several newly built oar-sailed longships not only carried Tiger Squat Cannons but also loaded with numerous short and stout Bronze Heavy Cannons, while being personally led downstream toward the East by Mexica Priests.

"Ah! With such a wide barrel, what weight of stone bullets do you need to fire?! Priest Mickey, where are these going? To the Eastern battlefield?"

Soon, Second Level Divine Revelation Priest Mickey came hurriedly from the shipyard. Zuwaro stepped forward to welcome him, unable to refrain from asking. As a priest graduated from Divine Power University, he understood a simple truth: the wider the barrel, the larger the stone bullets fired, and thus the greater the firearm's power. And on the longship, the new short and stout Copper Cannons had barrels that could fit stone bullets the size of a human head. That power in the blast...

"Zuwaro Priest, that was newly built last month, intended for delivery to Your Majesty's army! The Mortar Cannon's barrel is a full seven or eight inches, capable of firing thirty-pound stone bullets. Once these heavy guns arrive, the last two fortresses of the Telascalans will also fall soon!"

Divine Revelation Priest Mickey proudly explained a few sentences with a smile. Then, he solemnly looked at Zuwaro behind the merchant fleet and asked calmly.

"Chief Divine's blessing! On this northern expedition, did you bring back the guano and coal the Divine Revelation Place specifically requested?"

"Chief Divine's blessing! The fleet brought back thirty tons of guano. I tasted it; it is indeed salty, astringent, and bitter, matching the description of the kingdom's exploration team and Your Majesty."

"Only thirty tons?"

Upon hearing this number, Divine Revelation Priest Mickey slightly furrowed his brows. The farmland area is so vast; at least 50 jin must be spread per acre. Thirty tons of guano sounds a lot, but in reality, it's only enough for a little over a thousand acres.

"Time is tight, and we were understaffed, only mined this much. The fleet's cargo space is also quite limited... Actually, the best approach is to leave some personnel on the Bird Guano Stone Islands to establish a quarry settlement. Let the stonemasons mine for three to four months, just in time for the large fleet to go back and forth, to be taken away in one go."

"Hmm, makes sense! We can jointly sign and present this suggestion to Director Talaya of the Divine Revelation Place."

Divine Revelation Priest Mickey pondered for a moment, then smiled. Seeing that Mickey wanted to propose together with him, Zuwaro raised his brows, thought for a while, then nodded.

"Mickey, my friend, do you want to join the expedition too? At sea, the winds and waves are strong, and there might be attacks; it's indeed life-threatening!"

"Hmm. Sea exploration and trade, despite great risks, can be a shortcut for advancement! Zuwaro, as per the director's intentions, this batch of guano will be quickly ground and spread into selected hundreds of acres of fields. If the autumn harvest shows a significant increase, your credit for this expedition will be enough to elevate you one level!"

Zuwaro chuckled, nodded faintly. Mickey was right; leading a fleet to sea was indeed a shortcut for advancement.

In fact, he had also reached a trade agreement with the Torpan unit of the Huichol people, and drafted an ambitious plan for their subjugation. The Huichol and the Kingdom speak the same language, have similar cultures, and are rather combative. If this subjugation plan could be realized, as the bridge communicating with various Huichol units, he would truly ascend! For enough support, he must personally return to Lake Capital City and report face-to-face to Director Talaya of the Divine Revelation Place.

"Hmm?"

Divine Revelation Priest Mickey approached the fleet, swept over the covered baskets of grass on the ships, and a glimpse of golden light flashed. He squinted, pursed his lips, and deeply gazed at the somewhat tense sailors, saying nothing.

The fleet at sea brought back gold, silver, copper, and ore, with regulations to submit seventy percent, keeping thirty percent for the fleet. But in practice, strict management was challenging. Captains and sailors had significant leeway to earn excess profits. Reportedly, to encourage sea voyages, Your Majesty also tacitly allowed these covert operations.

Priest Mickey scanned for a while, frowned, and asked solemnly.

"Zuwaro, did you bring back only these few ships of coal?"

Hearing this, Zuwaro's smile froze on his face. He lowered his head somewhat awkwardly, lightly replied.

"During this voyage, I exchanged over forty tons of coal in various northern units. But when I docked at Trout Town, it was seized by the Divine Revelation Priests from Black Rock Mountain Iron Ore, who detained two-thirds. They said to smelt tough and durable good iron on the ore for Your Majesty to forge sharp and firm Divine Weapons, they must use the good coal brought from the North! They had Your Majesty's command, and I couldn't stop it..."

"Damn it! These guys from the military department dare to plunder the Shipyard's goods!"

The Divine Revelation Priest Miki gritted his teeth, muttered a few curses under his breath, yet was helpless. Among the various divisions of the Divine Revelation Place, the Shipbuilding Division held great power, with high priority for its affairs. However, the Military Supplies Division, which directly supplied the various legions with the ability to forge weapons, armor, and copper cannons, held an even greater influence. Among the divisions and bureaus, the only one that could rival the Military Supplies Division was the Special Trade Bureau, which, though not large in number, supported the entire kingdom's finances.

"Ah! These remaining bituminous coals need to be sent to the Special Trade Bureau. They've specifically asked for bituminous coals from the North, saying the firepower is extremely strong and it's needed for some very important firing process. It seems there's a problem that has troubled them for a long time, which they hope can be solved with higher firepower..."

Upon hearing the Special Trade Bureau's request, Zuwaro promptly nodded.

"Alright! I'll immediately arrange for the sailors to unload the bituminous coal. Our fleet relies on the lake gemstones provided by the Special Trade Bureau. Without these gemstones, the cost of overseas trade is unimaginable..."

"Apart from the lake gemstones, the next time we set sail, the Special Trade Bureau will also provide a batch of lake gemstone artifacts! Take some out and see what kind of price the noble chieftains along the northern coast will offer."

"Lake gemstone artifacts? What are those?"

"Well, just say they're small implements made of gemstones, imbued with the divinity of the gemstones, capable of communicating with the divine!"

"Huh? Such small implements, the various tribes in the wilderness might not... but the noble chieftains of the Northern and Southern Ticos certainly will love them dearly!"

"Indeed, these lake gemstone artifacts are also very much liked by the great nobles of the Alliance. Only those great nobles with long-standing traditions have such taste, able to offer corresponding value! Haha!"

At this point, the two Divine Revelation Priests exchanged glances and laughed understandingly. As priests involved in seafaring, they had seen tons of lake gemstones, naturally harboring some unspeakable speculations. After the laughter, Divine Revelation Priest Miki's expression turned solemn. Pondering for a moment, he still asked Zuwaro.

"Zuwaro, on your northward journey to the Capital City, will you personally meet with Director Talaya to report your sea voyages?"

"Hmm?"

Zuwaro's eyes moved, his heart becoming slightly wary.

"Praise the Chief Divine! I indeed plan to report the specifics of the sea voyage to Director Talaya, and I'll also write a report to Your Majesty..."

"May the Chief Divine witness! I heard a piece of news, which might be your opportunity, but you need to take me along..."

Divine Revelation Priest Miki bit his lip, focusing on the surprised eyes of Zuwaro, giving him a hint.

"Your Majesty once had a plan to send an exploration fleet along the western coast to explore southeastward! This exploration route would pass through the Mistec's coast, the Zapotecs' valley, and even the southern highlands of the Maya!..."

"Currently, ten longships of the Shipyard will be completed within months. The kingdom's exploration fleet has already gone to distant Cuba, and it's uncertain when they will return. At a time like this, if the Shipyard proposes revisiting this exploration plan, the best candidate for the role of Exploration Captain would be someone with seafaring experience..."

"Ah, exploring the Southeast! Who else but me could lead a new maritime exploration at a time like this!"

Upon hearing this, Zuwaro's eyes shone brightly, his face unable to suppress his excitement. He clearly understood what great merits lay behind this plan! Even if they couldn't make contact with the southern Maya, collecting enough intelligence from exploring the heartlands of the Mistec and Zapotec people for upcoming conquests would still be an extremely illustrious military achievement!

"Praise the Chief Divine! The fleet setting sail, exploring the Southeast..."

"Zuwaro!"

Divine Revelation Priest Miki reached out both hands, grasping his old friend's wrists. He looked into the other's excited eyes, repeating word by word.

"You need to take me along! You need the full support of the Shipyard to ensure the exploration plan gets approved as much as possible!"

"...Alright!"

Zuwaro tightly pressed his lips, was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily.

"May the Chief Divine witness! If the proposal goes through, we will board the longship together!"

"May the Chief Divine witness! I will persuade the priests within the Shipyard to fully support you!"

The two young Divine Revelation Priests locked eyes tightly for a moment, then once again laughed aloud. They turned together to face the southeastern coast, their eyes alight with the anticipation like the shimmering waves of the sea.