Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

"Aia, bombaia, bombe. (Aia, Bombaia, Pombe.)

Lamma samana quana! (Lamma Samana Quana!)

Aia, bombaia, bombe. (Aia, Bombaia, Pombe.)

Lamma samana quana! (Lamma Samana Quana!)"

The cheerful chorus echoed under the night sky along the Caribbean coast, spreading into distant waves! The moon was a crescent, stars were shining, clouds drifted across the sky, highlighting the depth of night. And the bright bonfire was lit right in the plaza of the riverside village, making the sea and sky lively!

"Bang bang bang!... The Storm Goddess Guabancex (Guabancex) controls the sea and waves. She brings friends long separated from afar; let us gather joyfully with music and song!"

Hundreds of simple and joyous faces were filled with anticipation in the firelight. Young girls jumped, young men danced, and elders sang ancient ballads. All kinds of Taino musical instruments also took their turns. Drums were exhilarating and urgent, bells were cheerful and sandy sounding, wood flutes were deep and distant, conch horns were long and soaring.

Young children would even beat interesting forked wooden drums, sounding like tapping on pottery pieces, producing a crisp "ding dong" like flowing water. At this moment, the welcoming feast for the arrival of the long ships became a sea of music and song!

"Bang bang bang!... Moon Mother Goddess Atabeyra (Atabeyra) governs moonlight, fresh water, and procreation. She bestows gentle moonlight and grants life-giving spring water. Friends from afar, let us drink this cup under the moonlight, chasing and rolling like wild rabbits, thriving and flourishing!"

The cheerful music played for two quarters, and then the style suddenly changed, full of the rhythm of joyous songs. Then, amidst the high praises of the tribal priests, hundreds of dancing people suddenly became jubilant. The young girls in the village, with their upper bodies bare, stretched out their arms and grabbed the robust visitors from afar indiscriminately. Eager, they wanted to leave with the bloodline from afar, giving birth to healthier children to sustain the tribe's vitality and life.

"Ah? Ah this!... Chief Divine! No, I'd rather not! You guys go find Puap, yes, the one shouting the loudest, he's got strength!"

Old militia Chiwaco smiled bitterly, struggling hard to escape from the embraces of several young and enthusiastic arms. He hurriedly made his way, clothes disheveled, even himself unaware of who had torn away his short upper garment, likely unable to retrieve it tomorrow.

"According to the Taino traditions, the clothes taken by women belong to the women. Over the past two months, I've lost seven or eight short garments... the local villages are frighteningly enthusiastic! Even a breeding rabbit has to rest for a few days, right?..."

Chiwaco shook his head and sighed, while walking towards the long ships by the sea. In the distance, he heard Puap's bold shouting, as if stepping onto the battlefield, confidently challenging as a warrior.

"Haha! Everyone come over, let me do it! hahaha! I want to take on ten! Don't rush, come one after another..."

Faintly, it seemed there was also Priest Tomate lecturing passionately, full of emotion.

"Come! Citizens of the Chief Divine! Let me teach you the doctrine of the Chief Divine's light! The Divine says, those who follow the divinity ascend to Heaven, those who defy the divinity sink into the Abyss..."

"Wow! Priest Tomate, with thick eyebrows and sincere faith in the Chief Divine, is also like this..."

Chiwaco blinked his eyes and pursed his lips disdainfully. He shook his head, climbed up the rope ladder of the flagship, stumbling towards the cabin, and grabbed a large sealed jar of cassava juice. This white beverage was a specialty of the various Taino divisions, slightly fermented with a hint of mild wine flavor, and had a unique sweetness. Hmm, ideal for storing as fresh water for navigation.

"Gulp...ah! After being here at Cuba Snake Island for two months, what pleases me most is this fermented cassava juice! Gulp...sweet, delicious!... Hmm, cassava is also nice, high yield and filling, just hard to preserve...gulp..."

Chiwaco leisurely drank for quite a while before coming out of the cabin to the moonlit deck. As soon as he appeared, he saw a peculiar silhouette, head down, doing something unknown. The old militia's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he cautiously drew the dagger from his waist, questioning softly.

"Who? Who's there?"

"Oh! It's me, honorable Chiwaco captain!"

The figure turned around and showed a slender head, with a polite and gentle smile, revealing the Mayan merchant Tikalo.

"Oh! Tikalo, aren't you attending the feast? Why are you back so early?"

"Haha! I can't handle the activities later... I'm already in my forties, I need to preserve my usefulness and serve the Kingdom..."

"Ah?... The Chief Divine bears witness! That's true. Haha!"

The two old men exchanged a glance and simultaneously shared a wry smile, showing a kind of tacit understanding.

Chiwaco's heart slightly relaxed, his eyes sharp as he glanced at the Mayan merchant's hand. He saw no weapons, only a small wooden carving painted with the white symbol "大" (great).

"Hmm? Tikalo, what is that club you're holding?"

"Uh... Captain Chiwaco, this is a wooden Zemi given to me by the chieftain of the Golden Lake Tribe. This wooden Zemi bears the crest of the Kokom Family, having been enshrined by the Golden Lake Tribe for sixty years... Counting back, it should have been left by the last batch of the Mayapan royal fleet after trading with the Golden Lake Tribe. The chieftain said giving it to me was like returning it to its original owner..."

As Tikalo spoke, his expression turned somewhat gloomy, and his voice gradually became inaudible. He held the Zemi in his hand, feeling the mysterious faith of the Taino culture, and reminiscing about the past glories of the Mayapan royalty.

In the Caribbean Islands, among the various Taino divisions, the so-called Zemi is an abstract, mysterious symbol, possessing divine power to change the environment and society. This divine symbol is always connected with deities, ancestors, and rituals, and can be either very abstract patterns or very concrete objects. The physical manifestation of Zemi most commonly takes the form of the "Tri-spint," but it can also be an explicit family emblem or very delicate representations of humans and animals.

In other words, this is the "sacred card" or "rune totem" of the Caribbean Tribes.

"Sixty years ago, a Zemi enshrined by the Kokom Family..."

Upon hearing this, Chiwaco raised his eyebrows and remained silent.

In the past two months, the fleet has been on Cuba Island, repairing ships, replenishing food and water, and searching for three lost longships... They have received a lot of help from the Cuba Tribes. The local tribes, at first meeting, were so warm and enthusiastic partly due to the simple and kind nature of the islanders, but also because of the foundation of exchanges left by the Mayapan royal fleet. Especially the Western Mountain Tribe on the strong western side of Cuba, which is where the translator Kuba's ancestors hailed from, with a long-standing connection to the Mayan royalty, providing substantial initial assistance to the exploration fleet.

"The Chief Divine's blessing! This entire journey, the banner of Mayapan, has still not been forgotten by the Cuba Tribes!"

Chiwaco extended his hand and patted Tikalo on the shoulder. He smiled and handed the bald Mayan merchant a ceramic jug of cassava juice, gesturing for him to drink. Then, he leaned against the ship's edge, watching the celebratory bonfire on the shore, a look of serenity, peace, and hope on his face.

"The Taino people lack neither food nor fighting. Their eyes are clean, and so are their hands... Cleaner than ours. Ah! Truly wonderful! These simple, kind-hearted, and hospitable people are like the flamingos flying over Lake Patzcuaro, never having to fall into the prison of earthly battles, able to sing until they die of old age... Truly wonderful!"

Upon hearing this, Tikalo raised his head, looking into the eyes of the old militia Chiwaco. At this moment, the "old turtle," cunning and wise in his heart, showed the pure spirit akin to the Taino. Yet, that gaze had weathered more time, becoming older.

"Yes, truly wonderful!... Isolated, without hatred and ambition..."

Tikalo murmured for a moment, responding in a low voice. Chiwaco heard him and lifted an aged smile on his face.

"Isn't it! Sometimes, I sincerely want to stay here and never return to the kingdom. It's just that I still worry about my daughter... Sometimes, I'm afraid, afraid that the arrival of the fleet will change all this beauty... Bringing the slaughter and blood of the highlands and the divine authority and fire to this great island..."

"Huh!... Respected Captain Chiwaco, since childhood, I've heard the teachings of my family's ancestors."

After a moment of silence, Tikalo shook his head with his eyes closed. He deeply buried his momentary weakness in his heart, and when he opened his eyes again, he was smiling and determined.

"There is no flower in the world that blooms perpetually without wilting. The more beautiful the flowers, the more fragile they become when storms arrive! What truly withstands adversity and remains unyielding are the cold, hardy cacti of the Mexican Plateau. The Mexica people grew in the land of cacti, enduring blood and fire, while the tenderness of all tribes under the sky will be ended by the doom of blood and fire..."

"Hmm? Fragile flowers, the doom of blood and fire..."

Hearing this, the old militia Chiwaco lowered his eyes. The blind kingdom had spoken of divine prophecy, which was also the doom of blood and fire, only brought by the white-skinned demons foretold. And this peaceful land of Snake Island would be the first to fall perilously close to destruction in just a few years...

After a good while, Chiwaco raised his head, looking at the sea illuminated by starlight beneath the moonlit night. The sea reflected starlight, mirrored firelight, and cast reflections of the longships and a crescent moon. The two men on the ship silently watched for a long time before softly speaking, uttering a sincere prayer.

"May the Chief Divine protect us!..."

"May the Chief Divine protect us!..."