Aztec Eternals

The turbulent river rushed into the estuary, rolling up the muddy and clear water. The loud whale song came from afar, melodious in the sky of the sea of ​​clouds. From Beigang to the north, the vibrating waves chased the songs of the whales, and after traveling seven or eight hundred miles, they suddenly arrived at the northernmost end of the world on the west coast, the largest meat and oil producing area in the world, and the Maka Whale Port where the whale totem pole is preserved!

"Lord God bless you! Hidawawa·d, pu·pu·qadi, dudu·kaxa·! (hi·dawawa·d, pu·pu·qadi, dudu·kaxa·!)..."

"Lord God bless you! I heard the sound, I found it! It's whistling, it's singing!..."

"It's it! It's a whale approaching, it's our prey! Get ready for whaling!..."

On the kingdom's longboat, the Maka headman Jinghai listened attentively and shouted loudly and sharply in the short and rapid Maka tribal language.

Whale Sea is the most experienced whaling veteran, with extraordinary hearing and almost never making mistakes. Although the warriors of the kingdom heard nothing, the warriors and hunters on the three long ships all prepared their spears and fishing nets, and were ready for intense whaling. On the reefs of the coast, the wooden drums of the "whale-luring" ancestors were beating urgently, and the wooden beasts pretending to be "beautiful whales" rose and fell, charming the "kind" who seemed to be far away but swam very fast.

Less than half a quarter of an hour later, a huge gray whale weighing more than 30 tons emerged from the entrance of the strait in the west. The Haro Strait, where Whale Harbor is located, is an important sea route in the eastern North Pacific. The whales heading south from the North Pacific will inevitably pass through the edge of this strait. Once they are attracted and tempted to enter this narrow strait, most of them are destined to "benefit the tribe".

This huge gray whale was on its habitual migration to the south in spring, perhaps because of greed, it got too close to the rich coast. Then, it accidentally heard the strange and distant "whale song", and excitedly swam into the strait to find "kindred" rolling in the water to mate. And until it was impatiently close to the stick, a cry in Mexica and Maca suddenly sounded excitedly!

"Lord God bless! Drop the net, throw the spear, shoot it!..."

"Ah!...Ah!..."

"Lord God guide! Shoot it, chase! Keep bleeding! Ah! It's going to escape!"

"Ah!...Ah!..."

"Quick! Open the east channel and drive it to the depths of the strait!...Good! It escaped to the east!..."

"Ah!...Ah!..."

"Keep chasing! Follow the blood trail! It's seriously injured and can't escape too far! As long as it waits until the tide goes down, it will be stranded if it's not careful!..."

"Ah!...Ah!..."

The crossbows shot sea fish, and the long whales were towering. The fierce warriors shot spears and stabbed, and the experienced hunters cast nets and ropes. The fierce whaling lasted from day to night, and from night to day. After a whole day of fighting, it was finally declared over on the beach covered with whale blood. The bloody gray whale that ran aground on the beach let out its last unwilling whale cry, which echoed throughout the rugged and winding strait.

"Ah!... Woo! Ao..."

"Praise the Lord! What a big whale, so much meat!!"

"Haha! This is the first whale of the new year, a blessing from the Lord, and a good omen for the tribe!..."

The giant whale fell, turned over, and died with a bang. The kingdom's longboat fleet immediately surrounded it and skillfully cut the meat and took the oil. And a canoe also paddled quickly to the west to guide the route and call more tribal boats to come.

Such a giant whale weighing more than 30 tons is enough for the tribe to harvest for three or four days, producing 20 tons of red whale meat, two or three tons of slippery whale oil, and several tons of white whale bones. The harvested whale meat needs to be transported back and forth by fleets, and hundreds of people are busy pickling it, and finally drying it in the entire Whale Harbor!

In fact, the whaling fleet usually only catches one big whale every month, or at most two. If there are more, there will be no time to smoke and pickle the whale meat, which will only waste the precious fish. And in a year, there are seven months from March to October, which are suitable for whaling!

From the end of October every year to the beginning of March of the following year, it is a common ice-covered period in the Far North Sea. Whales will stay away from the coast and rarely appear in Whale Harbor. At this time, due to the influence of the environment, even if there is no freezing outside the port, only some small fish can be caught, and it is difficult to hunt big whales...

So, this moment in March is the first whaling this spring! And this huge gray whale is the first whale caught in Whale Harbor this year! After a long winter of waiting, with the continuous supply of lake salt from the south, the profitable whaling activities in Whale Harbor will become more and more prosperous. The huge amount of whale meat and bright whale oil have also become the specialty of Whale Port... This is a unique West Sea specialty of this era due to the special geographical advantages and ancient craftsmanship!

"Praise the Lord! The abundant spring has come again! Along with the whale song comes the output of whale meat and whale oil that is the best in the entire northern continent, and even the world... In the next seven months, we will produce at least 20 tons of whale meat every month!... Whether it is the west coast or the far north coast, which kingdom's port can compare with our Whale Port!..."

On the largest longship, the whale port priest Zuyu was in high spirits, wearing the fur of the northern tribe. Looking at the bustling whale cutting scene, it was as if he saw his future of continuous advancement. Looking carefully, the priest's feather crown on his head has changed from the plain crown of the first-level priest to the semi-colored crown of the second-level priest, which means there are two more bright blue feathers. And such a promotion only took two or three years...

"Haha! On the entire west coast from south to north, Beitiaoshi Village is the struvite port, Sanshan Port is the salt port, Xishan Port is the shipbuilding port, Huwan Port is the iron smelting port, South Port is the corn port, and Beigang is the Dahe Port. ...And only our Whale Harbor is the supply port for the entire northern coast! ..."

"God bless you! The whaling output of our whaling port is not only the source of meat oil for the entire northern continent, but also the source of supplies for the eight far north ports! The longships from the far north ports must be respectful when they arrive here. Call me 'Daddy'!"

Priest Ancestral Fish holds a huge harvest of whaling in his hands, and his words are extremely tough. With the abundant food supply from whaling, the population of the kingdom in Makka Whale Port has rapidly grown to 1,600 people, with a fleet size second only to Xishan Port. And this key port that connects the Far North Coast and the West Coast is the most important supply and blood transfusion point when the population of the ports in the Far North increases dramatically!

In fact, due to the huge output and key supplies of Whale Port, its status is quite independent on the entire northern route, and it is far more important than ordinary small ports. Although it is located at the northernmost point of the west coast and the starting point of the far north coast, it is vaguely the core port of the entire far north coast!

"Well, the ancestors have blessed me! As long as I am here, as long as I firmly control this whale port... clan brother Zuvaro, I can get a steady stream of support, and I am not afraid that the ports in the far north will have other thoughts... clan brother It is indeed foresight and wisdom to place me here..."

Priest Zuyu lowered his eyes, and unknown thoughts flashed through his heart. This kind of thinking may be dark, but it involves the balance of power in the kingdom's navigation department, so it must be taken precautions in advance.

The core key to feudal politics is personnel arrangements. Exquisite personnel arrangements can not only help oneself in the present, but also prepare for the growth, balance and restriction of power in the future after development! …

The kingdom's entire northern shipping route essentially starts from Whale Harbor, passes through a series of Alaskan ports, and ends at Shenshuangyan Port on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

On this key waterway connecting the West Sea Continent, the westernmost end, which is the first line of exploration and development, is headed by Zuvalo, the fourth-level chief priest and exploration captain. His exploration of the captain's position undoubtedly means that in the future on the northern continent, he will become a very important fifth-level suzerain priest, a truly enviable position of real power that is coveted by all sailing priests!

Holding such power and being on the front line far away from the ports, we need a steady stream of support from behind. And to ensure the supply from the rear... At the beginning of the development, Zuvalo arranged for his brother Zuyu to be in Whale Harbor to take charge of the supply starting point of this extreme northern channel! ...The exquisite personnel arrangements in this, after careful consideration, can indeed leave people with a long aftertaste.

"Witness the Lord God! Whale Harbor supplies the entire far north coast, and the third batch of support fleets has already sailed north last summer and autumn. And before the freeze in October last year, I don't know how many longships sailed into the island channel? And how many Can a long ship full of warriors rush into the turbulent North Sea and successfully reach a peninsula full of ice and snow?…"

The Priest Ancestral Fish looked towards the vast and cold Arctic sea. The faint reflections were ice floes floating south from the north that had not yet fully melted.

The entire arctic sea area, in the long winter of freezing, is completely isolated from information, making it impossible to send any news back from the sea. The first long ship carrying news and supplies will probably not arrive at Whale Harbor until the end of April or early May. As for the westernmost part of the waterway, news of the Aleutian Island Waterway may have to wait until August or even September! …

The entire far north sea is frozen for half the year, and in the remaining half of the year, news can only be sent back once from west to east. Such difficult communication efficiency is really nonsense! …

"Ah! With the blessing of the Lord God, I sacrifice the soul of the giant beast to you! Please protect the devout and brave brother of the Zuwaro tribe. I sincerely hope that he will not have too difficult a life on the cold ice and snow peninsula!..."

The priest Ancestral Fish prays devoutly and sacrifices the soul of the captured whale to the supreme god. Thousands of miles away, on the southernmost side of the Kamchatka Peninsula, heavy snow falls on the sea like stars, making it extremely beautiful and cold.

Exploration captain Zuvalo also stood on the beach, looking at the still frozen sea and the three longships frozen on the shore. Then, he suddenly raised his head and looked towards the frozen east with feeling.

"Huh! It's such a difficult winter, such a difficult day! It's not easy for me, Zuvalo, the Lord God, to risk my own life for Your Majesty! Ah..."

Ice and snow were falling, and exploration captain Zuvalo let out a leisurely sigh, which then turned into a sigh of contentment. He tightened his arms with satisfaction, hugged the warm and soft Ezo girl in his arms, his hands disappeared quietly, and a smile appeared on his lips. The short yellow-haired Ezo girl suddenly trembled all over and couldn't help but open her small mouth and let out a weak exclamation in the Ainu language.

"Zu! Shomo! No, no!..."

Note: This chapter refers to some vocabulary left by the Makka people, as well as a small amount of Ainu language. But both languages ​​are actually "dead".