Aztec Eternals

After leaving the Vastec village, the team hurried south for another two days.

The rainforest has long since disappeared, replaced by sparse mountain forests. The sky became open and clear, and the crowds of people on the road gradually became denser. The land became fertile and easy to cultivate, and rough farmland spread along the banks of the river.

Until noon on this day, Xiulot saw a small lake at a tributary of the Tampen River. In the middle of the lake was a field in the lake in the shape of a floating island.

The edge of the floating field is a circle of fixed fences, half of which are submerged in the water. In the center of the floating island is a neatly staggered waterway, which cuts the floating island into even small pieces. On the fields of the floating island, corn, pumpkin, and kidney beans are densely planted, three staple foods, as well as peppers, sunflowers, and precious herbs.

"This is the first Chinampa on the way home." Looking at the fields in the lake, Olosh finally smiled. "We have finally returned to the land of the city-states of Mexico, and we can sleep soundly today. Not far ahead is the city-state of Metzitlan, Xiulot, you can go to the central market with Ters , Buy some small things you like."

Sure enough, not long after Shulot moved forward, a Sino-American style city appeared near the river.

A four- to five-meter-high earth-rock city wall was enough to be called a strong city in the Middle Ages, and the city wall was carved with dark red patterns. Across the city wall, you can see at a glance the unique twin pyramids of the Aztecs, which are tens of meters high and enshrine Tlaloc, the god of rain in charge of agriculture, and Vezilopochtli, the patron saint.

It was still afternoon, the gates of the city were wide open, and the villagers began to return from the city. Most of them were shirtless, with only a long crotch cloth tied around their waists, and they carried newly purchased stone and pottery. A very small number of people tightly hugged the cotton cloth that was long for a person, and hurried away carefully.

The warriors of the city-state wore white or yellow vests, crotch cloth or leather skirts around their waists, small shields and batons on their backs. They gathered together in groups of three or four, not knowing what to discuss. The sound came downwind, and the boy faintly heard "Legion", "War", and "Otomi".

A little far away, several nobles and priests were sitting on the shoulders, and they were slowly approached by the slaves, and the civilians and warriors along the way gave way to them.

Shulot looked at their colorful shawls and long feather crowns, and at the flowers and herbs on their shoulders, guessing that they should have just returned from an outing in the botanical gardens of the nobles.

The boy smiled, the social class of the Aztecs could be clearly seen at a glance. All in all, the more you wear, the higher your status, the more gorgeous the color, and the more revered you are.

The team set up camp outside the north gate, and Olosh left a few warriors to guard the prisoners, and exchanged a few words with the guards guarding the gate. The jaguar warriors then led the team into the city, and then the warriors quickly dispersed to have their own fun.

The moment he entered the gate, the guard at the city gate glanced at the obsidian necklace on Shulot's neck, showing a mix of surprise and reverence.

The first thing Shulot saw when he entered the city was the pyramid temple. The temple is the center of the city, and the theocracy rules the city-state.

Under the temple is the central square of the city-state, with an area of ​​over a thousand square meters. During festivals, this is a sacrificial place, and it is also a trading market at ordinary times, which reminds Shulot of the farmers' market in his "hometown in the past".

On the periphery of the farmer's market are small stalls of villagers and citizens with a variety of commodities. Farmers brought turkeys, dogs, rabbits, corn cakes, black bean paste, pumpkins, peppers, sunflower seeds, and last year's avocados.

City potters sold a variety of pottery for everyday use, and some also sold stone farm implements.

Xiulot bought a bunch of sunflower seeds for two cocoa beans in front of a stall. He was wandering around while knocking, followed by Tells who was also looking around.

A turkey is worth eighty cocoa beans, a tortilla is about three cocoa beans, and black beans and pumpkin are about the same price. A clay pot for cooking soup is about 100 cocoa beans.

The boy saw a farmer stuff a turkey, a few corn cakes, and a mess of avocados and cactus tubers to a potter, took a big clay pot, and left happily. Neither the farmers nor the potters were likely to have sufficient cacao currency. In fact, the vast majority of transactions in the market are barter.

Further inside are handicraft craftsmen, all kinds of obsidian products are dazzling, including warriors, animals, gods and symbols, and various small statues dazzle the eyes of young people.

Xiulot looked around, wanting to choose a statue of a warrior for his father in this life, looking at all kinds of "freehand" and simple faces, but always felt that something was wrong. He and Tels continued to walk into the market.

Going further in, there is a feeling of a formal market. Shulot crossed the border where several warriors were standing, and looked at the bustling inner city in surprise.

The leading samurai with a pointed hat looked indifferent and hard. He first looked at Shulot fiercely, and then he was attracted by the obsidian necklace on the boy's neck. The samurai's gaze stayed on the necklace for a moment, then he said nothing, and turned back to look outside again.

A glow of precious metals in the inner city. The young man saw simple or elaborate sheds, with all kinds of silver and gold ornaments in the sheds.

Most of the people who shuttled back and forth on the streets were nobles in colorful robes and gold and silver. And priests with necklaces and feathered crowns.

Shulot turned the corner of the street, then looked at Olosh in surprise. The majestic jaguar warrior was standing in front of an exquisite cloth shed, puffing away comfortably, with a lighted cigarette between his fingers. The surrounding circle of people also looked satisfied, sharing the relaxed atmosphere together.

The young man leaned over and took a closer look: the cigarettes were wrapped in leaves, and inside were dried tobacco leaves mixed with unknown herbs and spices.

He turned his head to look at the shopkeeper again, and was shocked to see a head twice as long as his own. The head "elegantly" curved back from the forehead, extending a slender head cover with tall feathers on it. Ornaments and dangling silver ornaments, as if aliens visit.

Shulot took a step back in surprise, and only then did he see clearly the shopkeeper's rich, fat face and the sincere smile on his face.

"Hello, little priest." The round-faced alien quickly glanced at Shulot's obsidian necklace, and smiled more sincerely.

"As you can see, I have a newly arrived sacred smoke here. It comes from the holy land of the rainforest in the far east. It is the sigh of the gods left in the world. Just a small one can allow you to establish a connection with the gods for a quarter of an hour , feel the beauty of the Kingdom of God.”

With that said, the "alien" took out a small cloth bag the size of a palm. "As a gift for the first time, all you need for this bag is a small gold ornament, or cotton cloth that is two people long, or five hundred cocoa beans."

"Cunning Maya!" Before Shulot could reply, he heard the iconic roar of "Jaguar". "I'm going to knock your deformed head flat with a long obsidian stick! This is my student Shulot, how dare you deceive him! The length of cotton cloth for two people is enough to buy five bags of this low-quality cigarette!"

"Oh, Olosh, so it's your student." The alien was neither afraid nor angry, but just laughed.

"Then let me introduce myself. I am Tikalo, a Pochitka who specializes in long-distance trade, and I come from the city-state of Tutulxiu in the far eastern rainforest. The slender head is a symbol of divinity, and we Mayan nobles are the gods The descendants, possessing innate grace and kindness, are also your eternal friends of the Aztecs."

"Damn it, call me a Mexica, don't use the general term Aztec!" Olosh said dissatisfied.

"Okay, respected Mexican jaguar warrior. When will you pay back the cotton cloth and cocoa beans you owe me?" Hearing this, the teacher next to the boy fell silent.

"By the way." Mayan businessman Ticaro winked at Shulot again, "Now you can buy five bags of exquisite cigarettes from me for five hundred cocoa beans. Believe me, priests like this taste."

Xiulot was a little curious, what was the taste of the earliest Mayan cigarettes? Olosh strongly opposed it: "If you try the magic smoke too early, you will be sucked away by the gods, which is not conducive to the strength of the warrior's body."

The jaguar warrior then left Maya's shop with almost half-tucked Schlott under his arm.

"The Mayan nobles are not good people." Olosh cursed as he walked, "The brains are cunning like monkeys, the weak are like sloths, and the clothes are like tits, but all of them are eloquent and can calculate numbers better than anyone else. Sure! I will owe them money for no reason. If I go face to face on the battlefield, I can beat ten of them!"

Shulot wanted to laugh inexplicably, but he didn't dare to laugh out loud. He just looked back at the Mayan merchant who stood out from the crowd.

In his previous life, he traveled in Cancun, saw the so-called "Maya" show in a large amusement park, and drove around the ingenious Chichen Itza Pyramid. The planes and car rides that took hours in the past are now like a moat.

Half a year of hard roads in the rainforest and unpredictable canoe sea roads made it almost a lifetime vision to go to Chichen Itza again.

"How prosperous and beautiful are the current Mayan states? With Yucatan, you can get in touch with the island tribes in the Caribbean as soon as possible, as well as the footholds of Europeans from far away." The boy's thinking habitually Divergent.

"Maybe, when I return to Chichen Itza again, I will no longer be alone." Following Olosh, he looked at the majestic and fierce tiger helmet of the jaguar warrior, with the tall and solemn Aztec pyramid behind him.

Inexplicably, a new, conquering desire gradually began to burn in the Mexica boy's chest, the heart of a warrior.

"The warriors of Mexica will always use their own weapons to face the known world! To conquer the unknown future!"