Chapter 428: Night talk in the palace, prayer in the temple
The night was deep, gauzy darkness shrouded Lake Texcoco, and blazing bonfires were lit everywhere in the capital. The fire was bright in the palace, and servants came and went. Joyous songs and laughter floated in the rose garden, and the king's palace was still full of people.
It was quiet and solemn.
Avitt was sitting on the throne, holding a pen and paper in his hand, handling the government affairs of the alliance. He looked indifferent, deciding the life and death of others while drawing with his pen. After a while, he put down the quill in his hand and looked.
He looked at the dim sky outside the hall.
"It's so late..."
Avitt frowned slightly. He was indeed a little hungry after being so busy. He ordered the guards in the hall.
"Go and see what Alyssa is doing and whether she has eaten."
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
The guards hurried away. Avitt stretched out his hand and rubbed the center of his eyebrows. In a few months, the alliance will launch a large-scale eastward expedition. A large amount of food and military supplies will be prepared for transfer now, and nobles and warriors from various places will also begin to mobilize.
.The Eastern Expedition is a major military and national event. It takes several years to build up one battle, so it has to be planned carefully.
After a while, the guard quickly returned and reported respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the Princess and Your Highness are in the garden, eating grilled fish and singing songs. The Princess and Your Highness are in high spirits. There are musicians playing bamboo flutes and pottery xuns, and the servants have also prepared many fruits and snacks.
.”
Hearing this, Avitt raised his eyebrows. He asked in a deep voice.
"Didn't Alyssa invite me over to have dinner with you?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty."
Seeing the king's unswerving expression, the guard bowed his head deeply and spoke nervously.
"The princess is in a good mood and having a lot of fun. Maybe, maybe, probably... she forgot. I'm going to ask..."
Avitt looked solemn, thought for a while, and waved his hand.
"That's all! Prepare some water, wine and food for me, and eat in the main hall!"
"As you command!"
The guards left quickly. Avitt sat on the throne and looked in the direction of the garden outside the palace. After a while, he sighed softly and shook his head.
"My daughter is getting older and I really can't keep her..."
Afterwards, the king of the alliance continued to lower his head and read the documents, feeling inexplicably irritated and helpless. He stood up and walked around the glorious hall, like a god in a mural: high above, dominating everything, but alone, with no one to share with him.
After a while, exquisite meals were brought into the hall and placed in a row on the table. Grilled fish, fragrant venison, stuffed turkey eggs, black bean puree with honey, and light corn tortillas.
Avitt looked at the food and suddenly lost his appetite. He pondered for a while and then gave instructions to the guards in a deep voice.
"Prepare a portion of the same food for Alyssa and send it to the garden. Also tell her that the night breeze is cooler and she shouldn't stay too late..."
"...as you command!"
The guard saluted respectfully and exited the hall. He ran back and forth, sweating all over his body. A gust of evening wind blew, and he took a long breath of comfort. The wind in early summer was warm, so how could there be any chill?
The king in the main hall was alone, looking up at the murals on the ceiling. Until the wooden door of the main hall suddenly opened, and a figure in black robes walked in silently.
"Your Majesty, I greet you!"
"Gillim, you're back."
Avitt glanced at it lightly and nodded slightly. He pointed at the food on the table and said calmly.
"I don't have much appetite by myself. Come eat some food and drink some wine with me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gillim nodded solemnly. He came to the desk and sat down in a dignified manner. Avitt returned to the desk and sat in a relaxed posture.
"Come, have a drink!"
Avitt casually drank a glass of tequila and asked in a deep voice.
"How about it?"
"Your Majesty, I personally checked His Highness Shulot's gift, chatted with some people in the imperial guard, and asked for some public information."
Gilliam answered calmly. A large part of the Praetorian Guards are warriors from the Mexica Alliance, and they are inextricably linked to the royal family.
"His Royal Highness Shulot's gift is quite valuable. There are hundreds of boxes...including 36 Rain God Tiger Crouching Cannons and 4 Sun God Eagle Cannons. This is about half of the existing artillery pieces in the Kingdom."
"Half of the artillery. Well, not bad!"
Avitt nodded with satisfaction. Then, he asked in a deep voice with great interest.
"The Rain God Tiger Crouching Cannon, the Sun God Eagle Cannon... are named after gods to show their power?"
"Yes. The Rain God Tiger Crouching Cannon is a small bronze cannon used in the field, and the Sun Condor Cannon is a large bronze cannon that can be used to attack cities. Both of them are far more powerful than wooden cannons."
Gillim recalled the cannon he had touched with his own hands, his expression moved slightly, and his heart heaved.
"Your Majesty, I have asked the craftsmen of the Foundry Bureau. These two bronze weapons are quite large in shape and are very difficult to make. Especially the Sun Condor Cannon is the most difficult. The master craftsmen of the Alliance are not sure... They need to be obtained from the Kingdom of the Lake.
If you want to recruit master craftsmen to come, you may ask for it in the congratulatory gift..."
"Um?"
Avitt's face darkened, showing displeasure.
“This is Alyssa’s wedding!”
Gillim understood immediately. He bowed his head respectfully and immediately changed his words.
"Artillery casting technology is of great importance and can greatly help the alliance in its campaign. You may want to ask the high priest and deputy commander to convey it to you in the autumn harvest tribute."
"Um."
Avitt thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"Xulot is missing a hole. Let's exchange five thousand young men and women for a few cannon-smiths from the kingdom!"
"Yes. Follow your will."
Gillim saluted solemnly. Then, he pondered for a few breaths and made another suggestion.
"Your Majesty, the Kingdom Navy has launched a new huge galley warship, which is much better than a canoe in water warfare. The Alliance Navy also needs the manufacturing technology of this kind of warship..."
"Can."
Avit thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"It's up to you! Give some compensation to the Kingdom in the Lake and send a batch of grain there."
"Obey you!"
Gilliam bowed to the ground and then raised his head again.
"Your Majesty, based on the latest information, it can be inferred that the gems of the Lake Kingdom are produced in large quantities using a certain method, without the need for a large amount of manpower to mine..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Huh? Massive output?"
Avitt was stunned, a little surprised.
"You mean, such a hard and gorgeous lake gem..."
"Exactly."
Gilliam nodded in affirmation.
"There is a 90% chance that the gem in the lake is some kind of man-made creation."
"It's so true!"
Avitt was actually a little surprised. He had seen many gems in the lake, and many were collected in the treasury. He once praised the stable quality and crystal clear color of this gem. Now it seems that it is probably as the chief intelligence officer said
...
"The power of divine inspiration is so..."
"Your Majesty, the technology for making these gems..."
Gillim's eyes flashed. He has the alliance's business intelligence and knows what kind of huge profits this gem in the lake can bring.
Avitt remained silent. He lowered his eyes, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head.
"Forget it! The gem in the lake has nothing to do with the legion's campaign, it is just some property. Since Shulot invented it, let him continue to sell it!"
"Kings..."
Gillim pursed his lips. He knew the number of legions in the Kingdom of the Lake. Without the gem trade as an important source of wealth, it would have been impossible to maintain an army of this size with the strength of the Kingdom in the Lake. Thinking of this, he bowed respectfully,
Again.
"Can the luxury trade tax be levied on the gems in the lake? In the past, due to support for the kingdom, the commercial tax on these gems has been very low."
"Add commercial tax..."
Avitt was a little moved. He looked in the direction of the garden, pondered for a moment, and said quietly.
"Go and tell Shulot that after you get married, you will hand over the kingdom's gem trade to Alyssa. If he doesn't agree, the alliance will impose additional business taxes."
"...yes."
Gillim saluted again, and the disappointment in his heart flashed past. The kingdom is located in the west of the world, and the lucrative trade must go through the alliance. As long as he has the right to tax, he can find ways to control the gem trade. And if the gem trade is controlled by
In the hands of the Alliance, the Alliance can at least raise one more legion, while the Kingdom will raise one less legion. The difference is huge...
"Gillim, are Alyssa's dowry ready?"
The king's calm voice came, with a will that could not be rejected.
"My daughter cannot bear any injustice!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, everything is ready."
Gilliam's expression remained unchanged and he answered solemnly.
"Jade, precious stones, gold and silver, feathers, clothing, painted pottery...all will be doubled as gifts from the kingdom."
"Yes. The 500-hectare Chinampa fiefdom, 10,000 direct fiefdoms, and 500 family warriors are all ready?"
Hearing the question, Gillim's heart ached, but his face remained calm. Having served the king for so many years, he knew the king's likes and dislikes very well. He couldn't say anything about the princess's dowry.
"Your Majesty, the five hundred hectares of royal Chinampa can support ten thousand feudal people in the Lake District. The princess's fiefdom is to the west of the Texcoco Lake District, divided from the confiscated Tlacopan noble territory. Five hundred families
The warriors are all senior elites, and there are thousands of servants accompanying them. In addition, in the palace area of the royal capital, there is also a gorgeous prince's mansion, which serves as the residence for the princess to live in the royal capital. That mansion is far away from the king
The palace is not far away."
"Yeah. Not bad, very good!"
Hearing that everything was arranged properly, Avitt was quite satisfied, and the irritability in his heart disappeared a lot. He smiled heartily and raised his glass.
"Come, my female snake consultant, you have worked hard all the way, drink this cup with me!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The two of them raised their glasses and drank deeply, accompanied by the bonfire in the main hall, finally a little more life appeared in the solemn atmosphere.
The night passed in a hurry. The next day, Shulot woke up alone in the king's palace. It was already bright outside the window and the birds were singing. He turned his head and looked around, and there was no one beside the soft cloth bed. Alyssa
If you haven't married him yet, you can't sleep with him.
Shulot smiled, recalling the joy of yesterday's date. He couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, and licked his lips gently, as if he could still taste the tenderness and warmth of the girl. After a while, the young man tidied up happily.
After getting good clothes, I went to bid farewell to the king.
Avitt got up very early, had already had breakfast, and was sitting in the hall correcting documents. He looked at Shulot for a few times, nodded, and gave a few instructions. Shulot then bowed and saluted the teacher.
Saying goodbye to my father-in-law.
Outside the main hall, a princess's maid was holding a cloak, waiting respectfully. After a night, Alyssa recovered from the joy of reunion. Thinking of yesterday's date, she was a little shy and did not show up. She just asked the maid to give Shuluo
Specially, I gave you an exquisite cloak.
Hulot smiled understandingly and put on his cloak. In the Mexica culture, the cloak has a special meaning. In the sacred wedding, the cloak is also an important symbol. Next, he will go to the big temple
, go to pray to the Lord God and formally visit the high priest.
The temple area is always solemn and awe-inspiring. Temple guards holding sticks stand guard among the temple groups, standing like sculptures. Priests of all levels who come and go wear different robes, holding scriptures and documents. While everyone is saluting and greeting
, Shulot slowly climbed up to the 60 to 70-meter-high pyramid temple, and the entire capital city was at his feet.
Shulot put on the attire of a high-ranking priest and stood in front of the sculptures of hummingbirds and the sun. He respectfully lit incense and offered devout prayers to the supreme god. On both sides were a row of high-ranking priests, who chanted loudly at the same time,
Welcoming the arrival of the patriarch of the Huzhong Diocese, a third-level priest respectfully led Shulot into the priest's hall behind the great temple.
The priest's hall is resplendent and solemn. Large curtains fly in the wind, and the mythical image of the main god is painted on it. The surrounding walls are full of murals, telling all the miracles and legends since the birth of the main god. Of course, all
The narrative is all from the perspective of the alliance.
The heavy incense slowly rose from the incense burner, bringing the breath of the gods to the entire hall. Seven or eight priests and elders with solemn faces were sitting in the hall. In the middle of the hall, there was a man wearing a gorgeous obsidian feather crown.
The old man is sitting on the throne.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Shulot knelt down in the temple hall and solemnly saluted his grandfather, the high priest.
"The Lord God bless you! The Patriarch of the Lake Diocese, Hulot of Teotihuacan, pays tribute to the respected High Priest! May the majestic light of the Lord God shine on you, illuminating the entire Mexica Union and illuminating thousands of people.
People!"
"God bless you!"
The high priest's face was as solemn as a lake, as solemn as a god. Even when he saw his grandson whom he had not seen for four years, he did not show any joy.
"Priest Xiulote, you have come a long way and have worked hard all the way. May you spread the light of the Lord God in the wild lake parish, so that thousands of lost people can take refuge in the glory of the Lord God!...Praise
Lord God, pray to Him!”
"Praise the Lord God! You must believe in my god Huitzilopochtli, whose power is infinite, from the past to the future, controlling all existence until the end!..."
The slightly fat Ugel looked solemn and took the lead in praying. The surrounding priests and elders also chanted, and then the priests standing outside the hall. Soon, the sacred prayers echoed in the towering temple, far away
The song spread. The priests, warriors and nobles around the temple all fell to the ground and prayed devoutly to the Lord God.
The sound of prayer spread far away, like a loud bell, echoing in half of the lake city. It was the time for morning prayers, and community shrines everywhere responded together, as did tens of thousands of people in the lake.
He prayed loudly. In less than a quarter of an hour, the voices praising the Lord God spread like a tide and turned into rolling thunder!
Xiulote knelt on the ground and listened to the prayers of the entire capital. His heart was filled with shock and a hint of uneasiness. The high priest was sitting on a high throne, and as soon as he said one word, thousands of people in the capital fell to the ground and followed him, and his majesty was so great.
