The darkness extended in the hall, bringing a deathlike silence. Shadows hit the heart and fell on the face, making the face blurred. Only two pairs of old and deep eyes were left, looking at each other in silence.
"Dang, Dang..."
Soon, two elder guards came in with short soldiers. They took out the kindling, lit the candles under the mural, bowed respectfully, and then retreated silently. The candles lit up the light and fell on the two sides.
A long, deep shadow appeared on the body of the white-haired old man. The real shadow, Chevali, stood beside the two of them, holding a clay pot in one hand and holding a copper ax in the other.
The silence spread, and the silence was soundless. The elder lowered his eyes, with a calm expression, and waited patiently. There was no murderous intention or any urgency on his face. He just smiled calmly, as if he was still remembering that
A long and true dream.
The high priest closed his eyes, and many memories came to his mind. There were his deceased father and ancestors, his dead wife, his children who died in infancy, and the hope of continuation. The long time passed through his heart like a peaceful river.
, making death dull.
He thought of his youth, which was during the time of the late king Iscoatl, the newly established Three Kingdoms Alliance, and the majestic capital city in the lake. He thought of his youth and middle age, which was the time of the late king Montezuma.
In the era, Teotihuacan has gone through vicissitudes, and the ancient holy city is gradually recovering. Then, he thought of his old age and the hope that gradually grew, from the precocious chicks in the holy city to the fledglings growing in the capital, until the west
The eagle with spread wings!... Gradually, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and it bloomed wildly.
After a long time, the high priest straightened his back. For the first time, he looked straight at the elder and nodded slowly with the same majestic gesture.
"Can!"
Hearing this, the elder opened his eyes. He looked at his nephew, seeing his calmness and calmness in the face of death, and smiled with relief and satisfaction.
"Okay! Shuttle, you did not disappoint me."
The high priest looked calm, nodded, and said nothing. He looked at Chevali beside him, stared at the small clay pot, and calmly waited for death. He already knew what was in the other person's clay pot.
.
There was a smile on the corner of the elder's mouth. He looked at the expression of the high priest and whispered quietly.
"My child, not now, not here."
"Huh? Elder?..."
Hearing this, the high priest was slightly startled. The calmness on his face was finally broken, showing a bit of surprise.
"Shuttle, I won't live much longer, but I can still wait for two days."
The elder smiled calmly and spoke frankly about life and death.
"Your body can't live for more than two years, but you can still travel far."
"Um."
The high priest was silent, waiting for the answer, the answer about death.
"Before returning to the sacred tree, don't you want to see that child again?"
The elder smiled kindly and asked calmly.
The expression of the high priest suddenly changed, and a little light gradually lit up in his heart.
"what do you mean?..."
"It's just the two of us on the road, so it's inevitably a bit deserted. In this world, there are too many old guys who don't want to leave, and they occupy too many positions of power..."
The elder smiled, with a gentle and calm expression. At this moment, he looked like a kind-hearted old man holding a broom named death in his hand, hoping to clean the house.
"The Holy City of Cholula and the family of twelve priests have lasted for too long... just take them with you!"
"Take them with you?"
Hearing this, the high priest suddenly smiled. His smile was pure and clean, like a hard-working child who also wanted to clean the house.
"Well. The holy city of Cholula is where the hearts of the world are. It's always hard for children to take action without a big reason."
The elder smiled and nodded, with the corners of his mouth raised. He thought of the familiar old friends in Cholula, and indeed he missed them a little.
"There are just a few days left, let's make a death pact. I'll let you leave, first go see the kid, and then go to Cholula City to catch up with the old guys... Their magic smoke is good, it burns
The fragrance is good, the medicine is also good, you can enjoy it for a while...Then, you can leave there!..."
"Leave there?"
The high priest narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and nodded in agreement.
"I see...that's not bad!"
"Yes. I will let Shadow Chevali leave the lake capital with you."
The elder calmly ordered. This is a guarantee and a contract. Of course, the form is greater than the reality.
"...You go away for two days. When the shadow comes back, I will come over."
"Ha, a promise of death!..."
The corners of the high priest's mouth raised. He looked at the elder's face and asked with a smile.
"Elder, don't you worry if you let me go?"
"Shutter, my child, I believe in you."
The elder had deep eyes and a calm smile.
"After I leave, the balance of power in the alliance will be broken. If you don't want to see the children make mistakes, you will make a choice."
"Indeed. After the warm sun goes down, the cold darkness falls. Certain things are inevitable..."
The high priest thought for a moment and nodded slowly. With the elder's plan, there would be no counterattack left. The food routes of the South Route Army were all in the hands of the Lake Capital. And if he left the Lake Capital, he would be able to make full use of it.
The influence will be reduced by half... Now, it's not time for Shulot to take over.
"Forget it! With my body, there is no need to live greedily for another two years."
The high priest smiled with relief, stretched out his hand again, put on the venerable feather crown, and covered his silver hair.
"Elder, we have agreed to meet at the sacred tree!"
"OK!"
The elder smiled heartily. This was the first time in many years, and it would also be his last. He smiled and stretched out his hand to hold the high priest's arm, which was equally skinny and old.
"For the Alliance."
Hearing this, the high priest shook his head and answered solemnly.
"No, for my grandson."
"It doesn't matter. Your grandson is the future of the alliance."
The elder promised calmly.
"I will leave my will and leave it in his hands."
Hearing this, the high priest paused and nodded heavily.
"Okay! God bless you!"
At this moment, High Priest Shuter's face showed rare piety. He rarely prayed like this, but at this moment he was full of hope.
The elder was slightly startled. He was silent for a while, then responded softly, praying devoutly to the god he had molded for the first time.
"God bless you!"
The two old men lowered their eyes and prayed for a few breaths at the same time. Then, the high priest stood up, looked at the elder deeply for a while, and asked the last question.
"Elder, who will take over as the high priest after I leave?"
"Ugl."
"Ugel?..."
"Well. In the past few years, the pace of the religious reform has gone too far. The power of the priests has also been too great. After we leave, there is no need for strong changes, and there is no need to go forward... Pause
Take a break and wait for a generation."
"...good!"
The high priest was silent for a moment, lowered his head, and bowed solemnly.
The elder smiled and nodded slightly as a return gift.
Then, the high priest turned around and left without stopping. Behind him, a silent shadow followed and disappeared into the dark corridor.
The elder stared for a moment, smiled calmly, and closed his eyes. The deep dark sea came again, swallowing his soul into it, bringing about an inescapable dream. Then, a faint light appeared in the dream.
The sacred tree lights up, slowly guiding him into the eternal end.
