Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 567 - 276: New Year Grand Ceremony, Alliance Spectacular!_3

Xiuxoke advanced, and the towering Great Temple loomed ever more majestic. The sixty-meter-high twin pyramids, like the Chief Divine’s Snake Mountain in myths, cast grand shadows on the ground, evoking a profound reverence within. At the summit of the Great Temple, a dozen dots with high feather crowns, dressed in solemn ceremonial robes, stood like messengers of the gods, gazing down upon the entire Lake Capital City.

Xiuxoke squinted, looking toward the figure at the lead, solemn and aged. That figure also cast his gaze over. After a moment, the resolved samurai voluntarily bowed his head, shifting his eyes away.

He scanned the corner’s ball court where the Nobility, relaxed, ate sweets made from maple and honey, drank cocoa enriched with herbs and chili, and boisterously discussed the thrilling game. Occasionally, defeated teams were escorted to the surrounding small pyramids and rolled down amid cheers, adding dashes of bright red and foul sweetness to the Temple District.

In this brutal age, such bloodshed was invisible, so commonplace as to be unremarkable to everyone. The Nobility continued to laugh and talk loudly, relishing the dried fruits of all seasons, including the sweet and sour cactus fruit, pineapple, Qilin fruit, mamey, lychee, tortoiseshell bamboo fruits, and the highly popular, deliciously flavored black persimmons.

Deeper into the court was the plaza of the Temple District. Graceful dancers swirled, focused musicians played divine music, and solemn singers praised the spirits. Occasionally, inspired Poets would step onto the platform, reciting a new poem, eliciting cheers or head-shakes. Occasionally, the Great Nobility from the capital also stepped forward, displaying their erudition and grandeur in front of the crowd.

The poems describing the western campaigns were the most popular, attracting even the foreign Envoys’ earnest attention, who occasionally asked in hushed tones, then emitted quiet exclamations of awe.

Xiuxoke listened briefly, overhearing something about ""The Divine Revelation’s prince transformed into a running Black Wolf, casting out lightning like thunderbolts, causing even the sturdiest fortresses to collapse"" and ""The Priests prayed for the Chief Divine to descend, turning the Divine Tree into a roaring treeman, hurling invincible rocks""... At this, the resolved samurai smiled reassuringly.

Xiuxoke smiled, leading his large group of Eagle Warriors through the bustling crowd. Soon, he arrived at the steps of the Great Temple. A squad of Temple Warriors in Black Wolf attire bowed, saluting the two captains before passing them two vertically held Long Spears. These special Long Spears were five meters long, each featuring a large banner of the Chief Divine in the middle, with a wildly-haired head at the top.

Xiuxoke sighed softly, his expression instantaneously solemn. He took his Long Spear, holding it upright with both hands. Then, the resolute samurai looked up to see Tepeiter’s fresh head atop. He glanced at Stanley’s Long Spear, whose top carried a dried, indistinct head, yet both grotesquely wide-eyed.

"Who is that?"

Xiuxoke identified for a moment, certain he had never seen it before.

"Haha, that’s the head of Quyus, the Southern Route Commander, the Prince of Tarasco!"

Stanley looked at the head, bursting out laughing, then grew somewhat contemplative.

"This guy was a formidable fighter! He kept the highest fortress on the southern route impenetrable, holding us off for almost a year! I personally led several charges, and each time we were driven back, dusty and disgraced, even taking an arrow to the knee. After Su’angua fled, he still held us off for over a week, truly one of the most capable Marshals in the Tarasco Kingdom!"

"Southern Route Commander Quyus?"

Hearing the familiar name, Xiuxoke was a bit surprised.

"Didn’t he escape?"

"Haha, he ran off to the Mistec. If one could trust the cloud-dwellers as steadfast, domestic turkeys might fly up trees!"

Stanley glanced at the distant Mistec Envoys, scoffing disdainfully. Their nobility carried themselves with restrained movements, never exhibiting grand gestures, even speaking slowly. They wore robes inlaid with Gold and Silver, and their wrists and ankles bore glittering openwork gold bracelets, seemingly inept at fighting.

"Here you have it, the cloud-dwellers treated Quyus thoroughly well for months. But as soon as news arrived of the King crushing the Tlaxcala legions, they promptly turned on him, drugged him, and chopped off his head to send here, confessing and pledging loyalty to the Alliance. Tsk tsk, look at the expression of his wide eyes before death, such a great hero must have had so much regret!"

As Stanley continued speaking, even Xiuxoke felt somewhat moved. He suddenly recalled a poem his son had mentioned, fitting with the Mexica concept of fate and the current scene, and recited it softly.

"When the God of Destiny favors you, the divine sky and earth both grant you the force of victory! But the moment the God of Destiny departs, even a hero of unparalleled grandeur can only sigh helplessly at his downfall!"

"Eh? Xiuxoke, that’s a fine poem! Who said it? It surely doesn’t sound like something you could come up with."

Stanley exclaimed admiringly, then suspiciously eyed Xiuxoke.

Xiusoke’s face suddenly turned red. Yet his son’s poem, if copied, was just that, and no harsh words about the father would suffice.

"Of course, it’s mine!..."

Both men, holding their Long Spears, stood with their backs to the Great Pyramid Temple, laughing and talking as such. Soon, the sun rose high into the sky, brightening the day.

Suddenly, a frenzied roar of cheers erupted from the plaza of the Temple District. In an instant, it rose like thunder, shaking the heavens and the earth! Everyone present, whether Nobility, Priest, warrior, or even foreign Envoy, all showed their heartfelt reverence, bowing like bent maize stalks!

The two captains instantly turned solemn. They grasped their Long Spears, bowed their heads, and knelt on one knee. Such a display of universal submission, both domestic and foreign, could only mean one thing! Soon, hundreds of Priests together cried out in praise. The acclaim cascaded from the heights, profoundly stirring everyone’s heart.

"Praise the Chief Divine! The great Xiwakowatle, the Mexica’s immortal sun, the embodiment of the Chief Divine, the supreme elder, descended among us!"

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