The lights in the city in the lake are brightly lit, like a flashback to the prosperous scene of more than two years ago.
People used dismantled wood from houses to light bonfires everywhere.
Men and women fetch clean water from the lake shore, boil it, and wipe away the unclean dirt on their bodies.
There are also old people who throw unknown root plants into the pot and cook them with vultures, passenger pigeons, or unknown pieces of meat to make a weak soup.
Those who have cleaned themselves well, find clean clothes from home, come to the pot neatly, line up in a long line, get a bowl of hot soup in an orderly manner, and drink it all in one gulp.
Taking advantage of the warmth and strength brought by the hot soup, they began to gather towards the sacrificial square in the city.
The huge "statue of my Lord's true body" took two years to build and has been completed.
Now, under the swaying light of the fire, it appears to be inexplicably majestic and solemn.
On one side of the statue, a large number of weapons were piled up into a hill. Anyone who came here would take one.
Either a stone ax or a stone shovel for farming.
Even though there was a copper knife that reflected the luster, it was ignored.
The copper knife, which is more like a decoration, will be vulnerable to the collision of the stone axe.
It's clear to everyone.
When the sun rises tomorrow, it will be the time for them to fight for their lives.
On the high platform in front of the giant statue.
Dedege praised and prayed for countless Aztecs——
"As a people of Balance, I move toward Him firmly."
"I have witnessed with my own eyes the coming of His miracles, bringing endless glory to the city of Kema, and seeing the appearance of the kingdom of joy established by Him..."
"My lord Ji-Jiang, please cast your merciful gaze on this group of sinners begging for redemption!"
"..."
Singing one after another without anyone interrupting.
Everyone made a tacit agreement to conserve their strength and take a nap.
Qiboche looked at his son on the stage, smiled with joy from the bottom of his heart, and turned to Loboda and said: "Your Highness, I beg you to help me protect..."
However.
Before he could finish speaking, Loboda interrupted:
"Dedege is a good boy. He will make his own choices. Do you want him to rebel against his beliefs and choose to escape?"
Qi Boche was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and turned into a compliment of mercy: "Praise my Lord, praise balance."
Loboda added: "As long as we firmly believe in Him, then when tomorrow comes, miracles will definitely happen!"
"This is the doctrine of balance."
"Therefore I have nothing to fear!"
Qi Boche nodded solemnly, took out the "divinely inspired object" and looked at it carefully.
All the prophecies of the true God have been fulfilled.
If this was a dead end, why would Shenqi come to this city in the lake just because of them?
"Your Highness is right, miracles will definitely happen."
The two old men waited quietly.
As the sky brightened little by little, all the closed eyes opened.
No one told them what to do or how to do it...
He just kowtowed to the statue in front of him, then picked up the weapon beside him and stood up.
One person took the lead and walked towards the city gate in the distance.
Behind that man, countless people began to follow suit.
The sound of dense footsteps woke up Qiboche and Loboda from their slumber.
The two old men looked at each other and smiled, then picked up the weapons they had placed beside them last night and prepared to follow.
But at this moment.
Izcoatl came with more than ten people.
Loboda frowned, feeling the unkindness of the other party's approach: "What are you going to do?"
Izcoatl smiled and said: "The two divine envoys are not allowed to leave the city. Only divine envoys can communicate with the true God. Please take care of yourselves."
Zipoche was furious: "You want me to hide behind you? I said yesterday that I will block the enemy's first attack for my Aztec brothers!"
Hear his words.
Everyone around Izcoatl laughed, not out of ridicule, but out of gratitude.
Izcoatl said: "Sir, the Aztecs don't need you to defend us..."
"What we need is guidance and salvation!"
"My lord once asked me, the Aztec, to ask myself whether we are ready to move toward equilibrium wholeheartedly..."
"Now, the answer is clearly presented."
"No one in my tribe has retreated, no one has regretted, and no one has rebelled against the balance!"
"I know that the Aztecs will be judged for their crimes..."
"Then let me wait for the flesh and blood of these people to bear the punishment."
"I just ask you to have mercy on the old people, young children and women, pray for real salvation for them, and then lead them to the happy kingdom!"
Say it.
Izcoatl turned around.
A dozen people around him surrounded Loboda and Qipoche.
When they came to their senses, Mondaya, Polyboma, and Dedege not far away were all surrounded by the Aztecs.
Everyone gathered together, and Keya gritted his teeth and said: "They didn't let me participate in the battle! I am a true warrior. I once fought three people alone without losing!"
Because of his shouting, the baby in Kukmo's arms began to cry loudly.
The young man has been taking care of the baby for a month. He is rocking and comforting him skillfully, as if he is not concerned about what is happening in front of him.
Mendaya pursed her lips, her selfishness written on her face...
She had just found love, so she didn't want her sweetheart to join the war.
Polypolma has no master.
The plan originally went smoothly, and everyone was about to migrate and move towards equilibrium, but who knew that they would end up in this situation.
"Lord Qipoche, will we be fine?"
Before Qi Bo could open his mouth.
Oyer said sternly: "Brother, how can something happen to us? If today is the end, then our Lord True God will definitely send down the final judgment!"
"Although we have all committed crimes, how are the sergeants outside the city any better than me? And they don't respect balance at all!"
"If I die, the people outside the city will die far more miserably than me!"
Oyer, who was once the most wavering, has become the most devout and fanatical believer among the people after that "divine revelation".
It was at this time.
Boom boom boom.
A dull sound came from the distance...
Loboda said: "It's the city gate, the city gate is open!"
at the same time.
roar--
The cry of killing started.
The war began.
…
"Zheng, Lord Zheng..."
A sudden wailing sound echoed through the cabin of H225.
But the sound stopped suddenly.
Just because, the "Master Zheng" called by the wailer is now in front of him.
"Zheng, Master Zheng, are you okay? You, didn't you disappear out of thin air in front of our eyes?"
Zheng He took a deep breath first, but his voice was still trembling: "You'd better take a look at where we are now!"
at the same time.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
More than a dozen people appeared out of thin air and landed on the ground one after another.
The reaction shown was exactly the same as that of Wang Jinghong, first exclaimed, then confused, and finally quickly turned into fear——
"Gao Qiong, this is Gao Qiong..."
"We are waiting on the high sky???"
"ah--"
Outside the window is the sea of clouds, as if you can reach it at your fingertips.
And when the rising sun appeared on the other side of the sea of clouds, they were even more stunned——
"If this is high in the sky..."
"Why is the sun still so far away and small?"
It was an exclamation, but they didn't expect someone to give them the answer——
"Because the sun is not in the 'sky' as you know it, but is in the universe, extremely far away."
Zhou Ruonan crossed his arms, imitated the majestic posture of the witch and the chief, and stood in front of them.
A young prisoner was the first to come to his senses and asked respectfully: "May I ask who the fairy is..."
"Fairy?" Zhou Ruonan frowned, "I am not a fairy. I am the direct disciple of the chief of the Temple Mountain of the Kingdom of God, and I am also the favored person bestowed by my Lord, Zhou Ruonan!"
Someone wanted to speak up, but Zheng He beat them to it.
Because he had seen the two noble figures sitting in front of him, he said: "God's envoy, may I ask where the gods are taking us? And why are we flying to this high sky?"
Zhou Ruonan said: "We are now in the 'new world' that you have never explored, and our destination is the 'redemption place' of the new world."
"My Lord has decreed that you should be in a place of salvation, where you can see the true knowledge of the world."
Say it.
She glanced at her watch: "The flight will last for two hours. You can take a rest while you wait. Don't make any more noise or disturb my lord and the witch."
The words just fell.
The plane suddenly bumped for a while, and everyone felt a slight feeling of weightlessness, making them dizzy.
Several people staggered and fell to the ground.
Looking at Zhou Ruonan again, he just stood up in one step, stood firm in an instant, and sat on the ground in the corner.
Beside her, there was a well-behaved girl, with her bright eyes wide open, staring at everyone with curiosity.
Zheng He and Wang Jinghong looked at each other.
The latter asked: "What is two hours?"
"I don't know."
"Then what is the place of redemption?"
Zheng He said impatiently: "How could I know? One moment I was on the treasure ship, but in the blink of an eye, I was already in the sky..."
Wang Jinghong exclaimed: "Mr. Zheng, I feel the same way. Look, my pants are still wet..."
When people around him heard this, they all quickly looked at themselves.
Both are chamberlains in the palace.
It is normal to have difficulty controlling bowel movements.
When they confirmed their status, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the cabin fell into silence as a result, only listening to the roar coming from the divine magic weapon, it fell into a sluggish state.
I don't know how long it took.
Wang Jinghong spoke again: "Master Zheng, can we go back? Go back to Daming!"
More than a dozen eyes also focused on the words.
Zheng He was not in a hurry to answer because he was also hesitant in his heart; but as the backbone of the crowd, he had to calm down.
After thinking about it for a while, he finally had the certainty in his mind——
"God once said that he wants us to bring God's will back to...today; then we will definitely be able to go back."
"Everyone, please be patient. This time you have received the grace of the gods and set foot on the high heaven. This is a blessing that you and I could never ask for in a lifetime. We should be grateful for the grace of the gods."
"You should remember this encounter in your heart, and only then can you tell me about it after you return."
After hearing these words, everyone's panic subsided a lot.
If the gods want them to be annihilated, why go to such trouble?
And when the fear dissipated, their hearts were filled with more reverence and worship for the gods...
Wang Jinghong whispered again: "In ancient times, Emperor Qin and Han Dynasty sent alchemists to seek immortality and medicine in order to seek immortality."
"Now, the gods are in front of us. If I can obtain the elixir of immortality for Your Majesty, I will be ranked among the princes for such merits."
From panic to coveting, it only takes one thought.
When people see the benefits, all dangers and dangers are forgotten.
Everyone's thoughts became more active because of Wang Jinghong's words——
But another general in command couldn't help but sigh: "Immortality is so easy to obtain, there are no anecdotes about Qin emperors and Han dynasties seeking immortality and medicine."
Zheng He believed deeply: "The gods have also promised to grant His Majesty the grace of immortality, so that he can travel through the long river of time and witness hundreds of years of glorious prosperity."
"But the price you have to pay is..."
The words stopped suddenly again.
After everyone was reminded, they all remembered those words.
If His Majesty Yongle wants to live forever, he must dedicate the world to the gods.
The question of how to choose between longevity and country is like asking these servants whether they can "recover a lost chicken" but cannot have children, or "maintain the status quo" but have a bloodline to survive in the world.
One is for the inheritance of the clan, and the other is for personal selfishness. There is no way to have both.
However, a childish voice suddenly came from the side——
"You don't want to devote yourself to your pious faith, but you want to live forever. Are you and other Ming people so greedy?"
"What's more, your Ming Dynasty cannot be redeemed by our Lord's balanced salvation, and can only be trapped in the cycle of rise and fall in the long river of time. The prosperity you see now is nothing but falsehood."
"So, how to choose, is it difficult?"
Everyone looked embarrassed and remained silent for a long time.
Zhou Ruonan frowned again and said, "Why don't you answer?"
Wang Jinghong hurriedly apologized and smiled: "Immortal... Lord Divine Envoy, we are not qualified to answer questions like this. It should be a dialogue between the gods and His Majesty the Emperor."
Zhou Ruonan asked again: "Then let's make a hypothesis. If you are His Majesty the Emperor, how do you choose?"
The words fell.
More than a dozen people were shocked.
Wang Jinghong's voice was almost squeezed out of his throat: "Envoy of God... don't talk nonsense, how dare we compare ourselves to our emperor? This is disrespectful! Just like the envoy of God would not compare himself to a god...
…”
Zhou Ruonan laughed directly: "Is the emperor a god?"
"No, it's not..."
"Is the emperor a mortal?"
"The emperor is... the incarnation of a true dragon among mortals..."
"Is that a mortal?"
"yes!"
"Then the emperor is a mortal, I am a mortal, and you are also mortals. Why can't we make comparisons?" Zhou Ruonan said loudly, "I only know that my Lord Ji Ji is the only true god in the world, and your emperor is just a mortal."
"But you put my lord and that emperor in the same position. Isn't this truly disrespectful?"
Wow.
More than a dozen people suddenly fell on their backs, kowtowed in the direction of the cabin——
"Gods forgive me, Gods forgive me!"
cockpit.
Snow Girl snorted coldly, and was about to turn her head to ask my lord if he wanted to punish the Ming Dynasty man.
But when she turned around, she saw my master closing his eyes, and the snow girl did not dare to disturb him.
About half a minute.
Zhou Li'an opened his eyes again. Xue Nu did not mention anything about the cabin, but asked anxiously: "Master, is the situation in Lake City City very bad?"
"Yes." Zhou Li'an nodded, "The city in the lake has been destroyed. The Aztecs have been bloodbathed. Thousands of them have turned into dead souls. The blood in the city has flowed into Lake Texcoco and stained the lake surface."
"..."
The snow girl was silent for a long time before saying: "Master, is this the test and training of the Aztecs?"
Zhou Li'an's expression did not waver: "Yes... and this is also their final training, and from today on -"
"The Aztecs are my people!"
More than an hour later.
Another exclamation sounded in the cabin——
"City, big city!"
"Is this the kingdom of gods?"
Zheng He and others overlooked the city from a high altitude, which also attracted Zhou Ruonan's attention.
And when she looked up from the sky and was stunned for two seconds, she realized: "You are mistaken, this is not the Kingdom of God;"
"I just said that our destination is the 'Place of Redemption'!"
“What does the Land of Redemption mean?”
When Zhou Ruonan was about to answer, she saw a figure covering her head. She raised her head and quickly took half a step back: "Witch..."
The snow girl nodded slightly and then looked at the kneeling people: "These are the city-state alliance countries. They believe in false gods and have blasphemed our lord, Balance!"
"However, our Lord is merciful and gives them a kind gaze. Those who are willing to move toward balance are all his subjects..."
"Those who betray the balance will also be betrayed by the balance."
"The present of the city-state alliance may be the tomorrow of your Ming Dynasty..."
"This is for the grace and glory of your trip;"
"Get the eyes of truth, see through falsehood, and see the future!!"