The sky was high and the clouds were clear, and the plateau was vast. After leaving the Huastec village, the team hurried southward for several days.
The rainforest has long since disappeared, replaced by sparse mountain forests. The sky has become open and clear, and the number of people traveling on the road has gradually become denser. The land has become fertile and easy to cultivate, and rough farmland is spread on both sides of the river.
Until noon that day, Shulot saw a small lake at the tributary of the Tampen River. In the middle of the lake was a field in the lake that looked like a floating island.
The edge of the floating field is a circle of supported and fixed fence, half of which is submerged under the water. In the center of the floating island is a neatly staggered waterway, cutting the floating island into even small pieces. On the floating island field, there are densely planted
There are three staple foods: corn, pumpkin, and beans, as well as peppers, sunflowers, and precious herbs.
"This is the first chinampa on the way home."
Looking at the fields in the lake, Orosh finally smiled.
"We finally returned to the land of the Mexica city-states, and we can have a good night's sleep today. Not far ahead is the city-state of Metztitlan, Xiulote, you can go to the central market with Ters
, buy some small items you like.”
Sure enough, not long after Shulot moved forward, a Chinese-American style city appeared near the river, and he came into sight.
A circle of four to five meters high earth and stone city wall, which could be called a fortified city in the Middle Ages. The city wall is decorated with dark red patterns. Beyond the city wall, you can see the twin pyramids unique to the Aztecs at a glance.
, which is dozens of meters high, and is dedicated to Tlaloc, the rain god in charge of agriculture, and Huitzilopochtli, the patron saint.
It is still afternoon, the city gates are wide open, and the villagers are beginning to return from the city. Most of them are shirtless, with only a long crotch cloth tied around their waists, and carry newly purchased stoneware and pottery. A few of them are tightly wrapped
Holding a piece of cotton that was as long as one person, he hurried away carefully.
The warriors of the city-state wore white or yellow vests and regular uniforms, with crotch cloth or leather skirts tied around their waists, and carried small shields and war clubs. They gathered in groups of three or five, and they didn't know what they were talking about. Their voices followed the wind.
Come, Shulot vaguely heard "legion", "war", and "Otomi people".
A little further away, several nobles and priests were sitting on shoulder carriages, dressed in gorgeous costumes, and were slowly approached by slaves. The civilians and warriors along the way lowered their heads to make way for them.
Shulot looked at their colorful shawls and feather crowns, and at the flowers and herbs on their shoulders, guessing that they must have just returned from an outing in the botanical gardens of the nobles.
He smiled. The social class of the Aztecs could be seen clearly at a glance. In short, the more they wore, the higher their status, the more gorgeous the colors, and the more respected they were.
The team set up camp outside the north gate, and Orosh left a few warriors to guard the prisoners. Afterwards, the Jaguar warriors exchanged a few words with the guards guarding the gate, and then led the team into the city. Then the warriors quickly dispersed,
Everyone went to have fun.
The moment he entered the door, the guard at the city gate glanced at the obsidian necklace around Shulot's neck, showing an expression of surprise and reverence.
The first thing Shulot saw when he entered the city was the tall pyramid temple. The temple is the center of the city, and the divine power governs the city-state, intertwined with the power of the nobles.
Under the temple is the central square of the city-state, covering an area of thousands of square meters. During festivals, it is a sacrificial venue, and it is also a trading market during normal times, reminding Shulot of the farmers' market in his hometown in distant memories.
Outside the farmers' market are stalls owned by villagers and citizens, offering a wide variety of products. Farmers brought turkeys, dogs, rabbits, corn tortillas, black bean puree, pumpkins, peppers, sunflower seeds, and last year's avocados.
City potters sell a variety of pottery for daily use, and some also sell stone farm tools.
Hulot spent two cocoa beans in front of a stall and bought a handful of sunflower seeds. He was knocking around while walking around, followed by the young warrior Ters who was also looking around.
A turkey costs eighty cocoa beans, a corn tortilla costs about three cocoa beans, and black beans and pumpkins are about the same price. A pottery pot for cooking soup costs about one hundred cocoa beans, which is considered an important item in ordinary people's homes.
appliance.
After walking for a while, Shulot saw a farmer giving a turkey, a few corn tortillas, a mess of avocados, and cactus tubers to a potter. Then he took over a large clay pot and was very happy.
The farmers and potters were at the bottom of society and could not have enough cocoa beans as currency. In fact, most transactions in the market were barter.
Further inside are the craftsmen, with a dazzling array of obsidian products, including warriors, animals, symbols of gods, and various small statues that dazzled the young man's eyes.
Shulot looked around and wanted to choose a warrior statue for his father in this life. However, after choosing for a long time, looking at all the "freehand" and simple human faces, he always felt that something was wrong. After thinking about it, he decided
He and Tels continued to walk deeper into the market.
Walking further into the farmer's market, it felt like a formal market. Shulot crossed the border where a few warriors were standing and looked at the bustling inner market in surprise.
The leading pointed hat warrior had a cold and hard face. He first looked at Shulot fiercely, and then was attracted by the obsidian necklace around the young man's neck. The warrior's eyes stayed on the necklace for a moment, then said nothing, and then
Turned back and looked outside.
The inner city was filled with the light of precious metals. The boy saw simple or exquisite sheds with various silver and gold ornaments in them.
Most of the people walking back and forth on the streets were nobles wearing colorful robes and gold and silver. There were also priests wearing necklaces and long feather crowns.
Shulot turned the corner of the street and was surprised to see Orosh. The majestic Jaguar warrior was parked in front of an exquisite shed, puffing away contentedly and holding a lit cigarette between his fingers.
The people around him also looked satisfied, sharing the relaxing atmosphere.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The young man came up 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 to look at the shopkeeper again, and was shocked again. He saw a head that was twice as long as his own! The head "elegantly" curved back from the forehead, extending into a slender crown, with a hood on top.
With tall feathers and hanging silver ornaments, it looks like an alien has arrived.
Surprised, Shulot subconsciously took a step back, and then he saw clearly the shopkeeper's plump face and the sincere smile on his face.
"Ah! God bless you! Hello, little priest of the city-state!"
The round-faced alien glanced at Shulot's obsidian necklace and smiled more sincerely.
"As you can see, I have a newly arrived divine smoke here! It comes from the remote rainforest holy land in the east. It is the sigh left by the gods in the world. As long as you have a small one, you can establish a relationship with the gods for a quarter of an hour.
Get in touch and experience the wonder of God’s Kingdom!”
As he said this, the "alien" took out a small cloth bag as big as a palm.
"As a gift for the first time, this bag of divine smoke only requires you a small gold ornament, two people's length of cotton cloth, or five hundred cocoa beans!"
"Cunning Maya!"
Before Shulot could reply, he heard "Jaguar" Orosh let out his iconic roar.
"I'm going to use a long obsidian stick to flatten your deformed long head! This is my student Xiulote, how dare you deceive him! The cotton cloth of two people is enough to buy five bags of this low-quality cigarettes!"
"Oh, Olosh, he turns out to be your student?"
The alien was neither scared nor angry. He just smiled and remained calm.
"Then let me introduce myself. I am Mayan businessman Tikalo, a Pochitka who specializes in long-distance trade. I come from the city-state of Tuturxiu in the far eastern rainforest. The slender head is a symbol of divinity. We Mayan nobles are
Descendants of the gods, possessing innate elegance and kindness, are also your Aztecs’ eternal friends!”
"Damn it, call me Mexica, not Aztec!"
Hearing such a title, Olosh corrected him sharply with dissatisfaction. For the Aztecs, they preferred to call themselves Mexica, "people who settled in the Mexica Valley" rather than "from Aztecs".
People of Tran".
"Okay! Dear Mexican Jaguar warrior, when will you pay back the cotton cloth and cocoa beans you owe me?"
Hearing this, the teacher beside the boy suddenly became silent.
"by the way."
Mayan businessman Ti Carlo smiled and winked at Shulot.
"Now, you only need five hundred cocoa beans to buy five bags of exquisite cigarettes from me! Believe me, the priests all like this taste. You can give it a try!"
Xiulote was a little curious as to what the earliest Mayan cigarettes tasted like. Orosh, however, looked determined and strongly opposed.
"Xulot, you are only twelve years old! If you try the divine smoke too early, your vitality will be sucked away by the gods, which is not conducive to the physical strength of the warrior!"
Then, the Jaguar warrior almost half-tucked Xilot under his arm and left Maya's shop.
"Mayan nobles are not good people."
On the way out, Olosh cursed as he walked, still angry.
"The mind is as cunning as a monkey, the body is as weak as a sloth, and the clothes are like tits, but all of them are eloquent and can calculate numbers more accurately than anyone else! Inexplicably, they will owe them money. If we face each other on the battlefield,
I can beat ten of them alone!..."
Shulot wanted to laugh inexplicably, but he didn't dare to laugh out loud. He just looked back at the Mayan businessman who stood out from the crowd, his mind wandering far away.
In his previous life, he traveled to Cancun, saw the so-called "Mayan" performance in a large amusement park, and drove to the ingenious Chichen Itza Pyramid. The flight and drive that took him several hours in the past felt like a chasm in the sky!
Such a journey, in this era, would be a full half-year of arduous land journey through the rainforest, and unpredictable sea route by canoe. The difficult transportation made another visit to Chichén Itzá almost become a dream in my lifetime.
"So, how prosperous and beautiful are the Mayan states now? If the alliance owns the Yucatan Peninsula, it can have early access to the Caribbean island tribes and the footholds of Europeans from far away...
When everything is just budding, the crisis is discovered!”
Shulot's thoughts were habitually divergent and somewhat solemn.
"Perhaps, when I return to Chichen Itza, I will no longer be alone!"
The young man followed suit and followed the strong Orosh. He looked at the majestic and fierce tiger helmet of the Jaguar warrior, and behind him was the tall and solemn Aztec pyramid.
Inexplicably, a new desire to conquer gradually began to burn in the chest of the Mexica boy. This was the heart of a warrior, yearning for the distant battle.
"The warriors of Mexica will always be fearless and face the known world with their own weapons! Use the determination to fight to meet the unknown future! ...No matter who the enemy is."
