Chapter 275 The Throne in the Shadows

The stone hall of the council was gloomy and solemn, shrouded in layers of shadows. Only a few tiny lights penetrated through the heavy veil of the gods, outlining the shape of the sun in the corner of the cold floor.

The king sat in the shadows, his faint eyes cast from above, like a beast entrenched on the throne. His voice was distant and cold, as if the air had become solidified, making people feel cold all over.

Xiusuke took a light breath and vaguely smelled the smell of blood. His expression was always firm and calm. As a noble warrior who had survived hundreds of battles, his tenacious will would never be easily afraid. He lowered his head and just answered calmly.

"Your Majesty, the Mountain Family and the Royal Branch have been friends for generations. When I passed through Trokan State, he entertained me graciously, so it was hard to refuse. At the banquet, we just talked about some scenery and drank until we were drunk. When I woke up the next day, I left without even seeing him."

"Oh, they have been friends for generations."

Avit smiled faintly, without commenting, and there was no emotion in his voice.

"Xiusok, I heard that Tepetel is dissatisfied with the new policy and wants to support the Royal Branch and replace me, the King of the Alliance?"

Hearing this, Xiusok's expression was stern. He hurriedly raised his head and looked at Avit sincerely.

"Tepetel is just complaining for a while, and he would never dare to betray the Alliance. I have severely warned him. The black wolf is the forerunner of the tiger and leopard, and the red falcon flies with the eagle. Your Majesty, the Royal Branch is loyal to you and has always regarded you as the highest sun!"

"Oh, loyal."

Avit smiled again. Then he suddenly became serious and asked in a deep voice.

"Xiusok, Tepetl intends to rebel against the royal family. If he contacts you, what will you do?!"

". The Lord God bears witness! Your Majesty, I am loyal to you. If Tepetl really dares to rebel against the alliance, I am willing to lead the royal army, sacrifice my relatives for the greater good, and defeat him for Your Majesty!"

Xiusok's forehead was slightly sweaty. He secretly clenched his fists, and his expression was still calm and firm.

"Oh, sacrifice relatives for the greater good."

Avit raised the corner of his mouth and looked at his in-laws in front of him with a smile.

"Yes, Xiusok, I believe you."

The king's voice finally brought a smile, but the words became more chilling.

"Because Tepetl himself said so."

As soon as the voice fell, Avit raised the scepter and gently tapped the throne with the silver tail. The symbols of divine power and royal power burst into a clinking sound at the same time.

"Gilliam."

"Your Majesty."

"Show him."

"As you command."

Gilliam nodded silently and finally walked out of the shadow of the throne. At some point, he had a one-foot-high wooden box in his hand. Then, the intelligence officer approached silently, saluted solemnly, and placed the wooden box in front of the kneeling Xiusuke.

As the intelligence officer approached, the diffuse bloody smell became stronger. Xiusuke stared at the red at the bottom of the wooden box, and a strong premonition came to his mind. He took a deep breath, letting the smell of rust flow into his lungs, as if facing the battle on the battlefield, and slowly opened the wooden box. Then, he just took a look, and his pupils suddenly contracted, and his hands trembled violently.

In the wooden box was the head of Tepetl who died with his eyes wide open! He stared with his eyes wide open, full of resentment before death, and opened his mouth wide, as if he was unwilling to roar!

"Ah, this!"

Looking at the familiar old man, Xiusuke's composure that he had always maintained was finally completely broken! Three days ago, the two were still drinking and talking happily, and they were drunk. Three days later, Tepetel had already arrived in the king's palace before him!

Intense emotions surged in his heart. After several breaths, Xiusok barely regained the ability to speak. He was shocked and looked at the king in disbelief.

"Your Majesty, this, this, who did this?!"

Avit smiled calmly and said nothing. Gilliam bowed his head and saluted, and answered solemnly.

"Of course it's you, the deputy commander of the Eagle Regiment, Lord Xiusok."

"Ah! Me?!"

"Yes, it's you. Tepetel alienated the royal family and opposed the king's new policy. You were loyal to the king and left with the royal order to kill him, intending to get him drunk at the banquet. Then, after leaving the banquet in the evening, you sent the Jaguar Warriors in the Holy City Legion to kill their relatives for the sake of justice. Under the guidance of the Mountain Family's insider, Tepetel, who had been friends for generations but intended to rebel, was killed. Finally, with the witness of the priests in the city, "You helped Izel, who made great contributions in the Western Expedition, to succeed the position of the head of the Shanluan family, and left with a smile while the other party saw him off!"

"What is even more admirable is that on the night of doing great things, you also slept with two women at night! This kind of loyal warrior creed and heroic warrior behavior are the most impressive. Your deeds will soon be sung throughout the alliance and admired by all people!"

Gilliam smiled and bowed his head solemnly again, his eyes full of sincere respect.

"Your Majesty!"

Xiusoke clenched his fists in his chest and did not look at the intelligence officer who saluted. He just looked at the king on the throne with his heart fluctuating. Avit smiled indifferently and gave a slow and affirmative conclusion.

"Xiusuke, this is the 'fact' known to the world. Remember, you are Xiuluot's father, the son of the high priest, and the representative of the royal branch! The two royal families need to be closely integrated, and there must not be any gaps left for the nobles to take advantage of! In addition, you are not of high birth, so you still need some merit to secure your position as the deputy leader of the Eagle Nobles."

Shusok was silent. He stared at the head of his old friend stained red with blood, as if it still had some lifelike vitality. Scenes from a few days ago appeared before his eyes one after another, and finally settled on Izel, who was pouring wine with a low eyebrow and a smile.

"The herbs in the wine turned red in front of the flowers. That's it!"

Shusok murmured. After a while, he lowered his head and paid homage again.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your will."

"Well, very good!"

Avitt smiled, looked at the deputy leader who showed his surrender, and spoke gently for the first time.

"Xiusoke, you once helped me conquer Tisoke and made great contributions. In this western expedition, you also handled the logistics affairs of the Northern Army very well."

"You are the bastard of the royal family, and Xiulote is your son. After all, the relationship between us is very close. When you come to the capital this time, you can ask me for any needs in life. , you can also ask for Gilliam.”

"The Eagle Chapter is the most noble Sun Guard in the alliance, and it is a powerful war group that protects the king. I am very relieved to entrust you with the position of deputy leader! The current leader of the Eagle Chapter is a trusted general of my family, Stanley . You must work together like a loyal pack of wolves. The number of Eagle Warriors will soon be expanded, and many nobles will be added to the ranks. If you do a good job, any noble descendants you value can sign up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Shusok clenched his fist and lowered his head, paying tribute again. Then, he loosened and clenched his fist, and after a while, he asked in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, Tepetl's head."

"Oh, Gilliam, what do you think?"

"Tepetel has evil intentions and intends to rebel. This fate is the punishment of the Lord God! His head will be displayed to the great nobles from all the alliance countries at the victory ceremony three days later. At that time, Lord Shusok As the deputy leader who has made great achievements, he will also stand in the big temple and accept everyone's tribute! "

Gillim bowed solemnly and looked at Shusok with a smile.

"Lord Shusok, please accept this achievement safely! Without you, it would never be so easy to punish the wary Tepetel!"

Hearing this, Shusok glanced at his old friend's head again, then lowered his head in silence and remained silent.

"Very well, let's deal with it like this!"

Avitt tapped the staff again, and a crisp thumping sound fell into his heart.

"Hundreds of warriors from the Holy City Legion have been integrated into the directly affiliated Royal Legion. I already know the names of several Holy City Jaguar warriors who bravely beheaded Tepetel. They were all promoted to the Royal Jaguar Legion and served as centurions. Well, Shusok, the royal family's Jaguar Chapter is also expanding. You can also sign up for the outstanding civilian warriors in the Holy City Legion!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Well, let's go down! Take a good two days to rest and prepare for the sacrifice ceremony."

"Do your will."

Shusoke's expression has returned to calm. He saluted respectfully, then turned around and strode outside the bright palace. Soon, he walked out of the stone hall, the warm sunshine shone on his face, and the noisy voices could be heard again. The resolute warrior then raised his head, squinted his eyes and looked at the sun, and let out a long sigh.

"It's such a beautiful day to meet old friends again!"

Shusok whispered to himself. Before leaving, he turned his head and took one last deep look at the King's Hall. The heavy stone door has been closed, and the fluttering curtain blocks the sun. And the throne of shadows towers among them, like the most dangerous beast's lair.

There was silence in the stone palace of the lair. Avit looked at the portrait of the Lord God on the curtain, his eyes were like the bottom of a deep lake. After a while, he asked in a deep voice.

"What did the high priest say?"

"The high priest just found out this morning. He faced the king's envoy and said loudly in front of many priests and elders, 'Well done! This is what the Eagle Warrior should do.'"

"Ha, this old fox."

Avitt smiled softly, feeling a little emotional.

"The high priest is profound in planning, and Shulot is wise and divine. Even Shusuoke can be said to be sincere, perseverant and brave. I am really envious of a three-generation hero!"

"Your Majesty, after the New Year, His Highness Chimalpili will be five years old. He has been smart since he was a child, and now he can skillfully recite the poems of the late king and can also make two gestures with a small war stick. The future His Highness must be a wise and brave man. The hero of both worlds!”

The intelligence officer's words came from the shadow of the throne, with a rare smile.

"Well, little Chimalpilly, this little tiger cub, haha!"

Avitt smiled and shook his head, returning to the topic.

"The new policy has been promulgated. Are there any changes in various city-states?"

"Your Majesty, the alliance is tying the Kingdom of Tarasco and defeating the Tlaxcalans. Your prestige is at its peak! Regarding the reform of centralization, the northeastern city-states do not have much objection, and the northern commander Ocelot expresses compliance. The southwest city-states participate In the fierce battle between the two armies, the most rebellious nobles were killed. The southeastern city-state was invaded by the Tlaxcala people, and many nobles were unfortunately killed. Tepetel of the Mountain Family was also sentenced to death, and together with the great nobles from the central part of the Lake District, there will no longer be too much resistance from the royal family to the centralized reform of the Texcoco Lake District!”

"very good!"

Avitt nodded with satisfaction. Then, he asked thoughtfully.

"The new head of the Shanluan Family is Izel? He is still young, can he win over the hearts of the city-state?"

"Your Majesty, as long as Izel relies closely on the royal center, he can control the situation in the city-state. The new chief priest of Trocan will also lend him a hand. In addition, although he is not very old, he is already a qualified adult wolf. On the night of the action three days ago, he personally led the jaguar warriors into his father's house."

"Oh? He is indeed a qualified adult wolf! If he can be brave, he can be used."

Avit praised with appreciation. The inheritance law of the Mexica people is similar to the jungle, always cruel and bloody, and only the victor is appreciated.

"Gilliam, the sacrificial ceremony is about to begin, and the sacrifice must be grand and solemn! Have the important gods' sacrifices been handled?"

"Your Majesty, everything has been handled properly. Starting tonight, the royal family members of Tarasco will reduce the amount of anesthetics used. On the day of the sacrifice, an appropriate amount of psychedelic drugs will be added to make them calm and die calmly."

Talking about the gods' sacrifices, the intelligence officer was calm and there was no ripple. In his eyes, there is no noble blood.

"Very good. According to convention, Suangwa is the most precious sacrifice, a gift to the Lord God. Let him live as comfortably as possible these few days, and arrange a few beautiful female priests!"

At this point, Avit's eyes showed the pride of a winner. Then, the pride turned into pity, and he gave alms to the prisoners who were also kings.

"I obey your will."

The intelligence officer smiled and saluted. After a moment, he asked softly.

"Your Majesty, Suangwa is willing to kneel down and worship you at the ceremony, in front of the envoys of all states and departments in the world. First, he humbly saluted to show his submission, and then he would be killed!"

"Oh, so that's it! What are his conditions?"

Hearing this, Avit was quite moved. The old opponent was willing to kneel down and surrender before his death, but it was more refreshing than fine wine.

"He asked you to leave the blood of the condor."

Gillim bowed his head solemnly. He knew the king's preferences.

"Your Majesty, there is a young prince in the Tarasco royal family, named Shatini. He has the blood of a noble chieftain, but is not the legitimate heir. As the cub of the condor, we can tame him with the excellent medicine of the alliance."

"Well, the elder."

"The elder is getting older. He has been recuperating in seclusion recently, accumulating energy for the New Year's Festival. The immortal sun is high above and will not shine on such a secret corner. Besides, there are still many bloodlines of the Tarasco royal family that have escaped."

"Well"

Avit pondered for a long time, then nodded gently, revealing a cold smile.

"Let's do it. The festival is about to begin, which is really exciting!"

The king's words echoed in the hall, lingering around the towering throne in the shadows. Then, there was another crisp ding-dong, praising the supreme power and the cold heart of the king.

Swinging the sword I'm sorry that I encountered very bad, very bad things this week. Facing the tragic result, I feel very sad. I paid an unbearable price for my space ideal, and only today have I managed to cheer up. Here, the author apologizes to all the readers and starts working hard to resume updating. Thank you for your support and understanding! Thank you very much!