Chapter 428: Night Talk in the Palace, Prayer in the Temple

It was late at night, and the darkness was like a veil over Lake Texcoco. Blazing bonfires were burning everywhere in the capital. The palace was brightly lit, and servants were coming and going. The rose garden was filled with cheerful songs and laughter, and the king's palace was still quiet and solemn.

Avite sat on the throne, holding a pen and paper in his hand, handling the government affairs of the alliance. He looked indifferent, and when he picked up the pen to sketch, he decided the life and death of others. After a long while, he put down the feather pen in his hand and looked at the dim sky outside the hall.

"It's so late"

Avite frowned slightly. He was really hungry after being busy until now. He ordered the guards in the hall.

"Go and see what Alyssa is doing and whether she has eaten."

"Yes, your majesty!"

The guards hurried away. Avite stretched out his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. In a few months, the alliance will launch a large-scale expedition to the east. A large amount of food and military supplies will be prepared for transportation now, and nobles and warriors from all over the country will also begin to mobilize. The Eastern Expedition is a major military event. It takes years of accumulation to fight, so it has to be carefully planned.

After a while, the guard returned quickly and reported respectfully.

"Your Majesty, the princess and the prince are in the garden, eating grilled fish and singing. The princess and the prince are in high spirits. There are musicians playing bamboo flutes and pottery flutes, and the servants have prepared many fruits and snacks."

Hearing this, Avite raised his eyebrows. He asked in a deep voice.

"Didn't Alyssa invite me to have dinner together?"

"Your Majesty."

Seeing the king's unchanging expression, the guard bowed his head deeply, with tension in his words.

"The princess is in a good mood and has a lot of fun. Maybe, perhaps, probably. She forgot. I'll go ask."

Avite thought for a while with a gloomy face and waved his hand.

"Forget it! Prepare some water, wine and food for me, and eat in the hall!"

"As you command!"

The guard left quickly. Avite sat on the throne and looked in the direction of the garden outside the hall. After a while, he sighed softly and shook his head.

"My daughter has grown up, I really can't keep her anymore"

Then, the king of the alliance continued to look down at the documents, feeling inexplicably irritated and helpless. He stood up and paced in the magnificent hall, like a god in the mural: high above, ruling everything, but alone, with no one to share with.

After a while, exquisite meals were brought into the hall and placed in a row on the table. Roasted fish, fragrant venison, stuffed turkey eggs, honeyed black bean paste, and light corn tortillas.

Avette looked at the meals and suddenly lost his appetite. He pondered for a while and ordered the guards in a deep voice.

"Prepare a portion of the same food for Alyssa and send it to the garden. Also tell her that the night wind is cooler and don't stay too late"

". Obey your command!"

The guard saluted respectfully and left the hall. He ran back and forth, and a layer of fine sweat broke out all over his body. A gust of evening breeze blew, and he breathed a long and comfortable sigh. The wind in early summer was warm, how could it be a little cool?

The king was alone in the hall, looking up at the murals on the ceiling. Until the wooden door of the hall suddenly opened, a figure in a black robe walked in silently.

"Your Majesty, I greet you!"

"Gilliam, you are back."

Avite glanced at it lightly and nodded slightly. He pointed to the food on the table and said calmly.

"I don't have much appetite alone, so come with me to eat some food and drink some wine."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Guillem nodded solemnly. He came to the lower end of the table and sat upright. Avette returned to the upper end and sat cross-legged.

"Come, have a drink!"

Avette drank a glass of tequila casually and asked in a deep voice.

"How is it?"

"Your Majesty, I personally checked the gift from His Highness Shulot, and talked to some people in the guards and asked for some public information."

Guillem answered calmly. A large part of the Royal Guards are warriors from the Mexica Alliance, who have close ties with the royal center.

"His Highness Shulot's gift is quite valuable, with hundreds of boxes, including 36 Rain God Tiger Cannons and 4 Sun God Eagle Cannons. It is about half of the existing artillery in the kingdom."

"Half of the artillery. Well, not bad!"

Avit nodded with satisfaction. Then, he asked in a deep voice with great interest.

"Rain God Tiger Cannon and Sun God Eagle Cannon are named after gods to show their power?"

"Yes. The Rain God Tiger Cannon is a small bronze cannon for field operations, and the Sun God Eagle Cannon is a large bronze cannon that can attack cities. Both are much more powerful than wooden cannons."

Gilliam recalled the artillery he had touched with his own hands, his expression moved slightly, and his heart was fluctuating.

"Your Majesty, I have asked the craftsmen of the foundry. These two bronze weapons are quite large and difficult to make. The Sun Eagle Cannon is the most difficult. The master craftsmen of the alliance are not sure whether they need to recruit master craftsmen from the Kingdom of the Lake. Maybe we can ask for it in the gift."

"Hmm?"

Avite's face sank and he looked unhappy.

"This is Alyssa's marriage!"

Gilliam understood immediately. He bowed his head respectfully and changed his words immediately.

"Cannon casting technology is of great importance and can greatly help the alliance's war. Maybe we can ask for it in the tribute of the autumn harvest and let the high priest and the deputy legion commander convey it on our behalf."

"Hmm."

Avite thought for a while and nodded in agreement.

"Xuluot is short of men. Let's take 5,000 young men and women and exchange them for a few cannon casting craftsmen from the kingdom!"

"Yes. I will obey your will."

Gilliam saluted solemnly. Then, he pondered for a few breaths and made another suggestion.

"Your Majesty, the Kingdom's navy has just launched a huge paddle-sailed warship, which is much better than canoes in naval battles. The Alliance Navy also needs the manufacturing technology of this warship."

"Yes."

Avite thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"You can do whatever you want! Give the Lake Kingdom some compensation and transport a batch of food over."

"At your service!"

Gilliam bowed to the ground. Then, he raised his head again.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest intelligence, it can be inferred that the gems of the Lake Kingdom are produced in large quantities by some method, without the need for a large amount of manpower to mine."

"Huh? Large quantities?"

Avite was stunned and a little surprised.

"You mean, such a hard and gorgeous lake gem"

"That's right."

Gilliam nodded in affirmation.

"There is a 90% chance that the lake gem is some kind of man-made creation."

"That's right!"

Avite was really surprised. He had seen many lake gems and had collected many in the treasury. He once praised the stable quality and crystal color of this gem. Now it seems that it is just as the chief intelligence officer said.

"The power of divine revelation is so great"

"Your Majesty, the technology used to make these gems."

Gillim's eyes flickered. He had the trade intelligence of the alliance and knew how profitable the gems in the lake were.

Avite remained silent. He lowered his eyes, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head.

"Forget it! The gems in the lake have nothing to do with the legion's war, they are just some property. Since it was invented by Shulot, let him continue to sell them!"

"Your Majesty."

Gillim pursed his lips. He knew the number of legions in the Kingdom of the Lake. If there was no gem trade as an important source of revenue, it would be difficult for the Kingdom of the Lake to maintain an army of this size. Thinking of this, he bowed respectfully and spoke again.

"Can we impose a commercial tax on luxury trade on the gems in the lake? In the past, due to the support for the kingdom, the commercial tax on these gems has always been very low."

"Impose a commercial tax."

Avite was a little moved. He looked in the direction of the garden, pondered for a moment, and said faintly.

"Go tell Shulot that after the marriage, let Alyssa manage the kingdom's gem trade. If he doesn't agree, the alliance will impose additional commercial taxes."

"Yes."

Gilliam saluted again, and the disappointment in his heart flashed across his mind. The kingdom is located in the west of the world, and the lucrative trade must go through the alliance. As long as he has the right to levy taxes, he can find ways to control the gem trade. If the gem trade is in the hands of the alliance, the alliance can at least support one more legion, and the kingdom will have one less legion. The difference is huge.

"Gilliam, is Alyssa's dowry ready?"

The king's voice came faintly, with a will that could not be refused.

"My daughter cannot suffer any grievances!"

"Yes, your Majesty, everything is ready."

Gilliam's expression remained unchanged and he answered solemnly.

"Jade, gemstones, gold, silver, feathers, clothing, painted pottery. Double the gifts for the kingdom."

"Yes. Are the five hundred hectares of Chinampa fiefdom, ten thousand direct fiefdoms, and five hundred family warriors ready?"

Hearing the question, Guillem felt a pain in his heart, but his face was calm. Having served the king for so many years, he knew the king's likes and dislikes. He couldn't say anything about the princess's dowry.

"Your Majesty, the five hundred hectares of royal Chinampa can support ten thousand lake fiefdoms. The princess' fiefdom is west of the Texcoco Lake area, divided from the confiscated Tlacopan nobles' territory. The five hundred family warriors are all senior elites, and there are thousands of servants. In addition, in the palace area of ​​the royal capital, there is also a gorgeous prince's mansion, which is the residence of the princess in the royal capital. That residence is not far from the king's palace."

"Well. Not bad, very good!"

Hearing that everything was arranged properly, Avit was quite satisfied, and the irritability in his heart also disappeared a lot. He smiled heartily and raised his glass.

"Come, my female snake consultant, you have worked hard all the way, drink this cup with me!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The two raised their glasses and drank, accompanied by the bonfire in the hall, and finally there was a bit of freshness in the solemnity.

A night passed quickly. The next day, Xu Luote woke up alone in the king's palace. It was already bright outside the window, and the birds were singing. He turned his head and looked around. There was no one beside the soft cloth bed. Alyssa had not married him yet, so naturally she could not sleep with him.

Xu Luote smiled, recalling the joy of yesterday's date. He couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth and licked his lips gently, as if he could still taste the tenderness and warmth of the girl. After a while, the young man happily tidied his clothes and went to bid farewell to the king.

Avite got up very early, had breakfast, and sat in the hall to correct documents. He glanced at Xu Luote lightly, nodded, and gave a few instructions. Xiuluot bowed and said goodbye to his teacher and father-in-law.

Outside the hall, a maid of the princess was holding a cloak and waiting respectfully. After a night, Alyssa came back to her senses from the joy of reunion. Thinking of yesterday's date, she was a little shy and did not show up, but asked the maid to give Xiuluot an exquisite cloak.

Xiuluot smiled knowingly and put on the cloak. In the culture of the Mexica people, the cloak has a special meaning. And in the sacred wedding, the cloak is also an important symbol. Next, he will go to the Great Temple to pray to the main god and formally visit the high priest.

The temple area is always solemn and solemn. The temple guards holding sticks stand between the temples, standing like sculptures. The priests of all levels wear different robes and hold scriptures and documents. As everyone greets him, Xiuluot slowly climbs up the pyramid temple, which is 60 to 70 meters high, and the entire capital is at his feet.

Xiuluot puts on the clothes of a high-level priest and stands solemnly in front of the sculptures of hummingbirds and the sun. He respectfully lights incense and offers a pious prayer to the supreme god. On both sides are a row of high-level priests, chanting loudly at the same time, welcoming the arrival of the chief priest of the Lake Diocese. Then, a third-level chief priest respectfully leads Xiuluot to the priest hall behind the great temple.

The priest hall is magnificent and solemn. Large pieces of cloth flutter in the wind, with the mythological image of the main god painted on it. The surrounding walls are full of murals, telling all the miracles and legends since the birth of the main god. Of course, all the stories are from the perspective of the alliance.

The heavy incense rose from the incense burner, bringing the breath of the gods to the whole hall. Seven or eight priest elders were sitting in the hall with solemn faces. In the middle of the hall, there was an old man in gorgeous clothes wearing an obsidian feather crown, sitting on the throne.

Xuluot knelt in the temple hall and saluted solemnly to his grandfather, the high priest.

"Bless you, Lord God! The chief priest of the Lake Parish, Xiuluot of Teotihuacan, greets the respected high priest! May the majestic light of the Lord God shine on you, illuminate the entire Mexica Alliance, and take care of thousands of people!"

"Bless you, Lord God!"

The high priest's face was as calm as a lake, as solemn as a god. Even when he saw his grandson whom he hadn't seen for four years, he didn't show any joy.

"Master of the Shulot Sect, you have come a long way and have worked hard all the way. May you spread the light of the Lord God in the wild lake parish, so that thousands of lost people can convert to the glory of the Lord God! Praise the Lord God and pray to Him!"

"Praise the Lord God! We must believe in our God Huitzilopochtli, whose power is infinite, from the past to the future, controlling all existence until the end of the world!"

The slightly plump Uger looked solemn and took the lead in praying. The priests and elders around him also chanted, and then the priests standing outside the hall. Soon, the sacred prayers echoed in the towering temple and spread far away. The priests, warriors and nobles around the temple all prostrated themselves and prayed devoutly to the Lord God.

The prayers spread far away, like a huge bell, echoing in half of the lake capital. It was the time for morning prayers, and community temples everywhere responded together, and tens of thousands of people in the lake also prayed loudly. In less than a quarter of an hour, the voices praising the Lord God spread like a tide and turned into rolling thunder!

Xuluot knelt on the ground, listening to the prayers of the entire capital, his heart was full of shock, and there was a slight sense of uneasiness. The high priest sat high on the throne, and once he spoke, thousands of people in the capital bowed to him, and his majesty was so great!

The year is coming to an end, and I really appreciate your support!