Chapter 522 The Family's Sacred Tree

The sun rises and sets, and in a blink of an eye it’s dusk again. It was a clear evening, and the brilliance of the setting sun came from the western sky. It dyes through the burning clouds, illuminates the majestic temple, and shines with brilliance all over the sky.

At a glance, the sky is red, the sunset is golden red, and the top of the great temple is blood red. This red country is reflected in the eyes, like the kingdom of God coming!

High Priest Shuter wore black sacrificial robes, a feathered stone crown on his head, an obsidian necklace around his neck, jaguar skin boots on his feet, and an emerald scepter in his hand. With a solemn expression, he silently looked at the setting sun on the horizon for a while, and then walked down the towering Great Pyramid step by step.

After the expansion of the Great Pyramid was completed, it was nearly 70 meters high and divided into six levels inside and outside. The newly built sixth floor was built with green bricks, reinforced with mortar, and an additional foundation was added. It took five years to build this layer alone, and more than 10,000 prisoners of war were consumed.

The setting sun shines on the face, bringing distant warmth. The high priest was meticulous, stepping on the steps and slowly walked down the altar. Then, he turned slightly and walked into the not-so-distant Chief Palace with still steady steps. The fiery red sunset disappeared behind him, and a black shadow shrouded in front of him. He passed through the corridor of shadows, climbed the rising stairs, walked through the corridors of gods, and finally arrived at the top of the chief hall.

The elder was dressed in sacrificial robes, holding a magic staff in his hand, and sat quietly on the cold stone seat. He stared at the door calmly, and the setting sun appeared behind him again, giving his silver hair a faint blush.

The high priest paused slightly and was shocked. He hadn't seen the elder get up for a long time. An inexplicable premonition came to my mind, turning into an ominous shadow. However, his expression did not change, he just lowered his head, knelt on one knee, and saluted the elder.

"Dear elder, Shuter, descendant of Acamapichtli, greets you!"

"Well, Shuttle, no need to be polite."

The elder nodded slightly with an expressionless face. He raised his hand slightly and whispered calmly.

"Come, sit next to me."

Hearing this, the high priest raised his brows. He stood up, paused for a few breaths, and then slowly stepped forward. Shadow Chevali had already moved a stone chair and placed it opposite the elder. The high priest gave a slight greeting and sat down calmly. The two faced each other head-on, with only two steps apart.

"Since the Eastern Expedition, what has been the situation on the north and south grain roads?"

"Dear elder, the north and south grain roads can still be maintained."

The high priest pondered for a moment and answered in a deep voice.

"More than 100,000 troops marched eastward, and the logistical food mainly came from the capital. Three years after the Western Expedition, there were no floods in the alliance, tributes from various states continued, and there was a little accumulation in the warehouses. The grain road from the north, totaling more than 200 miles, was transported to The front line suffered a loss of one or two. The food road along the south road totaled four hundred miles and was transported to the front line, and each city-state in the alliance had a support. The Huastek Alliance and the Lake Kingdom both had food supplies to support them. Harvest in October, no problem.”

“What about after the harvest?”

"After the autumn harvest, it is necessary to reduce the army and withdraw half of the army to reduce the burden on the front line. As for whether the southern vassals will pay tribute after this year's autumn harvest, it is not yet known."

"Um."

The elder nodded slightly and thought for a moment. Then, he continued to ask.

"What's the situation in the capital city in the lake since the Eastern Expedition?"

"Dear elder, the capital city in the lake is as stable as the mountains."

The high priest looked confident and responded calmly.

"There are four thousand royal warriors in the capital, as well as two thousand temple guards and one thousand elder guards. The nobles, priests and civilians in the capital all support the Eastern Expedition and pray day and night without neglect. And after the completion of the great temple, there is no need to go outside. Wood and stone are supplied. The high priests have promulgated religious laws, controlled the capital's merchant groups, arrested dozens of spies from various ministries, and confiscated the merchants' properties. Since the Eastern Expedition, everything has gone smoothly on both the north and south routes, and the city is as stable as the mountains."

"Ah, very good!"

The elder smiled rarely. He stretched out his old, skinny hand and patted the high priest's shoulder gently. Then, he lowered his eyes and said calmly.

"Xu Teer, last night, I suddenly had a dream."

"Senior citizens?"

The high priest was startled and looked at the elder's face, but he only saw a flat lake.

".What dream?"

Mexica people attach great importance to omens and believe that omens can reveal destiny. Dreams are the most common omen.

".It was a very dark night. I heard my brother's call and walked into the deep forest."

The elder looked calm and told his dream with some memories. The corners of his mouth gradually turned into a smile.

"Deep in the forest, there was a towering sacred tree. I came under the sacred tree, followed the direction of the sound, and raised my head. I saw my brother's body, standing on a high branch. He smiled at I call."

"Montezuma, the Elder's Brother"

The high priest pursed his lips and listened patiently. The shadow in his heart was gradually growing, swallowing up the light of life.

"He said, 'Te'ler, Te'ler!'"

The elder's full name is Tracaelal. And Terelle is his nickname. This name has never been called by anyone since the death of Montezuma.

At this moment, the smile on the elder's face became more and more obvious, even a little strange. His eyes were a little cloudy and his expression was a little dazed, like an old child, whispering his nickname. An inexplicable warmth surged in his heart. And such emotions have not appeared in him for countless years.

“.I was surprised and looked at my brother. He smiled and said to me, ‘Teeler, come up quickly! I have been waiting for you in this tree for twenty years! They are all waiting for you!.’

So, I looked up and looked carefully at the tree.”

Speaking of this, the elder lowered his head and squinted his eyes, as if recalling a very special and profound scene. There was silence in the hall, and even the wind stopped. It was not until a long time later that the elder raised his head and smiled old and kindly.

“Little Shuter, guess what I saw?”

“.”

The high priest pursed his lips and said nothing. His expression became vicissitudes, and his eyes became dim. After a long while, he answered in a low voice.

“You saw the bodies of the ancestors of all generations. They are all on the tree, smiling at you.”

“Oh?”

The elder’s face showed a little surprise. He nodded slowly and asked with a smile.

"Little Shuter, how did you know?"

"Respected elder, I have had such a dream too."

The high priest took off his feather crown, bowed his head slightly, revealing the same silver-white hair.

"The priest's inheritance says, 'The living corpse of the hero stands on the tall sacred tree of the family, smiling at the newcomers. This is a sign of death'!"

"Yes, a sign of death. Our common sign."

The elder nodded, his expression unchanged, and continued with a gentle smile.

".The sacred tree has many branches, divided into several layers, and people stand on each layer. There are also stairs on the tree. When I came to the first floor, I saw Tisok with a shot through his throat. He saluted me and shouted "Granduncle!"."

".Then, in front of Tisok was Asayacatl, who died of illness. He bowed his head and also shouted "Granduncle!"."

Asayacatl was the eldest brother of Tisok and Avit, the third generation ancestor of the Mexica Alliance, and the seventh generation ruler of the Lake Capital. He succeeded Montezuma and began to rule the alliance the year Shulotte was born.

". I didn't say anything and continued to walk up to the second floor. First came your father, Hitlar who died in the battle. He asked me, 'Brother, is little Shulotte okay?'"

At this point, the elder's eyes became deep and his expression returned to calm. He looked at the high priest Shulotte, and the high priest also looked at him. Then, the elder seemed to have changed into a different person and repeated gently.

"Little Shulotte, are you okay?"

The high priest was silent for a while, lowered his head, and responded calmly.

".Father, I'll be here soon."

".Yes, good. In front of Hitlar was Tesozomok, who also died in the battle. He saw me, smiled, and asked, 'Cousin, how is my little son, Avit? His brothers are waiting for him here.'.

I smiled and told him, 'Avit is fine. He is an excellent child. But he will not come for a long time.'"

Tesozomok was Avit's father and an early general of the alliance. He was the cousin of Montezuma and the elder, but married Montezuma's eldest daughter, Princess Atotostli.

"Next to Tesozomok was little Atotoli. She was holding an obsidian dagger in her hand, still so heroic. And further ahead was the brother who was assassinated, Chimalpopoca. I saluted him, and he saluted in return."

Chimalpopoca was the third ancestor of the Lake Capital and the elder's brother. He died at the age of 29, and was assassinated.

"I continued walking forward, first I saw an empty seat, then I saw my brother, Montezuma. He was very happy, looking at me, stretched out his hand, took my arm and said, 'Come, Teeler, stand by my side!'"

The elder looked a little dazed. Everything in the dream was so real, so real that it was within reach, making people deeply trapped in it. The darkness surged like a tide, as if to swallow people. The elder bit his lips hard, felt a little pain, and then broke free from the vortex of the dream. He took a breath, spoke faster, and continued to tell the story.

".My brother extended his hand to me, but I shook my head and refused. I said, 'Wait a little longer, I still have something to do. Besides, I have lived longer and done more, so I should stand in front of you!'"

"My brother smiled and shook his head, then nodded. He loosened his hand, pointed to the upper floor, and said with a smile, 'Okay, then you go up first and meet your uncle, father and grandfather!'"

"So, I continued to go up and came to the third floor. I first saw my uncle Iscoatl. He held the scepter in his hand, and his face was still so calm. We saluted each other. I remember that when he died of illness, I was exactly 44 years old."

Iscoatl was the fourth ancestor of the lake capital and the first great Tlatoani of the Three States Alliance. Together with Montezuma and Tlacaeler, he established the Mexica Three States Alliance. After him, it was Montezuma.

"Before that, there was my father, Vizilihuitell. He held a hummingbird feather in his hand, with a faint smile on his face. Did he die of illness, or was he poisoned by the Tepanec people? Until now, there is no answer. I only know that I was twenty years old when he died."

Vizilihuitell was the second former king of the Lake City. When he was in power, Trochititlan was a vassal city-state under the Tepanec Alliance, but its strength was growing rapidly.

"I continued to go up, and the last floor was my grandfather whom I had never seen, Akamapichtli. I couldn't see his face clearly, nor could I hear his voice. I only saw a wooden board with a tree on it. But I knew that he was our common ancestor, the origin of the Mexica royal family, and the beginning of the family's sacred tree!"

Akamaphtli was the first ancestor of the lake capital and the founder of Trochititlan. He established the city-state and built the innermost layer of the six-story temple. From then on, the god of war Huitzilopochtli entered the temple and became the patron saint of the Mexica people.

The long story finally came to an end, and the hall returned to silence, and you could hear a pin drop.

The elder closed his eyes, panting slightly, recovering his consumed physical strength and calming his fluctuating emotions. The high priest watched silently, his thoughts drifting away, and I don't know what he was thinking. And the sacred tree of the Mexica royal family is hidden in the blood of the two.

Time passed gradually, and the sunset sank into the mountains. The last glimmer gradually disappeared from the sky. The elder sensed the change in the skylight, and finally opened his eyes and looked at the high priest who was also looking at him.

"Shutter, did you hear the call of the sacred tree?"

"Elder, I heard it."

The high priest looked solemn and nodded calmly. His heart was completely shrouded in the black shadow, and he calmly welcomed his fate.

"Well, very good!"

Looking at the calm high priest, the elder's face showed a relieved and kind smile. He spoke slowly, word by word, and asked gently.

"Well, my child, can you help me go to the family's sacred tree first and say something? I'll be there soon."

The elder's words fell quietly, without a trace of emotion. The sunset finally disappeared completely, taking away the last chance of life. And the deep darkness was surging from the horizon, like an endless dark sea, completely engulfing the hall!