Chapter 719: Second Kingdom Exploration, Prayer Under the Moonlight

"Aia, bombaia, bombe."

Lamma samana quana!

Aia, bombaia, bombe.

Lamma samana quana! (Lamma samana quana!)”

The cheerful chorus echoed under the night sky on the Caribbean coast and dispersed into the waves in the distance! The moon was crescent, the stars were shining, and clouds were drifting across the sky, showing the depth of the night. And a bright bonfire was lit in the square of the village by the river, lighting up the sea and the sky!

"Dong dong dong! Guabancex, the storm goddess, controls the sea and waves. He makes long-lost friends come from afar; let us gather together to sing and dance, and play the happiest song!"

Hundreds of simple and joyful smiling faces were full of expectations in the firelight. Girls danced happily, young people danced, and old people sang ancient songs. Various Taíno musical instruments also appeared one after another. The leather drum is exciting and rapid, the rattle is cheerful and rustling, the wood whistle is low and distant, and the conch trumpet is long and fluttering.

Young children will also play interesting forked wooden drums, like beating pottery shards, to produce a "ding dong" as clear as running water. At this moment, a dinner party to welcome the longship has become a sea of ​​music and singing!

"Dong dong dong! Atabeyra, the mother goddess of the moon, controls moonlight, fresh water and reproduction. He gives gentle moonlight and spring water of vitality. Friends who come from afar, let us drink up this cup , chasing and rolling like a hare in the moonlight, flourishing and growing!”

The cheerful music played for two moments, and then the style suddenly changed, becoming full of the charm of joyful singing. Then, amid the high-pitched praises of the tribal priests, the hundreds of people dancing suddenly burst into joy. The young girls in the village were naked and stretched out their arms to catch the strong visitors from afar. They can't wait to leave their bloodline in distant places, give birth to healthier children, and continue the vitality and vitality of the tribe.

"Ah? Ah this! Lord God! No, I still don't need it! You go find Puap, yes, he is the one who screams the loudest, he is powerful!"

Chihuaco, an old militiaman, had a wry smile on his face and struggled hard to escape from the arms of several young and enthusiastic people. His steps were in a hurry, and his clothes were messy. Even the shorts on his upper body were ripped away by someone, and he probably wouldn't be able to get them back tomorrow.

"According to the tradition of the Taíno people, the clothes taken away by the woman must belong to the woman. In the past two months, I have lost seven or eight shorts. The local villages are so hospitable! They are like rabbits. , you have to rest for a few days, right?”

Chihuaco shook his head and sighed as he walked towards the long boat on the beach. In the distance, he also heard the heroic shouts of Puap, like a brave warrior who had stepped onto the battlefield and confidently challenged him to a fight.

"Haha! Come here, let me do it! Hahaha! I want to fight ten of them! Don't worry, come one by one."

Vaguely, it seems that there is also a tomato priest, preaching in a melody and full of emotion.

"Come! People of the Lord God! Let me teach you the bright teachings of the Lord God! God says that those who obey the gods will ascend to the kingdom of heaven, and those who disobey the gods will sink into the abyss of the earth."

"Oh! Priest Tomat, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who believes in the Lord God, is like this too."

Chihuaco blinked and curled his lips in disgust. He shook his head, climbed up the rope ladder of the flagship, staggered to the cabin, and touched a large bottle of sealed cassava juice. This white drink is a specialty of the Taino tribes. After being slightly fermented, it has the taste of light wine and a special sweetness. Well, most suitable as a freshwater reserve for navigation.

"Gudu. Phew! After two months in this Cuban Snake Island, the fermented cassava juice is what I like the most! Gudu is sweet and delicious! Well, cassava is also good. The yield is large and filling, but it is difficult to Save Gudu”

Chihuaco drank slowly for a while, then got out of the cabin and came to the deck under the moonlit night. As soon as he showed his head, he suddenly saw a strange figure from behind, with his head lowered and he didn't know what he was doing. The old militiaman's eyes suddenly sharpened. He cautiously pulled out the dagger from his waist and shouted in a low voice.

"Who? Who's there?"

"Oh! It's me, honorable Captain Chihuaco!"

The figure turned around, revealing its slender head, with a polite and gentle smile on its face, but it was the Mayan businessman Tikalo.

"Hey! Ti Carlo, aren't you attending a dinner party? Why are you back so early?"

"Ha! I can't bear the upcoming activities as a man in his forties. I have to remain useful and serve the kingdom."

"Huh?. The Lord God witnesses! This is true. Haha!"

The two old men looked at each other and smiled bitterly at the same time, showing a tacit understanding.

Chihuaco felt slightly relieved and glanced at the Mayan merchant's palm with sharp eyes. He saw no weapons, only a small wooden carving with the word "大" painted in white paint on it.

"Huh? Tikalo, what is the mallet you are holding?"

"Uh, Captain Chihuaco, this is a wooden zemi given to me by the leader of the Jinhu tribe. On this wooden zemi, the family crest of the Cocom family is carved, and it is enshrined in the Jinhu tribe for sixty years. In total, it should be the last batch of Mayapan's royal fleet, left behind after the Jinhu Department transaction. The leader said that if you give this to me, it can be regarded as returning it to its original owner."

As Ti Carlo spoke, his expression became a little depressed and his voice gradually became inaudible. He held the zemi in his hand, feeling the mysterious beliefs in Taíno culture, and thinking about the glorious past of the Mayapan royal family.

In the Caribbean Islands, among the Taino tribes, the so-called zemi is an abstract and mysterious symbol that has the divine power to change the environment and society. This kind of divine symbol is always connected with gods, ancestors and rituals. It can be a very abstract pattern or a very specific object. As for Zemi's physical support, the most common one is the "tricuspid shape", which can also be a clear family pattern, or very exquisite people and animals.

In other words, this is the "god card" or "rune totem" of the Caribbean tribes.

"Sixty years ago, Zemi was enshrined by the Cocom family"

Hearing this, Chihuaco raised his eyebrows and remained silent.

In the past two months, the fleet has been on the island of Cuba, repairing the ships, replenishing water, and looking for the three lost long ships. It has received help from many Cuban tribes. The reason why these local tribes were so enthusiastic when they first met is partly because of the honest and hospitable nature of the islanders, and partly also because of the communication foundation left by the Mayapan royal fleet. In particular, the powerful Western Mountains on the west side of Cuba is the hometown of the ancestors of the translator Kuba. It has a long relationship with the Mayan royal family and was the most helpful to the exploration fleet at the beginning.

"God bless you! All this time, the banner of Mayapan has not been forgotten by the Cuban tribes!"

Chihuaco reached out and patted Tikalo on the shoulder. He smiled, handed the pottery pot of cassava juice to the bald Mayan businessman, and made a drinking gesture. Then, he leaned against the side of the boat and looked at the festive bonfire on the shore, with tranquility, peace and hope on his face.

"The Taíno people did not lack food and did not fight. Their eyes were clean and their hands were clean. Much cleaner than us. Oh! How wonderful! These simple, kind and hospitable people are like Patz How wonderful that the flamingos flying on Lake Quaro do not have to be trapped in the prison of fighting on the earth and can sing until they die of old age!”

Hearing this, Tikalo raised his head and looked into the eyes of the old militiaman Chihuaco. At this moment, the cunning and wise "Old Turtle" in his mind had a Taíno-like clean look in his eyes. However, those eyes have experienced more time and become older.

"Yes! It's great! Isolated from the world, without hatred and ambition."

Tikalo was silent for a moment and responded in a low voice. Chihuaco heard it, and an old smile appeared on his face.

"Yes! Sometimes, I really want to stay here and never return to the kingdom. But, I still miss my daughter. Sometimes, I am afraid. I am afraid that the arrival of the fleet will change everything about this beautiful plateau. The fighting and blood brought the majesty and fire of the gods to this big island."

"Huh! Dear Captain Chihuaco, I have heard a truth told by my father who carried the family since I was a child."

After a moment of silence, Ti Carlo closed his eyes and shook his head. He buried the momentary weakness deeply in his heart, and when he opened his eyes again, he was smiling and firm.

"There are no flowers that bloom forever. The more beautiful the flowers, the more fragile they will be when the wind and rain come! The ones that can really endure hardships and remain stubborn are the cold cactus on the Mexican plateau. Mexico People grow up in the land of cactus and experience blood and fire, and the tenderness of all parts of the world will be ended by the end of blood and fire."

"Huh? Fragile flowers, the end of blood and fire"

Hearing this, the old militiaman Chihuaco lowered his eyes. The blind His Highness once told a divine prophecy that it was also the end of blood and fire, but was brought about by the white-skinned demon in the prophecy. And this peaceful place on Snake Island will be the first to be on the verge of destruction, just a few years later.

After a while, Chihuaco raised his head and looked at the sea surface reflecting the stars under the moonlit night. The sea was glowing with stars, reflecting the firelight, the long ship, and the crescent moon. The two people on the boat looked at each other quietly for a long time before speaking softly and praying devoutly.

"May the Lord God bless you!"

"May the Lord God bless you!"

The opening lyrics come from the Taino folk song, "TAINO SONG OF KISKEYA, TUREIWA."