NOVPUBAmidst the chanting of the priests, more than ten thousand warriors had converted, prostrating themselves on the blue stone ground. Next, it was the turn of nearly sixty thousand civilians. The priests removed the Blood Wine, replacing it with lukewarm corn cakes, the fragrance of the food instantly diffusing. Another wave of restlessness emerged in the crowd. The Temple Warriors strode forward. They swung their War Clubs through the air, blew the chilling Death Whistle, and easily suppressed the commotion.
The conversion ceremony for the civilians was even simpler. A single priest could handle seven or eight people at a time. The civilians trembled as they knelt before the Sacred Fire. They cut off a lock of hair and cast it into the flames, listening to the priest’s prayers. They needed to remember the name of the Chief Divine, repeat it three times, and then they could carry the corn cakes to either side.
The Sacred Fire was fed twice more, as the sun slowly set. In the glow of the sunset, the pyramid cast a slanting ephemeral shadow, covering the crowd on the ground. Countless ’ant-like’ figures moved slowly, pausing before the Sacred Fire, then gathering like dust to all points of the compass. They were like the sand in the hourglass toys of the deities, silently running out.
The setting sun’s blood-like hue imbued the youthful king’s eyes. Xiulote slightly lowered his head, looking at his own hands, which seemed to grasp the fates of countless people.
Aweit slowly rose from his golden throne. He looked around, guards stood at a distance, kings sat high above. At this height shared by only two, he took out a newly-crafted Emerald Divine Staff and asked with a smile.
"Xiulote, my child, are you ready?"
"Aweit, I am ready."
Xiulote turned around, facing his mentor, and slowly knelt to the ground. His gaze was calm and joyful, yet his shoulders seemed ever heavier.
"The sun opens its red eyes, the Chief Divine witnesses the blood-colored future!"
Aweit raised both hands high, the priests cried out in unison, and a hundred thousand people simultaneously fell silent. At this moment, at the foot of the grand pyramid, no matter whether nobility, samurais, or civilians, all were prostrated on the blue stone ground. A hundred thousand people looked up to see the red sun sinking on the pyramid’s pinnacle, the blood-colored brilliance emerging on the kings’ bodies, stirring the heart. The sacred heaven and earth tightly connected at this moment, and the incarnation of the deities descended upon humanity!
"The Chief Divine witnesses! He departs with the crimson sky, leaving the earth to mankind!"
"He says, the Alliance is destined to conquer the world, kings are born to reign over all directions! The leader of the Mexica is the ruler of the world, the king of Mexica is the king of the world!"
"In the name of the Divine Descendant king, in the king’s name!"
King Aweit, with a face like a deity, clasped his fists, looking down at all directions like a mighty eagle. Where the king’s gaze roamed, tens of thousands in the crowd bowed their heads to the ground. They offered up heartfelt reverence and obedience to the incarnation of the deities. A smile emerged on Aweit’s face, which he then reined in, once more solemn and sacred.
"In the king’s name! I, Aweit, king of all, assign the land in the heart of Lake Michi to my heir, the ’Divine Revelator’ Xiulote! From the Rivermouth fortress to the north, to the Tarsas River to the south, from the Xitaqualo Mountains to the east, to the endless Great Lake to the west, all shall become his fief! He shall wield the authority of both deity and king to rule over the rivers, mountains, flora, and fauna of the Lake Region, govern the cities and villages upon this land, and all its citizens, exercising a power second only to mine!"
With these words, Aweit finally approached Xiulote. A smile played on his face. He raised his right hand and passed the Emerald Divine Staff in his hand to Xiulote, letting the youth feel its cool touch. The bright Emerald Gemstone emitted a radiance of boundless wisdom, also foretelling a future without limits!
"Xiulote, I entrust to you the Divine Object of Tarasco! From this day forth, you are the king of the land within the lake!"
Xiulote nodded in salute, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and tightly gripped the Divine Staff. Then, he slowly rose, facing the hundred thousand people below the pyramid, and slowly spread his arms!
The Divine Staff raised high, the gemstone glittering, the cheers of the Mexica legion erupted in a moment! Shouts filled the Capital City, shaking the souls of everyone, until they converged into an overwhelming cry:
"Divine Revelation Priest, king of the Lake Region! Priest King!"
