NOVPUBIn this painting, the first Predecessor Monarch Tariacuri is depicted as the offspring of the union of the Nava and Urixiu people, and even more so, the Divine Descendant chosen by the Chief Divine of the sun! He possessed innate authority and divinity to rule over all the citizens of the lake region. During this period, the Chief Divine of the sun also ascended from the Heavenly Divine of the migrating tribes to become the Protective Divinity of all the citizens of the lake region!"
Hearing this, Xiulote nodded in agreement, positively remarking,
"Similar to the Alliance. The elevation of the Chief Divine, the deification of the former King... These are signs of the Kingdom’s will congealing."
"Wise King!"
Upon these words, Jatili’s wrinkles trembled, and he chuckled deeply, his smile bearing the weight of time.
He then pointed to the third group painting. In the painting, a prominent sun shone in the sky, casting light upon a towering pyramid below. At the center of the frame stood a King with a Divine Eagle helmet. He connected the sun with the pyramid, as if bridging heaven and earth, divinity and humanity, the Divine Kingdom and the mortal world!
"The third painting, drawn during the reign of the third Predecessor Monarch, depicts the scene of the new King ascending to the very top of the pyramid and offering sacrifices to the Heavenly Divines. During this period, after the efforts of the second-generation Predecessor Monarch, the Divine Eagle Family had gained divinity in the hearts of the people. The Patzcuaro Lake region became, in myths, the source that maintains the world’s rotation; and the pyramid of Qinchongcan City is the true center of the universe!
The King’s power is endowed and safeguarded by the Heavenly Divines, and the royal power is destined to be passed down through the sacred bloodline of the Divine Descendants, through holy rituals. And with the sacrificial rites at the pyramids, each King establishes a sacred connection with the Heavenly Divines, beyond the comprehension of the people!"
"Offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, the divinity bestows royal power."
Xiulote mused to himself, many images from his memory flashing before his eyes. After a while, the young King nodded first, then let out a gentle sigh.
He looked toward the last, expansive painting. In the frame was still the King of the Divine Eagle. The King had ascended, transformed into the Divine King of the tribes. He stood between heaven and earth, radiating a godly glow. His feet were apart, one on the land, the other on water. Around the Divine King were countless people prostrating in worship. And below in the painting, there were lines of mysterious glyphs and inscriptions, as if the conclusion of the mythological epic.
"Elder, is this the epic of the gods?"
The young King traced the inscriptions with his finger and looked towards the knowledgeable elder in front of him.
Jatili nodded. He cleared his throat and with an ancient and distant intonation, he recited the last of the Kingdom Epic.
"The sun shines over heaven and earth, ancestors rule in all directions! Praise you, Tariacuri, you are the Divine Descendant of the sun, the incarnation of the Divine Eagle, you are destined to rule the sky, the land, and the lakes!
Oh, citizens from all directions, we also worship the ancestral Divine King. One of His feet stands on land, and the other on water. He has supreme might, with divine hands, creating the newly born people of Prepetcha...
And we are the descendants of the Divine King! We are the holy people of Prepetcha, destined to become a great tribe! We gestate and grow in the lands of the lake, multiply and perish... and the great Tarasco Kingdom, under the rule of the exalted Divine Eagle Royal Family, shall persist generation after generation, standing for thousands of autumns and tens of thousands of years!..."
The deep chanting echoed in the ancient Stone Hall, as if with some strange Magic Power, stirring the King’s emotions. It swept away the dust of history, unveiled sealed memories, and once more sang of the bygone epics, turning them into a final resonating song. And the sunset at the horizon finally sunk completely into the earth, leaving behind only the profound night, and the flickering candlelight in the Stone Hall.
The candlelight flickered, casting elongated shadows. Xiulote gazed at the Heritage Slabs in the shadows, now indistinguishable. At this moment, his thoughts fluctuated, and he was deep in contemplation.
From these silent slabs, he heard the myths of four Eras converging into a unified story; he witnessed the fall of the old Kingdom, and the rise of the newborn Kingdom; he contemplated the intermarriage of merging tribes, and also looked forward to the fiefs with a heart wide as the world...
And in the newborn fiefdoms, it was necessary to reconstruct the Third Level framework, and to deal with different strata; to strengthen the centralization of power, and to manage the finances of the fiefs; and also, over the long passage of time, to nurture a completely renewed pantheon of divinities, and evolve an ever-strengthening set of beliefs!
Countless sparks of thought twinkled in the King’s mind and then gathered into a fierce flame in his chest. The Stone Hall was silent, with everyone quietly waiting as if in a historical freeze-frame. Only when a gentle smile appeared on the King’s face did time once again flow within the hall.
"Today, having the Sage recount the epic has truly been extremely beneficial to me, sparing me a decade’s worth of toil."
Xiulote smiled as he clasped Jatili’s hands.
"Chief, you are the wings that enable me to soar through the skies. The future governance of the Kingdom cannot do without wise men like you; our newly built officialdom in the fief also needs more skilled birds that can fly. If you know of any talented individuals, please do not hesitate to recommend them! I will appoint them based on their virtues and abilities, without regard to race or kinship," he said.
Upon hearing this, a flash of joy crossed the learned Elder’s face. He bowed solemnly and repeated a phrase he had said before.
"Your Majesty, the turtles in the river, the fish in the lake, and the waterbirds are all willing to serve a true eagle!" he said.
Xiulote laughed heartily at this and nodded with satisfaction. He looked around, and after one last glance at the spacious stone hall, was about to leave. Suddenly, in the corner of the chamber, a dull gray dagger caught the light, drawing the attention of the king.
"A dull gray dagger?"
The young king paused. He took several steps forward, picked up the dagger, and examined it closely. Then, he ran his hand over the razor-sharp and smooth edge, feeling the distinct solid touch of the metal, which was not the familiar obsidian.
"Dull gray metal... this is... an iron dagger!"
Surprise spread across Xiulote’s face. He turned eagerly to Jatili and asked,
"Chief, where did this weapon come from?"
The Elder glanced at the uniquely shaped dagger and smiled knowingly.
"Your Majesty, this is an ancient weapon confiscated by the Kingdom during an expedition against the Tekos Tribe in the Colima region, southwest of here, many years ago. There are several more daggers like this one, all stored in a nearby trophy hut. These weapons are exceptionally sharp, slightly less so than the sharpness of obsidian but far more durable, even stronger than the latest bronze!
The Royal Family once sent people to search carefully in the complex Colima Mountain Region for the gray metal that could be forged into these daggers, but they found nothing. In the end, as the Elder of the Tekos Tribe said, they classified them as weapons gifted by the gods. The Divine Eagle Family, calling themselves the Descendants of the Divine, also chose the sturdiest dagger and placed it in this Heritage Stone Hall," he explained.
"Colima Mountain Region... I see," Xiulote said, nodding slightly in disappointment. He remembered the stories Ezpan had told him, and with a heavy heart, he could only sigh deeply. Then, the young king’s expression grew solemn. He pondered for a while before turning to the Head Warrior he trusted most.
"Bertade, has the extraction of the southern copper mines resumed? How is the craftsman camp faring? What is the production rate of the longbows? Have the production of the bronze agricultural tools I commanded begun? And what about the small copper cannons I’ve emphasized, what are the latest developments?" he asked.
"Your Highness, I have already gathered a thousand miners to preliminarily resume the extraction in the southern copper mines. The Priests have settled in the craftsman camp and have instructed the craftsmen. Over two thousand craftsmen have been fully organized and have started to take on their previous functions. If we have sufficient wood, we can maintain a production of over one hundred longbows a day. The losses of the longbow regiments have already been replenished...
The expensive production of bronze agricultural tools poses no difficulty in manufacturing and has already been completed on a trial basis. However, although the bronze tools make farming easier, the costs are too high. Their production is limited by the copper sourced from the southern mines of our fiefs, and we also need to import more tin ore from the south of the Alliance. As for the copper cannons you requested..."
Bertade hesitated to continue. After a moment’s thought, he cautiously replied,
"The craftsmen have just tried to manufacture one, but there have been some problems, and it cannot be used yet... I request that you inspect it personally."
Hearing this, Xiulote contemplated for a moment before issuing a command.
"Very well! You go and make preparations. Once I’m done with the state affairs at hand, and August is almost over, we’ll set the time for the visit before the September harvest. I will bring the trusted aides I’ve been grooming to inspect the craftsman camp first, then oversee the mining operations in the southern Ivachi!" he commanded.
