Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1636 - 1165: The First European Convert

The sun retreated like a firebird, flying towards the edge of the sea. The day's march, chase, and slaughter all merged into the sea along with the corpses of the sailors, transforming into that faint red dissipating wave.

As the dusk approached, a large group of single-log war boats surged from the Great Water Bay in the south. They were filled with over two hundred Taino strong men, surrounding the two captured light sailing ships like "worker ants" ready to transport spoils of war. Leading these "worker ants" was the Great Chief of the Mayali Region, Anani Waterflower, adorned with the Chief God's Amulet, and a hummingbird forehead pattern; his stature was very tall, yet his face was not imposing.

"Hiss! Chief Divine bless! Just as the prophecy said, the white-skinned evil demons arrived on unprecedented large ships, spreading slaughter and death! ...Ah! May Chief Divine bless..."

Upon seeing the two light sailing ships, Water Chief was stunned for a good while before bowing his head to grasp the amulet around his neck, prostrating himself toward the west and praying to the Chief Divine who had departed. He had been converted to the Chief Divine for more than three years, and usually, he was considered reverent and devout. But this time, witnessing the prophecy of the Longship Tribe come true from three years ago, an unprecedented piety finally arose from his heart, as if a bonfire was lit under the night sky, engulfing his simple heart with light, both warm and bright.

"To know the future, enveloping the sea and sky... The Sun Supreme God is indeed larger than all Ancestor Gods combined!... This is a real, awesome, Divine Tree-like Great God!... I pray to you, even offering my life... May you protect the Waterflower Tribe, protect all the fertile lands (Cuba), from the harm of evil demons! I beseech you!..."

In the afterglow of sunset, hundreds of Taino Militia and over a hundred Kingdom's Warriors, all facing the fiery west, performed a devout evening prayer. The name "Vizilopo" of the deity echoed through the whole sea area, and also resonated on the captured Castile sailing ship.

After the evening prayer, the celebratory banquet began! Everyone lit a bonfire, sharing cassava, sea fish, lizards, fruits, and tobacco brought on board. The fragrance of starch and roast meat, mixed with the relaxing smell of tobacco, drifted towards the light sailing ship imprisoning the captives, making the couple of guarding Kingdom's Warriors both envious and irritated.

"Chabo, everyone else is onshore, feasting on savory, sweet, and spicy foods... Why did we volunteer to stay on the ship to guard the captives and bandage these captives from the Evil Demon Tribe?"

"Ha! Mique, I've gotten sick of eating the wood root of the Cuba Tribes, really tasteless! Evil Demon Tribe are also human, they need to eat too... I'm sure they must be hiding something tasty that we haven't eaten!... Haha! Let me find it!... I've found it! These sealed barrels must be their food reserves! Let me open and see!..."

Red-haired trusted aide Chabo was beaming, using his axe to force open the sealed wooden barrels that no sailor had wanted to open. Then, a stench of pickled fish, brewed for three months strong enough to make someone faint, suddenly hit the nose!

"Uh?! What is this? This smell... Ew!!..."

"Eek! This smell... Is it... stinky herring?..."

Boatswain Qia Chu was tied up, seated on the deck. His limbs were crudely bandaged by the warriors of the natives, wrapped with chewed, pleasant-smelling leaves, giving a spicy sensation. He greedily raised his head, sniffing the food aroma wafting from the shoreline nearby, as his stomach growled incessantly. From morning till now, he experienced exhausting battles, yet had not eaten anything. However, the natives tied them on the ship, giving no food, not even rotten wood root, not even a mouthful of cold water...

Clearly, hunger is the most effective weapon, causing the captives to lose the will to resist and the ability to escape. In his current state, let alone escaping, he couldn't swim, falling into water meant drowning.

Yet, as his stomach rumbled, a familiar, nauseating smell drifted, causing his face to change drastically, alternating between yearning to eat and feeling repulsive.

"Holy Mother! How peculiar these native warriors are, opening barrels of pickled herring!... This last barrel of herring is the ship's final reserve, not to be used until absolutely necessary... Ha!..."

"Damn! Chabo, cover it up! Cover it up! Ugh!..."

"Ah! Ancestor! I've fallen into a pit of corpse! I'm going to die... Ew!..."

Moments later, the two red-haired trusted aides fled the cabin awkwardly, still somewhat shaken. Their faces were green, cursing each other, as well as the "evil and malicious" demons. Until a snicker they couldn't suppress reached their ears, causing their gazes to turn fierce instantly, glaring viciously.

"Hmm? Who is it?!... Oh! A yellow-skinned demon?!"

"..."

Boatswain Qia Chu regretted deeply, quickly lowered his head, and tightly closed his mouth, but it was too late. Two pairs of calloused feet stood before him. Next, a strong hand grabbed his pale yellow hair, forcing him to raise his head.

"Really strange! Mique, in a pack of white-skinned demons, how come there's a brown-yellow one? Looks somewhat like us..."

"Chabo, is he perhaps from Cuba Island, a tribe that joined the demons?..."

"Let me check his teeth!... This dentition, at most an ordinary tribal warrior or guard..."

"Hey! What tribe are you from?! How did you end up on the Evil Demon's large ship? Are you leading the way for the Evil Demon?!"

"Ah!… That… Honorable Cipangu Knight… Qia Chu wasn't mocking you… he just… fainted from hunger…"

The goldsmith Carlo squatted nearby, cautiously said a word, and saw the murderous look in the eyes of two native warriors. He immediately shrank his neck, lowered his head, and did not make a sound.

"..."

Boatswain Qia Chu looked terrified and bewildered, staring at the two fierce-looking native warriors in front of him. Both native warriors carried bows and wore leather armor, their faces marked with mysterious patterns. Although they were not tall, there was a natural murderous aura about them, like the roaming Holy Roman mercenaries. As they spoke, the expressions of the two native warriors grew more vicious, and they even drew their bronze axes!

"Damn it! Mique, this tribe member who sided with the Evil Demon is pretending to be dumb! I asked him three times in Wilderness language, Highland language, and Cuba language, and he didn't respond to me at all!"

"Chabo, could it be that he's a mute?"

"Didn't he just laugh at us?"

"Fool! Mutes can laugh too, they just can't speak..."

"I don't think so!… This must be a tribe member bewitched by the Evil Demon! A traitor who has forsaken the Chief God… He's been enchanted by the Evil God, which is why he's on the Evil Demon's ship, gritting his teeth and not saying a word!"

"So what do you want to do?… Kill him and throw him into the sea?"

"Hmm… This tribe member has been among the Evil Demons, he must know a lot about them… I want to awaken him from the Evil Demon's enchantment, make him convert to the Chief God, and then carefully inquire about the Evil Demon's intel!… Especially, whether there are hidden treasures on this ship?… There must be!"

"Uh, seems like that's the case… But Chabo, you're not a priest, how do you awaken him, make him convert to the Chief God?"

"That's simple! We did this once before during the Southern Expedition against the Mistec people…"

Red-haired trusted aide Chabo gave a simple smile and confidently drew the finely-made steel dagger. But after some thought, he switched to a sacrificial obsidian dagger.

"Better to use obsidian! The priests always use obsidian… Mique, light a fire basin!"

"...The fire basin is right here… Then what?"

"Let me think… Cut his hair, throw it into the fire, then carve the Chief God's sunbird on his forehead… Oh, right! Also cut off a pinky! Only pain can awaken him, that's what the priests do!"

"...Don't kill him… We don't have many captives, we need to keep them for sacrifice…"

"It doesn't matter! He's not a white-skinned Evil Demon, if he awakens and converts to the Chief God, he doesn't need to be sacrificed… Praise Vizilopo Great Chief God! You are bigger than the sky, bigger than the sea, bigger than the Evil God's Evil Demon!... There!"

"Ah! What are you going to do?… Ah, what is this?!"

Boatswain Qia Chu widened his eyes, watching a red-haired native warrior, while pressing down his left hand, "grinning fiercely" as he raised a stone dagger. Meanwhile, another native warrior tightly clamped him, making him unable to move, leaving only boundless fear and darkness overwhelming his heart.

"Almighty bless! Holy Mother bless! Canary Dog God bless! Ancestors bless me!… Damn it! No!!… Ah!!!…"

A scream of extreme pain, a wisp of blue smoke rising from the fire basin. A stone dagger etched with force, a tearful and snot-covered sailor. In the first trace of nightfall on the coast of Cuba, in this incredibly rudimentary conversion ceremony, the first European to convert to the Chief God suddenly emerged.