Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1646 - 1174: The Gathering of the Clans, Negotiations Deciding Maya’s Fate (Part 1)

The night was deep, and the waves swirled with whispers, spreading along the coast of Cuba in Iron Bay Town. When the dawn broke and the sun rose over the jungle, it illuminated the lowland Maya's Kapok City.

From Iron Bay Town to Kapok City, there are two thousand miles of Cuban coastline, a thousand miles of Caribbean waves, and an additional thousand miles of the Maya northern coastline, combining to a total of four thousand miles. But for the kingdom to open up this four-thousand-mile sea route, the remaining obstacle was the final thousand miles of the Maya northern coast...

Kapok City is the capital city of the Canul Lineage, an ancient Maya city-state with a legacy of a thousand years. Five hundred years ago, after the Toltec king led an expedition and conquered the Maya holy land of Chichen Itza, he divided the highland warriors among the west coast of Maya. The ancient city-state at the center of the western coast was within this allotted territory, eventually becoming part of the Canul Lineage, formed by the marriage between highland warriors and local Maya nobility.

The ancient city, named after the kapok, is naturally abundant with divine kapok trees. Although it was not yet the season for kapok flowers to bloom, the faint red and white buds had already shown their presence. With the arrival of the spring wind, the city would be filled with floral fragrance and splendid blooms.

The architecture within the ancient city of Kapok is a fusion of highland and Maya civilizations, and there are noticeable differences between the old and new. At the city's core is a single pyramid temple standing at least thirty meters tall. However, the temple enshrines the two main gods of the Canul Lineage: the Maya Feathered Serpent Divine, Kukulkan the Wind God, and the more revered Chaac the Rain Divine, the same rain god worshipped by the Cloud People.

On the platform in front of the Canul Temple stands the humanoid sacrificial stone, the envoy of the Rain Divine, Chacmool. Clearly, these two main gods of Canul both possess the background of highland spirits, as new Maya deities brought by the Toltec conquest.

When viewed from the pyramid of the central temple overlooking the city-state, one can see more than ten Temples of the Gods, most of which bear the distinct Maya carvings. Some temples have weathered bricks and carvings, appearing ancient and old, while others are neatly crafted from green stone with fresh carvings, evidently newly built. Among them, on the city's southern side, guarded by hundreds of the kingdom's warriors, is the latest addition, the Vizilopo Main God Temple!

"Praise to the Main God Vizilopo! He is the God of the Highland and also a Maya God! He is one and the same with the Heavenly Serpent Divine, governing the current era, and the Ancient Saint's Skull witnesses everything, gathering divinity upon it, letting Thunderbolt resound through the Maya!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

With the proclamation of the Chief God Priest, the red flags fluttered atop the southern city wall. Then, ten Eagle Cannons boomed in unison, producing a heart-shaking thunder in the Kingdom of the Lake camp on the city's southern side! When the terrifying thunder sound reached them, the four thousand Canul warriors guarding Kapok City and the mobilized eight thousand tribal militia were filled with fear and awe. Many even fell directly to their knees, praying loudly in terror toward the new Main God Temple. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"O War God of the Highland! We, the Canul Lineage, are also descendants of the highland Toltecs... We beg you! Please retract the mighty power of the thunderbolt, retract the disastrous fire, do not let the terrifying apocalypse descend upon the head of our lineage!"

"Praise to the Main God! He bestowed the sacred prophecy, guiding the invincible highland legion to this rich and beautiful Maya land, where we encounter the long-separated Jiao Brothers!"

In the Main God Temple of Kapok City, East Sea Marshal Bertade smiled slightly as he looked around at the people in the temple. The envoys from various clan chieftaincies were clearly intimidated by the sudden thunder, all with solemn expressions, silent and speechless.

"Praise to the Highland Main God! Praise to the old god, the Heavenly Serpent! The Ancient Saint guides us, allowing the sacred tribes to meet here... The Mayapan Royalty has been silent for fifty years, surviving under the protection of the Ancient Saint, and today declares the revival of the Maya Kuhuajaw!"

Clan Leader Kokom and newly appointed Maya Kuhuajaw Ti'aj Kin solemnly prayed, breaking the silence in the hall. He was not yet thirty, but sat closest to the deity's statue among the others. On his broad forehead was the emblem carved of the Main God, his elongated head adorned with the open feather crown of a Mayan noble, and a traditional obsidian amulet hung from his short neck. Not far from him sat the smiling, bald old fox, the Mayan merchant Tikalo. The noble war clothes of both men bore the serpent pattern of the "great," precisely the emblem of the Kokom Family!

"Cough! Praise to All Gods and the Ancient Saint! The divine Ancient Saint's Skull has emerged, summoning the divine descendants of all tribes. Over the past two days, all envoys have also carefully examined the authenticity of the divine object, and discussed among themselves... So, regarding the allegiance treaty for the revival of the Mayapan Royalty, what is the response from the envoys representing the clans behind them?"

Kanu Snake King, the Clan Leader of the Canul, coughed lightly, squinting his narrow eyes as he smiled at the envoys of each tribe. "Snake King" was the honorable title of the Canul Clan Chief, and the emblem of the Canul Clan was a narrow-eyed, sharp-nosed snake head.

"Most revered divine object, the Ancient Saint's Skull!"

The eyes of the envoys flickered, their gazes intentionally or unintentionally focusing on the deity's statue below. There lay an altar built of gold and stone, upon which rested a bright, lustrous, arm-length white skull shaped like a cocoa bean with an exceptionally perfect curve!

In the skylight, the skull shone with a translucent glow, exuding a warm milk-white hue, with a hint of faint pale yellow. This captivating color had no hint of the macabre nature of a skull but rather possessed the beauty of an artwork.