Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1694 - 1207: Two Crows Die, But Who Is the Golden Crow?

"What? You want your good-for-nothing son to marry my sister?…"

On the riverbank, Red Fox Otuwa heard Balamo's question, his eyebrows twitched, and his old face slightly contorted, secretly cursing in his heart. If he were to marry off his sister to Balamo's son, wouldn't that just make him inferior to the other party? But as he observed closely, he sensed something in Balamo's smile, which forced him to sigh silently in his heart.

"Oh Ancestors! This is to plant a fox-catching stake against my Red Fox Great Tribe!…"

"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! Red Fox, you're also a chieftain of a great tribe. So, what's it going to be? Spit out the truth already!…"

"Ah! Witnessed by the Ancestors! This is naturally excellent!…"

"Haha! Divine Feather, come over here! Bow to the Great Chief of Red Fox and call him brother-in-law!…"

"Alright, Big Father!... I'm bowing to brother-in-law now!…"

Divine Archer Ba Shen Feather came over quickly, knelt and offered two resounding bows, sealing this marriage alliance.

The Red Fox Great Tribe is one of the few great tribes on the wilderness, with several thousand tribespeople who've seen the grand scenes of the Great Chief of Death during his northern expedition, and they quickly escaped a disaster. They had been hiding deep in the Sakascat Wilderness for several years, but after encountering last year's cold wave, they found that barren land with only silver and no crops intolerable!

Fortunately, the scouts of the Red Fox Tribe made contact with Guajili hunters sent by the various tribes of Qingqiu to locate silver mines. Both sides were old acquaintances from their southward journeys years ago, and after six months of negotiations, they officially decided to migrate east under Balamo's promise of tribal autonomy.

About eight or nine years later, when Red Fox Chieftain Otuwa met his old brother Red Cat Chieftain Mizili again at the battle of Red Fox Valley, it was incredibly awkward. Red Cat Mizili pinned Red Fox Otuwa to the ground and gave him a severe beating, leaving him bruised and wailing. Then the two former Guajili chieftains hugged each other, crying and sobbing, in a scene strangely intense. As for the other old brother, Red Frog Kaka, he had always been leading the troops in the Black Wolf army, and by now he might have reached Maya…

Speaking of which, the Red Fox Great Tribe hadn't formed many marital alliances with other tribes shortly after joining Qingqiu. Apart from marrying off Balamo's noble lady, this was the second noble lady to have her marriage decided.

Thinking of this, Great Chief Balamo's eyes shifted slightly, only to notice another Divine Archer, who looked impatient, glaring at him. He was also from the Guajili Red Fox Tribe, named Ivican. Of course, Balamo didn't know that this Divine Archer before him was an old acquaintance of Amos and one of the teachers who instructed Alan in archery, having even wounded the Black Wolf Toltec…

"May the Chief Divine bless! What a superb Red Fox Divine Archer! How can such a divine warrior use a stone axe? Here! I'll give you this bronze axe! A fine weapon deserves a fine warrior… Hahaha!…"

Great Chief Balamo laughed heartily, pulling out a bronze axe from his waist and shoving it straight into Ivican's hands. Then, putting his arm around Ivican's shoulder convivially, he looked at the slightly pursed lips of Red Fox Otuwa and spoke again with a smile.

"Praise the Chief Divine, I admire warriors most! Such a warrior should become my son-in-law! Red Fox, I want to give my sixteen-year-old fourth daughter to him, to your tribe's Divine Archer! What do you think?…"

"Ah? Let Ivican marry the Great Chief's daughter? This…"

Upon hearing this, Red Fox Otuwa was startled and didn't know how to answer. The so-called fourth daughter was naturally a stepdaughter from one of Balamo's wives. But with this relationship, Balamo would find it easier to extend his influence over the Red Fox Tribe…

Otuwa thought quickly, his eyes darting around, only to see the bewildered yet pleasantly surprised expression on Ivican's face. He couldn't help but clench his teeth secretly. This was planting another stake, and a foolish one at that! If he didn't agree now, he would make enemies on both sides for no reason… After a moment, Otuwa sighed, lowered his head, and respectfully said to Balamo.

"Witnessed by the Ancestors! This is naturally excellent, as Great Chief commands!"

"Haha! Very well! That's excellent indeed!…"

Great Chief Balamo laughed heartily, releasing Divine Archer Ivican and reaching out to grab Red Fox. Red Fox Otuwa's old face twitched but he couldn't dodge in time, so Balamo got a firm grip.

"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! In our Qingqiu Great Tribe, we're not fussy about hierarchy, everyone sticks to their own!… Red Fox Chieftain, I'll take the liberty of calling you younger brother… Everyone says you're astute and resourceful, clever like a fox! I am planning to move Qingqiu's center here and build a new city… Why don't you come up with an auspicious name for this city?"

"Ah this? You want me to name it?…"

"What? You don't want to say it, Red Fox younger brother?…"

"I… how could I dare…"

In helplessness, Red Fox Otuwa sighed again. He squinted his narrow fox eyes, glanced at the two fallen crows on the ground, then at the ambitious Great Chief Balamo, slowly raised a smile, and said with a smile.

"Blessed by the Ancestors! A white-necked crow and a red-headed crow have both been shot down by the Great Chief's warriors… This is a realm of divinity, blessing the prosperity of the Qingqiu Great Tribe, providing your sacred enlightenment! In that case, why not name this new city Crow Shooting City!…"

"Haha! Shooting Crow City? Both white and red crows will fall, Qingqiu shall prosper! Good, very good!... Red Fox brother, you truly are wise, you truly understand me!..."

Great Chief Balamo laughed heartily, tightly grasping the hand of Red Fox Otuwa, never letting this old fox leave. He gazed into the other's eyes, his mouth smiling radiantly, speaking meaningfully.

"Shooting Crow City is a good name! But alas, it's not usable for now; the two crows are still here, it would be terrible if they're startled... Hmm, since I've entrusted the naming to Red Fox brother, I must express something in kind... Here shall be called Fox Hill City! This is the new home for the Red Fox and Qingqiu!..."

"Once this trip is done and they return, the Red Fox Great Tribe will send half of its people, migrating alongside my close tribes as the first batch. We have to hurry, maybe we'll catch up in time for the May spring planting! Red Fox brother, you're clever and astute, your mind sharp as a fox's fur... The important task of spring planting, I'll entrust it to you, my old friend!"

"This... me?..."

Upon hearing this series of arrangements, Red Fox Otuwa's arm shivered, wishing to turn into a fox on the spot and flee. To split the Red Fox in half, leaving him in this barren land to oversee spring planting? Treating the Red Fox like a turkey!...

"Red Fox brother?"

"I... this is naturally excellent! Great Chief, since we've intermarried, then henceforth, the Red Fox and Qingqiu are one family! We need no longer differentiate between ourselves!"

Though words of frustration filled his heart, Red Fox Otuwa showed nothing on the surface; instead, he smiled sweetly and grasped Balamo's hand. Balamo squinted, looking at Red Fox's smiling face, and slowly nodded.

"Good! Family is indeed good!... Hmm, Red Fox brother, I won't hide it from you, I have a small trouble to ask your people to help resolve!"

"Uh... Balamo old brother, speak without hesitation! As long as it's not too difficult..."

"Haha! Here's the thing... there's a gang of sneaky characters, pretending to be envoys of the Mexica Alliance under the name of the God King... They found Huangqiu City, insisting on negotiating, which I find very displeasing..."

Balamo gently shook his head, sighed for unknown reasons, while Red Fox Otuwa sternly inquired in a low voice.

"Impersonating envoys of the Mexica Alliance?... Who dare be so bold?..."

"Ha! Red Fox brother, I won't hide it from you! From the hint of their words, it's likely the High Priesthood's internal intrigue, plus secret maneuvers from some Royal Family factions... But as I am born a Mexica, I can't openly turn against them; I can only lead them on, flee here to avoid for now..."

Balamo lowered his eyes, concealing the murderous intent within, calming his agitated emotions. He spoke again, his voice notably lower, as if confiding in something.

"These fools! His Highness plucked me from commoner samurai, granting me full authority of command; speaking of rewards and trust, it's already surpassed everyone!... If I were to side with these useless fools, even with the powerful God King, what more could I gain?...

"Ultimately, this world has only two truly divine eagles, two rising suns worthy of my reverence! Avit God King dominates the world, decisive in martial prowess, holds divine and royal authority, burns bright like midday sun! But this sun, though magnificent, is irrelevant to me; it would never truly value someone from my origin..."

"Whereas His Highness Xiulote, brave and unparalleled, for the Mexica realm, goes alone as a hostage in alliance, is the gentle morning sun. Though reluctantly and in disagreement, my heart holds him in admiration!... As long as these two suns fight and don't break, leading the alliance to conquer the world, uniting the tribes across two seas is merely a matter of time!"

"Ultimately, as long as one of these two suns remains... no one can upend the world! Meanwhile, those scheming behind the scenes, hidden venomous snakes... I ask the Red Fox Great Tribe help to intervene, kill them discreetly; an accidental attack by Canine Descendants will suffice!..."

"... Intervene and assassinate? Kill the alliance's envoys?…"

Red Fox Otuwa drew a deep breath, his expression shifting momentarily, yet he showed little fear. In the end, this was merely another show of loyalty. He pondered a while, gently nodded, then abruptly asked.

"Great Chief Balamo, do you truly want to be a divine tree reaching up to the clouds, or just a grand tree shaded by the sun?…"

"..."

This time, Balamo was silent for a long while. He looked towards the distant south, seemingly seeing the ends of the horizon, viewing his hometown's Lake Capital City, even envisaging the Land Amidst the Clouds where suns gather! After a while, he let out a long sigh, whether sorrowful or joyous, even he couldn't discern.

"The highest sun, the crimson sky... How tall a tree can grow isn't for it to decide! It depends on the sun's descent, depends upon the sky's blood..."

"When will the blood-colored sky, the sun's setting appear? And who will it ultimately fall upon? I neither know, nor dare to think!..."

North winds howl south, the sun declines westward. The evening glow reddens, two crows die, one wonders who is the Golden Crow~