Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1710 - 1219: Three Old Men’s Jokes (2)
Hearing Chiwaco's vivid mockery, Cedar Shaman couldn't help choking on his drink and angrily retorted. Last April, he returned on an oar-sail ship belonging to the Kingdom, rowing for more than half a year, before finally arriving at the Lake Kingdom. The series of Kingdom outposts along the way had already left him quite amazed. And upon reaching the prosperous Lake Kingdom and seeing firsthand the hundreds of thousands, even millions, of the Lake Great Tribe Alliance, he was utterly shocked and dumbfounded!
He had been traveling the Northern Continent for most of his life and never thought there would be such a powerful tribal alliance! This Lake Great Tribe Alliance had a population of millions and could build thriving city-states and erect pyramids tens of meters high!
Moreover, this powerful tribal alliance not only possessed the Thunderbolt's copper beasts, rowing large ships, sturdy thick armor, sharp spears and axes, long-range crossbows, and shining gemstones... but also tens of thousands of tribal warriors! The number of warriors in this alliance alone was almost equal to the population of all the Miwock tribes combined. And such formidable military formations, aligned with the precision and order of northern fire ants, could evidently fight with great prowess!
As a sage of survival from the Northern Continent, Cedar Shaman immediately adjusted his attitude, displaying sincere devotion to the Chief Divine and a close affinity and reverence for the Lake Kingdom!
With the recommendation from a Northern sailing priest, he quickly proceeded to the Lake Capital City to pay his respects to Chief Minister Jatili, Divine Revelation Director Talaya, and Capital Army Commander Olosh. In the meeting, he represented all the Miwock tribes, expressing submission to the powerful Lake Great Tribe and willingness to convert the tribes to the Chief Divine and integrate into the Jiao people's family. His wisdom, erudition, and vigor left a profound impression on the Kingdom's "Three Giants."
Following the meeting, Chief Minister Jatili convened a session of the Kingdom Priesthood with the intention of appointing Cedar Shaman as the Fourth Level Grand Priest of real power in the Kingdom to balance the seafaring lineage of the Northern Continent. However, the Kingdom Priesthood was embroiled in heated discussions, secretly competing over ecclesiastical power on the Northern Continent, and refused to accept Cedar Shaman as a Grand Priest of real power...
In the end, Director Talaya devised a compromise, making Cedar Shaman a lecturer at Divine Power University with the honorary title of Fourth Level Grand Priest as a vice dean of the naval academy. This was also why Korean Shipwright Kim Sun-su treated Cedar Shaman as the "academy lord" of the government...
Subsequently, Cedar Shaman stayed in Qinchongcan Capital for eight months, wandering around like a guest in the Grand View Garden. With rich experiences, eloquence, and a remarkable talent for languages, he spoke fluent Navajo, which was very well-received by the kingdom's nobility. He only held an honorary position at the naval academy, occasionally lecturing on the languages and customs of the Northern Continent to the mere dozen or so priest apprentices from commoner backgrounds interested in missionary work on the Northern Continent. His enthusiasm for learning various knowledge was more like an ancient pine tree emerging, surpassing many priest apprentices!
Until last December, he heard that his old friend, Scholar Mikki, had arrived at Zicao County aboard a ship, unprecedented in its speed like the Wind God, from an unknown northern tribe. He immediately set off south in high spirits, skipping the capital's New Year's grand festival to see the Wind God's sea ship.
However, Scholar Mikki only met him briefly before hurriedly heading north to the Lake Capital City to report to the Divine Revelation Director on the important task of building "new-style sailboats."
This time, Cedar Shaman did not run back but stayed in Zicao County, idling around the Southern Shipyard for days. With his superior status, being a good hand at woodworking and highly interested in shipbuilding, he mingled with the shipbuilding team. That's when he met old militia Chiwaco and the shipwright Gold Shipwright...
"Old Chiqi, give me back my scepter!"
"No way! You must promise me, to behave properly on the ship from now on, no more fooling around! ... Haha! Still thinking of snatching it?
Cedar Shaman swiftly reached out to grab the scepter from Chiwaco's hand. Yet, Old Chiqi deftly maneuvered the scepter like wielding a long spear, deftly avoiding him. The two moved quickly, grappling a few times in place, but with no result. Cedar Shaman finally sighed and grumbled.
"You old corn, you look withered, but you're more agile than a monkey..."
Haha! You old wood, relying on your sturdy body, blabbering like a black bear!..."
"Hah! On the Northern Continent, black bears are a good metaphor, being a totem for many tribes!"
"Tsk-tsk! In our Lake Kingdom, corn is a good thing! I just love planting corn, harvesting, and eating it!"
"Ugh! You old corn! You can't even hunt, just farming all day long!"
"Haha! You old wood! You can't even farm, how do you expect to feed the tribe?"
"Old Corn!"
"Old Wood!"
"Hahaha!...
The two old men wrestled and cursed for a while, leaving Gold Shipwright heart-pounding, not knowing what the two "elderly" were doing. Yet, in a short while, they suddenly stopped fighting, laughing together like close friends, it was truly odd.
"Old Chiqi, why would I lie to you? I'm really good at swimming! Even at this age, swimming seven or eight leagues is no problem! Twenty years ago, I traveled north and participated in a tribal fish festival with the Wiyot. Back then, I swam into the lake with a wooden stick, chasing the darting fish and knocked out a big fish with two sticks, becoming the number one at the fish festival! And after winning the fish festival, the most beautiful women in the tribe would throw themselves at me, wanting to sleep with me, and I couldn't even escape...
Ha? Knocking fish with a stick? Chief Divine, are you planning to fly to the sky like an old turkey ruffling its feathers!..."
Upon hearing this, old militia Chiwaco scrutinized Cedar Shaman with a doubtful eye, wondering if anyone really could knock fish with a stick? How dumb would the fish have to be? Wait a second... the old militia paused for a moment before realizing, asking in surprise.
"Old Wood, you just said back in your hometown... just catching a fish gets you a wife? There's such a good thing?"
"Hmm? That wasn't my hometown, it was with the Wiyot in the north... and it wasn't a wife, just sleeping. It's a custom among many tribes on the Northern Continent, allowing visiting tribal guests to leave seeds... the stronger the guest appears, the more bravely they display, the more welcomed they are by the tribe's women! There'd be so many women, vying for your attention, sometimes in numbers... back when I was traveling, it was like the northern cedar, whistling in the wind... Ah! I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and I've grown old!... Hey, give it back!... "
Reflecting on his youthful stories, Cedar Shaman shook his head with a smile, adopting a regretful demeanor with excessive fondness for the past's romantic escapades. Old militia Chiwaco was somewhat taken aback by this old fox, who in a fleeting lapse of vigilance, found himself stealthily deprived of the scepter once again by Cedar Shaman. Seeing the pleased Cedar Shaman, Chiwaco pouted and turned to question Gold Shipwright further.
"Old Jin, you're also from the north. Does your, oh! Bright Tribe, share this custom as well? Just by fishing well, you can sleep with tribal women..."
"Uh! Team Leader Chiqi... over in, we don't do that... absolutely not!"
Shipwright Kim Sun-su, with his less-than-fluent Navajo, barely comprehending the conversation, was so alarmed his old face fidgeted. He frantically waved his hands, nearly tossing the Gold Talisman in his hands, eagerly defending his stance.
"Chief Divine, that's not how it is with us! How could we, how could we be so... indecent?! Besides the lowly courtesans and medical courtesans, if good families in the village got involved in such matters... they would be paraded through the village bound on pig cages, and then drowned in the pond with pig troughs!"
Listening to Kim Sun-su's stammering account, Chiwaco and Cedar Shaman were both left thoroughly bewildered. Then Chiwaco blinked and queried in perplexity.
"What are women who know medical skills and sleep with people? What are four-legged creatures that grunt?"
Cedar Shaman was equally puzzled, scratching his head as he followed up.
What counts as a good family in the village, does hunting and fishing qualify? And why are cages for four-legged animals being used to hold people?"
