Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1464 - 1017: The Song of White Crow — Mother, Grandmother, and the Tomb

"Ah! Yah!..."

"Gawa, what is he singing?"

"Ong. West, west, to the west, the Ancestors’, the Giants’, tomb!"

"The Ancestors’ Giants’ tomb? What is that?"

"Ong! That is, that is... Yah! Countless, interconnected giants! It’s what you’ve been searching for, what you must find, that one!..."

In the boundless deep sea, a solitary small island dots the surrounding waters, with waves stretching for hundreds of miles. On the island, there is a gray-brown volcano, covered with white snow. Among the snow are green shrubs, grass, and moss, scattered sparsely, stretching from the island’s edges, reaching to the volcano’s lower and higher parts. Here seems to be the world’s end, barren and dead silent, with no tribes or human traces, not even sea beasts or flocks of birds.

The arrival of two longships brought a hint of life to this dead silent island. The hoarse singing of the old guide, U White Crow, seemed like the sea wind roaming from the far north for thousands of years, carrying cold, desolation, and death!

"Hey yo yana ga!..."

"By the Chief Divine! The Ancestors’ Giants’ bodies are the islands. From east to west, the Divine Younger Daughter Island first, then Divine Elder Daughter Island. And our current location is between Divine Elder Daughter Island and ’Mother Island!’ Further west, is ’Grandmother Island,’ and further beyond, it’s ’Giants’ Tomb’!..."

The cold wind blows, the sunset is dusky, yet Scholar Mikki’s eyes suddenly brighten. He listens attentively to White Bear Gawa’s translation, his face gradually showing radiance, his whole body heating up, even his heartbeat quickens!

"Ah! By the Chief Divine’s grace! Zuwaro, the endless overlapped corpse tomb, is, is..."

"A brand-new continent! The New Continent Your Majesty prophesied, it’s in the Unanga guide’s words, not far to the west, beyond two Great Islands! Ah! The Chief Divine’s volcano has been guiding us all along! And Your Majesty’s Divine Revelation’s prophecy also guides us!..."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro looked excited, displaying fervor. He looked around at the blood-red sunset, the vast sea, the remote small island, and the remaining two longships... After a moment, he clenched his teeth fiercely, making up his mind!

"Let’s rest for the night! Use snow water to replenish fresh water! Tomorrow morning, we’ll row full speed to the west, to find ’Mother Island’ as mentioned by the Unanga!"...

The autumn wind is frigid and cold, tides rise and fall. The sun alternates between shining and cloudy, clouds appear and disappear in the north. Under the old guide U White Crow’s direction, the crew rowed vigorously northwest for two days. Finally, on the second day’s evening, they saw a small island from afar.

"This is ’Mother’s Child,’ one of the two small islands east of Mother Island. Neither of the small islands has tribes, but there are sea lions and seals for hunting! However, the sea beasts are not numerous, don’t kill mother beasts! It’s tribal tradition..."

Arriving here, the old guide U White Crow’s old visage transitioned from a dead dormant volcano to a lively active one. He rambled, singing many songs, telling many stories, those that not even White Bear Gawa could comprehend. On the third day’s noon, the two longships finally crossed hundreds of miles of sea surface, after stopping by two intermediary islands, reaching the snowy "Mother Island!"

"Hey yo yana ga! My mother, I have returned! After five palm springs, before nine palm deaths!..."

Old guide U White Crow climbed onto the island, staring at the desolate whiteness and the still vibrant green. His cloudy old eyes slowly filled with tears. Trembling, he lay on the ground, pressing his head against the gray-brown cold earth, mixing his tears with the soil, flowing into his birthplace and the land burying his parents and tribespeople.

"Hey yo yana ga! I have returned! Father and mother’s bones are buried outside the tribe’s cave. I also want to bury my bones there!... Alas! Brother and younger brother’s bodies are buried in the raging sea, never to be found again!..."

"By the Chief Divine! Gawa, what is old White Crow saying as he cries, laughs, yells, and howls?"

"Ong! White Crow says he... left here at twenty years old, on the island where he was born. He and his brothers followed tribal tradition, rowing to Eastern Elder Daughter Island... In the end, only he arrived, joining the tribe there, giving birth to new children... He thought he would die on the Elder Daughter Island, never imagining he would have a day to return!..."

Upon hearing this, the Scholar lowered his eyes, emotions surging dramatically, remaining silent for a long time. He knew the Unangas would row simple canoes to venture into the sea for fishing and hunting. But he couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be, rowing such simple boats, crossing hundreds of miles of ocean, navigating between islands!

For the Unangas, this island chain of Ancestors spanning thousands of miles is their arduous cold homeland for generations. Ancestors’ Giants died and transformed into islands. Each island-crossing voyage means accompanying the deceased Ancestors, to find tribes on other islands, allowing new bloodlines to merge! Only through such inter-island marriages, can Unangas’ small population continue to thrive healthily, passing down continuously from the ancient past to today!...

"By the Chief Divine’s grace! Let old White Crow lead us to visit his birth tribe! We want to know more about the west, whether it’s Giants’ Islands or the Tomb Continent!"...

Mother Island measures about a hundred and fifty miles long, seventy-eight miles wide. This island lacks towering volcanoes, so has no warm unfrozen hot springs, but is covered with snow-capped low mountains. Scholar Mikki thus names this island "Divine Snow Woman Island."

Divine Snow Woman Island’s climate is more frigid, and the Unanga tribes here are significantly fewer than other Great Islands, estimated only at four hundred individuals. To keep warm, most of the tribe opts to dig caves, residing in semi-underground nests between the hills. They live relatively primitive lifestyles, sourcing food solely through fishing and hunting, with activity limited to the surrounding two small islands, rarely interfacing with other tribes. They have no concept of enemies, no conflicts or battles. In fact, their greatest, constant enemies are the harshly cold climate. In their perception, ships arriving from the sea signify new tribes and people joining!

Thus, seeing the arrival of two "gigantic" longships, seeing the suddenly appearing "Longboat Tribe," the Unanga on the island were both surprised and very envious, showing apparent kindness!...

The crew stayed on Divine Snow Woman Island for three days, visiting two sizable tribes. The old guide U White Crow found his birth tribe, but sadly, all of his relatives had been buried in the earth and sea. Among the near one hundred people of this tribe, there was not a single person that lived past forty years old...

U White Crow’s sister died in the cold winter ten years ago. And his nephew died three years ago on a sea fishing expedition. On this string of desolate islands, tribal people’s lives are so brief, that an "elder" like U White Crow at forty-five years old is almost one in a hundred!

"Hey yo yana ga! My mother, I have returned! The bones of father and mother, sister and nephew, are buried outside the tribe’s cave... Hey yo yana ga! I also want to bury my bones there, to rest with them buried together!"

On the gray-white hills, rumbled winter winds arrive. Scholar Mikki and Exploration Captain Zuwaro stood side by side, once again listening to U White Crow’s singing. In that hoarse singing, there was little sadness, only enduring wind and snow, like his full head of white hair flying chaotically in the far north’s cold wind, frozen and frost-ridden.

Scholar Mikki listened patiently for a long time before quietly speaking.

"By the Chief Divine, Zuwaro, we queried the island’s several tribes... No one has been to the northwest ’Grandmother Island,’ and the last person from there came two generations ago! It’s too distant, too frigid, only existing in the oral songs of the Unanga tribes... Finding it with a longship might be very difficult!..."

Upon hearing this, Exploration Captain Zuwaro pursed his lips, eyes sharpened, speaking in a deep voice.

"Gawa, ask White Crow. What does the local tribal song sing regarding Grandmother Island?"

Hearing White Bear Gawa convey the question, old guide U White Crow raised his head, giving Zuwaro a deep look. Then, he took a deep breath, singing hoarsely and shouting.

"Hey yo yana ga! Ancient sleeping Grandmother, guarding the more ancient sleeping tomb. White cold low mountains, facing white death high mountains! Returning children, rowing their Ancestors’ boat, across seven days and nights, to see Grandmother’s face! And the sea’s windstorm, will blow them past Grandmother’s embrace, sinking into the boundless sea... Or else, drifting into the Ancestors’ tomb, never to return!..."