Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1546 - 1087: As Long as These Old Bones Are Still Here...

"Hahaha! You resemble, truly resemble him! Little Xiu Hua, you're just like your father!... Now go play with Tidan!"

"Great Uncle, I want to go to your studio with Tidan... and use some cochineal pigment..."

"Oh?... You want to paint? What do you want to paint?..."

"Yes! Tidan will paint Maya murals, and I want her to paint a red Divine Bird..."

"Hmm?... And what about you? Are you going to paint a Divine Tree?..."

"Hmm... No. I want to use some gold powder to paint a golden pyramid, to tell her... this is her home..."

"... Hahaha! Great, just great! Then go ahead and use it, just instruct the servants in the studio!"...

"Thank you, Great Uncle!... Um, thank you, Father!... Uh... and thank you, Mother!..."

Little Xiu Hua pulled Little Tidan along, bowing to the Great Uncle and parents. Then, the joyful sound of "da-da" wooden shoes jumped away. In the reception hall, only three people remained, free to discuss serious matters.

"Little Xiuluo, Little Alisa, have you eaten?"

"Not yet..."

"Then let's have some brunch!... Come here!"...

Cacamatzin called for servants and gave a few instructions. Soon, three cups of herbal chocolate drinks, a large tray of corn tortillas with toppings, several stacks of dried fruits, and insect snacks were delivered.

"Praise the Chief Divine!"

Xiuluo followed the custom and prayed before the meal, then drank half a cup of the beverage. The rich blend of natural herb powder with handmade chocolate juice, mixed with warm well water, left a fragrant aftertaste, refreshing the spirit!

This sacred refreshing beverage actually serves as coffee and tea among the tribes in Central America, though the production is limited. After drinking half a cup of chocolate beverage, Xiuluo picked up a corn tortilla, wrapping it with translucent, soft large ant eggs, crispy cactus sprouts, mildly sweet cactus flowers, and finally spread some chili sauce, smilingly handing it to his wife Alisa.

"Here, Alisa, you like the refreshing sweetness of cactus flowers, so I wrapped some more..."

"Mm-hmm..."

Alisa lightly nodded and wrapped up her tortilla, handing it to Xiuluo.

"Xiuluo, you enjoy the savory softness of large ant eggs, so I added more for you..."

The couple sat shoulder to shoulder, exchanging their tortillas, exchanging a smile that contained a hint of indulgent sweetness in their eyes.

Witnessing this delightful scene, Uncle Cacamatzin's lips curled up, pouring himself a cup of fruit wine, and like eating spicy chips with chili sauce on fried grass basket worms, he "crunch-crunch" ate them.

The three of them had a simple breakfast, with Xiuluo gently wiping Alisa's mouth. The servants cleared the meal away, replacing it with three cups of tangy hibiscus tea. Cacamatzin took two sips of hot tea, exhaled a long breath, and then smiled, speaking leisurely.

"Little Xiuluo, all these years you've been at war outside, having little time to reunite with Alisa, keeping yourself too tense!... It's time, in this bustling Capital City, to accompany your wife and children, relax and enjoy the years!"...

"...Hmm. I returned this time with this intention... it's also a chance to spend more time with you..."

Xiuluo's expression was calm, smiling and nodding. Cacamatzin observed his serene demeanor, pondered for a while, and then suddenly sighed.

"May the Chief Divine bless you! In a few years of absence, indeed, you have become more composed than before. On you, there is some air of kingship like your uncle Montezuma, and also the deep wisdom and contemplation like your father..."

"Ancestral witness! Aweit, brave and decisive, like a blazing flame. And you, calm and wise, akin to the profound sea. Little Xiu Hua, still a child's heart, yet precociously wise, akin to early-bloom Divine Wood Flower. As long as he is well taught, he will never be mistaken for the ordinary..."

"Oh ancestors of the Divine Kingdom! How fortunate is the Mexican Royal Family! To have unveiled three generations of wise rulers, three radiant Suns, within a mere decade!..."

Cacamatzin spoke from the heart, marveling with admiration. Then, he gazed into Xiulote's eyes, sincerely urging in a solemn voice.

"But sometimes, having too many Suns is a misfortune within great fortune... Little Xiulote, I have heard about the matter of Aweit letting you worship two Suns in the Divine King's Palace... You understand the implications, no need for me to elaborate... I merely wish to advise you to patiently wait a bit, and peacefully enjoy a few years of leisure..."

"I have lived to seventy, ever since the inception of the Three States Alliance, following in the footsteps of my uncle and father who paved the way, and walked to this day... I have witnessed firsthand the sudden decline of the Lake Region's former dominant force, the Two Hundred-Year Tepanec Alliance. Yet in just over a decade, the Three States Alliance rose vigorously, rapidly expanding to completely replace the former ruler!..."

"Chief Divine's protection! Our predecessors spared no effort, joining forces to establish States, founding the Three States Alliance, worshiping the Supreme Chief Divine, conquering others, tirelessly managing the Lake Region... Thus, we have the flourishing foundation of the Mexica, thus we have today's flight of the Mexica Divine Eagle!..."

Cacamatzin recalled past events from decades ago, his gaze gradually deepening. He spoke softly, reiterating the words of father elders, and simultaneously reaching out his aging hand to grasp Xiulote's hand.

"Little Xiulote, my child... you know in the former Lake Region, how powerful the Tepanec Alliance was, and how weak our Mexica were?... An alliance's rapid growth and prosperity could be so sudden. And why could a powerful ruler's decline occur in just over ten years?..."

"Regarding this question, I once asked my father. He told me solemnly: the demise of the Tepanec people lay in the royal family's internal conflicts and civil war, the States splitting into factions, ultimately leading to independence and insubordination!... If the alliance's royal center is divided and in civil war, without suppressing the power of the local States, then even the strongest alliance will collapse within a generation!"

"And our Mexica, who have come this far, rely on a unified royal family, the unity of various royal branches! Even if the Divine Tree has different branches, they strive together, growing upwards! But if one day, the Mexican Royal Family splits, the royal Divine Tree becomes two segments, then it shall perish and be annihilated!"

Hearing Cacamatzin uncle's aged and vigorous voice, feeling the elderly hand with wrinkles, Xiulote pressed his lips tightly, remaining silent. He grasped the meaning in uncle's words, even thought of much more. He knew that the downfall of the future powerful Aztec Alliance was due to the internal strife and conflict between the Asar Lineage and the Aweit lineage, escalating to an irreconcilable state, ultimately providing an opening for the Spanish colonizers!

As a King of the Asar Lineage, Montezuma II succeeded the throne, failing in his campaign against the Tlaxcalans. He lacked the martial prowess to suppress alliance States, even in the stalemate with the Aweit lineage, he could hardly deploy many royal warriors from the Lake Region. In such a deadlock, when the "Divine Envoy of the Feathered Serpent" appeared on the Eastern Sea, he decided to bring in the fair-skinned "Divine Envoy" and Tlaxcalans into the Capital City to suppress other royal branches and States with "Divine Authority"...

And the final result of such actions was the outbreak and rampant spread of smallpox in the Capital City, leading to the all-out civil war and destruction within the alliance! Ultimately, Spanish colonizers, assuming the role of mediators among various tribes, replaced the Mexican Royal Family's alliance leader, initiating the era of great plague and colonial destruction of Central American civilization!...

Reflecting on the bloodstained historical conclusion, Xiulote gritted his teeth fiercely. His emotions churned, unable to speak, unable to maintain the serene expression on his face any longer.

If he had not returned to the Capital City and had indeed engaged in civil war with Aweit, then the Mexica Alliance's momentum sweeping across the world would crumble instantly, and the alliance's centralization would have been in vain! Two hundred thousand alliance and Kingdom's warriors fighting for power, representing different factional interests, in such a brutal civil war aftermath, the Mexica's heavenly destin faith would unravel at the roots, making it extremely difficult to rebuild consensus and recognition...

And regardless of who among Aweit and him ultimately prevailed, it would be nearly impossible to have enough time and strength to achieve unification, reform the alliance, and centralize the royal family! Let alone establish a unified faith, unite a single nation, and complete global cultural unification!... If welcomed amidst a fractured City-State alliance with decades of Western colonizers and feared death plagues, how better would the final outcome be compared to history?...

Seeing Xiulote's heavy expression, Cacamatzin extended another hand. He comfortingly patted Xiulote's shoulder, sighing with admiration.

"Little Xiulote, my dear child! Ancestors tell us, even the toughest tribe Divine Stone, as long as there's a crack, the Divinity and ancestors' divinity will disperse, unable to protect the tribe anymore!... And once divinity disperses, it will surely be gained by other tribes, thereby shifting the rise and fall, the world will change once again!"

"The blessing of the Divines, like the storm of the rainy season! For the Divine Eagle to rise with the wind, it must have wings spread side by side, it must follow the great force of the wind!"

"Chief Divine's blessing! Now the Mexican Royal Family, that pair of wings is Aweit and you! And the present Mexica Alliance is riding the storm of the rainy season, sweeping across the land with the momentum to unify the various tribes! This is the time the Divine is blessing us, and how can we miss the opportunity?"

"Seventy years! Seventy years have passed, and the Mexican Royal Family has barely achieved today's prosperity! All tribes have already been conquered, only the southern tribes of Cloud People remain, this truly is not easy! As a child dreaming, I never imagined today! On the ancestors' Divine Tree, our ancestors must be smiling in relief!"

Reaching this point, Cacamatzin uncle felt regretful and also unexpectedly had some moist eyes. He took a deep breath and slightly bowed his head toward Xiulote.

"Little Xiulote, my dear child! I understand the grievances you've suffered. Aweit, indeed, has wronged you, wronged Xutel in the Divine Kingdom!"

"But how can the royal eagle's wings move in opposite directions? How can the royal Divine Stone split into two halves? You both must still shoulder together, to fly in the sky!"

"Xiulote, in the presence of the Chief Divine and ancestors! I, Cacamatzin, on behalf of the Mexican Royal Family, apologize to you on Aweit's behalf!... You can rest assured to stay here, stay in the Capital City!"

"As long as these old bones of mine remain another day, as long as the royal elders are alive... you will never encounter any danger in the Capital City! And the alliance's world power will eventually pass to you and Xiu Hua!"