Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1568 - 1108: The Returning Horse, Two Millennia Later

"Chief Divine! What is happening with this horse? Has it gone mad?!..."

The lower deck of the Ocean Shielding Ship is not spacious, only about fifteen steps long and four to five steps wide. And now, a small section has been partitioned off with baskets of potatoes and salted meat, serving as a makeshift stable, making it even more cramped. Three "tall" Mongolian horses are squeezed into the narrow stable, their bodies emanating a strong, pungent odor.

At this moment, the two 1.34-meter Yakut snow mares are uneasily nestled in the corner, their bodies pressed against the ship's wall. Meanwhile, in the center of the stable, the 1.56-meter Jurchen stallion is frantically rolling on the deck. Its strong hooves are kicking wildly, and it emits painful neighs, as if suffering from some unseen torment!

"Nee! Nee! Hiss! Sss!..."

Seeing this scene, Scholar Mikki immediately felt a tightness in his heart. His expression was tense, and his eyes were sharp as he looked towards the horse breeder Sukeichiro, harshly reprimanding him.

"By the Chief Divine's witness! Damn it! Ichiro, have you not been taking care of this horse properly?!..."

"Ah! Lord Shrine Priest! I have been taking care of these three horses day and night, without a single full night's sleep this past month... Look, although those two snow pony mares are a bit sluggish, they can still eat green grass, sleep, and defecate. Those piles of horse dung over there, it's all from them, all well-formed droppings! I even tried tasting them before, and it was a normal sweet stench..."

Horse breeder Sukeichiro kneeled in the stable, almost crying out in his voice. He first pointed to the two mares in the corner, touched the piled droppings, and then pointed to the white stallion in the middle, dipping his fingers into the runny dung beside the stallion, so anxious that snot and tears overflowed.

"Chief Divine's witness! Lord! Lord! It's not that I didn't take good care of it... It's this big white horse, it has a fiery temper! It doesn't like the cramped cabin, and also dislikes the rocking on the sea, it's always a bit sluggish, like an eggplant hit by frost... The horse's temper is the same as a human's, not hiding anything. I saw it stomping and kicking, and knew it was unhappy..."

"Lord! Lord ah! A person is like a donkey, enduring hardships, not happy but it's alright. Anyway, one has to work, has to live, wouldn't seek death on their own... But this horse, this horse is different! Horses have a big temper, the better the horse the bigger the temper! If they are unhappy, they really get sick!..."

"Half a month ago, the big white horse was often having diarrhea, eating less, getting thinner day by day. Only during those few days when we docked it could get off the ship, run a bit, that it became slightly spirited... And yesterday it stopped eating altogether!... Even its favorite dried beans, it wouldn't eat!... I am anxious too, massaging its belly all night, serving it more diligently than serving the warrior lords!..."

"Chief Divine, bless! Sukeichiro, tell Lord what's urgent!..."

Seeing Sukeichiro crying, babbling a stream of gibberish, the translator Watanabe hurriedly reached out. He forcefully pressed down on the other's shoulder, reprimanding in Japanese.

"Lord doesn't care about these! You know how much Lord values this horse... Sukeichiro, quickly think of something! What exactly is wrong with this Jurchen stallion, how can it be treated!!"

"Ah! This horse... its... its illness is... treat... treat..."

Upon hearing this, Sukeichiro widened his eyes, knelt on the ground, and tried hard to calm himself. Then, he quickly grabbed a piece of Jurchen stallion dung, personally tasted it, then carefully felt the stallion's rear, and finally, carefully massaged its slightly bulging belly...

"Buddha! Bodhisattva! The day before yesterday, the big white horse's feces were unformed and tasted a bit bitter. Yesterday, it didn't even defecate... This is... this is a problem with its intestines! Yes! It's the intestines!... Its intestines aren't moving, it can eat, but can't defecate! It must be this way!..."

"Oh Chief Divine! Intestinal issues are serious, and this is just starting... If the horse's intestines don't move, it'll suffer and roll around... and if it rolls and rolls, the intestines could get tangled, and the belly swells with gas... it... it will surely die!..."

"What! The intestines aren't moving? It could die?!... By the Chief Divine's witness! Ichiro, you are the horse breeder, so tell me, how to treat it?!"

"I... I say? How to treat it?... This... this can only be done by stopping the ship and landing! Yes! The horse must be brought ashore, walking slowly, massaging its belly along the way to help its intestines move... As long as the intestines move, and it farts and defecates... it will... it will survive!..."

"Stonefirm! Stonefirm!..."

"Lord Priest?"

Hearing the horse breeder's definitive answer, Scholar Mikki did not hesitate and instructed the Warrior Captain Stonefirm.

"Quickly change course to the north! Stop the ship, land immediately!... Chief Divine be praised! This stallion was specifically ordered by Your Majesty to be brought back. After so many efforts bringing it here, we must save it!"

"Understood! Chief Divine be praised!... Someone! Change course, head north to land!..."

The Ocean Shielding Ship always sailed close to the coast, only a dozen miles from land. Soon, they found a flat coast and took advantage of the evening low tide to rush directly onto the shallows. Then, Sukeichiro calmed the big horse and carefully joined the others to unload the kicking horse from the ship.

The Jurchen stallion landed, smelling the scent of earth and green grass. Its previously frenzied, bloodshot demeanor finally eased somewhat. It slightly raised its head, eyes somewhat bewildered, looking at this unfamiliar, slightly cold coastal grassland, looking at those white snow mountains not far away. This stretch of White Mountain Black Water resembled its birthplace, the scent of the grass and soil so similar.

The snow mountains at the shore stood silently and with majesty, just as they had for millennia. They watched the grassland below, observing the flower sea and tall grass of summer, and the four-legged creatures strolling in the grass. They sparkled with the glow of the setting sun, as if recalling memories from millions of years ago, recognizing this ancient, familiar yet unfamiliar creature...

This was two thousand years later, as horses originating and evolving from North America once again returned to their once extinct homeland! They have finally come back! Returned to this vast, cold, desolate yet vibrant North American continent!

And undoubtedly, this cold and expansive land nurtured the origin of ancestral horses and is truly a homeland suitable for horses. Especially for the Mongolian horse at the same latitude, here is their fertile land Longevity Heaven...

"Big White, don't hurry... walk slowly, take slow steps... keep walking, and when you break wind... it will be fine..."

The sunset fell westward; the coast shimmered with golden light, with wet green grass covered in sparkling sunset glow. Sukeichiro, partially bent over, softly whispered to the horse, gently stroking its back, leading it slowly through the emerald green grass. And besides Sukeichiro, as soon as anyone else approached, the horse immediately became agitated again. Everyone could only watch from afar, seeing man and horse walking and stopping, quietly wandering in the knee-high tall grass, almost as if forgetting time. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Chief Divine bless us! We traveled from thousands of miles away to obtain this horse, this four-legged riding beast carefully ordered by Your Majesty to be brought back... it mustn't go wrong! Chief Divine bless us!"

Scholar Mikki looked tense, devoutly praying to the Chief Divine, praying for a full hour. Perhaps his prayers had an effect, or maybe Sukeichiro really was a professional horse breeder and knew how to handle it. Before the sunset's afterglow completely faded, a joyful cheer arose from the tall grass.

"Divine Buddha bless! Heaven bless! Chief Divine bless! Yay!... Big White, you finally defecated!..."