Chapter 631: The Second National Exploration, the "Evil" Preaching Priest

The weather at the seaside is constantly changing. Just now it was cloudy and rainy, and now it's sunny again. A beam of golden sunlight fell on the white stone temple through the scattered clouds, like a blessing from the sun god. On the walls of the temple, the relief of the snake god shines with golden light, lifelike, as if swimming, showing wonder.

When the Totonak people in the city walk past the edge of the temple, they will bow their heads devoutly and salute to the majestic temple. Under the temple of the pyramid, the prosperous market is bustling with stalls and bamboo sheds selling goods. Shouts of various accents came one after another, and foreign merchants wearing various costumes came and went in this huge city-state market, at least thousands of people!

"Hey! It's such a big city!"

Chihuaco climbed to the shore and looked at the scene in the city. He opened his eyes wide and was a little surprised. Such prosperity reminded him of the kingdom's Qincongcan capital. However, the buildings and murals of this city-state were engraved with many gods that he had never seen before, which made him a little wary even as he marveled.

"There are many carvings of gods, and the feeling is different from that of the Feathered Serpent City. There is a big snake over there, and here is a snake nest."

Tikalo smiled and nodded, looking at the familiar scenery, recalling the trade here many times in the past, and answered leisurely.

"Haha! Captain Qi is really keen. Hidden Snake City is famous for its snakes, worships many snake gods, and also has the tradition of raising snake pets. Here not only believes in Quetzalkoatl, the feathered serpent god, but also believes in us corn people. Itzamana, the celestial serpent sun god, Kukulkan, the Quetzalcoatl god of the northern Maya."

"Huh? Isn't your Quetzalcoatl different from the Quetzalcoatl in the coastal tribes?"

Hearing this, Chihuaco was slightly startled, a little strange.

"Tikallo, when you prayed in the past, did you pray for the 'Kecharcoatl' or the 'Kukulkan'?"

"This is it"

Ti Carlo raised the corners of his mouth, suddenly remembering the oath of allegiance he swore in front of His Highness a long time ago. He suddenly smiled happily and preached proudly.

"No! The main god of our family is actually the Serpent God, Itsumna. Only by swearing to Him can we not break it!"

"Snake God"

The old militiaman scratched his head, feeling a little confused. He had never heard of these Mayan gods before. Ti Carlo changed the subject and spoke confidently.

"Captain Qi, let me tell you, the world is very vast, and Hidden Snake City is the real part of the world! The tribes of the Mexican Plateau and the Mayan lowlands meet here, exchanging knowledge of the two worlds and exchanging knowledge of the two worlds. Specialties of the two regions. And we, the wandering Mayan traders, are the messengers who communicate between the East and the West under the guidance of the snake god."

Speaking of this, Ti Carlo sighed. He looked to the northeast, where there was the former glory of the family, as well as the ancestral land of the ancestors and gods. But now, Tikalo lowered his eyes for a moment, suppressed the emotions in his heart, and turned his head to look south.

"Eight hundred miles to the southwest is the Oaxaca Valley of the Zapotec people, which is also connected by waterways. And to the southeast are the various tribes of the Mayan highlands. Merchants from various tribes will trade here and exchange what they have. ! Dear two captains, respected priests, there is huge wealth flowing here, and there are also artifacts from ancient times. Let’s enter the city now!”

The fleet of boats in the lake docked at the shore, and there were seven long boats, and forty or fifty people came aboard at once. The warriors and sailors were all armed with weapons, bags bulging around their waists, and gems in their arms. The exploration fleet needs supplies and purchases of goods. The captains and sailors of each ship also want to buy something for themselves, um, use the fleet's gems.

Everyone was gearing up and preparing for a big fight. Chihuaco was wearing a straw hat, a short coat, and a short spear for self-defense. He was very simple. At first glance, he looks like a militiaman.

The group of people entered the city gate guarded by Totonac warriors and did not attract much attention. They only paid the fee for foreign merchants to enter the city and a bag of cocoa beans. Then, they merged into the crowd of people coming and going, like hundreds of businessmen from various ministries, merged into the torrent of wealth!

People were coming and going, walking on the wide dirt road and heading straight into the market in the center. Soon, under the guidance of Ti Carlo, everyone arrived at the square market under the temple pyramid without taking any detours. The noisy atmosphere suddenly hit us, bringing with it the shouts of thousands of people, making people's ears ring for a while.

Chihuaco opened his old eyes wide, touched his straw hat, looked at the prosperity in front of him, and admired from the bottom of his heart.

"Those who sell venison, turkeys, meat beetles, pumpkins, beans, cornmeal, and pottery, stone tools, and straw clothes. The faces of the villagers here are full of energy. It’s a good day!”

".Well."

Hearing this, Ti Carlo's mouth twitched. He looked around. Everyone else was looking for strange and strange artifacts. Only old man Qi looked at these earthen objects without oil and water. It was really...

"You're really ignorant!"

Tikalo cursed secretly, while his eyes scanned several locations in the market. Then, the corners of his mouth raised, and he was confident.

"Haha! The villagers are living a good life, and they don't get it by selling local products. That's because the legends about the sacred objects here have attracted countless foreign businessmen here!"

The Mayan merchant smiled and pointed to the market.

"Look, ancient relics are buried on this land, leaving countless remnants. The stalls on the ground, these local villagers, will sell some ancient relics dug out of the ground. It's just that sacred objects are rare. If you want to find a true divine object among these many ancient relics, you have to rely on the blessing of the gods!”

Then, Ticarlo smiled faintly and proposed again.

"Hidden Snake City is a sacred commercial city-state. Fighting is strictly prohibited in the city. There are warriors patrolling, which is very safe. Why don't we disperse and seek our own destiny!"

"Okay, may the Lord God bless you! Old man Qi, let's separate and see who has better luck!"

Pu'apu couldn't wait, rubbed his hands, and looked at the old militiaman expectantly. The old militiaman looked at Pu'apu, then at the excited crowd, and nodded helplessly.

"Okay! This afternoon, we will go shopping in the market separately. Don't forget the supplies of your ships, and don't show off your wealth and spend too many gems. This place is far away from the kingdom and the alliance, so stay alert. For the safety of the fleet, no matter what, we can't stay in a city-state for too long!"

"Well, you must return to the ship before the moon comes out. We will sail into the estuary at the latest tomorrow afternoon. If you miss the time, the fleet will not wait!"

Hearing this, everyone's face was solemn and they nodded in obedience. Ticarlo's eyelids jumped, and he was anxious.

"Only one afternoon apart? Leaving tomorrow? No, I have to hurry."

Soon, the fleet dispersed and went to various places in the market. Puapu reached out and touched the bag of gems in his arms, with a confident smile on his face. Then, he perked up, widened his eyes, and went to hundreds of stalls to find the divine object that was destined to belong to him!

Mayan merchant Ticarlo strolled leisurely, with a smile on his face, looking at the familiar scenes around him. He walked slowly and gradually fell behind others, watching the actions of everyone intentionally or unintentionally.

The chief priest Tomat had a clear purpose and acted decisively. He held the sacred "Ari Sutra" and, under the protection of the main god, sharply swept the surrounding vendors. After a while, he found the target, strode over, came to a stone mirror stall, and searched carefully.

Among the piles of old stone mirrors, a palm-sized, simple and solemn black and red stone mirror engraved with divine patterns soon caught his eye. And on the edge of this stone mirror, there is also infiltrated cinnabar red and plated with gold patterns, which makes it even more extraordinary.

Tomat's eyes suddenly condensed. He pursed his lips, stared at the divine pattern of the ancient mirror for a moment, and clenched the scriptures in his hand. Then, the pious main god priest looked at the young Totonac vendor sitting on the ground with a majestic look. He pointed and asked in a deep voice.

"This, a very old style, black and red with gold patterns, a thin stone mirror, how much is it?"

The ancient Hidden Snake City is now a city-state of the Totonac people. The plateau Nahua language is also spoken here, but it has a lot of Mayan vocabulary. The kingdom's fleet can still communicate normally in the market here, even speaking and gesturing.

Hearing such a loud and powerful voice, the young vendor's heart jumped. His eyes moved slightly, and he quickly looked at the clothes of the person who came. Then, his eyes suddenly condensed, and he looked at the book in the hands of the Tomat priest, and immediately took some caution.

"Well, this priest, what do you want to exchange?"

"Gemstones. Very good gemstones."

Priest Tomat stretched out his hand and flashed the gemstone in his hand. The pure brilliance fell into the eyes of the young vendor, making his eyes light up. He swallowed his saliva involuntarily and said with a smile.

"Respected priest, your vision is sharper than an eagle! This sacred object of the second ancient city has the divinity of foreshadowing the future, and it should be obtained by you."

Priest Tomat had a blank expression and interrupted the young vendor.

"How much?"

". Only ten gemstones like the one in your hand. This mirror that can be passed down to future generations, protect the family, and be blessed by fate will belong to you!"

Priest Tomat shook his head and said firmly. He stared into the eyes of the young vendor and said in a deep voice with the majestic tone unique to the priests in the lake.

"A gem!"

"Uh, respected priest, this is a rare divine object! It is a fateful meeting to meet you."

"A gem!"

"Ah, at least seven gems are needed. Priest, think about it, you have such a divine object, in the eyes of other priests, you are a person blessed by God, then..."

"A gem!"

".No! Gems have a price, but divine objects are priceless. I sell the divine object under the guidance of the gods, and I have to find a divine owner for it. The divine object cannot be covered in dust, and I have to lower my price by at least five gems!"

Hearing this, the eyes of Priest Tomat were already filled with anger. He pressed the surface of the scripture, and his momentum was as majestic as that of a god. He stared at the young peddler in front of him, his eyes as sharp as a knife, giving him great oppression. His voice was decisive, like thunder.

"A gem! The Lord God has given me a revelation. Although this mirror is old, it has no divinity! Because the Lord God said: All the divinity in the world can only be bestowed by the Supreme God!"

". This. Priest, you are right!"

Sweat gradually broke out on the forehead of the young vendor. He glanced at the copper axe on the priest's waist, fearing that the other party would draw his weapon and chop him to death on the spot. If the priests respected by various tribes killed people in the name of God, even if it was a commercial city-state that protected merchants, they would not blame too much.

"But I have an old mother and a young child at home. I rely on selling some things to buy them some cornmeal and eggs. At least two gems!"

"Hmm"

The Tomat priest lowered his eyes, pondered for a while, and recited in a low voice.

"The Lord is watching us, giving light to those who are lost! Say with me: Praise the Lord Huitzilopochtli! He rules over everything and is omnipotent!"

"Ah?"

The young vendor was stunned for a while, speechless, and stammered.

"Uh, praise the Lord 'Feiqi Luobo Qitli'! He rules over everything and is omnipotent!"

"Praise the Lord! He gave me gems!"

The vendor's eyes lit up instantly, and then he prayed seriously, and hope rose in his heart.

"Praise the Lord! He gave me gems!"

"Very good!"

The Tomat priest nodded with satisfaction. He took out three gems from his arms and handed them to the vendor,

"Ah! Three? Thank you, priest!"

The young vendor was overjoyed, and hurriedly put the gems into his arms. Then, he picked up the ancient stone mirror and handed it to the strange priest in front of him respectfully.

"Sir, your divine mirror."

"No, this is just an ordinary mirror, without divinity, but with very ancient divine patterns."

Priest Tomat shook his head and looked at the vendor with bright eyes.

"And these gems are not given to you by me, but by the Lord God!"

".Uh."

"Say, praise the Lord God! He gave me gems and led me to leave the dark path and gradually walk into the light!"

"Ah?. The dark path?"

Hearing this, beads of sweat appeared on the forehead of the young vendor again. He hesitated for a long time, and for some reason, he actually repeated the prayer in a low voice with the priest.

"Praise the Lord God! He gave me gems and led me to leave the dark path and gradually walk into the light!"

"Very good! My child, the merciful Lord God is watching you and leading you! What's your name?"

Priest Tomat nodded with satisfaction, stretched out his hand, and touched the young vendor's hair kindly.

At this moment, the young vendor seemed to be in a state of immobilization, inexplicably stagnating in place, without any evasion. He raised his head, looked at the gentle eyes of the priest in front of him, listened to the gentle voice of the other party, as if he really felt the warmth of the Lord God.

"I, my name is. Stone Rat, a mouse born in a stone, without parents."

Hearing this, Priest Tomat raised his eyebrows, looked at the stone rat meaningfully, and shook his head.

"You have no parents, but you have the blessing of the Lord God! The Lord God is the sun in the sky, bringing light to all living beings, no matter what their origins are, as long as they convert to the right path! My child, from now on, your name will not be Stone Rat, but Day Rat. The Lord God gives you light, even if you are in the abyss, you will see the hope of salvation!"

The stone rat was in a trance for a moment, inexplicably, and changed his name.

".Yes. My name is Day Rat. Praise the Lord God! Even if I am in the abyss, I will see hope!"

"Very good! Day Rat, my child, we will meet again!"

Priest Tomat smiled kindly, picked up the magic mirror, rubbed Day Rat's hair again, and turned away. A few steps away, Ticarlo opened his mouth wide, watching all this, and his jaw almost dropped.

"This preaching priest of the Lord God is really weird!"