Aztec Eternals

It was near dusk, the waves reflected the red sun, and the capital city in the lake shone in the sun, like a magnificent painting of the Lord God. The expansion of the Great Temple Pyramid is coming to an end, and the 60- to 70-meter-high tower is getting taller and taller, like the throne of the gods in the world.

Gilliam wore a plain robe and a dark cloak, and led a few guards, all the way to the palace. Although he has become a "female snake" and is the most important advisor to the king in the alliance, he still lives a simple life with a low-key style.

Having been engaged in intelligence work for many years, he has long been used to keeping his personal presence to a minimum at all times. At this moment, he was walking on the bustling streets of the capital, stepping on the shadow of dusk, as if walking in an open field. No one noticed his existence, let alone recognized his identity.

The chief intelligence officer walked through the prosperous market, silently sizing up the businessmen passing by, observing the costumes, expressions and movements of each other. The New Year celebrations in mid-January have long since ended, and the envoys from various states have returned, but businessmen from all parts of the world are still staying in the capital.

With the prosperity of the Mexica Alliance, the wealth of the world has gathered. The great aristocrats had enough financial resources to squander, which gave birth to prosperous commerce. The Alliance itself produced a large amount of obsidian, gold and silver, salt, grain, cotton cloth and spices, while the Quartet tribes paid tribute to furs, tobacco, feathers, shells, rouge, jade, gold and silver ornaments.

Copper materials from the Western Kingdom and the Wetamo Mountains are monopolized by the central alliance and are given priority to military production. Only businessmen with an official background can trade in a small amount and make huge profits. The fireworks in the craftsman camp continued day and night, and a large amount of copper and tin were forged into sharp copper spears, armor-piercing copper arrows, and strong bronze cloth face armor.

With the popularity of bronze weapons, the control of obsidian was gradually relaxed. The obsidian produced by the alliance has become a valuable commodity that merchants from various states will definitely buy. For the needs of the blood sacrifice, all the ministries in the world fight every day. Even the distant Zapotec people are conquering the Mayan tribes in the eastern rainforest every year. In the world of Central America, obsidian, which can be used as a weapon and has religious significance, is as hard currency as cocoa beans.

"Why are there so many gemstones in the Western Lake Kingdom?"

The chief intelligence officer cast a scrutinizing gaze on Prepeca's gem shop.

In just a few moments, a huge amount of gem trade has been completed. A Mayan businessman with a slender head took out tens of thousands of catties of grain and hundreds of rolls of cloth, and exchanged two bamboo baskets for various gemstones. The businessmen on both sides were all smiling, and the tax collector who was witnessing by the side was also beaming.

The quantity of gemstones produced in the Kingdom of the Lake is too large, and the quality is exceptionally stable, even causing the price of gemstones in the entire world to drop by several percent. Now, the only ones who can buy gemstones in large quantities are the Mayan merchants who master the coastal trade.

The intelligence officer knew that Mayan traders bought high-quality Prepecha gemstones in large quantities, and instead of selling them locally, they shipped them east to the coast. They went out to sea on Mayan galleys, traded with countless island tribes in the sea, and used Prepecha gems to buy cheap tobacco, spices, cotton cloth and food, and even gained up to ten times the profit!

At this moment, the gemstones of Prepeca may have spread to the end of the world, becoming the third expensive hard currency after cocoa and obsidian.

"Many secret guards have been searching the kingdom for several years, but have not found any traces of gemstone mines. All the clues point to the special trade bureau of the kingdom's divine revelation."

The chief intelligence officer looked at the gem shop and fell silent. He already had an astonishing guess in his mind. It's just that in the political situation of the kingdom at this time, it is meaningless to say this guess.

Most of the gem shops in Prepeca are run by official merchants of the Kingdom of the Lake, who steadily sell a large amount of gems in the states of the alliance in exchange for the daily supplies needed by the kingdom, especially food and cloth. Then, these daily supplies will be boarded at the port in the north of the capital, and will be transported to the west by the Royal Navy.

The alliance established the country by farming and fighting, and the control of military supplies and food and cloth has always been very strict. After the reform of the teaching law, it is even more strictly forbidden to flow out of war preparations. However, the Kingdom of the Lake is different after all. It has an extremely close relationship with the alliance and has always been treated preferentially. His Royal Highness Shulot entrusted foreign countries, the king and the high priest took good care of them and provided various supports year after year.

In fact, without the continuous blood transfusion from the Mexica Alliance, it would be impossible for the Kingdom of the Lake to restore production order so quickly, let alone raise troops to fight abroad.

In addition to material support such as food, cloth, and tin mines, King Avit even generously promulgated a decree allowing the Kingdom of the Lake to send manpower to recruit poor Mexica farmers and urban residents in the densely populated Texcoco Lake District. Reclamation in the Western Lake District. The high priest also ordered the village priests in various places to cooperate and complete a certain number of relocations every year.

Thinking of this, Gilliam lowered his eyes slightly. According to the information he has, just last year alone, more than 10,000 people migrated from the Texcoco Lake District to the Western Kingdom. The holy city of Teotihuacan had the largest migration population, almost 2,000 people.

"The king's trust in His Royal Highness is really better than that of his own children."

The chief intelligence officer thought for a moment, then smiled bitterly. Then, he stared at the chubby tax collector holding an abacus in the market. With the alliance strictly prohibiting smuggling, local governments are prohibited from setting up cards to collect taxes privately, protecting the safety of merchants, standardizing commodity prices, and unifying weights and measures. After a series of commercial law reforms were implemented, commercial taxes in the Texcoco Lake District increased rapidly. The business tax that the alliance obtains every year is enough to support two 8,000-man legions.

The position of tax collector is controlled by the priesthood and the royal family, and it has now become a well-known "fat position" in the alliance. After obtaining this position, the children of the great nobles will become visibly fatter.

"The position of tax collector can be used to appease the great nobles who are dissatisfied with the centralization of power. Most of the children of the great nobles who occupy this position will gradually wear out like obsidian weapons and lose their fighting spirit."

Gilliam smiled slightly, which caught the attention of the chubby tax collector.

The tax collector watched carefully for a moment, then suddenly his whole body trembled and his face turned ashen. The other party turned out to be the "female snake" who executed the most alliance nobles in the whole world! According to rumors among the nobles, the female snake not only holds the supervisory inspector warriors, but also the secret detective warriors. Not long ago, several of the tax collectors of the alliance were ruthlessly executed for accepting bribes and acquiescing to foreign businessmen's military trade.

Thinking of this, the tax collector immediately bowed his waist and walked this way in small steps. Gilliam glanced indifferently, waved his hand, and left silently again.

The chief intelligence officer continued on, past the community shrine. The sound of singing in the evening came from the shrine, and the rosin of praying gods filled the air. Outside the shrine, hundreds of people knelt on the ground, and under the guidance of the priest, prayed devoutly in the direction of the great temple.

"Praise the Lord God! He gives us food, He protects our souls. He protects us in the dark and promises a better tomorrow!"

Seeing this scene, Gilliam frowned slightly and quickened his pace. Although he is proficient in theology, he doesn't have much awe of the gods.

Over the years, the religious reformation has deepened day by day, and the glory of the Lord God has been rooted in the hearts of all people in the Lake District. In the entire city of the lake, the belief in polytheism has been transformed into the supreme monotheism. The image of the main god is gradually changing and abstract, from the cruel and bloody hummingbird war god to the majestic and benevolent almighty main god.

Gilliam could feel that with the strengthening of monotheistic beliefs, the completeness of religious theories, the complexity of prayer ceremonies, the perfect religion of the afterlife world has become more powerful in controlling people's hearts, and the power of priests is rapidly expanding, and their influence is also increasing. enhanced. In the states outside the Texcoco Lake District, there are devout believers who come hundreds of miles away to pay regular visits.

"The prayers of the priests are getting louder and their words are getting stronger, and they are gradually suppressing the great nobles all over the lake area. This is not a bad thing for the centralization of the royal family. But the high priest's high status, the lake of His Highness Shulot The Middle Kingdom, the sum of the two. Once the immortal sun is gone, how will the king maintain balance and sit firmly on the throne?"

Thinking of this, the Chief Intelligence Officer was worried. The powerful theocracy in the hands of the high priest is a hidden danger in the alliance that worries him even more than the kingdom in the lake seven hundred miles away. The elder has heard the call of the Lord God, and will not stay in the world for too long. Without him to suppress everything, once the great nobles who are dissatisfied with centralization collude with theocracy, I am afraid.

Gilliam raised his head, and the large temple more than 60 meters high cast a huge shadow, covering the central temple area, as well as the tiny mortals. Under the great temple, more than a thousand believers from various states are shedding tears, lying down under the majestic shadow, praying to this shocking spectacle, and singing the glory of the Lord God!

The chief intelligence officer watched in silence for a moment, then shook his head imperceptibly. Then he turned around and headed for King Avit's palace.

There, King Avet, who has experienced blood and fire and controlled power, sits on the throne and has been waiting for a long time. The king's eyes are as calm and deep as Lake Texcoco, and looking towards the east like a burning red sun.