The night was deep, and the veil-like darkness shrouded Lake Texcoco, and raging bonfires were lit all over the capital. The fire in the palace is bright, and the servants come and go. Cheerful singing and laughter fluttered in the rose garden, and the king's hall was still quiet and solemn.

Avit sat on the throne, holding a pen and paper in his hand, handling the government affairs of the alliance. His expression is indifferent, and as soon as he draws a pen, he decides the life and death of others. After a while, he put down the quill in his hand and looked at the dark sky outside the hall.

"It's so late..."

Avit frowned slightly, he was really hungry after being so busy. He gave instructions to the guards in the hall.

"Go and see what Alyssa is doing and if she has eaten."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The guard left in a hurry. Arvette stretched out his hand and rubbed the space between his brows. A few months later, the alliance will make a large-scale eastward expedition. A large amount of food and military supplies will be ready to be transferred now, and nobles and warriors from all over the country will also start to mobilize. The Eastern Expedition is a major military and national event, and it takes several years of accumulation to fight, so it has to be carefully planned.

After a while, the guard hurried back and reported respectfully.

"Your Majesty, the princess and her highness are in the garden, eating grilled fish and singing. The princess and her highness are both in high spirits. There are musicians playing bamboo flutes and Tao Xun in the field. The servants also prepared a lot of fruits and snacks... .”

Hearing this, Avit raised his brows. he asked in a deep voice.

"Didn't Alyssa invite me over for dinner?"

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty."

The guard bowed his head deeply, a little nervous.

"The princess is in a good mood, and she is having a good time playing around. Maybe, maybe, maybe... I forgot. I'll go ask..."

Avit thought for a while with a sullen face, then waved his hand.

"That's all! Prepare some water, wine and food for me, and eat in the hall!"

"Obey!"

The guard left quickly. Avit sat on the throne, looking in the direction of the garden outside the palace. After a while, he sighed softly and shook his head.

"My daughter is grown up, I really can't keep it..."

Afterwards, the king of the alliance continued to look down at the documents, feeling inexplicably agitated and helpless. He stood up and paced around the splendid hall like a **** in a mural. Standing high above, ruling over everything, but alone, with no one to share with.

After a while, the exquisite meals were brought into the hall and lined up on the table. Grilled fish, fragrant venison, sandwiched turkey eggs, black bean puree with honey, and light tortillas.

Avit looked at these meals and suddenly lost his appetite. He pondered for a while, and said in a deep voice to the guards.

"Prepare a portion of the same food for Alyssa and send it to the garden. Also tell her that the night wind is cooler, so don't stay too late..."

"...obey!"

The guards saluted respectfully and exited the hall. He ran back and forth, sweating all over his body. A gust of evening wind blew, and he let out a long and comfortable breath. The wind in early summer is just warm, how can there be any coolness?

The king in the hall was alone, looking up at the murals on the ceiling. Until the wooden door of the main hall suddenly opened, a figure in black robe walked in silently.

"Kings!"

"Gilliam, you're back."

Avette glanced lightly and nodded slightly. He pointed to the food on the desk and said calmly.

"I don't have much appetite by myself, eat some food and drink some wine with me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gilliam nodded solemnly. When he came to the table, he sat down dignifiedly. Avit returned to the top and sat cross-legged relaxedly.

"Come, have a drink!"

Avit casually drank a glass of tequila and asked in a deep voice.

"How about it?"

"Your Majesty, I have personally reviewed His Royal Highness Xiulot's congratulatory gift, chatted with some of the imperial guards, and asked for some public information."

Gilliam replied calmly. A large part of the Imperial Guards are warriors from the Mexica Alliance, who have a close relationship with the central government of the royal family and are inextricably linked.

"His Royal Highness Xiulot's congratulatory gifts are quite expensive, there are hundreds of thousands of boxes... Among them are 36 Rain God Tiger Crouching Cannons and 4 Sun Condor Eagle Cannons. It is about half of the Kingdom's existing artillery."

"Half of the artillery. Well, not bad!"

Avit nodded in satisfaction. Then, with great interest, he asked in a deep voice.

"Rain God Tiger Crouching Cannon, Sun Condor Cannon?"

"Yes. The Rain God Tiger Squat Cannon is a small bronze cannon for field battles, and the Sun Condor Cannon is a large bronze cannon that can attack cities. Both are far more powerful than wooden cannons."

Gilliam recalled the cannon he touched with his own hands, his expression moved slightly, and his heart fluctuated.

"Your Majesty, I asked the craftsmen of the Foundry Bureau. These two bronze weapons are quite large and difficult to make. Especially the Sun Condor cannon is the most difficult, and the master craftsmen of the Alliance are not sure... It needs to be obtained from the Kingdom of the Lake. Recruit masters to come, or you can ask for it in the congratulatory gift..."

"Um?"

Avit's face darkened, showing displeasure.

"This is Alyssa's marriage!"

Gilliam understood immediately. He bowed his head respectfully, and immediately changed his words.

"Cannon casting technology is of great importance, and it can greatly benefit the alliance's campaign. Maybe it can be requested in the autumn harvest tribute, and the high priest and deputy army commander can convey it on its behalf."

"Um."

Avit thought for a while, then nodded in agreement.

"Sholot is in short supply. Take five thousand young and strong men and women, and exchange them for the cannon-casting craftsmen of a few kingdoms!"

"Yes. At your will."

Gilliam saluted solemnly. Then, he pondered for a few breaths and made another suggestion.

"Your Majesty, the kingdom's navy has newly launched a huge galley warship, which is much better than canoes in water warfare. The alliance navy also needs the manufacturing technology of this kind of warship..."

"Can."

Avet thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"You can figure it out! Give the Lake Kingdom some compensation and send a batch of grain over there."

"Follow you!"

Gilliam saluted. Then, he looked up again.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest information, it can be deduced that the gemstones of the Kingdom of the Lake are produced in large quantities by a certain method, without the need for a large amount of manpower to mine..."

"Huh? Mass production?"

Avit was startled, a little surprised.

"You mean, such a hard and gorgeous jewel of the lake..."

"Exactly."

Gilliam nodded affirmatively.

"There is a 90% chance that the gem in the lake is some kind of man-made creation."

"It's so!"

Avit was really surprised. He has seen many gems in the lake, and there are many in the treasury. He once praised the stable quality of these gemstones. Now it seems that, as the chief intelligence officer said...

"The power of divine enlightenment is so..."

"Your Majesty, the technology of these jewels..."

Gilliam's eyes flashed. He has the business intelligence of the alliance and knows what kind of huge profits this gem in the lake is.

Avit was silent. He lowered his eyes, thought for a long time, and finally shook his head.

"Forget it! The gems in the lake have nothing to do with the legion's battle, they are just some property. Since it was invented by Shulot, let him continue to sell it!"

"Kings..."

Gilliam pursed his lips. He knows the number of legions in the Kingdom of the Lake. Without the gem trade as an important source of wealth, it would be extremely difficult to maintain an army of this size with the background of the Lake Kingdom. Thinking of this, he saluted respectfully and spoke again.

"Is it possible to impose a luxury trade tax on the gems in the lake? Previously, due to the support of the kingdom, the business tax on these gems has always been very low."

"Increase business tax..."

Avit was a little moved. He pondered for a moment, looked in the direction of the garden, and said quietly.

"Go and tell Shulot, after you get married, hand over the kingdom's gem trade to Alyssa. If he doesn't agree, the alliance will levy additional business taxes."

"...yes."

Gilliam saluted again, the disappointment in his heart flashed. The kingdom is located in the west of the world, and lucrative business must go through the alliance. As long as he has the right to tax, he can find ways to control the gem trade. And if the gem trade is in the hands of the alliance, the alliance will be able to support at least one more legion, while the kingdom will have one less legion. The difference between them is huge.

"Gilliam, is Alyssa's dowry ready?"

A faint voice came, with an undeniable will.

"My daughter, you can't be wronged in the slightest."

"Yes, Your Majesty, everything is ready."

Gilliam's expression remained unchanged, and he answered solemnly.

"Jade, precious stones, gold and silver, feathers, clothing, painted pottery... all of them are doubled in the kingdom's gifts."

"Five hundred hectares of Chinanampa fief, ten thousand direct subordinates, five hundred family warriors, are you ready?"

Hearing the question, Gilliam's heart ached. With a calm face, he bowed to the ground and saluted. After serving the king for so many years, he knew the king's likes and dislikes very well. Nothing can be said about the princess' dowry.

"Your Majesty, the 500 hectares of the royal family Chinampa can support 10,000 people in the Lake District. The princess's fief is on the west side of the Texcoco Lake District, which is divided from the confiscated Tlacopan noble territory. Five hundred families The samurai are all senior and elite, and there are thousands of servants accompanying them. In addition, in the palace area of ​​the royal capital, there is also a gorgeous prince's mansion, which is the residence of the princess in the royal capital. That mansion is far away from the king The palace is not far away."

"Hmm. Not bad, very good!"

Hearing that everything was arranged properly, Avit was quite satisfied, and the restlessness in his heart disappeared a lot. He smiled heartily and raised his glass.

"Come on, my female snake advisor, you have worked hard all the way, drink this cup with me!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The two toasted and drank heavily, and with the bonfire in the main hall, there was finally a little more freshness in the solemnity.

The night passed quickly. On the second day, Shulot woke up alone in the king's palace, the sky was bright outside the window, and the birds were singing. He turned his head to look, and there was no one beside the soft cloth bed. Alyssa is not yet married to him, so naturally she cannot sleep with him.

Xiulot smiled, reminiscing about the joy of yesterday's date. He couldn't help but upturned the corners of his mouth, and licked his lips lightly, as if he could still taste the tenderness and warmth of the girl. After a while, the young man packed his clothes with a smile and went to say goodbye to the king.

Avit got up very early, had already had breakfast, and was sitting in the hall correcting documents. He glanced at Shulot faintly, nodded, and gave some instructions. Xiulot bowed and said goodbye to his teacher and father-in-law.

Outside the main hall, a princess's maid was holding a cloak and waiting respectfully. After one night, Alyssa recovered from the joy of reunion. Thinking of yesterday's date, she was a little shy and didn't show up. She just asked the maid to give Xiulot a delicate cloak.

Shulot smiled knowingly and put on his cloak. In Mexica culture, the cloak has a special meaning. In the sacred wedding, the cloak is also an important symbol. Next, he will go to the Great Temple, pray to the main god, and then formally visit the high priest.

There is always solemnity and awe in the temple area. The temple guards with sticks stand guard among the temple complexes, standing like sculptures. The priests of all levels came and went wearing different robes, holding scriptures and documents. While everyone was saluting and greeting, Xiulot slowly climbed up to the Great Pyramid Temple with a height of 60 to 70 meters, and the entire capital city was under his feet.

Shulot changed into the costume of a high priest and stood in front of the sculptures of hummingbirds and the sun. He respectfully lit the incense and offered devout prayers to the supreme Lord God. On both sides are a row of high priests, chanting loudly at the same time, welcoming the arrival of the patriarch of the diocese in the lake. Afterwards, a third-level priest respectfully guided Shulot to the priest's hall behind the Great Temple.

The priest's hall is resplendent and solemn. A large piece of cloth curtain is flying with the wind, and the mythical image of the main **** is painted and engraved on it. The surrounding walls are full of murals, telling all the miracles and legends since the birth of the main god.

The gloomy incense rises slowly from the incense burner, bringing the breath of the gods to the whole hall. Seven or eight priests and elders were sitting in the hall with solemn expressions. In the middle of the main hall, there is an old man in Chinese clothes wearing an obsidian feather crown, sitting on the divine throne.

Shulot knelt down in the main hall of the temple, and bowed solemnly to the grandfather of the high priest.

"Blessed by the Lord God! Patriarch of the Diocese of the Lake, Shulot of Teotihuacan, salutes the venerable high priest! May the majestic light of the Lord God shine on you, illuminate the entire Mexica Union, and shine on thousands People!"

"Lord God bless!"

The high priest's face was like a flat lake, and he was as solemn as a god. Even when he saw his grandson whom he hadn't seen in four years, he didn't show any joy.

"Patriarch Shulot, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com You have come a long way, and you have worked hard all the way. May you spread the light of the Lord God in the parish of the wild lake. Let thousands of lost people convert to the Lord God In glory!...Pray to the Lord God!"

"Praise the Lord God! Believe in my God, Vitzilopochtli, His power is infinite, from the past to the future, controlling all existence, until the end of the day!..."

The chubby Ugel took the lead in praying with a solemn expression, and the priests and elders around him also chanted, followed by the priests standing outside the hall. Soon, the sound of holy prayers echoed in the towering temple, spreading far and wide. The priests, warriors and nobles around the temple all fell to the ground together, praying devoutly to the main god.

The sound of prayer spread far away, like a torrent of bells, echoing in half of the capital city in the lake. At this time, it was the time of morning prayer, and the community shrines all over the place responded together, and tens of thousands of people in the lake also prayed loudly. In less than a quarter of an hour, the voice of praising the Lord God spread like a tide and turned into rolling thunder!

Shulot knelt on the ground, listening to the prayers of the entire capital, his heart was full of shock. the majesty of the high priest,

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