The holy mountain of Estella is only four to five hundred meters high, and it is not so strange and steep, but the mountains are thick and majestic, just like the stone seat of the gods.

Stepping on the twilight of the morning sun, Xiulot held Alyssa's bare hand and climbed steadily along the winding path. Dozens of warriors carried weapons and wore leather armor, spreading their guard back and forth.

It takes a few quarters of an hour to travel through the mountains, and what you can see along the way is full of scenery, which is refreshing. When you look down, you can see the vast mountains and jagged boulders; when you look up, you can see the beautiful trees and blooming flowers; when you look up, the clouds are steaming up, and a simple bluestone temple appears in the clouds and trees. 100 meters.

"The ancient temple of the sun, the sacred fire inherited..."

Shulot groaned softly, and Alyssa responded with a smile.

"The mountain where the original sun sets, the stairs where the supreme **** ascends, the place where the fifty-two years of reincarnation begins..."

The two looked at each other and smiled, then clasped their hands at the same time, and sang the last sacrificial oration in unison.

"Holy Mountain Estella, witness the miracle of immortality, promise eternal promises!..."

Qingyue's chanting sound was scattered in the wind and spread far away. After a few breaths, a hearty laugh came from the Sun Temple.

"Haha! Condors fly from the sky and egrets descend from the clouds. What an auspicious day!"

A thin middle-aged priest, wearing a simple sacrificial attire and a long crown of eagle feathers, strode out of the temple. The middle-aged priest was handsome, with a warm smile on his face, and his steps were steady and powerful. After a short while, he passed through the queue of warriors, came to the two of them, and bowed his head respectfully.

"Praise the Sun God! Respected suzerain priest, honorable eldest princess, Sun Temple priest, Tonaya, I salute you!"

"Praise the Sun God! Greetings, Priest Tonaya!"

With a gentle smile, Xiulot pulled Alyssa and saluted the thin middle-aged priest together. Afterwards, Alyssa blinked and took an exquisite wooden box from the hands of the guards.

"Uncle Tonaya, Uncle Tonatiu knew I was coming, so he specially asked me to bring some gifts and some food for you."

"Um?..."

Priest Tonaya took the wooden box, opened it a little, and saw a precious jade necklace. He was slightly taken aback, and then he understood, the smile on his face became more friendly, and the address changed in his words.

"Thank you! Your Highness, Princess, the incense in the temple has been lit, and come with me to worship the holy fire together!"

"There is an officiant!"

Shulot responded with a smile, and went to the temple side by side with Alyssa. He thought about it for a while, and the main branches of priests in the capital flashed through his mind one by one.

In the Mexica Union, theocracy and kingship stand side by side, and the priesthood of the capital city in the lake is very powerful.

The traditional capital priests can be roughly divided into five main lines of priests according to the divinity of the inherited gods: the main **** of Mexica, the **** of the sun, the **** of war, the **** of rain and the **** of fire. In the group of high priests, there are a total of twelve priests and elders who are in charge of various educational affairs of the alliance. Six of the alliance elders came from the Holy City and the Lake District, while the remaining six capital elders basically came from the five main lines of priests.

The main **** is the most important clan god. The priests of the main **** line have always been honorable, and their traditional function is to educate the ethnic group, and they can actually intervene in various affairs. Kechar, the former chief priest, came from the main **** line. After Kechar's death, the main **** line gradually became marginalized. And the current successor is the youngest priest elder, Akap.

The God of War is the incarnation of the main god, responsible for killing and punishing. Most of the priests of the God of War series have undergone strict warrior training and can lead the temple guards to fight. The priest and elder of Yazar is the representative of the God of War family. The chief priest, Yao Ke, is from another branch of the God of War lineage, responsible for the prison for generations.

The **** of rain is in charge of rain and floods. After the Reformation, the priesthood of the Rain God was also merged into the Supreme Lord God, but the inheritance of the Rain God priests still exists. There are a large number of priests in the line of rain gods, who are usually responsible for praying for rain and harvest rituals, and have a great influence in the village. The fat priest elder Ugel came from this lineage.

Vulcan masters mines and forges. The priests of the Vulcan family are responsible for temple construction, artisan management and weapon production. Their sense of presence is not high, and their voice in the high priesthood is not strong. And their representatives in the high priesthood are the priests and elders Tequis.

The sun **** shines everywhere and has a high status. The priests of the sun **** line are in charge of the holy land, pass on the holy fire, and participate in sacrifices. Their status is transcendent and noble, and many of them even have the blood of the royal family. The Tonaya priest in front of him is the third-level officiant of the Sun God family. Priest Elder Tonatiu is the representative of the Sun God lineage in the high priesthood. In the Nahua language, "Tona" means the sun.

If Tisok had been captured and not executed by Avet, he would have hidden himself in the holy mountain and holy lake and became a royal priest serving the sun god.

In the inheritance of the capital city, in addition to the five priests, there is actually a sixth branch, the Feathered Serpent God line. However, most of the feathered snake gods came from the culturally rich city of Tracopan, and the high priests were all implicated and executed during the cleanup that year. Their representation in the High Priesthood was also replaced by another elder of royal origin, the Priest Elder of Como. This is also an important reason why Shulot's suggestion to erase the Feathered Serpent God was adopted by the High Priests during the Reformation.

Xiu Luote's face remained unchanged, his thoughts were complicated. He thought about the inheritance of priests, and also thought about the situation in the capital. The high priest has a great reputation, is stern and decisive, and is the leader of the priests of the holy city, backed by the immortal sun, so he can say nothing in the group of high priests. However, the main priesthood of the five capital cities has a deep foundation and holds many priests and powers.

Therefore, the centralization of theocracy is not easy. Like the centralization of royal power, there are many obstacles. Grandfather wanted to integrate theocracy, so he used the High Priest Group as the foundation to control the local priestly inheritance. And the main branches of priests in the capital city need to focus on win-win and cooperation.

"Praise the Lord God! Your Highness, Princess, this is the holy fire that was taken from the holy city of Kuiculco and passed down to this day!"

Hearing this, Shulot came back to his senses and was already in the Temple of the Sun. He looked around, the area of ​​the Sun Temple is actually not big, the style is simple and unsophisticated, and the traces of vicissitudes. Many statues and bricks have been mottled and peeled off after wind and rain, only the main hall is slightly more ornate.

In front of the main hall, there is an ancient pottery brazier. Under the brazier, there is a large pile of gold, silver and ornaments left by the nobles who came to worship. And in the brazier, a bunch of holy fire is burning, and it has not been extinguished for decades!

"Praise be to the Holy Fire! . . . may the Holy Fire bless, bless the holy alliance, and bless our marriage!"

Shulot bowed his head, and together with Alyssa, prayed lowly towards the holy fire.

With a solemn expression, Tonaya added some expensive spices to the holy fire, and threw in an adult mountain eagle skull. After a while, he carefully clamped the skull out, inspected it slightly, and then beamed with joy.

"Dear Your Highness and Princess, the torch brings blessings and blesses the sacred wedding. It is a sign of great auspiciousness!"

"Praise the Lord God! Thank you, Dear Priest Tonaya!"

Although as a high priest, Shulot knew the origin of most auspicious omens. But it is always a joy to receive the divine wedding blessing. He waved his hand lightly, and a warrior held a heavy cloth bag and offered it under the holy fire.

"Here's a bag of gems from the Lake District. Let's talk about it."

"Praise the Lord God! Thank you for your pious devotion!"

Tonaya smiled sincerely, and estimated the weight of the gem just by looking at it. He bowed his head and saluted, then stretched out his hand to make a false impression, turned around and entered the hall.

"Dear Patriarch, please join me in the morning prayer!"

Xiuluo nodded and strode into the main hall, while Alyssa stayed outside. In the center of the main hall is a tall sculpture of the sun god. The sun **** faces the east, very simple and simple, but also quite thick and steady. His whole body was carved with gold and silver, and his eyes were inlaid with precious stones, but his face was so blurred that it was difficult to discern carefully.

"President Tonaya, this statue of the sun god... seems to be very old."

"That's right, Lord Suzerain, this ancient sculpture comes from the ruins of the city of Queculco, dozens of miles away."

"The divine city of Queculco...then it has a history of at least two thousand years!"

Xiulot was surprised, a little unbelievable.

Hearing the exact year, Tonaya was also surprised. He took a deep look at Shulot and said with a smile.

"It's almost time. Respected suzerain priest, please stand on the throne and lead us to pray!"

"Well, light the rosin, and begin the morning prayers."

The rosin was ignited, and a faint fragrance wafted away. Shulot's expression was instantly solemn. He lowered his head, recited a few words in a low voice, and then praised loudly.

"Praise the Lord God! Believe in my God, Vizilopochtli! He is supreme and omnipotent! He gives us sunshine and rain, harvest and food..."

"Praise the Lord God!...."

More than a dozen temple priests bowed their heads together and chanted the standard sacrificial verses in the "Ari Sutra". Alyssa led the warriors, and also chanted praises in a low voice. Soon, the sound of devout prayers spread, resounding through the holy mountains and temples, telling religion and people's hearts with a voice from the heart.

Two quarters of an hour later, the strict morning prayers were declared complete. The solemn prayer ceremony was completed, and everyone relaxed. Shulot straightened his clothes, bowed his head and saluted, and stepped back from the statue of the sun god.

"Your Highness, is this your first vacation to the Holy Mountain?"

Tonaya asked softly with a smile on her face.

"Well. I've been busy before, so I didn't take the time."

Xiuluo nodded and asked with a smile.

"There are many hot springs under the holy mountain. The priest has been stationed here for many years, do you have any suggestions for me?"

"Your Highness, do you want to go to Oizumi or Koizumi?"

"Daquan is too noisy. If you meet other nobles in the capital and invite you to have a bath together, it is difficult to refuse."

"That's Koizumi."

Tonaya nodded. He pondered for a while, and asked softly.

"Your Highness and the princess are here for honeymoon?"

"Um."

"Then go to the southwestern valley. Two or three miles away, there is a small spring privately used by the priests. The small spring is connected to the geothermal heat and flows the vitality of the **** of fire, which can prolong life. The scenery there is beautiful, the flowers are in full bloom, and it deviates from the main road, and the forest is deep. Even if the voice is louder, there is no need to worry about being heard...Your Highness, I will instruct the priests of the temple to change places during the rest and not to disturb you."

"...Thank you officiant."

Xiulot was speechless for a moment, and could only nod his head in thanks. The atmosphere of the alliance is so simple, the folk customs are simple, and the past is not far away, and they do not shy away from singing.

"Ha ha!"

Tonaya smiled heartily, blinked her eyes, and said in a low voice.

"Your Highness, there are many hot springs in the holy mountain, each with its own characteristics. There are also some hidden big springs in the mountains, some are hot, some are slightly spicy. There are also priestesses who went to the mountains to practice asceticism, all of them are graceful, especially good at swimming fish in the water... .If the princess is not here, I can lead you to enjoy some unique and wonderful tastes!"

"Well..."

Shulot was slightly embarrassed, but he knew it in his heart. Isn't it the legendary hot spring trip...

"Tonaya officiant... this ~lightnovelpub.net~ is nothing more..."

"Haha! Your Highness, I just mentioned it in passing."

Seeing Shulot's embarrassment, Tonaya smiled. With a solemn expression, he spoke again in a low voice, but it was meaningful.

"Uncle Tonatiu has mentioned to me many times that His Highness Shulot is inspired by wisdom and is destined to shine everywhere... In the future, please get closer to me!"

"Elder Tonatiu..."

Shulot's eyes moved. He nodded with a smile, reached out, and patted Tonaya on the shoulder.

"Praise the Lord God! Get closer in the future and discuss theology and scriptures together!"

"Haha, praise the Lord God!"

The hearty laughter spread far away and scattered into the long wind of Shenshan Mountain. A handsome mountain eagle hovered among the mountains, looked at it for a moment, then turned and headed west. As the morning sun rose, the clouds and mist drifted away, and a few eagle feathers swayed from the sky and fell into the temple without being seen by anyone.