Chapter 150

When they arrived at the island in the middle of the lake, they saw an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on Rishi, an image that told them they should build a city there.

For this very reason, Moctezuma II desperately hoped that the "day of the return of the Quetzalcoatl" in the myth would arrive as soon as possible, so that he could use this legend, which has been passed down to this day, to smoothly abolish Human Sacrifice in the empire.

At noon, the Sun, which has never changed, hangs in the vast, unchanging blue sky.

Suddenly, Moctezuma II felt a sense of foreboding, and it was a feeling he couldn't stop having.

Confused, he instinctively looked in the direction from which an ominous premonition was spreading, then he gradually realized something—

Something unknown is coming from the eastern coast; the Torrential Rain falling from the dark sky that belongs only to that side is the most effective proof of it.

"Could this be...?"

Moctezuma II was speechless.

A short while later, the imperial priests and high-ranking officials, having learned of the situation, arrived at the location to await his orders.

Moctezuma II glanced around; all the high priests and high-ranking figures had already gathered there.

What are you thinking?

"My lord, according to the divine decree of the War God, he commands us to kill that visitor."

Before some ministers could say, "We've set up a special intelligence room to receive reports and are taking extra precautions," the old priest of the Great Temple spoke first.

"So that's how it is, a divine message from the God of War God...?"

Upon hearing this, Moctezuma II narrowed his eyes slightly. As the ruler, he could naturally tell that this statement was not made by the priest based on the empire's or his own thoughts, but rather was relayed after hearing the words of someone who was not to be contradicted. This was evident from the fanaticism on his face.

To put it simply, Moctezuma II understood that listening to this advice seemed to be the best course of action, as it could prevent a certain degree of unrest.

What if—he thought.

Just now, from the window of the Royal Palace, I saw changes on the distant coastline that were beyond human capabilities.

What if, although the Age of Gods has passed, Quetzalcoatl has returned from the Maya, just as she herself said?

What if this was a divine decree spoken by the God of War God to prevent the return of the Quetzalcoatl?

What if, indeed, it is the Quetzalcoatl there who can eradicate Human Sacrifice and bring peace?

The Answer lies 'there'.

Sun streamed through the skylight once more as Moctezuma II gazed upon the Great Temple.

Tlaloc, the Rain God, as the Sun of the Third Sun Era, bestowed gentle rain and Wrath fire upon the world. A Deity who was synonymous with water was described as being associated with fire in his many acts of calamity. Such examples are not uncommon in Aztec mythology.

For example, Quetzalcoatl of Wind God, also possessed the divine attributes of the god of agriculture and the Rain God; Tezcatlipoca, as the god of night, could become the Sun and also possessed the divine attributes of the War God. In Aztec mythology, when a god gained a high level of Faith, people would continuously add new legends to him.

In other words, the diversity of divinity and legends is actually a manifestation of its exalted status.

War God Huitzilopochtli, the god of War God, inspired the Aztec to Sacrifice over 20,000 people annually. For Central America Warrior, dying gloriously in battle and becoming a sacrifice to the god was an honor and Supreme Being.

In this Faith, after a glorious death, one becomes a follower of God, gathering each morning on the plain to welcome the Sun God with a feast. After four years of this work, they will receive a higher blessing, being reborn as birds and butterflies, returning to the world to drink nectar and fly freely.

This is why the Aztec readily accepted this bloody Ritual, as it was a common interest in their world and Ritual Divinity Ritual for selecting a suitable candidate.

But.

What if someone didn't want to die like this at all?

Indeed, Montezuma still remembers that although many people died voluntarily, there were also many who hated them because of it.

In the silence, Montezuma then turned and looked towards the sea.

"What Quetzalcoatl said when she departed is something I need not explain to you."

A tense look crossed the faces of the priests present; they understood what Moctezuma II meant.

"But, Your Majesty, we can't even find a single Phantasmal Species right now, how could a god possibly appear in person..."

The High Priest couldn't help but retort, arguing that as the manager of the Great Temple, his position was not only based on Faith, but also on the fact that if the legend were true, he would also lose his job.

In truth, even he probably couldn't have guessed that, in Moctezuma II's view, if it really was Quetzal return of Quetzalcoatl, he would even have wanted to offer him the Throne of the Aztec Empire, saying that he had only been Protection the Throne for Quetzalcoatl, and now that he had returned, it belonged to him.

It may be incomprehensible to the average person why this accomplished king would act this way; one can only say that he truly believed in the legend that 'Quetzalcoatl would return as she said.'

In the normal course of history, Moctezuma II, believing that the Spain colonist Cortés was the 'messenger of Quetzalcoatl,' allowed him to wreak havoc in the Aztec Empire and use force to coerce other city-states, and even, as is the case now, was willing to return the throne to him.

Moreover, after the Spaniards entered the city fully armed, Moctezuma II showed no intention of plotting to kill Spaniards. Instead, he handed over an empty Royal Palace to the Spaniards to settle in and treated them with the highest honors. This made the Spaniards uneasy.

"God does not necessarily have to appear in person; a demotion or a messenger is also possible."

At this point, Moctezuma II paused, as if he felt it was unnecessary to say the words, but since the matter had come to this point, he had no choice but to say them.

"But--"

"No need for further words." Moctezuma II strode forward. "Let us go and welcome the return of Quetzal, the Quetzalcoatl!"

Those who remained looked at each other for a few moments, then followed him. Even the High Priest hesitated before following behind.

At this time, within the Aztec Empire, Moctezuma II was also the king who held the highest-ranking priesthood. The reason he appointed the old priest as the manager of the Great Temple was merely due to a partial entrustment, so there was no conflict between royal power and papal power.

As they moved forward, they all saw that the sky above them was shrouded in a gray mist, as if it had been artificially isolated.

At the far end on that side, countless raindrops kept falling, accompanied by a few green specks, looking like shooting stars.

Soon, Moctezuma II arrived at the shore with his entourage and saw the large ship he had never seen before.

And, the silver-haired human and the non-human creature beside him.

Moctezuma II immediately recognized that Bavan Shi was not human, not because of his exceptional Magecraft skills, but because Bavan Shi was no longer concealing her heels.

However, according to his observation, the silver-haired humans seemed to understand their language, while the red-haired girl did not.

So Moctezuma II, filled with immense excitement, slowly approached Favia:

"Are you the messenger of Quetzal, the Quetzalcoatl? I am Montezuma Xocoyotzin, the king of the Aztec."

Moctezuma II has already discovered it.

The intense aroma wouldn't allow him to look away.

Is this something to be taken for granted? Or is this something that belongs to the realm of the Deity, and should be called a blessing?

He noticed that the person in front of him exuded an aura similar to that of the top of the Great Temple.

"An emissary of Quetzalcoatl, Quetzal Quetzalcoatl? Yes, that is why I have come."

Favia smiled.

Anyone who had seen him during the Rome era would likely have noticed that his smile at this moment was exactly the same as when he was preaching.

"However, Xocoyotzin, King of the Aztec, have you ever heard a saying—"

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

232: Created the only god in Central and South America (5k)

When discussing the Aztec Empire, what comes to mind besides the kings who were fooled by Spain colonists, leading to the destruction of their ancient civilization?

The Answer is the long-standing tradition of Human Sacrifice.

Human Sacrifice was the most important Ritual of Aztec religious rituals. However, Human Sacrifice was not a unique Aztec practice; earlier Indian also had the custom of Human Sacrifice.

In fact, even earlier, before the Aztec Empire was established, previous dynasties had already begun to use the Ritual of executing prisoners of war to symbolize the transformation of blood into water and harvest, as well as the worship of Venus as a symbol of military might.

According to later accounts from the Spaniards, in front of some temples in the Aztec Empire there would be a huge statue, half-lying and half-sitting on the ground in a stiff posture, holding an empty plate in its hands. The empty plate on the statue's chest was used to hold the heart that had just been removed from a human body.

"Before the victim's heart was ripped out, people paraded him around... then placed him on the offering table. Four men grabbed his hands and feet, stretching them outwards, and the executioner came over with a hard stone knife, skillfully making an incision between the ribs on his left side, below the nipple, then reaching in and plunging his hand in like a hungry tiger seizing a sheep..."

Most of the sacrifices were prisoners of war, but some were from the tribe itself. Generally, these chosen people could enjoy certain privileges before being killed, and on the day of the sacrifice, they were sent to the Sacrificial Altar. These people believed that making a sacrifice was a great honor.

The reason for offering Living People hearts is that they believe it can delay the end of the world, a belief widely accepted throughout the Americas.

Favia had already made plans while waiting for this day on the ship.

The Americas Central and South American World operates under rules drastically different from those of the Eurasia Continent. Perhaps this is because the South American Gods voluntarily returned to the jungle to slumber during the Age of Gods, or perhaps because the South American Gods are Extraterrestrial Bacteria. As a result, although they can utilize some of the remaining divine power, once they touch the underlying operating rules of the world, that is, the Central and South American Pantheon, they will naturally and gradually perish.

The underlying operating rules of the Central and South American World are extremely bloody Human Sacrifice.

Although primitive religious beliefs all involve Human Sacrifice to some Ritual, whether it was the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the Spring and Autumn period in the Far East, the Brahmanism of the Veda period in Ancient India, or the ancient Semitic peoples of Sumerian and Babylon who had the custom of sacrificing human beings to gods, such as burning children to sacrifice to Moloch, and the story in Genesis that tested Abraham's willingness to kill his only son to Sacrifice to Yahweh.

However, without exception, they gradually changed from the majority to the minority with the general trend of the times. Starting from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Human Sacrifice and human burial were severely criticized by the various schools of thought and eventually banned. In India, they were opposed by Buddhism, Jainism and other ascetics during the Warring States period and were slowly banned.

As for the One God, Yahweh, he forbade Abraham from doing this at the last moment.

In fact, given the environment of the Mediterranean Sea coast at that time, Yahweh, who did not pursue Human Sacrifice, was a clear case of being outclassed in modern terms. Perhaps because of this, the ancient Semitic god Moloch, who was overly Faith on Human Sacrifice, became a 'hateful god' in the subsequent spread of the myth, that is, Demon.

In any case, as times progress, banning Human Sacrifice is an inevitable trend, just like Magecraft is dying out. But the Central and South American World seems to be somewhat special, like their gods. Once there is any possibility of abolishing Human Sacrifice, the world itself will be destroyed. This 'destruction' does not refer to the land alone, but to the people living on it.

To be honest, for Favia, who only wanted to find the last piece of the Silver Key, the 'stubborn' existence of the Central and South American World was not worth saving. The pursuit of survival and progress would inevitably lead to destruction, which seemed very complicated no matter how you looked at it.

However, even today, Favia still remembers the countless 'rains of light' he witnessed during the Huns period.

The dark road was filled with stars, and amidst the lively meteor shower, noise rose and fell. When passing by, those unacquainted souls would smile gratefully, say their names, and then return to silence.

A vast rain of light poured down from the darkness, each drop carrying the smiling faces of people who truly live in this world.

Among them may be people who once lived on this continent.

That alone is enough for him.

Moreover, although the Aztec Empire practiced such bloody Human Sacrifice, from the perspective of human history, it really wasn't anything special.

This is how history unfolded; it's just that the Aztec Empire was poorly positioned, located in the Americas, which slowed down the pace of change.

Time passed, and in the night sky, the moonlight shone brightly, and countless stars twinkled like diamonds scattered across the endless firmament.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow by, bringing with it the faint mist and fresh scent of plants from Lake Texcoco in the distance.

The land that gave birth to the Aztec civilization, and the site of the ancient city of Tenochtitlan.

In the Aztec Royal Palace, Favia was gazing at Moctezuma II, the king of the Aztec.

After meeting on the shore, he and Bavan Shi were invited inside. Then, Favia told the Fairy girl to rest while he spoke with Mon II alone.

"I'm very sorry, it's getting late and I can't hold a grand Ritual for your arrival. Please forgive me."

"It's alright; it's only natural not to disturb others' rest."

In fact, in Meng Er's view, the person in front of him was very different. He had an attractive aura, as if just being around him could make people feel relaxed. Moreover, even after ten, twenty, or a hundred years, this aura would not change.

This undoubtedly further fueled his belief that Favia was the messenger of the returned Quetzalcoatl.

"I am extremely grateful. In a few days, I will certainly hold the grandest Ritual to welcome you, my lord, as the messenger of the Quetzalcoatl."

Mongols said respectfully, "If any Aztec saw this, they would never imagine that the king who once led them to glory would be like this."

"That matter can be put on hold for now; I'm not in a hurry."

"No, it must be held immediately! All the Aztec must know of the return of Quetzalcoatl— "

Seeing the eager look on Meng Er's face, Favia smiled slightly and interrupted.

"Montezuma, you're trying to use this opportunity to abolish Aztec Human Sacrifice, aren't you?"

Favia, who already held Mongols's views, naturally knew the reason why he was so eager to promote the 'Return of Quetzalcoatl': to use the legend to abolish Human Sacrifice.

"... Ah." Meng Er paused for a moment, then nodded. "That's right. If this continues, the Aztec will eventually be destroyed by the surrounding city-states due to the accumulated hatred. As Quetzalcoatl's messenger, you've come now because Quetzalcoatl doesn't want this to happen, right?"

"That's right."

Montezuma wasn't particularly flustered that his thoughts had been exposed in public. In his view, Favia was already the messenger of Quetzalcoatl, so it was normal that such thoughts couldn't be hidden. Besides, the legend said that when Quetzalcoatl returned, he would abolish 'destruction, bloodlust, and war' and bring 'peace and technology.'

After all, to Moctezuma II, the silver-haired youth's answer sounded utterly genuine.

Moreover, Favia's statement could be interpreted as an attempt to solidify his identity as Quetzalcoatl's messenger in Mongols' mind, paving the way for the implementation of his subsequent plans.

Spread Faith across this land.

However, this is quite difficult; in terms of difficulty, it is probably even more difficult than in the Rome era.

Because, unlike the Rome polytheistic system, Aztec mythology was deeply ingrained in Aztec culture.

Take Montezuma, who is right in front of Favia Quetzalcoatl, if Favia had said that he would become the king of the Aztec, he probably wouldn't have hesitated and would have abdicated the throne immediately.

It can be said that Mongols II was a complex person, yet also a simple one. He was an extremely devout follower of the Quetzalcoatl, unlike the Rome emperor Claudius.

In short, Favia could have easily eliminated the Human Sacrifice by taking advantage of Mon II's trust in his identity, but what would have happened afterward?

The Spaniards will come here sooner or later, Aztec Empire will definitely collapse then, whether or not there are Human Sacrifice.