Prince Khufu was deeply troubled.
He had no idea how he'd offended the dignified Sky King before him. He had followed royal etiquette to perfection when they first met, yet he could clearly sense that King Osiris had taken a "dislike" to him.
Although the other man hadn't refused the invitation to tour the sunship, King Osiris had been very courteous to the other Songhai envoys and distinctly cool toward him. Khufu couldn't make heads or tails of it.
However, Chancellor Wadije, deputy head of the Songhai delegation, seemed to have figured something out. The former pharaoh's trusted confidant, now appointed chancellor by the current pharaoh queen, kept wearing a knowing smile that left young Khufu baffled.
But this was a diplomatic affair, and Prince Khufu couldn't just ask the Sky King outright. All he could do was fulfill his duty as their guide and show the Aztec king and his entourage around his sunship.
The Aztec leaders showed great interest in the sunship.
But Khufu noticed that these Aztecs, most of whom were fit and strikingly handsome, seemed more curious about the Songhai miracle warship than envious of it.
That proved Chuchut hadn't lied when describing the Aztecs. As a unique civilization tasked with guarding the Heart of the World, the Aztecs likely possessed even more Creator's relics than the Songhai. They knew full well that the sunship was a legacy of the Creator, and while they regarded it with reverence, they weren't intimidated by it.
They'd seen plenty themselves. The Songhai couldn't hope to bluff their way to success with the sunship.
However, King Osiris really had seen something aboard the sunship that he absolutely had to obtain!
"My daughter's letter told me that the Songhai, our ancient brothers, have mastered the means to repair sacred armor. I