"Ha! Mu Lu Ala Shan Wa! The wind and snow of the far north blows over all the tribes, blowing from ancient days to today, from the Eastern Sea to the Western Sea! This is the might of the Main God, who commands the oceans and thunder, commands mountains and rivers and swamps, commands the endless dense forests, until we meet at this moment!... I beg you, descend, supreme spirit!..."
Bonfires blazed in the camp of the Maha Tribe, and a brand-new sacrificial Divine Altar had been built right at the entrance of the collapsed Yongning Temple. The Kingdom Priest Kuihuo took Gunpowder and Divine Smoke down from the ship and danced an ancient sacrificial dance beside the Sacred Fire. From time to time, he scattered pungent powder and expensive Tobacco, making the Sacred Fire turn deep blue one moment, explode the next, and then billow with Divine Smoke, truly dazzling in a blaze of colors.
And that dazzling flame effect, that strange intoxicating smoke, those droning Shaman chants—they left the Fish Skin warriors staring blankly, one after another. It was mystery and spectacle such as they had never seen before.
"Mu Lu Ala Shan Wa! I am the envoy of the dense forest, the Shaman of the Main God! It was Hummingbird and Flying Eagle who guided us here!... The Main God has sent down fire and thunder, letting me deliver the divinity of mountains, forests, rivers, and swamps to you, Maha Aguda. You are the Great Chieftain chosen by the Main God!..."
Zuwaro stood on the high Divine Altar, rolling the whites of his eyes in a chilling, eerie trembling dance. If anyone had seen the ancestor-spirit descent of the Mountain Tribe Matriarch, they would have been astonished to find that this sacrificial rite was actually so similar