The night wind brushed up from the valley to the plateau, bringing the scent of cornfields and vanilla flowers from the surrounding wilds, along with a faint tang of blood and smoke. The night curtain was like heavy woven cloth, draping over the Zapotec Oaxaca Valley. Inside the Royal Tent, Xolotl lifted his head and looked out, seeing the stars like agate beads and jade pearls embedded in the black cloth woven by the Sky God—the vast Milky Way that spanned a thousand years. Yet when he looked around him again, what met his eyes was an ancient tribal style like that of Shang, Zhou, and pre-Qin times, reminding him at every moment that this was a sea turned to mulberry fields to which there was no return.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The mountain wind blew past the Royal Tent. Inside, dark-red carpets had been laid down, along with mats painted with feather patterns. At the center sat a black pottery brazier; the flames flickered softly, casting the reflection of the feather ornaments on the tent roof. To one side was the Prince's jaguar-skin cushion, decorated with a ring of emerald-green feathers, symbolizing the ruler's authority and the Sun God's protection. Upon the cushion lay a Scepter carved with the Fire God totem, its head inlaid with Turquoise and gold flakes, gleaming brilliantly in the firelight.
On the wooden table nearby, several sacred objects were arranged: a small jade cup holding Cacao juice, a bone pendant symbolizing the god of war, and several sacrificial stones made of red jade and yellow jade. In the rear corner of the tent, a wooden chest containing a feather crown and shawl sat quietly, its lid carved with an intricate ancestral serpent. And a banner bearing a Bagua pattern blended with Mexica style hung down above