Audience at the Royal Capital

A long, moist wind blew from the eastern mountains and forests, brushing over everyone aboard. The fresh fragrance of grass and trees reached their noses, refreshing their spirits.

On the Galley, everyone fell silent, watching the exchange between the old man and the young one. Xolotl thought for a moment, lowered his head, and sincerely bowed to Cacamatzin once more.

"Main God bless us! Uncle Cacamatzin, I will follow all your arrangements!"

"Haha, very good! Main God bless us!"

Cacamatzin laughed heartily, his laughter carrying a note of appreciation. Then he took Xolotl's hand and began chatting about household trifles, from time to time asking about the state of the kingdom.

Xolotl answered frankly, speaking of his campaigns south and north, and also of his feelings on governing the kingdom. Each had thoughts of his own, yet both were exceptionally sincere. Amid lively talk and laughter, the mood was warm and harmonious.

The two fleets then merged, vast and mighty, heading toward the magnificent Lake Capital. From here to the capital, only the final sixty-odd li of waterway remained; they could arrive by boat in a day or two.

July drew to an end, and the wind and rain grew hurried as well. A pattering summer rain fell from the hazy Sky, striking Lake Texcoco and raising an equally hazy mist. As everyone traveled by boat over the lake, they passed through wreathing rain and vapor, surrounded by wondrous scenery like an immortal realm.

Xolotl stood at the prow, gazing at the Alliance's heartland, the most flourishing place beneath heaven. Villages and towns flashed indistinctly past on both shores, carrying the sound of prayer-songs; merchant boats and travelers yielded one after another, parting on the lake, with bursts of startled cries drifting over.

"The Lake Capital is right before our