The cold wind of early morning blew down from the high zenith, brushed over the campfire that was about to go out, and brought with it a slight chill. Beneath the zenith, beside the fire, sat two descendants of the gods facing each other, one old and one in the prime of life.
"Supreme Mexica king, please reflect the goodwill of Holy City Cholula as clearly as an Obsidian mirror."
Chief Priest Petel smiled and bowed sincerely with his body pressed to the ground.
"Holy City Cholula has never gone to war with the mighty Mexica Alliance, so how could there be any talk of surrender?"
"Mm? Never been enemies?"
Hearing such shameless words, even Avet, tempered as he was by long experience, could not help laughing then.
"Cholula sent warriors to join the Tlaxcalan side, and sent envoys to summon every tribe under heaven to fight the Alliance. You did all that, and still call it not being enemies?"
"Your Majesty, please see clearly."
Petel answered with a smile, neither hurried nor slow.
"The priestly families within Holy City Cholula are all noble Toltec descendants of the gods with inherited lineages. As for those tribal warriors who joined the battle, they are barbaric Tlaxcalans. They obey the Tlaxcalan nobles in the city-state, and do not submit to the Holy City's will. And the envoys the Holy City sent to the tribes under heaven merely asked them to come to the Holy City's aid; they did not ask them to fight the Alliance. Toward the Alliance, the Holy City holds only reverence and respect, without the slightest thought of enmity!"
"Oh? Not the slightest thought of enmity? Haaha!"
Avet burst into laughter, too lazy to argue with words. The mighty Jaguar that ruled the jungle had never won by relying