The great hall was spacious, its draperies billowing. Expensive candles burned in the corners, and ancient murals spoke of the vicissitudes of time. Beneath the mural at the head of the hall stood a dark, old pottery incense burner, already filled with spices.
Acap lowered his eyes and slowly rose. He went to the incense burner, drew a flame from the coarse pottery tinder jar, and carefully lit the spices. Soon, a gentle, delicate scent rose from the burner, sweet as rosewood. And if one savored it closely, there seemed to be something hidden within that softness.
The young priest elder lifted his head and, amid the soft fragrance, gazed for a while at the divine mural above the incense burner. The mural was quite ancient. At its center was the Main God holding a throwing spear, and below were the countless Mexica people being led forward. At the very front of the multitude, however, stood an aged white-haired priest holding the Yellow Topaz Scepter.
"The Main God's line. The chief priest."
Acap closed his eyes, savoring the fragrance as it entered his lungs, and countless thoughts surged in like a flood. This was his residence, and also the former chief priest's mansion. Everything in the mansion bore the imprint of the Main God's line, of the glory and power it had once possessed.
"Seven years..."
The young priest murmured in a low voice. He had lived in the chief priest's mansion for seven years. These murals, in his eyes, were already all too familiar. He knew every detail in the paintings, knew the meaning of every figure; he often admired them alone, and each time his thoughts would wander... In seven years, what changes would fall upon a person?
Once the incense was lit, it was time to appreciate