The sea and sky stretched wide. To the east lay boundless waves, while land showed faintly to the southeast. The kingdom's exploration fleet set out from the mouth of the Owl River and followed the lengthening shore east. After traveling a hundred and twenty li, they reached the mouth of the Rio Filobobos; another sixty li brought them to the mouth of the Rio Colipa.
The Owl River, the Rio Filobobos, and the Rio Colipa—three long rivers lined up in a row like the roots of trees, stretching inland and branching into more than a dozen tributaries. These long rivers and their tributaries linked the Four States of Tlaxcala, the Huastec coast, and the Totonac coast. They even extended all the way southeast, reaching the border seven hundred li away where the Totonac, Mixtec, and Zapotec peoples met: the vast Lake Miguel Alemán. In other words—
"Main God! This eastern seashore really is a savage place. Trees everywhere, and it all depends on these rivers to connect it!"
Puapu took off his eagle helm and wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck. Then he picked up a shriveled piece of dried tomato, tossed it into his mouth, and chewed at it idly. The very sour, faintly sweet taste spread through the Grey Earth Warrior's mouth and lifted his spirits again.
"After coming down from the highlands, these coastal lowlands are nothing but endless rainforest and river after river! If not for these rivers, big and small, burrowing everywhere through hundreds of li of forest, it would really cost men their lives!"
Hearing this, the Maya merchant Tikalo shook his head and laughed. This was nothing yet. Next, once they reached the Maya tribes of Yucatan, there would be more than two thousand li of rainforest from north to south