The military camps stretched on and on. The training cries of the legion warriors shook the heart and soul, and the earthen drill grounds had been trampled firm. Patrol squads coming and going had worn passable dirt paths into the ground. Yet the stubborn weeds of early spring had already begun sprouting along those foot-worn tracks.
The daughters of the Silver Crow Tribe were arranged to rest in Tree Snake City. They had never seen tens of thousands of warriors before, nor had they ever seen spears and Longbows standing like a forest. For a moment, they all went pale with shock, fear rising in their hearts.
And only after the Huastec envoys had left did another messenger from the exploration fleet come forward, bringing the fleet's oral report, along with two bamboo baskets holding pottery jars.
"Your Majesty, these are two new minerals that Vice-Captain Puapu discovered around Crow City! The local Huastec call them 'black mud,' 'black stone,' or 'black oil.' The kingdom fleet's damaged ships were patched with these dark stones and oil. They keep out water and stop leaks, and the repaired ships are even better than before!"
After Puapu had been exiled to the sea mouth, it was by discovering the God Mountain iron mine together with Black Wolf that he had earned the chance to be raised up again. After that, he had joined the kingdom's explorations and brought back all kinds of ores and guano with the old Militia, thereby receiving rewards.
In Puapu's mind, "His Majesty likes strange stones best, especially ones he's never seen before." He knew His Highness's preferences, so wherever he went, he would search for unusual stones and minerals. This time, after making a discovery in Crow City, he had also specially sent his subordinate Purepecha Warriors to