"Mm, my method..."
Hearing Priest Tomatl's solemn question, the old militiaman Chiwako pondered in silence. He knew that whether they could truly convince everyone and open peaceful contact between the kingdom and the Taino tribes would depend on the suggestions he gave next.
The old militiaman scratched his head in distress and tore out another clump of hair. He looked toward the nearby palm tree, where bright and beautiful Cuban Painted Snails clung to the trunk. Beneath the tree was a great swarm of ants crawling back and forth. Something suddenly stirred in the old militiaman's heart, and he began speaking thoughtfully.
"The Main God is witness! Back in my lakeside homeland, I once saw ants and aphids living together!"
"Mm? Ants and aphids, living together?"
At that, Priest Tomatl froze for a moment. Thoughtful, he patiently listened to the old militiaman's account.
"...Among the little creatures on the ground, ants are actually very strong. They are organized, they have force, and they are fierce like warriors. Many big insects are no match for them. Aphids, meanwhile, are very weak, very docile, but they can suck the juices of plants and produce very sweet honeydew..."
"...The warlike ants will protect the docile aphids, even pen up a swarm of aphids, so they can continuously obtain honeydew from them. If other large insects come to hunt the aphids, the ants will kill them. And if a tree can no longer yield much sweetness, or if too many aphids are parasitizing one tree, they will even carry the aphids away and place them on another tree!..."
As he spoke, the old militiaman Chiwako's thoughts became clear. He blinked, and a gentle smile rose on his old face.
"So, the ants' attitude toward the aphids is, on one hand, protection—protecting the aphids from