The shores of Atoyac Lake in November were bathed in the sunlight of the tropical plateau. The sky was vast and clear, and the green earth was tinged faintly yellow. Craftsmen and militiamen, dressed in convenient short robes, hurried back and forth before the longships. Sweat ran down their foreheads and backs from their hard labor. In the warm south of the kingdom, winter was replaced by late autumn; there was no cold snowfall, nor any sudden freeze from a cold wave. The temperature was sixteen or seventeen degrees now, as comfortable as early spring.
The two Divine Inspiration Priests stood in silence, gazing at this scene that seemed like early spring, imagining the ice, snow, and bitter cold of the polar lands. Only after quite a while did the Scholar Miki lower his head, carefully roll up the first scroll of the decree, then draw out a second scroll of cotton cloth covered in writing and ask in a deep voice.
"Zuwaro, this is His Majesty's second decree! Inside are the specific prophecies for the latter half of the voyage, as well as the tasks we need to complete after successfully crossing the ocean to the west, and the tribal forces we may encounter. Do you still want to read it?"
". . . The latter half of the voyage, the prophecies after crossing the ocean to the west? . . ."
Second-rank priest Zuwaro was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"I won't read it! As for the prophecies for the latter half, let's wait until we find the warm 'Seattle' bay, then open them and read them! I'm afraid if I read too much, I'll lose the courage to press forward without turning back! May the Main God bless us!"
"Good! May the Main God