The news of the birth of Xolotl's eldest daughter, Light Snake, swiftly spread through the upper ranks of the Coastal Lands, especially among the Totonac elites. Although there had been no official announcement, there was no way it could be kept from the Alliance. And as far as Xolotl was concerned, he had no intention of hiding it either.
Because this newborn child of Divine Protection, once mythologized through the legends of the priestly class, would become a powerful source of legitimacy for the Kingdom's control over the Coastal Lands, and also one of the strongest pillars for steadying the hearts of the various tribes!
"These thousand li of eastern seacoast, the Kingdom must hold in its hands... And now, the Kingdom has already seized it firmly!"
This was the political voice Xolotl needed to express. Control over the Coastal Lands, the passage leading east—these were the bottom line of his interests. And after two days of talks with Itri, the Coastal Chief High Priest, he finally met the Maya merchant Tikalo, who had been lost in wild thoughts and unable to eat or sleep, inside the Main God's temple.
"Supreme His Highness! Your most loyal servant, bringing glad tidings from afar, sincerely offers you—"
Expressionless, Xolotl stepped into the side hall of the Temple. He merely cast Tikalo one icy glance, then mercilessly ordered the captain of the guards.
"Ekat! Tikalo deceived the Kingdom and schemed against the exploration fleet... Give him sixty lashes! Right here before the statue of the Main God! Whether he lives or dies makes no difference!"
At those final words, "whether he lives or dies makes no difference," the guard captain Ekat's brow lifted, and he immediately understood. He took the long whip for the punishment, soaked it in cold brine, and strode toward