Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1805 - 1295: Divine Might of the Ocean—Birch Island and the Land of Shandan

"Among the many oceanic powers, I am the divine dolphin... I am hungry, bringing my hungry children, searching for human villages!"

"I came to a prosperous village, full of food, but the villagers shouted at me. They cursed, 'Oh! This is an evil power! An ugly woman washed up by the sea! Quick, throw stones and dust to cover them!'..."

"So, with empty hands, I left the prosperous village and came to another poor village. The villagers bowed down to me respectfully. They said, 'Oh! This is a kind power! She has brought her children to visit us! Quick, take out all our dried fish and gift it to her! Then, take out the tribe's wooden plaques and engrave the image of the divine power in reverence...'"

"So, holding the dried fish, I returned to the vast ocean, letting all the divine children eat their fill. The ocean was pleased too! It laughed and stirred up the wind!"

The joyful singing rang out in the village of the Cold Swamp Tribe. The old priest, with a melodious and hoarse tone, sang the ancient and inherited songs of divine power. The young men, meanwhile, puffed out their cheeks and played the peculiar bamboo mouth harp (Mukkuri), its deep echoes resembling harmonic singing. As for the young women, they held the upright Tonkori like a sword, plucking the light five strings, the sound of which rang joyfully like the flowing of a spring.

"Wow! The peculiar mouth harp, the melodious tonkori, and the poignant singing! The Ainu people's performance is truly wonderful!"

Zuwaro, along with ten Samurai, sat on the right side of the reception hall. Thousand Island Shell sat beside them, wide-eyed and absorbed in watching the welcome ceremony of the Cold Swamp Tribe, a smile spreading across her face. Meanwhile, Great Chief Bei Yu of the Cold Swamp, accompanied by three tribal wives and a group of higher-ranking warriors, sat on the left side of the hall. He too watched the ceremony quietly, yet his gaze occasionally and intentionally fell on Zuwaro, observing his reactions.

In the hall, the sounds of bamboo and wood instruments echoed, mimicking the roar of the tide and the flow of the river. Then, amidst the beautiful melodies, the solemn song rose again, with the dolphins narrating in a way that inexplicably carried a tone of solemnity, coldness, and austerity.

"I returned to the sea. I am the ocean's power... I will repay the treatment I received! I sent a sick and diarrheic whale to the shores of the prosperous village. The prosperous villagers ate it and all died! I sent a plump whale to the poor village's shores. The poor villagers ate it and became wealthy, living happily thereafter, worshipping me... "

"This is the story of the dolphin's power! Treat power with evil, and evil will open its mouth to devour you. Treat power with kindness, and kindness will reach out its hands to embrace you... The ocean laughed and stirred up the wind!"

Finally, the ceremonial song concluded. Thousand Island Shell, immersed in the story, finally wiped tears from the corners of her eyes after a moment and looked toward Zuwaro, who was watching her. She blushed shyly, then leaned closer to her husband and softly recited the entire song's content to him.

"Hmm? The ocean's power? The power's recompense depends on the treatment received? Hmm... This inherited song seems more than just a simple welcome; it carries implications!"

Zuwaro blinked, roughly guessing the hints and implicit warnings from the Great Chief of the Cold Swamp Tribe. It was clear that the chief was quite apprehensive of the fleet's force, and the "Thundering Magic Weapon" they held, which is why they behaved so gently.

But only Zuwaro knew that the gunpowder brought by the fleet had long been dampened by the exceptionally long support sea route, losing its original power. Now, the six bronze tiger squat cannons on the three ships could only make a sound with gunpowder to intimidate the local tribespeople who had never seen firearms before!

So, he had no intention of engaging in battle. He had long observed the scale of this Cold Swamp Great Tribe, capable of deploying five hundred warriors, with probably three thousand tribespeople! Such a large-scale tribe, not lacking in ironware and greatbows, would undoubtedly cause significant losses even if the fleet could win a battle. And each Samurai of the kingdom, capable of traveling 20,000 miles to get here, was invaluable and not to be casually thrown away. Moreover, as long as the other side was willing to sit down and talk, there was no need for fighting. He possessed a far stronger force, a true power to win the hearts of the tribespeople...

"My brother, honorable Chieftain of the Swamp, I sincerely thank you for your welcoming ritual! The power of the ocean and thunderbear witness! I am very pleased to see our long-lost brother tribes today... I have decided, as a token of tribal friendship, to solemnly present you with the tribal inheritance Divine Might Amulet!"

Saying this, Zuwaro stood up and came before the Great Chief of the Cold Swamp. Then, under the wary gaze of the other, he removed the Golden Amulet from his neck and personally placed it on the Great Chief! Feeling its hefty weight, Great Chief Bei Yu of the Swamp quivered. Shocked, he gripped the amulet, scraping it with his fingernail, leaving a mark...

"Ah? Ah, this!... This Divine Might Amulet, is it made of gold?!..."

"That's right! This is a specialty of our Thousand Islands Great Tribe! Guided by the Divine Might of the Chief Divine, we found a very, very large Gold Mountain on the distant Northern Peninsula. The Deer Herding Tribe on the peninsula joined us, and together we extracted countless golden ores, smelting a great quantity of gold!..."

"Then, the Divine Might of the Chief Divine bestowed a dream upon me, in which a golden Thunderbird roamed amidst the sea and thunder. It is the Heavenly Divine incarnate on earth, possessing incredibly great power, and also granted us the Thundering Magic Weapon... The bird engraved on this amulet is its likeness, the Divine Might of the Chief Divine of the sea and thunder!"

Zuwaro smiled, crafting a half-true, half-false story based on the Ainu mythologies he just heard, dragging the Mountain Part of the Kamchatka Peninsula into the tale. The Great Chief of the Cold Swamp Tribe listened in stunned silence, his face filled with both jealousy and deep trepidation.

"There truly is an immensely wealthy Gold Mountain on the Northern Thousand Islands? And the mighty Divine Might not only revealed the location of the Gold Mountain but also bestowed the Thundering Magic Weapon? And those powerful Shandan tribes, did they really join the Thousand Islands Great Tribe and become their warriors?..."

"This, this is simply unbelievable, too envious to comprehend! Just this one piece of Gold Talisman alone could be exchanged with the Wa People from the far South for so much rice, wine, and ironware! And if one were to sail to the western continent, the same Gold Talisman could be traded with the Sorun Shandan there for a large amount of meat, even horses to ride!..."

The Great Chief of the Cold Swamp Tribe clutched the golden amulet, his expression changing repeatedly, his thoughts drifting to unknown places. After several moments, he let out a deep sigh, removed his bear tooth necklace, the only thing on him equivalent to the golden amulet, and personally placed it around Zuwaro's neck.

"My brother, esteemed Great Chief of Thousand Islands! This bear tooth necklace is a Divine Might Amulet I spent five years handcrafting! Every bear tooth on it comes from the adult black bears I hunted. For these teeth, I have traversed the entire Great Island, visited the Northern Birch Island, and sailed to the western Shandan... Among the big and small Ainu tribes, this bear tooth necklace symbolizes the prowess of a bear-hunting warrior, an honor equivalent to gold!"

"With the ancestors and the Guardian's Divine Might as witnesses! Today, to celebrate the reunion of our brother tribes, I present this bear tooth necklace to you! From this day forth, we are the closest of brothers, exchanging Divine Might Amulets!"

"Ah! Chief! The Great Chief is giving you a necklace of bear teeth from an adult bear! These are the most valuable teeth from a black bear, representing the protection of the black bear's Divine Might!... With this bear-hunting warrior's necklace, you'll be welcomed in any Ainu tribe..."

Seeing the look of surprise on Thousand Island Shell, Zuwaro nodded and carefully held the bear tooth necklace in his hands. He knew that the Ainu often used various symbols of Divine Might to make up for price differences when exchanging goods. And without a doubt, bear teeth were the most popular form of 'universal currency'.

"Thank you, Chief of the Cold Swamp! Your Divine Might Amulet embodies your courage and glory in bear hunting, and I deeply admire it!"

Zuwaro grasped the bear tooth necklace, graciously bowing in respect. The Great Chief of the Cold Swamp hesitated slightly, then smiled and returned the gesture holding the Gold Talisman. In that moment, an unspoken recognition seemed to form between the two chiefs. They gazed at one another until Zuwaro smiled and casually inquired.

"Hmm, you mentioned earlier... You have been to the Northern Khutai River Mouth and the western Land of Shantan? Could you tell me more about the conditions of these tribes, their village customs, and the goods they trade? I'm truly curious! Especially about the four-legged, two-legged animals that can be domesticated by the tribes..."

"Ah! The situation of Khutai and Shandan?... Well, that's a long story..."

The Great Chief of the Cold Swamp raised an eyebrow as many cherished memories flooded his mind. But soon, he collected his thoughts, casting a meaningful glance at Zuwaro, and said with a smile.

"Brother, the night is upon us... How about we let the tribe hold a dinner feast, and we can talk while eating?"