Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 548 - 268: Distant Future: Industrial Technology Planning, Divine Revelation Book!

The night was deep, and the distant mountains, like beasts lying in wait, disappeared under the pitch-black canopy of the sky. The moonlight was dim, and nearby, the mine shafts resembled roads of no return, leading into the dark depths of the earth. The era of myths lingered in people’s hearts, making every natural scene brim with an unknown divinity.

Beneath the night moon, the mountainous region of Qinganbate was steeped in depth, with only a flickering bonfire in the main mining area. Loyal samurai patrolled through the night, gripping their weapons in solemn vigilance, safeguarding the Monarch’s safety. At the heart of the samurai’s tight security lay the mining area’s only simple stone hut. From a distance, one could faintly see the light of fire flickering within.

The bonfire blazed, the old charcoal giving off blue smoke, while the newly made coke was bland and tasteless. The Head Warrior held his breath as if feigning sleep, guarding by the King’s side. Inside the hut, there was silence, save for the scratching of a pen on paper.

Xiulote knelt in the hut, writing on the paper with a fine feather pen. After a while, he stopped his pen, looked at the burning fire, and smiled contentedly.

"This charcoal is of good quality, with few impurities and strong flames. It’s a pity to use it just for firewood."

Bertade opened his eyes and saw His Highness’s heartfelt smile, so he also smiled and asked,

"Your Highness, have you finished writing the ’Industrial Technology Planning Book’ you mentioned?"

"Yes! The general framework is right here."

Xiulote smiled and nodded. During his days in the mining region, he had been contemplating subsequent plans. Many old memories were growing faint, needing careful writing to recollect and calculate. He took this opportunity to outline his thoughts on industrial technological development on paper as a long-term blueprint for the Kingdom’s construction.

"Bertade, come over and take a look!"

The King waved, and the Head Warrior knelt closer, leaning in to listen.

"The eagle’s gaze extends for miles, and the roots of the Divine Tree grow for a thousand years. All major events must start from the beginning to soar to the height of eagles, to support the stability of the Divine Tree!"

"Bertade, you are my most trusted confidant, having followed me for many years. Only you can roughly understand this plan, and it will help you in your future tasks. I’ve mentioned before my intention to have you take charge on your own..."

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"You are to go to the distant Eastern Great Lake, take control of the long island in the lake, and establish a foothold there... The island will be rich in minerals, and they will be easy to mine in the open. It is a gift from the Chief Divine to our Mexica people, also a crucial point for guarding the realm... The tasks you need to undertake will be numerous and difficult, with the danger to your life at all times!"

"Your Highness, even if the journey is fraught with peril and spans thousands of miles, I am willing to give my life for you! I will certainly stop... capture... kill!..."

Bertade’s expression turned solemn, and he nodded earnestly. His Highness’s Prophecy, though comprised of only a few sentences, had always stayed in his heart.

"Good! Bertade, don’t worry. The previous few batches of foreigners were merely a few hundred people. They came thousands of miles by ship, without a foundation or stronghold, and are not yet a concern..."

Xiulote smiled with satisfaction, patted the Head Warrior’s shoulder, and gave detailed instructions.

"...Your most important future task is to first consolidate the various factions on the island, second to prepare for terrible epidemics, third to build gun emplacements, and fourth is to smelt iron and steel!"

Bertade memorized every word, then asked with confusion,

"Smelt iron and steel? I recall Mayan merchants brought you iron, but what exactly is steel?"

"From iron ore, iron can be smelted, and steel is created through the proper treatment of iron! Steel is exceptionally hard, suitable for the finest weapons, and the toughest armor. More importantly, steel is the gateway to industrialization! And high furnace coke for iron smelting is the most important first step beneath that gateway!..."

Xiulote spoke while extending his hand toward the wide scroll spread out on the table.

The scroll had boxes with terms delineating different technological fields, separated by columns, and annotations mixing numbers, letters, equations, and text below the terms. Arrows pointed unidirectionally between the technical terms, indicating prerequisite technologies.

Bertade looked at the first column, where "Fuel" caught his eye. After "Fuel" came an odd "C," followed by "Wood," "Coal," "Petroleum," three baffling names. Under these names were small arrows, descriptions of different fuel states, possible discovery locations, and some inscrutable symbolic notations.

He looked past those difficult terms, straight to the locations. After coal was marked Qinganbate, small quantity; two thousand li north, vast quantity. Petroleum had notes: north-northeast, two to three thousand li.

Seeing these oracle-like descriptions, awe once again flickered in the eyes of the Head Warrior.

"Your Highness, is this?"

"These are all materials for burning! Fuel is the cornerstone of technology, as well as the food and blood of industry."

Xiulote chuckled. He didn’t ask whether Bertade had understood, but instead began to explain in detail, while carefully organizing the connections in his mind.

"With a kiln, we can turn wood into charcoal, and coal into coke. Coke removes sulfur impurities and has a higher heat value, more suitable for smelting metals. During the coal coking process, a large number of by-products can be made, which is the most basic coal chemical industry... And in processing petroleum, many more valuable products can be obtained, called the petrochemical industry. Unfortunately, I probably won’t see that in my lifetime..."

Xiulote moved his finger, pausing over "Coke Smelting," recalling the scent he had smelled during the day.