"The Chief Divine walked from the ancient Olc Era, incarnating as a Divine Descendant on earth, and gazes upon the citizens He created!..."
The old Witch Doctor Kani wore the Chief God's Amulet of the Sun Hummingbird, dressed in ancient Eagle Feather Garb. In one hand, he held a Dark Green Stone Axe symbolizing death, and in the other, an Obsidian Dagger symbolizing sacrifice. Before the eyes of many chieftains, he perford the inheritance ritual dance of the Jungle Tribes. The hymn he sang was also in the oldest Olc dialect, first in Totonac Navajo, then in Soc Maya, alternating repetitively.
"The Chief Divine descended from the sky, granting nine of the earliest grains of corn to our ancestors! And the ancestors worshipped the Chief Divine, consud five of them, and buried the remaining four in the soil! They dripped their blood and buried their hair as nourishnt for life, waiting for the corn to grow!..."
Upon hearing this familiar ancient myth, the leaders of the jungle tribes grew solemn, their expressions slightly changing. Soon, the priests of the Kingdom brought out nurous simple clay pots, containing the soil from the Olc Ancient Holy City. Then, the priests brought many silver trays, each holding nine kernels of corn and an obsidian dagger.
"The supre God of Death, an incarnation of the Chief Divine on earth, follows the most sacred ancient rites, granting you nine kernels of corn! You are to imitate the ancestors, kneeling five tis, consuming one kernel each ti. Then, bury the last four kernels in the soil, along with your black hair, and drip your vital blood!"
"..."
The chieftains of the tribes exchanged bewildered glances, montarily at a loss for how to respond. In the traditional culture of Central Arica, blood and hair both contain a part of the spirit, serving as diums for the priests to bless or curse. They could accept the worship of the xica Chief Divine, casting their hair and blood into the fire, accepting the delivery of their soul to the heavens, entrusted to the Heavenly Divine not of this earth... But now, they were asked to bury their hair and blood in a clay pot? Wouldn't that an leaving the dium of their spirit as a guarantee for the alliance here?!..."
"Chief Divine bears witness! Leaders of the jungle tribes! In this oldest sacred place, within the most ancient Temple, you will leave your hair and blood, and I will also leave the dium of my spirit! Our clay pots will be placed together, under the towering statue of the Chief Divine!..."
"The supre Chief Divine will protect us, bless us, and witness our alliance! This is the oldest and most sacred covenant, between the Kingdom of the Lake and the jungle tribes!..."
Xiulote rose from the Throne of the Gods, raising the Divine Staff in his hand, chanting an undeniable oath. Then, his cold and severe gaze turned towards the jungle Totonac tribes that had long submitted.
"Chieftain Milu of the Rokube, your tribe is closest to the Ancient Holy City, truly descendants of the Olc. You were the first to send an envoy to express loyalty to the Kingdom... so let it begin with you!..."
Upon hearing this, Chieftain Milu of Rokube opened his mouth, wanting to refuse, but nothing ca out. His tribe, Rokube, was located two hundred miles in the southern jungles of the Ancient Holy City, connecting the mountain pass between the Totonac and Zapotec coasts, very near the Kingdom's military power.
The Kingdom of the Lake now controlled the Ancient Holy City, had destroyed Grass Altar City, and there were no more obstacles between them and the southern mountain pass. With the Kingdom's powerful force, subjugating a tribe like the Rokube of around ten thousand was all too easy! Moreover, seeing the situation, if he didn't comply with the demands of the Death Great Chief, he most likely wouldn't leave alive...
"Ah, yes! Listening to you, mighty as the giant deer in the forest, Death Great Chief!..."
After a mont of contemplation, Chieftain Milu surveyed the circle of Copper Axe Warriors with torches and had no choice but to bow and submit.
"Bow! Rise! Eat!... Bow! Rise! Eat!... The ceremony is complete! Bury the seeds, cut the hair, drip the blood!... Engrave the na!... Swear again!..."
Accompanied by the chanting of the old Witch Doctor Kani, Milu respectfully knelt before the Divine Platform, prostrating once, then rose, took a hard grain of corn, chewed, and swallowed it.
After repeating this five tis, Milu then buried four kernels of corn in the soil of the clay pot, picked up the obsidian dagger, cut a large bunch of hair, and buried it around the corn. Next, he sliced his palm, allowing four drops of blood to fall into the soil. Finally, with tense expression, he engraved his "na," the emblem of his chieftain's identity, on the outside of the clay pot. When everything was completed, Milu exhaled a long breath and respectfully bowed towards Xiulote beside the Divine Platform. Compared to any of his previous bows, this one was the most sincere.
"The most powerful Chief Divine bears witness! With my soul, I pledge allegiance to you, mighty Death Great Chief!..."
"Good! Very good!... Elevate his soul clay pot by one level, place it on the second level of the stone steps in the Temple!..."
At the sound, everyone looked and saw that a four-tiered stepped stone structure, resembling a miniature pyramid, had been constructed in the shadows behind the Temple wall. Soon, an interdiate priest of the Kingdom carefully picked up Milu's "soul clay pot", stepped onto the steps behind the wall, and placed it on the second level of the four-tiered stone steps.
These four-tiered stone steps actually correspond to the Kingdom's third-level noble ranks, designating levels for these jungle tribes. Leaders of tribes with a population of one hundred thousand are placed on the second tier. Leaders of dium-sized tribes with ten thousand people are on the third tier. As for leaders of small tribes with a thousand people, they are positioned at the bottom level...
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