"No need!... "
Bertade raised an eyebrow and suddenly waved his hand to refuse. He was still holding the "Ancient Saint's Skull," feeling it like a gemstone from the lake, staring at Tikalo's face, and said calmly.
"Tikalo, His Highness was originally going to send you over the sea, letting your fate decide your future... It was I! Who brought you from the Kingdom of the Lake, over thousands of miles... Also ! Who agreed to let you use the banner of the Maya Royalty, allowing Ti'aj Kin to assu the title of Mayapan's Cuhua Ahau, claiming to borrow troops to restore the country... Still ! Who allowed the Black Wolf to adopt your suggestion, to differentiate and attack the various Maya tribes, granting a certain degree of autonomy to the Kokom Clan..."
"You are a smart person and know how to choose! Prince Tilan is already engaged to a noble lady of the xica Royal Family, and Princess Tidan has been promised early to His Highness's eldest son... The continuation of the Kokom Clan, the revival of the Mayapan Royalty, are all that can be expected in the future... As long as you do not act smart and make major mistakes at tis when mistakes should not be made!..."
"Ah! Yes, yes!... Honorable East Sea Marshal, Ajin and I will definitely follow your command and comply with your will!... The Kokom Clan shall never act on its own, making naive mistakes of poor judgnt..."
"It's not about listening to ; it's about following the teachings of the Chief Divine and heeding His Highness's will!"
"Yes! Yes... definitely!... Praise the Chief Divine, praise His Highness, praise the East Sea Marshal!"
Bertade's eyes were cold as he continued to stare at the terrified and respectfully kneeling old fox Tikalo for a while. Then he gently placed the "Ancient Saint's Skull" back onto the altar, turned, and left, stepping into the twilight.
As the sun set, the shadows in the hall grew long. It wasn't until Bertade's shadow disappeared that the old fox Tikalo respectfully bowed again and slowly stood up. When Tikalo stood up, looking at the stern and majestic sculpture of the Chief Divine, the fear and reverence on his face were gone, leaving only a long sigh.
"Alas!..."
"Uncle..."
"Hmm?"
Nephew Ti'aj Kin looked around the empty temple, glanced at the ancient saint skull on the altar, and couldn't help but lower his voice, a little uneasy, asking.
"This Ancient Saint's Skull... is it truly... a divine object inherited from the ancestors?..."
Upon hearing this, the old fox Tikalo slightly tilted his head, glanced casually at his nephew, and asked in return.
"You are the clan leader of the clan, and you manage the inheritance from the ancestors... What do you think?"
"Uncle! I... I feel... a bit confused..."
Ti'aj Kin bit his teeth, his voice lowering to the point of being almost inaudible.
"Three years ago, when the Highlands' gemstone fleet arrived, you were among them; the clan's rchant ships followed closely... After you left, those you managed in the clan started digging fine sand, burning charcoal, constructing kilns... saying it was to create so lake gemstones..."
"But only in the first year did the clan produce a scant amount of similar gemstones... In the second year, instead of continuing, they started digging up skeletons, creating bone powder... not producing gemstones, but white pottery, which was repeatedly made, as if under study... The texture and luster of that bone pottery grew ever more exquisite, ultimately resembling jade-like bones..."
"Hush!..."
On hearing this, the old fox Tikalo smiled gently, and amiably patted his nephew's shoulder.
"You're not entirely without wit; you've indeed noticed sothing... So why are you asking?"
"Ah! Is it true?! But, but I don't quite understand... Why is the surface of this divine object so mottled, so ancient and weathered?"
"Ha! So that's what you're asking? You're indeed not well-acquainted with this knowledge..."
The old fox Tikalo's lips curved up, touching the aged and jade-like surface of the "Ancient Saint's Skull," softly speaking with a smile.
"...Old bone powder... sanding... coating with the acids from anthills... combined with specially formulated tree sap... can make it look aged... These ancient artifacts' techniques are the Totonac witch doctors' esoteric skills... "
"With the ancestors' blessing, when I discovered the secret of the lake gemstones... my first thought wasn't to burn gemstones for profit, but to arrange this..."
"Because, Ajin, you've converted to the Highland's Chief Divine, which essentially ans forsaking the Maya All Gods... Only in the na of the Ancient Saint can the various parts of the Maya accept reluctantly! Mayapan Royalty must not be rejected by the divines of each part if it wishes to truly revive, nor lose the people's allegiance..."
"The Kekum Family strives to survive, having endured fifty years of hardship and danger; it has hardly gained a chance! If we don't want to remain forever, without any power, as a puppet of the xica, we must gain sincere recognition from all parts, to find our operational capital!"
At this, Ti'aj Kin shuddered, glancing nervously around, then leaned in to ask.
"Uncle... Do the xica know of these matters?"
"Know what? That the clan does not want to be puppets? Or that the divine object is artificial?"
"Hiss! Uncle! Please speak softly..."
"Haha! Ajin, look at you being so tense... In this world, what clan would willingly give up all power, to act as a puppet that can be replaced at any ti? It's often just a matter of circumstances, being indeed outmatched... Regarding the divine object's authenticity, xica are familiar with gemstone burning and would eventually find out... Especially since Marshal Bertade is extrely ticulous; from his deanor, he likely already suspects!"
The old fox Tikalo chuckled gently, not sharing his nephew Ti'aj Kin's unease. Though he was a rchant, unpracticed in any combat skills and had rarely killed, his nephew was one of the clan's most powerful samurai, with the blood of dozens of enemy warriors on his hands... But truly, in terms of courage, perhaps the Kekum warrior Ti'aj Kin was far inferior to the cunning rchant Tikalo!
"Ajin, don't worry! The xica won't expose the skull matter. It's mutually beneficial for both sides... The proselytizing of the Highland Chief Divine wants to proceed smoothly in Maya, needing to use the Ancient Saint's na as endorsent! As for the future, how much actual power the Mayapan Royalty can hold in the xica's hands... depends on the political struggle between both sides, much like two beasts dividing territory..."
Tikalo's gentle smile, eyes sowhat blurred with age, patiently taught his young courageous nephew, sharing those insights he had co to slowly understand, after undergoing countless setbacks and hardships.
"The brave Jaguar may dominate the jungle, while competing Coyotes are rcilessly slain! Yet it cannot manage the Red Sparrow on the treetop, and even though small, it can still frolic up there... While the towering divine tree withers all shrubs, blocking all sunlight... Moist moss still grows silently at its roots, thriving without sunlight..."
"Currently, the xica makes use of us. Though we are small, we possess our strengths, to be leveraged to full advantage... Unable to outmatch militarily, we join them, competing for political power internally, adopting another softer approach, circling upwards towards the treetop... The Kekum Clan can still ascend to the top of the divine tree, revitalizing once again!"
"Eh? This?... Yes, Uncle... You're right!..."
Nephew Ti'aj Kin blinked in confusion, unable to fully grasp the seasoned nation-crafting lesson. So truths remain hard to grasp without personal experience. He pondered briefly, then his thoughts returned to the "Ancient Saint's Skull."
"Uncle! I wish to know one thing..."
"Hmm?"
"With the ancestors' blessing, we belong to the Serpent Divine Descendant line of the Divine Capital Tikal, and the legend says that the Ancient Saint's Skull rests within the Tikal lineage... Is this genuine divine object really not in our possession? That's the skull left by the Ancient Saint after all! Legend has it that it's the only divine object capable of communicating all tribes, connecting to the starry divine realm, harboring mysteries of the spirits!"
"..."
This ti, the old fox Tikalo remained silent for a long, long ti, much like a frozen statue. And not until the sun fully set, the shadows engulfing the temple, did he exhale a long breath, as if releasing a mory deeply rooted from over forty years ago...
"Let's go to the side chamber! Don't speak here..."
"Ah?.. Yes!..."
Ti'aj Kin slightly froze, ecstatic!
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