lancholic song, accompanied by deep drumbeats, echoed along the vast coastline, bringing unfamiliar and intense greetings.
"The sacred heaven and earth bless us! It’s the flowers of spring, the dew of sumr, the fruits of autumn, and the songs of winter!...Thank you, envoys of the lakeside tribes, for bringing us precious gifts!...Nature’s spirit guides us to let ’the people of the riverside’ and ’the people of the lakeside’ et and share this beautiful day. Co, envoys of the lakeside tribe, let’s dance together in celebration!..."
Chieftain Kalan wore white clothes decorated with frogs, donned a heavy deer head on his head, had grass ornants similar to those of the Guajili people wrapped around his legs, and held two gourd-like wooden rattles. His face showed a passionate smile. He stood up from beside the blazing bonfire, walked over to the leader of the lakeside envoys, and extended a dance invitation.
"Uh...dance? Yes, yes...dance, alright!..."
Old militia Chiwaco, intermittently, enthusiastically responded using a few newly learned Guajili words.
The great tribe here calls themselves "Yorei," which ans the people of the riverside, a branch of the coastal Mayo people. The chieftain Kalan in front of them is the leader of the Yorei great tribe, commanding one or two thousand tribal warriors. The Mayo people are located in the northwest of the Sakatekas Desert, at the coastal edge. Their language shares so similarities with the Guajili people of the wilderness, and also has common words with xican. This likely hints at so ancient connection.
Chiwaco’s eyes flickered, his smile was sincere. He wore gray leather armor, had an eagle feather crown signifying a leader on his head, and had a dagger made of Obsidian at his waist.
"So, who among you will go dance?"
The old militia smiled and looked at Puapu beside him. Huitu warrior lowered his head, pretending not to hear. He then looked to the other side at the onboard priest Kate. Kate, curious about Chieftain Kalan’s attire, was inquisitively examining it for its religious significance, barely paying attention to Chiwaco. Finally, he looked to the onboard Guajili guide Pavi.
"Captain, this is a dance to show friendship between leaders. You or the deputy captain must dance!"
"Dance...good! Alright!..."
Chiwaco smiled, glanced at the hundred-plus guards with long spears behind Chieftain Kalan, sighed internally, stood up, and followed the deer-headed Kalan to the center of the crowd, standing side by side in front of the bright bonfire.
"Haha, friends from the lakeside tribes! Co, wear the sacred deer head, take the blessed wooden rattle, and dance and sing with in front of the bonfire of heritage!"
"Uh, deer head? Alright! Okay!..."
Chiwaco stood still, allowing two Yorei warriors to step forward and place a heavy deer head on him. The deer head hung down two sisal ropes, tightly tied under his chin, causing him discomfort. Then, a middle-aged man dressed as a witch doctor bowed and handed him two gourd wooden rattles.
Once done, Chieftain Kalan was already dancing by the bonfire. He bent his waist, crouched his legs, maintained a jumping posture, enthusiastically jumped up and down, shook the wooden rattles in his hand, sang like a frog, recounting ancient legends.
"Ahaha! A long, long ti ago, there was no fla in the world. All animals coveted the fla!
The fla was at the highest peak, so they sent a frog to the top of the mountain to search.
The frog wouldn’t get burned because it lived in the water and held water in its mouth!
The frog jumped and jumped, finally reaching the peak, and swallowed the burning firestone.
He used the water in his mouth to envelop the firestone. Two streams of smoke erged from his nostrils.
The frog acquired fire!...
Ahaha! The fox then said, turkeys, you should follow the frog.
When the fire in the frog’s mouth was about to go out, quickly blow it to ignite!
So, the turkeys followed the frog, reigniting the firestone when it was about to extinguish.
However, the frog’s mouth was too large, and the firestone fell out, striking the opossum’s tail.
The opossum’s tail caught fire, he scread and ran around, igniting the grass and wood on the mountain...
Ahaha! Thanks to the frog, fox, turkey, and opossum.
Since then, all animals had fire!...
Ahahaha!...
"
"Uh...ahaha! Frog, fox, turkey, and opossum?"
Chiwaco widened his eyes, mimicking Chieftain Kalan, danced the frog dance, twisted his old waist, jumped up and down with effort, and the wooden rattles in his hand made a series of "dingling" sounds. Chieftain Kalan’s song was like thunder, making him dizzy, only barely understanding a few words. After a while, he blinked his eyes sharply.
"Hmm? There’s a firestone?"
Among the seated crowd, Guajili guide Pavi whispered in admiration, seemingly being the only one in the exploration fleet to fully comprehend the song.
This ancient song speaks of the tribe’s heritage. The fla is the spirit of the Wilderness tribes’ heritage, a gift from the divine heavens. The climbing frog symbolizes the tribe’s leader, the bravest and most resilient warrior. The wise fox represents the tribe’s priest, guiding the leader and warriors. The following turkeys are naturally the guided samurai, responsible for protecting the fla. The opossum with the flaming tail is the nurous tribespeople, spreading and sharing the fla.
Leaders, priests, warriors, tribespeople—these four groups form the Northern tribes. They are united because they inherit the divinity of the ancestors, passing down the tribe’s fla!
Intense dancing lasted for two quarters until Chiwaco’s old waist was about to break. The leading dancer Chieftain Kalan, drenched in sweat, stopped dancing. He laughed heartily, extended his hand with the wooden rattle, and heavily collided with Chiwaco’s rattle, making a crisp "ding!"
"Ahaha!...Turkeys from afar, the Yorei tribe’s frogs welco you! We have sung and danced together, and will now be reliable friends!"
Hearing the chieftain’s words, the Yorei tribe warriors stood up abruptly. They put down their long spears, waved their hands, and laughed loudly.
"Ahaha!...Ahaha!...Ahahaha!...
"Ah, friends? Good! Alright! Ahaha!..."
Chiwaco nodded with a smile. Then, he slightly turned around, looked at his team mbers, and gestured.
"What are you doing sitting around? Everyone, celebrate!"
"...Praise the Chief Divine! For friends to et, ahaha!..."
A mont later, more than thirty Prepetcha warriors stood up, put away their weapons, raised their hands high, and celebrated in prayer. Seeing their actions, the tribe warriors on the opposite side beca even more enthusiastic, almost rushing over to embrace them in dance.
"Phew!...Damn it...whoever...put through this...the Heavenly Divine must be blind!"
At this mont, Chiwaco finally confird that the tribe opposite had no hostility. He breathed a long sigh of relief, cursing repeatedly in his heart at a noble who had been constantly thinking about him.
The journey had been incredibly difficult, with everyone narrowly brushing past the God of Death several tis. Looking back, it was simply tear-inducing.
Last November, he received the kingdom’s conscription order, had to shoulder the long spear, leave his daughter Luwei and son-in-law Ezpan, and head south alone. Several old brothers wanted to accompany him, but he chased them away.
In early December, he arrived at Atoyac Lake and reported to the Southern Shipbuilding Departnt. Following the king’s instructions, the departnt handed over three newly launched Crocodile Oar-sail Ships to the old militia to lead.
Onboard were First Level priest Kate, who knew a bit about navigation, could read and count, and estimate positions. Guajili guide Pavi, who grew up in the wilderness, was fluent in the Northern Land language and familiar with wilderness customs. Then there were sixty Prepetcha sailors, skilled in operating oar-sail ships.
The group rowed the kingdom’s most advanced oar-sail ships, heading south along the Tarsas River, reaching the estuary after a few days. Huitu Puapu, leading fifty Prepetcha warriors, had been waiting for a long ti. Upon eting, naturally, there was a mont of poignant nostalgia.
Puapu regretted not heeding Chiwaco’s suggestion to confess his interactions with southern nobles to the king earlier, potentially avoiding losing his military authority. Chiwaco cursed out loud, wishing to knock old Puapu’s head. After reminiscing, Puapu, per the king’s decree, joined Chiwaco’s team as the expedition deputy captain. Thus, the kingdom’s first ocean exploration fleet was ford!
The expedition fleet consisted of three large oar-sail ships with 110 people. The cabins were filled with food, fresh water, cloth, cocoa, two small bags of gold and silver, and a large bag of the kingdom’s stored gemstones. The purpose was to follow the king’s decree, to travel along the coast to the distant northwest, seeking the islands where birds roost, collecting stones ford by bird droppings, and docunting the water and route along the way until they successfully returned.
This marked the kingdom’s first long voyage to explore the vast unknown world! This marked the kingdom’s first long voyage to explore the vast unknown world! Nearly twenty years after arriving in this world, Xiulote finally completed all preparations and dispatched the first batch of explorers. And the vast Arican Continent would unfold anew before him, telling a future destined to change lives in a completely different way!
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