Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1933 1404: Why Does the Hexagram Image of the Game Foretell Misfortune?

Aweit came and went. He arrived with a solemn expression and left in high spirits. At his level, people who can communicate with him equally and provide emotional value are becoming scarce.The vast majority of people, even the common Alliance nobles, are but "ant people" crawling beneath the pyramid in the eyes of the Divine King. At most, some ants might be slightly larger than the ordinary ones. According to his explanation to Xiulote, that is...

"Heroes with divinity across the world are merely you and me, sharing a drink over wine, just the two of us! Of course, young Xiu Hua has inherited divinity, is exceptionally talented, and I've personally instructed him. If he undergoes more tempering in war, he has the potential to grow into a hero!..."

"As for others, they remain ordinary, or possess only the divinity of fake gods—merely sacrifices or dry bones, sooner or later! Hmm... perhaps there are heroes among the white-skinned demons across the sea, but they are too far away, they might as well not exist!..."

"Xiulote, you must stand by my side! I can entrust the Alliance's sacrificial divine authority into your hands. Twenty years from now, this world will belong to Xiu Hua, which also means it will be yours!..."

Regarding Aweit's words, Xiulote displayed great respect, never exceeding the position of a prophet. He knew Aweit was not lying, but he was more aware that on the path to supreme power, one cannot believe any promises, only in oneself! Maintaining one's core and balancing desire with reason is incredibly difficult!

"The world is like a chess game, life is also like a chess game! And now, the contest between players requires timing and placement..."

Xiulote murmured as he unfolded the map of the world on the empty chessboard. He did not look at the Alliance and Kingdom, but instead gazed deeply at Maya and Cuba, which were the frontlines in conflict with the "white-skinned demons"!

According to the original history, Columbus' massive second exploration fleet, consisting of over a thousand sailors, soldiers, and bankrupt knights, should have arrived in the Caribbean Islands by last autumn's end! And the first appearance of smallpox is expected to spread to America within a year or two with such a massive crowd...

"Chief Divine be with us! The general... is with Maya. The tiger... is also with Maya. The ship... is at sea. The cannon... being transported forward. The pawn... is in Cuba. The sacrifice... personally dispatched."

Xiulote picked up the chess pieces, placing them on the map one by one. The first move in Cuba during the first exploration has already captured two Castilla sailing ships and some craftsmen on board.

Next, Cuba's shipbuilding, iron smelting, cannon making, and gunpowder all need further strengthening! And the said "strengthening" means drawing more elite warriors and craftsmen from the Alliance and Kingdom to the forefront of the Eastern Sea!

"The place I've laid out, spanning both coasts, is really too grand. The Kingdom's strength is ultimately limited. But given the scale of the Alliance, if it gets involved, it can provide much more support!"

"The reputation gathered by the Divine Revelation Prophet is already sufficient for me! But to start a Holy War against the white-skinned demons in the Eastern Sea and encourage the Alliance's warriors and priests to volunteer to go to the frontlines of the Eastern Sea islands—this cannot happen without the High Priesthood's consent, much less without Aweit's approval! Only by staying by Aweit's side and fully exerting my influence can such a significant undertaking be realized!"

"As for now, Aweit has already agreed to dispatch three hundred Alliance warriors, leading two hundred shipwrights, carpenters, stonemasons, and gunpowder craftsmen, through the Totonac Coast's fleet to the 'Snake Island after the Feathered Serpent Divine's death,' to resist the demon invasion!... If the Castilla Navy's projection of power intensifies and the battle situation tightens, I may need to mobilize more forces from the Alliance to support the Eastern Sea!"

Due to the truly touching communication efficiency, it usually takes two months for Xiulote to contact the messenger from Cuba. He currently doesn't know that due to his "butterfly" stirring its wings, Columbus obtained the so-called "Eastern booklet," and was subsequently detained by the Portuguese King Joao II until now.

Originally, Castilla's second maritime exploration might now be delayed for two years, only taking place next year. As for the repercussions of Portugal personally engaging with the "Native Kingdom," at this moment no one can predict, and there's no historical precedent to reference!

From the New Continent to the Old Continent, from the West to the East, the entire world is heading towards an unknown chaos under Xiulote's influence! Just like Zuwaro, trading with Japan's Daimyo and forming an alliance with the Maha tribe, he also has no idea what a butterfly storm the two thousand jin of gold taken to Northeast Asia will trigger. Even the things he did, to be conveyed to Xiulote's ears via the returning Kingdom fleet, will take at least another year!...

"The Eastern Sea's situation is bound to be a long conflict and struggle!... The pawn that crossed the river cannot retreat, as long as the generals on both sides remain, the fighting will perpetuate!... And about the generals on both sides, when will Castilla's Queen Isabella pass away? Seems it'll take a few more years. Ferdinand II lives even longer, more cunning and ruthless!... Hmm... the Italian wars stirring up the entire Europe should be starting soon?"

Xiulote frowned and thought for a while but could only shake his head helplessly. His understanding of European history is ultimately limited, wanting to influence historical specifics actively is simply impossible. He must first render himself "invincible" like playing chess, then learn European technology, and work hard to catch up!...

"Smallpox, immunization, strict control. Experiments, human smallpox, attenuated pox vaccine... Such fate-related medical research, such dangerous experiments facing death, which Medical Priests should be sent to the Eastern Sea to preside over them?..."

Xiulote lowered his gaze, flickering faces of young devotees flashed through his mind. He had already compiled a detailed epidemic prevention manual, prophesying several ways of plague transmission and control, and experiment ideas for smallpox human smallpox. Even cotton masks, distilled alcohol, and low-magnification natural crystal viewing mirrors, he had overseen Alisa and the Medical Priests to create one by one!

Currently, there are many candidates to command epidemic prevention; as long as they sincerely adhere to the "sacred" epidemic prevention manual, it will necessarily limit smallpox's spread, at least not making the casualties too severe.

But the hardest part is finding a "pox vaccine researcher" to closely approach the inevitable smallpox patients. He needs to extract pus or scab from healing pox sores, test for the "attenuated smallpox virus," then conduct the dangerous "pox vaccination experiment," developing reliable "human smallpox vaccine" to fundamentally resolve the smallpox threat!

Given current protection measures, no matter how repeatedly Xiulote reminds, the "pox vaccine researcher" will inevitably contract smallpox from repeated exposure. Even Xiulote himself, if he directly contacts the "virulent smallpox virus," with his body lacking resistance, he'd likely be in a life-and-death situation.

Unless, the "pox vaccine researcher" has already recovered from smallpox and developed resistance to it...

"Chief Divine! From someone who has recovered from smallpox, understands the pox vaccination experiment, possesses enough hands-on and research capabilities... all conditions must be met... Where can I find such a person, especially the first condition?..."

Xiulote pondered for a long time, ultimately only shaking his head, taking it one step at a time. Subsequently, he carefully took down the chess pieces from the map and painstakingly put away the meticulously crafted map. Finally, he started tidying up the chessboard, packing two black pieces of "Sacrificial Priest," one red "cannon," a red "pawn," a red "general," leaving only the last red "knight."

"Hmm? This endgame has six pieces?"

In that moment, Xiulote's heart was stirred. The endgame actually had "six" pieces, like the divination's six lines? If the black chess is seen as "yin," red chess as "yang," according to the taken order, isn't it a natural hexagram?...

"From bottom to top, it's 'yin yin yang yang yang yang'... that means 'Lower Gen, Upper Qian,' combined it's 'Heaven Mountain Escape Diagram'? Let me think of the hexagram judgment... The world is with a mountain, escape; the gentleman distances himself from small-minded people, strict without malice..."

"So what is this hexagram divining for? Hmm... the chess game played by myself and Aweit, that means it's divining the fate of both of us?... Tsk! Heaven Mountain Escape, is it minor misfortune or major misfortune?... Where is the changing line? That's it, there's the last red piece left, the 'Upper Nine' changing line, changing to 'Lower Gen, Upper Ze,' 'Lake Mountain Xian Hexagram'..."

"Chief Divine! But what does the 'Heaven Mountain Escape Diagram' with the 'Upper Nine Changing Line' prognosticate?... I seem to have never memorized it, completely have no impression..."

Xiulote squinted his eyes, staring at the last remaining red "knight." What does "knight" represent? It's "Imperial Guards."

"Aweit's Imperial Guards? It's the changing line?... An ominous hexagram, an ominous warning. How can it be an ominous sign?... Have I been divining too much lately? Seeing everything as hexagrams... Hmm, I've been really tired lately, better get some sleep! Hah!...

Xiulote extinguished the candle, darkness enveloped his tent. He turned over onto the straw bed, while the sole remaining "knight" silently lingered on the redwood chessboard~~