Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The Vastec were the most loyal vassals of the Empire. They cherished music, art, and dance, and were not adept at warfare. Due to settling in the warm tropical plains and their custom of scant clothing, the Vastec sent a tribute of one hundred young girls skilled in song and dance. The maidens wore simple attires that were blushingly revealing, adorned with tempting shell ornaments, walking with the rhythm and melody of music.

The Mistec were somewhere between loyalty and disloyalty. They were the people of the clouds, excelling in crafting exquisite gold and silver jewelry and were the finest precious metal artisans. The Mistec's tribute consisted of pure gold headbands, pure silver earrings, gilded stone tools, and gold and silver necklaces inlaid with turquoise.

The Zapotecs, being the farthest away, showed the lowest loyalty. They, too, claimed to be spirits of the clouds, but were influenced by Maya culture, using a script similar to that of the Maya. The Zapotec tribute was multiple loads of ground rouge from cochineal insects or red mangrove trees. They also brought tropical flowers.

Then it was the turn of the neighboring tributaries. Their gifts were self-declared as "congratulatory presents," proclaimed as tributes.

Cholula was the Holy City of the Nava religion, and thus, with its special status, was at the forefront. Their Envoys also represented the Tlaxcala people who refused to bow their heads and send emissaries. The tribute from the Cholula City-State was an exquisitely carved War God statue of jade and the bows and arrows of the Tlaxcala people, wrapped in beautifully patterned silk threads.

The envoy from the Tarasco stood out among the envoys of the Mexica. He stood tall and proud, half menacingly, presenting sharp bronze Battle Axes, sturdy Bronze Helmets, and even solid Bronze Armor. Aweit weighed the Bronze War Armor in his hands and smiled slightly. The craft of the armor was still immature; it was too heavy and not suitable for large-scale warfare.

The Totonac integrated some part of the Toltec people and also inherited the remains of the Olmec civilization. Their attire was quite simple, wearing monochrome robes. The Totonac's gifts were an ancient Olmec mask from hundreds of years ago, along with beautiful seashells, conches, corals, and bags of pearls from the seaside.

Aweit carefully caressed the ancient mask before handing it over to the Priest to be properly stored. Such treasures served to connect the Mexica people with the ancient civilizations, adding legitimacy to the Alliance's conquest of the world.

Next were the envoys of the Otomi from the contracted city of Otapan. Although Xilotepec City was still under siege, this did not prevent Otapan City from cautiously maintaining contact with the Empire. As for the Otomi nobility sacrificed today, the sacred rite of sacrifice was a homage to their noble bloodlines, seen by the Mexica Nava and others as lacking an insulting nature.

The Otomi's gift was far simpler – blankets woven from agave threads and a variety of novel animals, such as eagles from the north, red hawks, carvings, crows, wildcats, snakes, and even centipedes and scorpions. If the Otomi could traverse the deserts roamed by the Chichimec, they'd be able to capture another form of tribute desperately needed by the Alliance: the North American bison.

Last were the Maya traders. As usual, they offered tobacco, spices, seashells, and plants and flowers from the East. Xiulote vaguely saw a familiar figure but couldn't be too certain. After all, the lengthy heads of the Maya, their cockscomb-like eyes, and their strange facial ornaments heavily impacted the ability to recognize their faces.

These were the "Five Attires" of the Mexico City-State Alliance. As for the other City-State forces, they were either too scattered, only able to offer some bright feathers or too remote to have arrived in time.

The tribute ceremony had finally come to an end. Aweit held the Divine Staff high, giving salutations to all envoys of the City-States. The envoys also respectfully kneeled on one knee to return the courtesy. Under the slightly westward-slanting sunlight, he descended the high platform of the Great Temple, with the flags of the king shimmering in the sunlight. Behind him, fully armed Samurai of his clan followed close in an entourage.

The Samurai's tour of the city had ended; next was the grand and mighty tour of the new king. It allowed all the Citizens of the Capital City an opportunity to pay their respects to the great king.

On the Great Temple, the call for sacrifices rang out anew, now in the voice of Uguel. The Chief Priesthood once again opened the path to the Sun God Nation, sending a procession of blue Sacrifices on their return journey.

Atop the Chief Palace, the elder watched the coronation ceremony with a stoic face. Finally, he turned and calmly looked at Xiulote.

"My child, are you ready?" he asked.

Behind the elder, the Guard Captain, who was as silent as a statue, also gazed over. His left hand gripped the clay pot tightly, while his right hand rested upon the sharp Bronze Axe.