Aztec Eternals

The winter in Kamchatka Peninsula is particularly long, and the sky after the snow is blue and bright, like an endless sea. The snow-capped wilderness is connected to the boundless sea of ​​ice, and is like pure white clouds. The sky is the sea, the earth is the clouds, this is the Kamchatka coast in winter.

Between the clouds and the sea are the towering white snow-capped mountains in the middle of the peninsula. Under the hills where the snow-capped mountains extend to the shore, there are dozens of solid wooden houses built with logs, more semi-underground shacks, as well as three long boats and dozens of small boats frozen on the shore. It forms a large port camp by the sea.

This is the Shennanshan Port of the Kingdom, the second Kingdom port on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It is also the winter camp where the warriors led by Zuvalo and the people from the far north mainly live and operate. In fact, this is the southernmost tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula. From the end of the southern coastline, as long as you cross the ice-covered strait, which is only more than 20 miles at its narrowest point, you will reach the northern large island of the Kuril Islands, later known as Severo-Kurilsk.

The cold icy wind blew across the strait, and the hummingbird flag of the Lord God hung on the cedar tree outside the Nanshan Port camp, frozen into a straight shape. In the eyes of the local Yamabe, Nagabune Kaibe, who uses "some kind of strange bird" as a totem, is often called "Toribe" for this reason.

"Blessed by the Lord God of Big Bird! The reason why so many deer herds are preserved this year is thanks to the black stones transported by those two big ships! It's a pity that these precious fuels will be used less every time... I don't know if there will be enough next year. Will there be a big ship from the tribe coming?…”

"Hey, may the bird god of the tribe bless you! It's a pity that one of the three large ships that came over last year sank midway. It is said that dozens of elite warriors died, and a shipload of grain and black stones were also lost... Otherwise, the tribe's The black stone can be piled up in another warehouse, which can be kept until next winter... Well, two large ships have arrived, and there are so many more capable warriors in the clan! After the freeze this year, the shaman chief will probably take us south. , go to those short islands and plunder some food and women and come back..."

Two tribesmen from the Deer tribe were slowly returning from the snow outside the camp, carrying fodder on their backs. Although they speak the local tribal language, they have the emblem of the hummingbird engraved on their foreheads, and they regard themselves as tribesmen of the Bird Tribe. Obviously, the kingdom's assimilation policy that treats everyone equally, the spread of the belief in the main god, and the nomadic people's weak and strong ethnic affiliation are gradually forming a new branch of the Jiao people, the "Bird Tribe" of Kamchatka!

"YoYo!…"

"Huh! Hiss!..."

Smelling the forage approaching, the calls of dozens of stags came from not far away, which seemed very exciting. And when the two tribesmen climbed over the low hills, nearly a thousand strong reindeer suddenly appeared in front of them!

Large herds of reindeer raised their horns and gathered in the mountain col outside the camp, huddled in a simple fence to stay warm in the winter. Deer are the most important means of production for the people in the far north, just like fishing boats that can catch fish. There are hundreds of port tribesmen who are responsible for collecting daily forage and taking care of these deer that are eager to migrate and fresh grass. Some diligent tribal women were half-kneeling in the snow, chanting prayers and carefully squeezing the doe's milk as today's fresh milk.

"The blessing of the warm firebird! Let the deer produce more milk and spring come early!..."

For nomads, whether they are grazing cattle and sheep in Northeast Asia or reindeer in the Far North, their most daily food is various dairy products, not meat. If they really couldn't survive the winter, no one would be willing to slaughter their own livestock and reduce their tribe's means of production.

Further inside from the shack where the deer spend the winter, there is a row of meat drying racks where venison and skins are dried. The venison on it was all fresh red and had obviously been slaughtered not long ago. There is a lack of forage in the winter and the climate is too harsh to allow all the deer to survive. Basically every month, there will be old or weak deer that die of cold and starvation, which makes the tribal people in the port feel heartbroken.

"Huh! God bless you! Knead the leather carefully! This batch of new leather armors is prepared for the newly arrived longship warriors. They must be strong and durable!"

Not far away, more than two dozen tribesmen were covered in furs, squatting in the snow, carefully using blunt stone knives to repeatedly shovel the surface of the deerskin. From time to time, they also add a handful of powdered snow, a handful of powdered salt, and a handful of unpleasant yellow powder to make the tanned leather dryer, harder and smellier.

These deer skins are first dried in the sun and then soaked in lime water or plant ash water to alkalize them. Because it is made of leather rather than fur, the soaking time will be longer. After several weeks of continuous soaking, the hair on the fur begins to fall off, almost completely losing its activity, and it is time to take it out and remove it. After the hair is removed, it takes a long time to dry and harden, until the last step is nitrification tanning. As for the additives used in tanning, the Kamchajia tribe does not have alum and Glauber's salt, so the only ones used are brine salt and urine salt...

"Ah! It's a pity that such good reindeer skin is used for leather armor... This is a fine fur mattress..."

"What do you know? God bless you! When the snow melts, the tribal warriors will go out...hurry up and make leather armor! This is a consumable for tribal fighting. It can also be fought on the islands in the south. Some of them even come from unknown sources. metal spear…”

The older deer leatherworker kept mumbling, looking at the fine deer skin with reluctance in his eyes. The young hunter next to him didn't care and actively tanned the hairless leather.

In the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia, if these leathers were not hardened, they could be made into very soft and smooth fur. Then, they could be sewn into leather boots, leather coats and mattresses, and even made into amazing leather carvings and paintings!

In the migration camp of the Deer Tribe in Lutai River, there was once a beautiful cowhide painting, which depicted "Eternal Blue Sky" and "Great Tengri". It was a heritage leather painting obtained by the Deer Tribe two hundred years ago. It was said to come from the Horse Tribe further west, from the rich grasslands where the ancestors once roamed, and from the powerful empire that once unified the entire grassland and enfeoffed the tribes of Far North Asia!

However, the grassland empire that was as powerful as the blue sky in the legend was defeated and disintegrated by the more powerful southern tribes that were like the red sky. Since then, no envoys from the grassland empire have come to the forgotten snowfield of Far North Asia...

"May the Lord of Fire bless you! Is the fish bladder glue ready? How is the deer tendon silk? The best fir wood bow is ready, and the only thing left is the two key steps of gelling and sticking the silk!..."

"Okay! Now I'm going to apply the glue... Be careful, it's cold in this climate, and the gelling will happen quickly! Remember, these newly glued bows must be checked every day, and the deer tendons will be applied after about six or seven days... And these previously glued bows will be applied with tendons today... You all look at my craftsmanship and learn from me!..."

The old hunter Lu Gong of the Deer Tribe shouted loudly, and together with several experienced tribesmen, he carefully made the unique skills of the hunting tribe, the composite horn bow inherited from Northeast Asia. This is a real technical job, and also a real leisurely job. A good and durable horn bow often has dozens of processes, and it takes at least a year to make it. The two most critical steps that determine success or failure are boiling the glue and gelling!

"The Lord God bears witness! The glue boiled from the stomachs of yellow croaker and sturgeon is the best fish bladder glue. The heat must be controlled! After applying the glue, you need to look at the material of the bow body and the condition of the glue... Without ten years of bow making skills, without the skills and control of boiling glue, you can't make a good bow!..." After sticking a horn bow, the old hunter Lu Gong raised his mouth, and his simple face was full of confidence. As the most outstanding bow maker in the Lutai River Tribe, after being captured, he not only did not become a herdsman to graze the deer, but instead gained a higher status in the new Lu Tribe. Even the shaman chief Zuwaro would greet him with a smile when he saw him, asking him "Have you eaten?" and "Have you prayed before and after eating?"... In fact, as nomadic tribes in Northeast Asia, whether it is the Deer Tribe, the Mountain Tribe or the Tent Tribe, they all maintain a practical attitude towards faith. What really maintains their loyalty is whether the tribe's military force is strong or whether there is enough food and fuel. As long as the leader has enough food and a reputation for bravery or spiritualism, it is easy for him to gather a group of warlike tribesmen to fight and plunder other weak tribes, just like the raid to the south after the freezing last year...

"Lord God! Although there are many island tribes on the big island in the south, they are all very poor and have no money... I don't know what the chief shaman wants to do by capturing these short island tribesmen and holding that island girl every day? There are more than a hundred mouths to feed in the tribe, which is not a small matter! Having food and shelter, and being able to survive the winter safely, is really a bargain for these short island tribes..."

Thinking of this, the old hunter Lu Gong narrowed his eyes and looked at a row of newly built dugouts in the south. Dozens of short and hairy Ainu tribesmen, all with the Lord God's emblem engraved on their foreheads, were doing heavy carpentry work around the huts. They had to take advantage of the sunny and warm weather to build their fishing boats. When the spring snow melts in April, it is a good time to go fishing!

Far away, some short island fishermen squatted on the ice bank to ice fish and replenish the catch for the newly joined tribe. And a strange Central American stone tower stood on the frozen seashore, facing the direction of the sunrise in the east.

The altar of the main god was piled up at the top of the pyramid-shaped small stone tower. A hummingbird flag stood quietly, and a pottery basin filled with ashes was placed below. The green smoke that had not yet dissipated solidified in the cold air, changing into mysterious patterns, like a sign of shaman divination...

At this moment, a priest wearing a feather crown was standing in front of the burnt-out brazier, staring at the strange altar and stone tower. In the traditions of the tribes of Central America, this stone tower with an altar on top is actually the tomb of nobles and warriors, and a resting place that connects the kingdom of God and the abyss of the earth...

"May the Lord bless you! May the souls of the pious ascend to the high and beautiful kingdom of God!..."

After a long gaze, Zuwaro sighed faintly and prayed for the deceased warriors and priests. Then, he tried to open his eyes wide and stared at the east where the sun rose. That was the direction of his hometown, the home that everyone was thousands of miles away from, and perhaps could never return to...

"Zu... what are you doing? You seem... very sad..."

The Ezo girl Chishima Shell raised her head, carefully pulled Zuwaro's sleeve, and looked at the mysterious stone tower with some fear. Then, she tried to tiptoe, but could only reach her husband's handsome chin, so she raised her head and pressed it against him, and kissed him gently...

"Well... Zu, according to the custom of the tribe, I followed you and lived in the same wooden house with you... If you have anything sad, you can tell me!..."

"Well, Shell, I was praying to the Lord God just now... Although this stone tower tomb looks empty, there are sixty-two devout souls living in it! Thirty of them are tribesmen from the North, and thirty The warriors of the kingdom, as well as the two priests of Prepecha who were born in noble families, were all buried in the storm and fog of last year...

Speaking of this, Zuvalo paused and his eyes turned red. He couldn't help but stretched out his strong arms and gently hugged the soft yellow-haired girl in his arms. Then, he murmured in a low voice, looked at the sky with his deep eyes, and shed tears of sadness and sigh in the dazzling sunlight and under the girl's gaze looking up.

"Blessed by the Lord God! This frozen Arctic sea is where the bones of the devout are buried. Their bodies sank to the bottom of the sea, their flesh and blood returned to chaos, and their bones remained immortal in the abyss of death. But their martyred souls are there. In the red and rich country, enjoy peace and beauty forever! ”