abnabooks Chapter 420 - 336: Skull No.1: The Fallen Heavenly God Itzamna_2
Chapter 420 - 336: Skull No.1: The Fallen Heavenly God Itzamna_2
Chapter 420: Chapter 336: Skull No.1: The Fallen Heavenly God Itzamna_2
Without Byron, they would not be where they are today; their loyalty to him is absolute.
These two city-states had already fallen completely into his grasp, and their support for him was the strongest.
Only Tayapan, the last one, remained. Although closest in distance, it had the least interaction, always conducting affairs officially, without any overly intimate personal relationships. (Chapter 183)
Most of the upper-class nobility in Tayapan had also been lukewarm towards Torrent Fortress.
One reason was their pride in their own heritage.
Whether it was the mightiest Dragon Lizard Warriors of the past, or the Number One Crystal Skull, "[Heavenly God] Itzamna," both represented the ultimate glory of the Taya Empire era.
And "Tayapan" itself means "The Standard of the Taya People"!
They always considered themselves the noble, legitimate heirs of the Empire, superior to all other Taya People.
This was especially true when the previous King’s brother, the originally inconspicuous ’Curled-Nose King’ Teotihuacan, unexpectedly rose to the throne.
He displayed the overwhelming strength of the mightiest in the city-state, suppressing all opposition with tyrannical force.
Moreover, his beast-transformed state was not only closer to a true Giant Dragon than any Dragon Lizard Warrior,
but he also received the support of Great Shaman Calakmul.
He proclaimed Teotihuacan to be the [Heavenly God]-chosen Son of Prophecy, destined to one day become the new Emperor of the entire Taya Empire.
The Number Three Crystal Skull, the [Corn God]—the one that could speak—personally proclaimed his name and crowned him King!
Naturally, under the rule of this new King, the already arrogant Tayapan, despite suffering serious losses in the Aztec Royal City, became even more aggressive.
However, even among this group of nobles in the temple, there were dissenting voices.
A noble dressed in Old Continent attire, a flintlock pistol tucked at his waist, his appearance clearly foreign, spoke up,
"But, Your Majesty, if it weren’t for the [Father of Healing], we would all have perished in the smallpox plague.
How could we even speak of restoring the Empire’s glory?
Furthermore, through trade with Torrent Fortress—gaining iron agricultural tools, fertilizers, and assistance from agricultural experts—the city-state achieved a bountiful mid-year harvest.
This prosperity gave them the confidence to be the first to sound the war horn for the Crown of Glory War.
Clearly, not all outsiders are the same. Torrent Fortress is a power the city-state can ally with!"
Another high-ranking warrior, similarly dressed, added,
"The benevolent name of Sea Hunter Byron Tudor has long spread throughout the Bantaan Archipelago.
He is fundamentally different from the greedy, vicious People of Castilia.
In this half-year of cooperation with Pioneer Navigation, the lives of not only the common people but also those in the upper echelons of our city-state have significantly improved.
Cloth, silk, iron pots, swords, firearms, porcelain, textiles, agricultural techniques... all have seen substantial advancements.
Even if we are to fight and expel outsiders in the future,
I would support attacking the People of Castilia. But if we are to attack Mr. Sea Hunter, shouldn’t we exercise more caution?"
"And when we begged him to save our lives, didn’t the Great Shaman also sign an exclusive trade agreement?"
Their words were tactful, but their meaning was very clear:
Raising military funds and dispatching soldiers to plunder our biggest trading partner and weapons supplier, supposedly to protect our interests from being harmed by that same partner and supplier—isn’t that utterly self-contradictory?
Those who spoke out were mostly commercial nobles adept at embracing new things, many of whom had profited greatly from trade cooperation with Torrent Fortress.
Their words stemmed not only from conscience but also from economic considerations.
If relations broke down, their interests would suffer the most. They might even lose everything overnight, which naturally solidified their firm support for Byron.
This also indicated that Catherine’s "proxy agent program" had begun to yield results.
However, the trade cooperation between the two sides was only six months old. This interest group was still very weak, and their words were quickly drowned out by the overwhelming calls for war from others.
Especially when the half-human, half-dragon ’Curled-Nose King’ Teotihuacan glared with his Dragon Eyes, these individuals immediately fell as silent as cicadas in winter.
"Do you dare question my decision?"
The tremendous voice vibrated, making everyone’s eardrums rumble.
The new King’s temper was clearly extremely volatile.
From the Crystal Skull, veiled by a piece of colorful silk on the dark red altar, a gargantuan, five-headed, five-colored dragon-shaped light and shadow suddenly leaped forth.
It appeared to be composed of boiling water and churning bubbles, and it emitted an angry roar at the assembled nobles.
All the nobles, regardless of faction, dropped to their knees with a great RUSTLE.
"The [Heavenly God] is angered!"
A commercial noble kneeling in the front row cautiously raised his eyes. Peeking through a gap in the silk, he noticed the skull seemed different from before.
It no longer possessed the smooth, clear, crystal-like appearance he had seen half a year ago.
Instead, the left half of its face was now covered in bony protrusions, a malignant growth faintly forming a scaly dragon’s head!
A chill shot through his heart. Could it be that our [Sacred Artifact] and guardian deity... have become Fallen?!
He looked at the similarly beast-transformed ’Curled-Nose King’ Teotihuacan and the Great Shaman. A sudden, terrifying understanding dawned on him, and he trembled, daring not to voice his thoughts.
The [Ladder of Glory] offered stability but lacked Power, while [Forbidden Knowledge] offered Power but lacked stability.
For centuries, although the Transcendents among the indigenous people could advance in Class, their Human Nature continuously eroded.
Ordinary Totem Poles, the "Heavenly Ladder," gods, and pyramid structures serving as [Anchors] were insufficient to stabilize their increasingly vast Spirituality. Consequently, they were more severely affected by the Source Tide.
Upon reaching a certain level, forget immortality—they couldn’t even maintain their Human Nature.
The numerous half-human, half-beast Evil Spirits, Bizarre creatures, and deadly [Cursed Spirits] that caused heavy casualties on the Bantaan Archipelago were all born this way.
The greater their power, the faster the corruption. The Fourth Order was typically a colossal, almost insurmountable threshold.
Beast Spirit Warriors capable of breaking through to become Fourth Order Mythical Creatures were exceedingly rare; moreover, a large proportion of them went mad.
As time went on, even if someone reached the promotion threshold, they were reluctant to ascend.
He looked at the mutated Crystal Skull, the King, and the Great Shaman. The commercial noble couldn’t help but connect this to that horrifying possibility.
"HUFF... HUFF..."
The half-human, half-dragon ’Curled-Nose King’ Teotihuacan gasped for breath, his bloodshot Dragon Eyes glaring as he swept his gaze over the crowd.
He probably felt it necessary to reveal some truly significant information.
"To conquer the entire Empire in one fell swoop during the Crown of Glory War, we have no choice but to hijack the ships from Torrent Fortress, and we must attack the fortress itself!"
He then waved his hand over the Crystal Skull on the altar. It emitted a barrier of light, projecting a map of the hundreds of kilometers around Tayapan within the temple. Six points of light on the map shone with particular brilliance.
Besides one in Uxmal City, the other five were all concentrated in Torrent Fortress, located to the north and not far away.
While the nobles were bewildered, the ’Curled-Nose King’ Teotihuacan, his eyes piercing, addressed the assembly:
"After my succession, I toiled to find the corresponding epic and, through the [Sacred Artifact], activated the power of the First Skull.
One of its abilities is: Dominion Over The Pantheon.
It allows me to locate other Crystal Skulls and gods within the Taya Empire’s territory and harness their Authorities for myself. The more I gather, the stronger I become!
Raising his right hand, now bearing sharp claws, he pointed at those bright spots one by one.
"The Number Three Crystal Skull, [Corn God]! Number Five, [Sun God]! Number Six, [Moon Goddess]! Number Eight, [Feathered Serpent God]! Number Twelve, [North Star God]!
All five Crystal Skulls have ended up in the hands of that outsider, [The Sea Hunter].
Do you realize what this means?
It means one of the greatest Powers from the Taya Empire era is right before us.
To put it bluntly, even if he is the [Father of Healing] who saved all our lives..."
His oppressive gaze swept across the hall as he enunciated each word with deliberate force:
"He must die!"
HISS—!
The assembled indigenous nobles gasped, a chilling understanding dawning upon them.
Yet no one noticed that in a corner, an unassuming [Dragon Lizard Warrior] imperceptibly lowered his eyes, barely managing to conceal the... murderous intent smoldering deep within them.