Pirate Kingship

Chapter 422 - 338: Wild Arsenal - A Piercing Arrow, Revenge Will Not Wait Overnight!

Chapter 422: Chapter 338: Wild Arsenal - A Piercing Arrow, Revenge Will Not Wait Overnight!

「North of Yucatan Island.」

Pale moonlight spilled forth, illuminating the Aztec Royal City of Tenochtitlan, which had suffered the double assault of war and plague. The once-thriving city, with a population of 250,000, was known as the City of Gold. Now, it looked far more desolate, with its collapsed Temples, damaged buildings, and burned Divine Statues strewn about. The ground was littered with broken stone slabs. In their cracks, blackish-red bloodstains still lingered, unwashed even by the torrential rains of the season. Everything bore witness to the ferocity of that cataclysm.

That epidemic, coupled with looting by Colonizers from various powers, had failed to exterminate all the natives. This was true for this Aztec Royal City, East Tesco City, and West Tlacopan City. But the mortality rate of 70% in these three core allied cities had easily destroyed their entire political system and production order. Even half a year later, the place still bore the marks of desolation and ruin.

Only the core areas surrounding the Royal Palace and the Great Pyramid were barely restored, gradually regaining some semblance of vitality. The defense force, composed of Tiger Warriors, had been reorganized. However, in their hands were no longer the showy but impractical gold spears of ceremonial troops. Instead, they carried export-model Flintlock Guns and High Carbon Steel Swords from the Torrent Fortress arsenal.

"Your Majesty!"

At that moment, a figure walked calmly toward the entrance of the sleeping palace in the moonlight. The officers and guards on duty recognized him in the lamplight. They promptly stood at attention and saluted, reverence in their eyes.

The visitor was a robust and valiant young man around twenty years old, with long legs, a slender waist, broad shoulders, and a firm countenance. Only the many pockmarks on his face slightly detracted from his martial aura. Yet this did not prevent the survivors in the city, especially the soldiers who revered heroes, from respecting him from the bottom of their hearts. For he was the Aztec Empire’s new Emperor of distinguished merit, the "Avenger" Quetzalcoatl.

Aside from the gold Crown atop his head, the Emperor wore no traditional native turquoise or gold nosepieces or earrings. Instead, he donned the fitting attire of outsiders. He wore a white shirt with slim military trousers and black boots from the Kingdom of Castile, an attire more aligned with the Colonizer’s sense of aesthetics than native fashion. However, in the Aztec Empire, which had traditions of flaying, wearing an enemy’s clothing was not considered improper. On the contrary, they believed that donning an enemy’s skin or garments could grant them the enemy’s Power. Especially after defeating a formidable foe, such attire earned even greater respect among warriors.

The chief guard officer stepped forward and saluted once more with great respect, "Your Majesty, the two Imperial Concubines are enjoying the moon in the garden. The grape arbor you specifically requested has already been constructed. Even the grapevines, accelerated by shamanic witchcraft, have grown as thick as a child’s wrist. Two swing frames and a portrait of Velazquez, the former Governor of Havana, have also been crafted and placed opposite the grape arbor."

Hearing this, Emperor Quetzalcoatl acknowledged him with a dignified nod. "I’m aware. Well done. Maintain tight security. No one is to enter or leave the sleeping palace. And no matter what sounds you hear, do not come in."

Just for this slight praise, the officer on duty brightened, responding excitedly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Watching their sovereign disappear into the palace gardens, the guards’ eyes remained filled with unabated admiration. Some even murmured to themselves, "His Majesty is indeed the Lord of the Mandate of Heaven for us Aztec people!"

Clearly, although this New Emperor had been crowned for only six months, his prestige within the city-state was already exceedingly high. When the Empire faced an existential crisis, Montezuma II’s nephew, Quetzalcoatl, who had barely survived the calamity, was hastily crowned. He was the nearest blood relative in the royal family, as the previous Emperor and Queen Beatrice had no children. However, the most crucial reason for his succession was that he had survived smallpox and become immune. To stabilize the people’s hearts, he was, at that time, the most secure choice for succession—bar none.

Initially, the old guard had not held much hope for this young man who had never experienced hardship. Yet, this New Emperor’s subsequent performance exceeded everyone’s expectations. First, he conducted a bloodline ascension ceremony using the Book of the Beast Kinship. He quickly advanced from a Second Order Tiger Warrior to a Third Order one and even awakened the formidable "Flow State." Even among all the Third Order Tiger Warriors in the city-states, he was virtually unmatched.

Afterwards, he internally quelled the survivors of the three core city-states, consolidating the armed forces and civilians, and retreating to the most defensible Aztec Royal City. He restored the city’s population to a hundred thousand, consisting mostly of able-bodied adults and youths, creating a very healthy demographic profile. The city-state also began to gradually recover its Essence Qi.

At the same time, he abolished the centuries-old tradition of flaying and Blood Sacrifices. He welcomed the Divine Statue of the "Father of Healing" to reside in the former flaying temple. This helped re-establish the precarious faith after the entire Divine System had been wiped out. He leveraged the power of faith to unite the nation’s people of diverse origins into a single, cohesive force.

Externally, he fostered good relations with Torrent Fortress and the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company, being the first to invite their branch office to establish itself. Using agricultural technology and fertilizers, he reformed agricultural production, leading to an unprecedentedly bountiful Harvest. Furthermore, using their military aid and the excellent training manuals of Kingdom Army officers, he swiftly raised an elite firearms garrison that was considered peak-level throughout all of Banta’an.