Chapter 1360: Chapter 1360

"With the Supreme God as witness! I am the County Magistrate of Rivermouth in the Kingdom of the Lake, the Legion Commander personally appointed by His Highness!... The Avit God King is held in the highest esteem, and as a Mexica, I too prostrate and offer praise... But this time, please forgive me for not being able to accept the coronation..."

The sacrificial Divine Platform was a full seven or eight meters high. The cheers and shouts below the platform were like surging tides! And the confrontation and response on the platform resembled a large canoe afloat on the churning waves of a storm, facing fierce winds and lightning, always at risk of capsizing...

Monkey Kuluca bowed his head, clutching the scepter bestowed by His Highness, calmly and resolutely refusing. He responded in a deep voice, then glanced once more at Mawilo, the Chief Priest beside him, clearly indicating his intentions with his eyes.

This time, even Mawilo, the Chief Priest of the Lake, could not remain silent. He furrowed his brows deeply and looked towards the War God Elder at the top, opposing with a resisting voice.

"Respected War God Elder! Kuluca is a Great General of the Lake Sealed Country. If he accepts the coronation from the God King, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be appropriate, would it? The God King and the High Priest Xutel have had agreements with His Highness Xiulote, and oaths have been made... West of the old Tarasco territory is entirely self-determined by the Holy City faction, and the Alliance central does not interfere!... Are you here this time to break the oath between the God King and His Highness?!"

"Haha! The God King indeed said that west of the old Tarasco territory is entirely self-determined by the Holy City faction. But the God King also mentioned that another part of the agreement stipulates that east of the old Tarasco territory, including the Totonaq Coast, is to be decided by the God King!..."

War God Elder Azar smiled slightly and spoke softly, without spelling it out. Then, his gaze turned stern, reprimanding Chief Priest Mawilo and stating the legitimate reason.

"According to Alliance tradition, the Marshal of a Divine War must be blessed with the Sun God’s divinity! This has been the case in previous westward and eastward expeditions, and several campaigns—that’s the law set by our predecessors. Even His Highness Xiulote received the coronation from the God King before going into battle! And the Black Wolf Royal Banner raised by His Highness was also awarded by the Avit God King!..."

"Therefore! I am here this time to follow the law of the elders, to adhere to the God King’s will, and to bring the High Priesthood’s approval for the sacred westward expedition! Chief Priest Mawilo! You, as the esteemed Chief Priest of the Alliance, do you really intend to defy the elders, defy the God King, defy the High Priesthood’s decision?!"

After hearing such harsh reprimands and accusations, a stiffness settled on Chief Priest Mawilo’s face. He clenched his fists, opened his mouth wanting to respond sharply, but gradually lost his courage and silently lowered his head.

Monkey Kuluca looked on with anticipation at the most revered Chief Priest of the Kingdom of the Lake. However, this expectation was ultimately replaced by disappointment as the other slowly bowed his head.

Under the mandate of the God King and the High Priesthood, Chief Priest Mawilo chose to step back. He pursed his lips, stood aside, and remained silent.

"His Highness is not in the Kingdom of the Lake, and Chief Priest Mawilo, as the foremost figure in the priesthood, cannot stand up as a true mainstay to resist the divine authority pressure from the Alliance!..."

"Alas! After the High Priest passed away, the God King subdued the High Priesthood; such supreme authority of both God and King is indeed something he cannot endure... unfortunately, the truly responsible Chief Minister, Sage Jatili, is too old now. He’s infirm, ailing, and maintaining state affairs in the capital; he cannot travel this far..."

Monkey Kuluca pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and sighed inwardly. This outcome did not surprise him.

Without His Highness present, could Chief Priest Mawilo from the Holy City of the Alliance truly have enough resolve to oppose the supreme divine authority from the Alliance central? Clearly not! Otherwise, during the sacrificial rite earlier, he merely needed to stand firmly, representing the Kingdom of the Lake, to assume the duties of the sacrificing Strait Gold Clan Leader Pachjo, offending the Alliance’s great nobility, and Kuluca wouldn’t have been left in a dilemma.

"Chief Priest Mawilo, being of the Alliance, holds the divine and royal authority of the Alliance in high esteem... After the High Priest passed away, he did not dare to take up the kingdom’s religious interpretative authority, nor organize an independent Lake Priest Group to face directly the Alliance’s High Priesthood and the God King... He has grown old! Esteemed in wealth and honor, he lacks the courage of ’advance or die’!..."

"Of course! He would never betray His Highness; he even grew up watching His Highness from the priesthood of the Holy City, holding a very close relationship! But precisely because of this, he does not see His Highness as the sovereign monarch to whom he is a loyal minister. He has never been prepared or determined to sacrifice himself completely for His Highness, or sacrifice the preparations and determination of his own family within the Alliance!"

"Alas! ...When contending against the Mexica Alliance, the Mexica people, especially those of the Alliance-born Mexica nobility, are far less reliable than the Purpecha, Tekos, Otomi, Guajili people, or even the Totonac people!"

All these chaotic thoughts raced through Monkey Kuluca’s mind. He suddenly realized why the Avit King had come to coronate him. Because he was also an officer of Mexica Alliance origin, who had once kneeled at the feet of the Avit King! The Mexica King’s majesty, like a deep brand, had also left an imprint on his heart! And his First Spear Legion was largely composed of Mexica people...

"Respected Marshal Kuluca, please kneel to receive the God King’s Glorious Feathered Helm, Marshal’s Scepter, and the most esteemed Divine Banner!"

War God Elder Azar’s gaze was like a torch, urging again. After severely reprimanding Chief Priest Mawilo, he turned to look at Kuluca, his tone instead softened.

"Marshal Kuluca, this is in the grand ceremony before the expedition—tens of thousands of warriors are watching! ...At this moment, I represent the God King in granting you the token; how can you not accept it and publicly defy the God King’s majesty? This is merely an honorary coronation; the God King will not interfere in your command of the legion, nor will it affect the military governance of the Kingdom of the Lake!... And you, are still the loyal Legion Commander of His Highness!"

"I assure you, aside from accepting these tokens, the Divine King has no other conditions... Nothing else will change!... If it doesn’t work out, after accepting them, just tuck away everything but the traditional Divine Banner and not use them!"

"Ha! Nothing will change? Tuck them away and not use them? Are you taking advantage of my lack of noble heritage, thinking I understand nothing?..."

Upon hearing this, Monkey Kuluka opened his eyes and cast a deep look at the persuasive Elder of the War God. He silently mocked in his heart, but his face remained calm and unbothered.

"If nothing will change, then why insist on enfeoffing me? If I accept the King’s enfeoffment, people’s hearts will change! His Highness regards me as a confidant; knowing this matter, how will he see me? The kingdom’s nobility and priests, standing on the sidelines, how will they view me drowning? As for the Samurai, Militia, and the banner team of Rivermouth County, who have always followed my orders, regarding me as Legion Commander, Great Chief, how will they think?..."

"Over time, people’s hearts change. If I accept the enfeoffment and cannot fit among the kingdom’s nobility and His Highness, and if I sacrifice to Pachjo, I won’t be accepted by the local nobility of the Alliance... In the end, I’ll only lean toward the supreme Divine King, shelter under the king’s authority, with life and death hanging by a thread... This is forcing me to jump into an endless Black Abyss!..."

Thinking of this, Monkey Kuluka took a deep breath, lowered his gaze, and firmly refused again.

"Honorable Elder of the War God! The Glorious Feathered Helm, the Marshal’s Scepter, and the Divine Banner bestowed by the Divine King... I must decline to accept them!..." Googlᴇ search NoveI[F]ire.net

"Hmm?! Witness the Chief Divine! Marshal Kuluka, are you going to defy the will of the Divine King and the High Priesthood?!"

Elder Azar of the War God glared sharply, his face revealing cold dignity. He didn’t know how many noble Divine Descendants he had personally sacrificed, and his eyes carried a chilling murderous intent.

"You must understand! The Divine King sent me to enfeoff and preside over the Grand Festival, to tighten the bond between the Alliance and the Kingdom, making them inseparable!..."

"Enfeoffing you as the Marshal of the Western Expedition and awarding the Divine Banner is not only a tradition of the Alliance, but also the goodwill and expectation of the Divine King!"

"This is the brilliance of the Sun, bright and warm! But if you persistently refuse to accept, unwilling to praise the Sun, then I can only leave with the tokens, letting this Grand Festival for the Western Expedition happen in vain..."

At this point, Elder Azar of the War God shifted his tone, his expression turning pensive. He didn’t want things to get too stiff, after all, he was just a messenger and had no need to overly offend the kingdom’s side. But before coming, King Aweit had given orders not to let the authority of the Divine King be damaged. Hence, he had to say words he was unwilling to say, showing his true threat.

"Marshal Kuluka, according to the traditions of the Alliance, if a Marshal presiding over the Divine War doesn’t have the Divine Banner granted by the King, they cannot command!... Therefore, if I return to the Alliance, the High Priesthood will have to hold another Grand Festival to select a new Marshal for the Western Expedition to take over leadership and campaign against the Feathered Prince!..."

"The new Marshal of the Western Expedition will be chosen from the central Legion Commanders of the Alliance! Subsequently, five legions of eight thousand men, along with a naval force of four thousand strong, altogether forty to fifty thousand troops, will descend from the Lerma River to campaign in the Chapala Lake Region in the west! The two Kingdom Legions of Rivermouth County will serve as auxiliaries of the Alliance..."

"By then, the Western Expedition’s Grand Army will requisition the Dragon-Lan Fortress of Prince Tepopolo, setting up a military camp there... The army will also pass through Rivermouth County of the Kingdom, requisitioning the River Mouth Fortress as a second camp..."

"With the Chief Divine’s blessing! After subduing the Feathered Prince, the vast and prosperous Chapala Lake Region can enfeoff a few royal princes... Hm, the eldest son of the Predecessor Monarch, Montezuma II, is already of age and resides in the Capital City. The second son, Quetzalcoatl, is just fifteen... Both suitable candidates!... After all, even the three-year-old Prince Xiu Hua has been granted the Totonac land..."

Upon hearing such threats, Monkey Kuluka’s heart contracted violently. He was drenched in sweat, his back completely soaked, and his knees started trembling.

Although he didn’t believe King Aweit would, at this crucial moment of centralized reform, really send five legions to intimidate along the Lerma River, forcefully intervening in the Kingdom’s military and political affairs, even falling out with His Highness Xiulote...

But! The Alliance indeed likely could deploy two or three powerful Royal Legions to seize control over the Western Expedition in the Chapala Lake Region! After the Western Expedition, the Alliance could rightfully claim the ripe Chapala land, then enfeoff a few royal princes, transferring some local nobility of the Alliance to ease internal conflicts!

"Chief Divine!... This... This... Divine King... I..."

Seeing the panic on Kuluka’s face, Elder Azar of the War God finally smiled. He stepped forward two steps, lowered his voice, and gently advised.

"Respected Marshal Kuluka, I know you are loyal to His Highness and naturally would not want to see such a thing happen, right?... Actually, I’m the same!"