Chapter 1364: Chapter 1364

"My most powerful Highness, your Miyava, obeys your will!..."

The sky was clear and bright, the seaside as blue as a mirror. The clear sunlight shone down, reflecting on the radiant face of the Serpent Priestess, and glimmering on the silver edges of her white ritual robe. She straightened slightly, her face showing a saint-like purity, her midriff tracing a life-symbolizing arc. Then, she smiled faintly, revealing a maiden-like reverent expression, kept her back straight, slowly knelt on the ground, extended her hands, adopting a posture as if serving the Divine. Then, she held Xiulote’s palm in this view, lowered her head, and rubbed her smooth cheek against it, much like a docile cat.

"Respected Master!...I am your most loyal Divine Servant!..."

Xiulote squatted on the ground, raised his head, and seeing such a pure and obedient Miyava, he couldn’t help but be stunned. Feeling the smoothness in his palm, a hot desire inexplicably arose within him. At this moment, he wanted to, as the Good God, relax and enjoy the pure service, yet also wanted to turn into the Evil God, to defile and ravage the purity... After a while, he took a deep breath, withdrew his palm, and glared fiercely at Miyava.

"Miyava! Stand up, you are not allowed to kneel on the ground! Remember my words, go back and think about it properly, and make sure to rest well! Remember! In broad daylight... you’re not allowed to act this way!... Don’t call me Master!..."

"Alright!...Master, I’ll do as you say!..."

Upon hearing this, Miyava mischievously blinked, smiling she said.

"Then I’ll go for a warm bath, waiting for you tonight...Master! It’s been days since I thoroughly felt your strength... anywhere is fine!..."

Xiulote hesitated, glanced beside him at Chiwaco. The old militia had already sneaked a few steps away, crouched in the corner of the cassava field, forcefully poking the mud with his fingers, again and again. He seemed very focused, very serious, not knowing what he assumed the mud to be.

The exploration fleet led by Chiwaco only set off southward from the Egret River’s northern estuary in early August. Then, they were forced to stay in Otters City for over ten days, until summoned by the Red Crow Chief once, did they leave the Red Crow Great Tribe’s territory smoothly, heading towards the southern Vastec. By early September, after countless hardships, they finally returned to the starting point from two years ago, the Silver Raven Tribe’s Crow City!

By then, out of the four longships returning from Cuba, over two hundred warriors and sailors, only one dilapidated longship and eighteen people made it back to the starting point alive, aside from three injured left in the Red Crow Great Tribe!

Eighteen people, among which two were children of the Mayapan Royalty, the actual crew numbered only sixteen! Over this six-thousand-li of waves, the journey was fraught with difficulty and obstacles, sparing less than one in ten. The old militia Chiwaco, when asleep, could be startled awake reminiscing the storms and battles during the return!

"Alas! Bless the Chief Divine! This damn blind Your Majesty! Poke him, fiercely poke his face!..."

The Silver Raven Tribe was a reliable ally of the Kingdom, everyone stayed in Crow City. There, they repaired the longship while requesting the Silver Raven Chieftain to dispatch envoys to quickly establish a connection with the Totonac north, controlled by the Kingdom Legion.

In mid-September, the Kingdom’s High Priest Moke Diao stationed in Snake City received news from the Silver Raven Tribe. Knowing how much Highness valued the exploration fleet, he immediately dispatched a two-hundred-man warrior team rowing ten newly constructed twin-hulled war canoes by the Eastern Shipyard to assist the fleet at the Silver Raven Tribe.

By end of September, the Kingdom’s warriors rowed their twin-hulled war canoe, successfully picking up the last surviving Kingdom longship along with the eighteen exhausted exploratory crew at the Silver Raven Tribe. Then, under escort of the warrior fleet, the longship swayed as it rowed towards the Totonac land controlled by the Kingdom.

Not until early October did the longship finally arrive in the Golden Bay City area. The first thing Chiwaco did after landing was to plant all the remaining cassava, carefully tending to make sure the remaining stalks survived.

This was just the time of the seaside autumn harvest. Xiulote had already taken two thousand Imperial Guards, left Golden Bay City, to inspect the militia settlements and flag units of the various parts of western Totonac. Although he received the news of the fleet’s return, he was overwhelmed with joy but couldn’t find the time.

In mid-October, he took the Imperial Guards to the eastern Totonac’s Conical House City, where he held a grand autumn harvest festival to appease all the parts of the garrisons nearby. Then he met with the Black Wolf Torc stationed there, arranging for post-harvest, the Black Wolf Army’s next eastward campaign!

Not until early November, under Xiulote’s personal supervision, did the Black Wolf Army officially set out, to conquer the Totonac city-states on the Eastern Coast! The five-thousand Totonac vanguard battalion first moved out, occupied the burned-down Coyote City, establishing the first garrison camp. Only then did Xiulote bid farewell to the Black Wolf, returning to the long-missed Golden Bay City, meeting for the first time the people from the returning longship.

"Bless the Chief Divine! You have endured countless hardships and ultimately returned from the Eastern Sea, blessed by the Chief Divine! You are the true warriors of the Kingdom, also the true heroes of all under heaven!... All returning Kingdom’s Warriors are conferred as the Kingdom’s Military Merit Nobility! All returning sailors are promoted to Fourth Level Veteran Warriors! And all who participated in this voyage will receive a pure gold ’Divine’s Blessing Exploration’ amulet! With this amulet, you can reduce household taxes, meet the County Magistrates and High Priests of each county, and appeal injustices!..."

Xiulote, invigorated with excitement, conferred eight military nobility titles, promoted six to Fourth Level Warriors, and bestowed sixteen special amulets, representing merit and privilege badges. Finally, there were Chiwaco, MeKate, the two fleet leaders, and Tilan, Tidan, the two Mayapan royalty.

MeKate, already a Second Level Divine Revelation Priest Scholar, relying on achievements from returning from exploration, was immediately promoted to Third Level Divine Revelation Priest Driller, equivalent to a presiding High Priest in one area. As for the old militia Chiwaco, he still refused the Highness’s rewards, only wanting to return to his hometown in the Kingdom of the Lake. But Xiulote, after much thought, decided to give him an unprecedented promise to motivate future explorers of the Kingdom!

"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! Chiwaco, as the Exploration Captain of the fleet, I will give you a special reward! You and your descendants can make a reasonable request to me... I will try my best to fulfill it!... Even if, that request, is to become the Kingdom’s Hereditary Noble!"

Hearing such a special promise, the old militia Chiwaco opened his mouth wide, his eyes widened, he was dazed for quite a while. His first reaction back then was actually to say: Please, blind Your Majesty, do not send him out to sea again! But in a flash, he remembered his son left in the Red Crow Great Tribe, and realizing he could not abandon his son, he was silent for a moment, then accepted this promise that was the envy of many!

"The exploration of the Eastern Sea! Cuba Snake Island, the Maya Lands, and the Northern Red Crow Coast..."

Thinking of this time’s exploration to the East Sea, Cuba Snake Island, Maya Lands, and the Northern Red Crow Coast...

Reflecting on this journey’s explorations and findings, experiences and narratives, and each person’s different experiences and feelings, were all deeply captivating him. For days on end, he summoned the fleet members one by one, each day conversing until late at night.

At this moment, these vast and profound stories of the East Sea, were just unfolding before him! Throughout these two years, the discoveries and encounters of the exploration, their navigational knowledge, as well as each person’s diverse experiences and reflections, have all seized his attention immovably. These are invaluable, particularly at this moment at the close of the year 1490...

And at this moment, the wonderful acting and allure of Miyava seemed not to matter much after all.

"Ahem! Miyava, go take a warm bath. Then... well, have a good rest!" Googlᴇ search novel✶fire.net

Xiulote reached out, gently rubbing the woman’s head to comfort her.

"Tonight, I’ll light a candle, and chat with my best exploration captain until dawn!..."