CHAPTER 1194: CHAPTER 755: OMINOUS FATE, DIFFICULT BIRTH AND CHOICE

The sun set in the west, with the evening glow reflecting off the mountains. The autumn on the Mexican Plateau is a deep green mixed with a hint of yellow, signaling the harvest. Swarms of birds were chased away by the farmers, hovering in the sky and eyeing the deep green cornfields. Meanwhile, the continuous camps were patrolled by samurais sternly, with the earth covered in deeply yellowing grass.

"May the Goddess of Harvest and Fertility bless us..."

Xiulote stood with his back to the Temple of the Goddess of Harvest, his face solemn like a samurai, and in his mouth a prayer with the devotion of the farmers. He stared at the deep red sky, clenching his hands with no place to rest them, his heart tense and anxious.

At this moment, he was not aware that the dreadful typhus had first appeared during the Siege of Baza in the Granada War in Western Europe, recorded by history. This Rickettsia infection, which the American Natives lacked resistance to, had a mortality rate of 40% in Europe and twice that in America, once reaching a staggering 80%. This cruel infectious disease was brought to Central America by the Spaniards fifty years later, becoming the second widespread fatal disease after smallpox, claiming the lives of over ten million Central American tribes...

As always, Pandora’s Box of Plagues was opened once more. The birds of the God of Death eyed the cornfields and villages, waiting for the day they would descend.

"Oh Chief Divine! I beg of you to bestow your blessing! From sunrise to sunset, from the appearance of signs to delivery, it has been nearly a day already..."

As the day faded, the anxiety on Xiulote’s face became almost tangible. He paced back and forth uneasily, his eyes fixed tightly on the goddess’s temple. Expensive candles were already lit within the temple, and the priestesses were busily moving about in the hall, occasionally uttering a devout prayer. The familiar and hoarse cries of pain, low and drawn out, wafted from the temple’s inner chamber, tugging at Xiulote’s heart with each sound.

"Ecatl! Ecatl! Why hasn’t Ters returned yet? What on earth are the weapon craftsmen following the army doing!"

Xiulote clenched his fists, asking in a deep, forceful voice, his face showing signs of anger. He was like a puma with restrained fury and impatience, scratching at the ground with his paws.

"...Your Highness, this takes time... Your instructions were too rushed..."

"Send the trusted aides again to hurry them! With so many excellent craftsmen, how can they still not make it! Tell them, if they don’t bring things back soon..."

At this point, danger gleamed in Xiulote’s eyes. However, he maintained his composure and did not finish his sentence.

"Yes! I will dispatch them at once!"

Guard Commander Ecatl bowed his head, his voice kept low. He hurriedly deployed personnel to the military artisan’s workshop in Tree Snake City. Then, he returned to the presence of His Highness, hesitating with words unspoken. He knew the young king was on the verge of emotional collapse. He never imagined the king would care so much for the woman in labor and the child. Yet, precisely because of this, he had to persuade with precaution in advance to prevent future trouble.

"Your Highness... perhaps it’s all destiny..."

"Nonsense! Shut up!"

Hearing this, Xiulote’s anger was immediately ignited. He fiercely grabbed the collar of the guard commander, his expression severe, like a low growling beast.

"Ecatl, even if it’s destiny, it should be broken by me!..."

The hoarse shouting of the king echoed before the temple, as a young priestess with a blood-stained ritual robe stood frozen with fear. She had just come out of the temple, intending to report to His Highness, but dared not approach or speak.

However, the appearance of the priestess quickly caught Xiulote’s attention. The king suppressed his anger once again, stepping forward with expectation.

"Chief Divine bless! How is it? Has she... given birth?"

"Your High... Highness..."

The young priestess paled, so nervous that her voice stuttered. Witnessing her demeanor, Xiulote’s heart sank. He had not heard a baby’s cry; his inquiry just now was naturally self-deceptive.

"Speak up!"

"Your Highness... the chief priestess of the goddess, the midwives, and the herbalists all discussed together..."

Under the intense scrutiny of His Highness, the young priestess struggled to speak, delivering her recommendation intermittently.

"The omens of fate are unfavorable... perhaps... you can... make a choice..."

"Omens of fate are unfavorable? ...Make a choice?!"

Hearing these words, Xiulote’s mind buzzed, leaving him momentarily bewildered. He took two deep breaths, then suddenly flung away the supportive hand of the guard commander, striding into the temple.

No one stopped him, nor dared to. He rushed into the grand hall, gazing up at the newly sculpted statue of the goddess, the Mexica Goddess of Harvest and Fertility, Tonakaxiwatel.

With a smile on her face, green feather crown, and draped in a blood-red cloak, the most important goddess of the Mexica accepted the rituals of harvest sacrifices, granting bounty to the fields. She also accepted the rites of blood sacrifice, where death gave birth to new life.

Seeing the goddess’s smile, a thought of violence even arose in Xiulote’s heart, contemplating the prayers of the blood sacrifice ritual. But he quickly cleared his mind, shaking his head vigorously.

"...Phew! It’s useless, that’s useless... Only medicine is useful..."

Xiulote murmured as he entered the side hall, where traces of future medicine greeted his eyes and nose. For Nashu’s delivery, he personally arranged personnel to prepare alcohol distilled by crude methods, wash and boil the white cloth, set up a bed layered with numerous cottons, and repeatedly emphasized the concept of sterilization and disinfection to the priestesses.

If another person had instructed them thus, the priestesses of the goddess might have flatly refused and chased them away. The number of babies they had delivered had long reached hundreds. The traditions passed down in the temple had persisted for a thousand years. Did they really need guidance from a man? But since it was commanded by the Divine Revelation’s hall, they had no choice but to comply, striving to fulfill the instructions to the best of their ability.

Just entering the side hall, Xiulote’s steps suddenly became light. At the doorway of the side hall, seeing the white delivery bed vaguely visible in the depths, he was suddenly struck with fear. Listening to Nashu’s painful and hoarse groans, it was as if a hand clenched his heart, rendering him speechless as he silently walked forward.

"Honored Divine Revelation’s Highness..."

The elder priestess of the goddess, Itoya, awaited at the door, bowing her head in greeting to the silent Xiulote. Her face was full of worries. On one hand, she was concerned about the childbirth difficulty; on the other hand, she worried about knowing things that should not have been known.

"Ah! The unpredictable fate always arrives unexpectedly..."

Main priestess Itoya muttered, then cautiously explained to Xiulote.

"Your Highness... the woman in labor should have been taking contraceptive herbs for a long time, which harmed the vessel of life... In essence, it was difficult for her to conceive, requiring years to heal. However, she seems to have conceived while her body had not fully recovered, due to frequent joyful engagements with you..."

"She has endured for a long time, but being a first-time mother and suffering pelvic damage, the force for delivery is somewhat insufficient... And the baby’s head being slightly disproportionate makes it difficult to pass through the pelvis..."

Main priestess Itoya spoke subduedly, taking time to explain everything carefully. Xiulote listened intently, his face steadfast, remaining silent until Itoya uttered her final words, which caused him to squint his eyes sharply, a hint of red in his gaze.

"...The omens of fate are unfavorable! Your Highness, it is time to consider making a choice... Now there is the opportunity to choose, but if you wait any longer, both lives might be lost..."