Chapter 411: Commerce and Religion, Silhouette of the Capital in the Lake

It's almost dusk, the waves reflect the red sun, and the city in the lake shines in the glow, like a magnificent painting by the Lord God. The expansion of the Great Temple Pyramid is coming to an end, and the sixty- to seventy-meter-high tower is becoming more and more majestic, like the throne of the gods in the human world.

Gillim wore a simple robe and a dark cloak, and walked all the way to the palace with a few guards. Although he has become a "female snake" and is the most important king's advisor in the alliance, he still lives a simple life and has a low-key style.

Having been engaged in intelligence work for many years, he has long been accustomed to minimizing his personal presence at all times. At this moment, he was walking in the bustling streets of the capital, stepping on the shadows of dusk, as if walking in an open wilderness. No one noticed his presence, and no one recognized him.

The chief intelligence officer walked through the prosperous market, silently looking at the merchants coming and going, observing their clothes, expressions and movements. The New Year celebrations in mid-January have long ended, and the tribute envoys from various states have returned, but merchants from all over the world are still staying in the capital.

As the Mexican Union grew stronger, wealth from all over the world gathered. The great nobles had enough financial resources to squander, which gave rise to prosperous commerce. The alliance itself produces a large amount of obsidian, gold and silver, salt, grain, cotton cloth and spices, while the tribes from all directions contribute furs, tobacco, feathers, shells, rouge, jade, gold and silver ornaments.

Copper materials from the Western Kingdom and the Weitamo Mountains are monopolized by the Alliance Central Committee and given priority to military production. Only businessmen with official backgrounds can trade in small quantities and make huge profits. The fireworks in the craftsman camp continued day and night, and a large amount of copper and tin materials were forged into sharp copper spears, armor-piercing copper arrows, and strong bronze cloth armor.

With the popularity of bronze weapons, the control of obsidian was gradually relaxed. The obsidian produced by the alliance has become a valuable commodity that merchants from various countries will definitely purchase. In order to meet the demand for blood sacrifice, all the ministries in the world fight every day. Even the distant Zapotecs were conquering the Mayan tribes in the eastern rainforest every year. In the world of Central America, obsidian, which can be used as a weapon and has religious significance, is as hard currency as cocoa beans.

"Why are there so many gems in the Western Lake Kingdom?"

The chief intelligence officer cast a scrutinizing gaze at Prepecha's gem shop.

In just a few moments, a huge gem trade was completed. A Mayan merchant with a slender head took out tens of thousands of kilograms of grain and hundreds of rolls of cloth, and exchanged two bamboo baskets for various gems. The merchants on both sides were beaming, and the tax collector who was witnessing the incident was also beaming.

The number of gems produced by the Kingdom in the Lake is so large and the quality is so stable that the price of gems in the entire world has dropped by several percent. Now, the only ones who can purchase large quantities of gems are the Mayan merchants who control coastal trade.

The general intelligence officer knew that Mayan merchants purchased high-quality Prepecha gems in large quantities and did not sell them locally, but transported them eastward to the seaside. They took Mayan galleys out to sea and traded with countless island tribes in the sea. They used Prepecha gems to purchase cheap tobacco, spices, cotton cloth and food, and could even earn up to ten times the profit!

At this moment, Prepecha's gems may have spread to the end of the world, becoming the third most expensive hard currency after cocoa and obsidian.

"Many secret guards have been exploring the kingdom for several years, but they have not found any traces of gem mines. Instead, all clues point to the special trade bureau of the Kingdom's Divine Enlightenment Institute."

The chief intelligence officer looked at the gem shop and was silent. He already had a surprising guess in his mind. However, in the current political situation of the kingdom, it is meaningless to express this speculation.

Most of the gem shops in Prepecha are run by official merchants of the Lake Kingdom, and they steadily sell large quantities of gems in the alliance states in exchange for daily supplies needed by the kingdom, especially food and cloth. These daily supplies would then be boarded at the port in the north of the capital and transported to the west by the kingdom's navy.

The Alliance built its country on farming and war, and the control of military supplies, food and cloth has always been very strict. After the reform of religious law, the outflow of war preparation materials was strictly prohibited. But the Kingdom in the Lake is different after all. It has an extremely close relationship with the Alliance and has always received special treatment. His Highness Shulot entrusted the foreign countries with enfeoffment, and the king and the high priest took great care of them, providing various supports year after year.

In fact, without the continuous blood transfusions from the Mexican Alliance, the Lake Kingdom would not have been able to restore production order so quickly, let alone continuously launch troops to fight foreign wars.

In addition to material support such as food, cloth, and tin mines, King Avit even generously issued a decree allowing the Kingdom of the Lake to send manpower to recruit poor Mexican farmers and city residents in the densely populated Texcoco Lake area. Lakeland settlement in the west. The high priest also ordered the village priests in various places to cooperate and complete a certain quota of migration every year.

Thinking of this, Gillim lowered his eyes slightly. According to the information he had, more than 10,000 people migrated from the Texcoco Lake area to the Western Kingdom last year alone. The holy city of Teotihuacan has the largest migration population, with almost two thousand people.

"The king trusts His Highness more than his own children."

The chief intelligence officer thought for a moment and smiled helplessly. Then, he looked at the fat tax collector in the market, holding an abacus in his hand. With the alliance strictly prohibiting smuggling, prohibiting local governments from setting up private cards to collect taxes, protecting the safety of merchants, regulating commodity prices, and unifying weights and measures. After the implementation of a series of commercial law reforms, commercial taxes in the Texcoco Lake District increased rapidly. The alliance now earns enough business tax every year to support two legions of 8,000 men.

The position of tax collector is controlled by the priest group and the royal family, and has now become a famous "fat job" in the alliance. After the children of the nobles get this position, they will become visibly fat.

"The position of tax collector can be used to appease the nobles who are dissatisfied with the centralization of power. Most of the nobles who hold this position will gradually wear out and lose their fighting spirit like obsidian weapons."

Gilliam smiled slightly, attracting the attention of the slightly fat tax collector.

The tax collector looked carefully for a moment, and suddenly trembled all over, his face pale. The other party turned out to be the "female snake" who executed the most nobles in the alliance in the whole world! According to rumors among the nobles, the female snake not only controls the inspection warriors who supervise, but also controls the secret detective warriors. Not long ago, several tax collectors in the alliance were ruthlessly executed for accepting bribes and acquiescing in the military trade of foreign merchants.

Thinking of this, the tax collector immediately bent his waist and walked over here in small steps. Gilliam glanced at it calmly, waved his hand, and left silently again.

The Chief Intelligence Officer continued forward and passed the community temple. The evening singing came from the temple, and the pine incense of praying to the gods filled the air. Outside the temple, hundreds of people knelt on the ground and prayed devoutly in the direction of the great temple under the guidance of the priests.

"Praise the Supreme God! He gives us food, He protects our souls. He protects us in the dark night and promises a better tomorrow!"

Seeing this scene, Gilliam frowned slightly and quickened his pace. Although he was well versed in theology, he did not have much awe for the gods.

Over the years, religious reforms have become more and more in-depth, and the glory of the Lord God has been rooted in the hearts of the people in the lake area. In the entire lake capital, the belief in polytheism has turned into the Supreme God. The image of the Lord God is gradually changing and abstracting, from the cruel and bloody hummingbird god of war to the majestic and benevolent almighty Lord God.

Gilim could feel that with the strengthening of monotheism, the perfection of doctrine theory, the complexity of prayer rituals, and the perfect religion of the afterlife, the control over people's hearts became stronger and stronger, and the power of priests was rapidly expanding and their influence was growing. In the states outside the Texcoco Lake area, there were devout believers who came from hundreds of miles away to worship regularly.

"The priests' prayers are getting louder and louder, and their words are getting more and more powerful, gradually suppressing the great nobles in various parts of the lake area. This is not a bad thing for the centralization of the royal family. But the high status of the high priest and His Highness Shulot's Kingdom in the Lake, the two are added together. Once the immortal sun leaves, how can the king maintain balance and sit firmly on the throne?"

Thinking of this, the chief intelligence officer was worried. The powerful divine power in the hands of the high priest is a more worrying alliance risk than the Kingdom in the Lake 700 miles away. The elder has listened to the call of the Lord God and will not stay in the world for too long. Without Him to suppress everything, once the nobles who are dissatisfied with the centralization of power collude with theocracy, I am afraid.

Gilliam looked up, and the more than 60-meter-high Great Temple cast a huge shadow, covering the central temple area and the tiny mortals. Under the Great Temple, more than a thousand believers from various states were crying, prostrating themselves under the majestic shadow, praying to this shocking spectacle, and praising the glory of the Lord God!

The Chief Intelligence Officer looked at it silently for a moment, and shook his head imperceptibly. Then, he turned around and went to the palace of King Avit.

There, King Avit, who had experienced blood and fire and controlled the power, sat on the throne and waited for a long time. The king's eyes were as calm and deep as Lake Texcoco, and looked to the east like a burning red sun.