"Is it possible that it was just your illusion..."
Favia could sense that Tlaloc's voice was a little stiff.
In fact, when the black-haired girl learned from Favia that there was a spotted leopard observing her, and that she hadn't noticed anything, she began to sweat in her palms.
The spotted leopard, also known as the jaguar, is the most powerful sacred animal in Central and South America.
It symbolizes power and strength, represents rulers and warriors, and occupies a prominent position in the mythology derived from many local cultures in the Americas, including the Mayan culture and the Aztec culture.
And most importantly, in Aztec mythology, the jaguar is usually the totem of the first sun Tezcatlipoca when he incarnates as an animal.
There were two reasons why Tlaloc was nervous. One was that he did not notice that his brother was observing the outsider in the dark. The other was that he was confused as to why his brother suddenly exposed his tracks and led Favia here.
In her opinion, the smoke mirror was definitely a deliberate reveal.
Could it be that my brother has already decided to take action? Now?
The black-haired girl couldn't help but think so.
Although, she didn't really care about Favia's life or death, and it's better to say that she still has the thought that he will die soon.
However, in just a few short months, Tlaloc had witnessed Favia's personal abilities many times. Although he seemed to be talking nonsense, he was promoting the unification of religious beliefs at a very fast speed. The priests and officials of the original temple also devoted themselves to his ideas after listening to his speeches.
If there had not been a complete lack of reaction from the magic, she would have really suspected that Favia was using magic to brainwash people.
In addition, Favia also allowed Montezuma II to relax restrictions on luxury goods. In the Central and South American tradition, nobles were restricted from wearing tight clothing, and even the number of floors in housing was limited. For this reason, some people who performed well in Favia's religious integration and innovation in the newly unified country were given preferential treatment.
The previous independent laws of the major countries were abolished, and the laws formulated by Favia himself were used as central laws and judges were trained centrally.
Although all these measures were taken not long ago, Tlaloc knew in his heart that in time these measures would bring the entire world to a higher level... provided that Favia could lead the Aztec Empire through the collapse of the world caused by the violation of the rule of "human sacrifice".
Perhaps he was thinking about killing him personally at that time, or perhaps he was worried that he would be considered incompetent if he didn't notice the smoke mirror's observation, or perhaps he remembered the reaction of the people in Tenochtitlan when Favia announced the ban on human sacrifice, some were uncomfortable, some were helpless, and some were happy...
From that time on, the faith in the Left Hummingbird began to decline rapidly, especially when Favia really stabbed his own chest with an obsidian sacrificial knife to bear the "sin" that the Aztecs had always feared, which was the wrath of Quetzalcoatl because of human sacrifice. As a person with the power of faith in two great gods, Tlaloc understood that as long as there was a suitable opportunity, Favia's idea, the Fifth Sun, might really succeed.
Not to mention that Favia personally unified the chaotic Aztec and Mayan kingdoms, and his prestige was unmatched.
"Hallucination?"
When Favia heard Tlaloc's words, she turned around, somewhat doubting her own ears, and looked at her as if she were meeting her for the first time.
Tlaloc didn't understand why he suddenly said that. Although he was confused inside, he still looked as indifferent as ever.
"I--"
Before he could finish his words, Favia denied it.
“That should be Tezcatlipoca.”
"Eh......"
Tlaloc's breathing stopped for a moment.
"You should know."
Favia said so.
Of course Tlaloc knew that Smoke Mirror was her adopted brother, and he was also the supreme being in Aztec mythology who had spoken of the arrival of outsiders a few months ago and who had descended into the world of the dead Age of Gods for unknown reasons.
Facing the silver-haired young man's question, the black-haired girl was silent for a few seconds, then answered,
"Of course I know, that's my brother."
"Anyway, regardless of whether he is the First Sun or not, since he has led me here, I will go and meet him."
Looking at Tlaloc, whose expression was still indifferent, Favia continued, "Just wait here."
Then he walked towards the top of the Kukulkan Pyramid.
The sunlight shines through the clouds, dappling onto the ancient stone steps. The golden light complements the blue-gray stones. On both sides of the stone steps ahead, there are exquisite Mayan patterns and symbols carved.
Although the stone steps became steeper as he went forward, this was not a big problem for Favia. However, for some reason, there were still people living in Chichen Itza at this moment, and Favia knew that Tlaloc was down there, but as he moved forward step by step, the sounds around him gradually disappeared, leaving only his own light breathing and footsteps.
Not long after, Favia, who seemed to be in his own world, arrived at the top of the Kukulkan Pyramid and saw an exquisite and small temple standing on the top.
Beyond that, there is nothing.
Favia couldn't help but frown at the deserted scene. He was sure that the last place where the elusive jaguar appeared was here, so he shouldn't be in the wrong place.
With confused thoughts in mind, Favia quickly gathered carefully organized magic power on his fingertips and carefully explored every part of the small temple.
Suddenly, Favia's body raised its head very unnaturally.
"Light and Shadow Snake"
The so-called light and shadow serpentine refers to the fact that when the sunlight shines on the Kukulkan Pyramid at a specific angle, it will cast a zigzag shadow on the north stone steps. This shadow looks like a huge feathered snake swimming slowly, and its head is connected to the statue of Quetzalcoatl in the temple.
This was the scene that appeared before Favia's eyes at this moment.
But there are some differences. The shadow does not look like a golden feathered serpent, but more like a pitch-black snake emitting thunder.
It was at this moment that the pitch-black snake uttered a sound as if it had its own will.
It wasn't the sound of the air vibrating, it sounded more like the sound of fire burning.
At the same time, a shadow covered Favia's body, as if swallowing it up.
It was an area shrouded in thick fog and filled with terrifying energy, a hazy place between life and death.
The surroundings seemed to be covered by a thick white veil. This veil was not completely still, but was gently rolling, surging like waves. The fog was so thick that it could almost be touched. It permeated the air, enough to completely lose the outline of the scenery in sight.
Favia suddenly came to such a place.
However, this place was not empty except for thick fog. There was a fire not far from Favia. The fire was burning brightly. The flames jumped on the firewood, making crackling sounds. It was the only bright spot and seemed to be guiding him forward.
The color of the flames changed in the mist, gradually transitioning from orange-red to dark blue. Each color change was accompanied by a flicker of firelight, illuminating the surrounding air, making the originally blurry scenery appear hazy under the reflection of the firelight.
It took Favia only a dozen seconds to get close to the fire, and a vague figure gradually emerged. He sat there quietly, as if completely isolated from the world around him. The mist shrouded him, making his face and figure blurry.
However, there seems to be a coconut tree-like decoration on the head, and a weapon made of obsidian in the hand.
The figure's eyes never left the fire, as if he saw something he was pursuing in the dancing flames, or was thinking about an important issue. When Favia approached, he turned and looked at the newcomer.
"Hey! You're the one my sister is taking care of, right? I'm Tezcatlipoca, which means the First Sun in Aztec."
As the cheerful words fell, the blurry figure's face was completely exposed in front of Favia. It was a handsome blond man, dressed very primitively, with almost nothing covering his upper body.
"Favia."
As Favia expected, the one who led him here was indeed the Aztec god of the earth, the First Sun Smoke Mirror.
“Mmmmm… ah, I can’t contain my excitement. The roar of the jungle is urging the Leopard Warrior to fight!” Smoke Mirror stood up and waved his weapon. “Haha, I’m just kidding. But for a worthy enemy, you should use a worthy fighting method. This is the lowest level of etiquette in a fight, don’t you think? After all, you who destroy the existing rules are my enemy who maintains the rules.”
Favia was unmoved by the threatening look of the Smoke Mirror, and just looked at him curiously.
"I'm a little confused. How did you get out?"
"Hmm? Is this difficult?" Smoke Mirror pretended to be in deep thought, then twitched his lips, "Although the times have changed and we have returned to the jungle, if we want to, we can still find a way. Oh, that old Nordic guy, that guy likes to come out at will after the Age of Gods, and he is probably the one who has come out the most times."
"Odin?"
"Oh, yes, it's him. Maybe the final fire that burned out their pantheon made him excited."
The smoke mirror mocks the Ragnarok of the Norse pantheon, and the end fire must be the designated Norse end device, the fire sword of the fire giant.
Then, he continued,
"But, I know what you want to ask. The real reason why I came out may be you, or it may not be you."
Favia said nothing, but looked at him with puzzled eyes.
"It's too troublesome to just explain this kind of thing. I'll ask you to look at it from God's perspective and you'll understand."
As the words fell, a thread stretched out from the obsidian of the smoke mirror and stretched out in front of Favia as if inviting him.
The moment Favia grasped it, his five senses began to change, and an overly huge vortex of information appeared in his sight.
This is the ability of God himself to know things that are far away and originally unknowable.
"This is how God sees things. Isn't it wonderful for humans? The past and the future have nothing to do with each other. After all, what you want to see is always there before your eyes! So let's start from the very beginning and see it."
Following the sound of the smoke mirror, new figures appeared in Favia's vision.
What entered the young man’s field of vision was the black solar smoke mirror of the First Solar Age when humans were declining and giants were prevalent.
Continuing along the timeline, the Smoke Mirror was eventually smashed into the sea by Quetzalcoatl. Without the sun, the world was in darkness. Unhappy with this, the Smoke Mirror turned into a jaguar and devoured all of its own people. At the same time, the First Sun Age was destroyed.
"See, that bird-head is so unreasonable. I am simply incompatible with her."
While being amused by Smoke Mirror's words, Favia's field of vision automatically shifted and information appeared around him.
Just like Black Sun said, this is God's perspective.
Later, Favia saw the conversation in the Second Sun Era where Quetzalcoatl was forced to leave due to a trick played by the Smoke Mirror.
"You have a broken head. You know what it means to fight bravely, indulge in pleasure, and die fiercely. You'd better disappear from my sight if you don't want to bleed. This world doesn't need people who can't get hurt. This is a world where everyone has to pay a price. This is a world where everyone will sacrifice."
"...One day, when I come back from the sea, I will deny all this."
"Really? You really don't do things without thinking. It's totally impossible."
At that moment, Smoke Mirror spoke to the departing Quetzalcoatl in an extremely indifferent tone.
At this moment, a kaleidoscope-like scene appeared in Favia's vision. In countless worlds, the land of this ancient nation would be conquered by outsiders, and countless people born on this land would be slaughtered in various ways... This was the 'future' that had been seen long ago.
So Favia understood that the legend of Quetzalcoatl's return would be replaced by outsiders, and this had been foreseen by the Smog Mirror long before the end of the Age of Gods in Central and South America.
"Well, but no wonder I have been observing you for so long. You have a connection with the Mountain and some unexplainable connection. You are not an outsider, but a more special existence. No wonder you can accept God's perspective and your memory is not saturated."
For some reason, Smoke Mirror said this with great joy.
Because in the Type-Moon world, in the world that God sees, the past and the future are parallel. Not only that, things that actually happened and things that didn't actually happen are also parallel. In other words, this is the state that is known for any route in the game.
This is why it is difficult for people in the Age of Gods to communicate with God. After all, for humans, the future and the past are unique, but in the eyes of God, there are countless such things.
Don't wishfully think that because it is God, it is natural that the amount of information is huge. In fact, the more fundamental specifications are different, just like the things and information that can be seen in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional dimensions are completely different. Even if the situation is exactly the same, the information perceived, recognized, and experienced by humans and gods is completely different.
There are tens of thousands of different destinies, just as there is more than one future, there is more than one past.
The gods of the Age of Gods would intentionally choose one route for humans among tens of thousands of fragmented routes in the game.
That's how it is, but most gods in the pantheon will not deliberately target anyone.
"I see. It turns out that even you don't know the specific reason why you came out."
Through the perspective provided by the smoke mirror, Favia finally understood what he looked like in the eyes of the smoke mirror.
Although after the Age of Gods, God can no longer intentionally change the "future", he can still see countless futures. The only difference is that the Age of Gods was led by Gods, but now it is up to humans to move forward. Favia can see nothing through the smoke mirror, only darkness.
Moreover, although he knew in the Age of Gods that the Aztec world would be destroyed by outsiders, he did not see the arrival of Favia at this time.
For example, it’s like a hidden route that’s impossible to see suddenly appears in a game where the route is already well-established.
But the reason why the smoke mirror appeared was that he was called by the Central and South American world itself, but even he himself didn't know why.
However, according to Smoke Mirror's speculation, perhaps because the "human sacrifice" would be cancelled, the Aztec people would still be alive. It should be known that in any previous solar era, there would be no human existence in the end.
The Fifth Sun was not born in the Fifth Sun Era, so the rule that governs the world, 'only by offering something important can the world be stabilized', replaced the 'Sun God'. Abolishing human sacrifice would dim the sun, and thus the world would be destroyed.
Under the original circumstances, the Spaniards would indeed be destroyed along with the human sacrifices and the people of Central and South America, but now, with Favia, it is highly likely that only the human sacrifices will be destroyed, and humans will survive, which goes against the rules of the Central and South American world.
But this is also Smoking Mirror's speculation, and he is not sure whether it is true or not. This is also the reason why he said to Favia, "It may be you, or it may not be you."
"Yes, that's right. It's so comfortable to be able to talk to someone using the God's Viewpoint. Although it's not impossible to use dialogue, this is more convenient."
Smoke Mirror's expression brightened and he smiled.
"Well, in your opinion, the dimming of the sun means the end of the Solar Age, and humans cannot survive."
"Of course, this is how we got through the previous solar eras. This is the rule on this land."
For Smoke Mirror, this is an extremely normal way of existence. Even though he has long understood that this land will be destroyed due to the internal factor of the abolition of human sacrifice and the external factor of outsiders, he will not say much, because he himself will not interfere with this decision. After all, this is very similar to the situation in many myths where the gods of fate cannot control fate itself by their own will.
However, the First Sun would harshly criticize them for ultimately being defeated by the Conquerors' guns.
After all, he doesn't need any heroes, he only wants warriors. As long as everyone in the world is a warrior, he doesn't like guys who are willing to bleed. For the First Sun, the Central and South American world does not need guys who can't get hurt.
There is actually no malice in this concept, because in the eyes of Smoky Mirror, competition for survival is order, and he regards this as the good that makes the world run smoothly.
To the cruel world of Central and South America, whether it was Quetzalcoatl, Favia, or Montezuma II, wanting to abolish human sacrifice was a heresy that shook the rules that had never changed since the Age of Gods.
"If we compare the world of Central and South America to a ship, the sun is the captain that everyone admires. If the sun dims, it means the captain is about to die. Therefore, for the captain, as long as he himself survives, he can sacrifice everything on the ship to maintain it. He doesn't care where the ship is going. This is normal."
".....oh?"
