Chapter 1998: Chapter 1460: Xiulote’s Divination, Brave New World

"Your Highness Xiulote, according to the decree of the Divine King, the specific negotiations with Cloud Mountain City, starting today, will be fully entrusted to you!..."

"The Chief Divine is merciful and will grant the lost fish a chance to return to the right path! Tomorrow, let all the Alliance envoys who have negotiated come to see me!"

"Yes! Following your orders!"

"May the Chief Divine bless!..."

"Yes!..."

With the sun leaning west, the Chief Intelligence Officer, Shadow Dagger, respectfully bid farewell to Xiulote’s tent and left. This "Prophet’s" tent, adorned with profound talisman flags, has become the most "mysterious" place in the entire camp. As the "Prophet" of the nobility and samurai, draped in this layer of divinity, Xiulote’s manners and behavior were similarly influenced, increasingly resembling his grandfather of the past.

In the August heat and stifling atmosphere of the Mexican Plateau, Xiulote still donned a black ceremonial dress, wore a heavy Obsidian Feather Crown, even the turquoise accessories on him hung neatly in place!

This awe-inspiring Elder Priest attire was the first layer of divinity on him. And his indifferent, detached demeanor without any ripple was the second layer of divinity.

"Every source of faith requires the beautification and imagination of distance... Between gods and men, they cannot be too close... Once ’divinity’ is chosen, one must portray the ’posture of divinity’!..."

Thinking this, Xiulote lowered his eyes, understanding his grandfather all the more. Many times, once the shell sculpted by the environment and position molds itself on a person, it forces them to become like the shell. And after staying in the shell for too long, the person’s entire body, mind, and thoughts will be changed and sculpted by the environment. Especially power and wealth, seemingly driven by the possessor, but many times, they counteract back, pushing him to change from head to toe...

"Relocate the Divine Descendants of Cloud Mountain City to the Northern Continent... Hmm... locate a fief along the Western Sea Coast, between the kingdom’s port outposts..."

Sitting in front of a small table, Xiulote gazed at the map delivered by Shadow Dagger, deep in thought. But soon, he shifted his attention from the map to another item that had just been sent by Shadow Dagger. A flag captured from "White-skinned Demons" from East Sea Cuba!...

"This is... a square flag with a blue cross on a white background... the flag of the Kingdom of Portugal?!"

Xiulote’s expression flickered, eyes revealing unbelievable astonishment. This flag, along with many demon spoils, was brought back from Cuba to Maya three months ago, passed through the Totonac Coast, and after being circulated by the Mexica Alliance, was proclaimed in ceremonies by the Chief God Priests... It was only today finally delivered to him.

Looking at the worn but washed-white flag surface, it was evident to be the result of Medical Priests following Xiulote’s instructions using lime water. As for the commendable "heads," fearing possible plague diseases, they too followed his instructions, not returning them to the kingdom’s outpost of Maya...

"The second encountered evil demon fleet only had two ships... still Portuguese people?... how could it be Portuguese people?... According to historical precedence, shouldn’t it be Columbus, leading a large Castilian fleet in the second voyage?"

"The trajectory of European continent history has already changed! But how did the butterfly of the American continent stir up a storm across the Atlantic and change the course of the European continent?..."

"Why are the Portuguese people involved now? At this moment, shouldn’t they be key in exploring India?... Where is Columbus’s second fleet now? How large is its scale?"

At this moment, the fog of history clouded Xiulote’s mind, turning the once predictable future into chaos! The new world has already arrived, but the appearance of the new world is hidden in the dense fog of the sea, making it completely unclear!

Xiulote has always believed that his changes would influence the entire world’s course, and he has been working hard for it! Yet, he never envisioned that just after Columbus’s first voyage, the subsequent historical start would be completely scrambled into a mess, unable to provide any definite prophecy anymore!

The trajectory of the world pulls one thread and stirs the whole body. There will never be a transmigrator that arrives many years, does many things, and history remains exactly the same, completely unchanged...

"Chief Divine, it seems my tenure as ’Prophet’ only lasts these few years... Beyond that, my prophecies could never be precise, unworthy of count!..."

"Hmm... Then, it’s only by following the traditional method, taking the sacrificial divination path, giving psychological hints, and offering vague outlines!"

"If that’s the case, let me first cast a hexagram! More broadly, let’s divine the changes of the future and the actions that should be taken!..."

With this thought, Xiuluo once again rose and tidied up his clothes and accessories, lighting up a wisp of Divine Smoke. The third layer, also the largest layer of divinity of the Priests, undeniably belonged to "superstitious activities."

From sacrificial rites to divination, from grand ceremonies to small prayers, from communicating with the deceased to communicating with Divine Spirits. The realm of "mystical activities" is the sphere of religious dominion over the mind. And Xiuluote’s divination still followed tradition, first meditating and praying for a while, then solemnly extracting kui grass and casting the Six Lines.

"Old Yin, Shaoyang, Shaoyin. The lower trigram is ’Kan’, the low water... Shaoyin, Shaoyang, Shaoyang. The upper trigram is ’Xun’, the rising wind. With Xun above and Kan below, it’s Winds of Dispersion, the hexagram ’Huan’!..."

"’Huan’ hexagram, what omen does it bring again? Wind blowing water disperses, showing signs of disbanding and breaking apart, seems like an ominous hexagram?... As for the specifics, one must look at the changing line. The first line change, lower trigram changes from ’Kan’ to ’Zé’, ’wind blowing water’ becomes ’wind blowing marsh’..."

"Uh?... What does this changing line mean? What does it represent?..."

Reaching this point in the divination, Xiuluote’s expression halted, unable to deduce further. After all, he couldn’t even remember all sixty-four hexagram images, let alone the detailed oracular phrases. He could only rely on his intuition to vaguely interpret that this divination result was ominous and required some method to resolve.

"An ominous sign?... Could it be that the colonial invasion will still bring terrible calamities?"

At this moment, many thoughts flashed through Xiuluote’s mind, his steadfast brows deeply furrowed. After a long silence, he finally decided to divine once more, to see if he could get a hexagram and changing lines he remembered.

"Shaoyang, Old Yin, Shaoyang. The lower trigram is ’Li’, burning fire... Shaoyin, Shaoyin, Shaoyin. The upper trigram is ’Kun’, descending earth. Earth above, fire below, Earth Fire Ming Yi? How come this hexagram is entirely reversed from before? ’Water’ turned into ’Fire’, ’Wind’ turned into ’Earth’?!... Chief Divine! Is this divination accurate or not?..."

Seeing the result of the second divination, Xiuluote was stunned for several breaths, even doubting his divination skills. But he pressed on resolutely, using the hexagram images oracular phrases he remembered, to start interpreting the hexagram.

"Earth Fire Ming Yi, I remember this! Firelight buried beneath the earth, the world dark, shows signs of blindness... Hiss! Another ominous hexagram?..."

"As for the specifics, the changing line nine-two... Li fire changes to Qian heaven, located below the Kun trigram... that’s ’Earth’ on ’Heaven’, Yin and Yang interact, thunder emerges on level ground? This is also resolved through some method, turning ominous into auspicious..."

"Hmm... let me think! This nine-two changing line’s oracular phrase, I seem to remember! It should be... something about a horse, something mighty, then auspicious? Horse... Mighty... Auspicious? ’Horse’?..."

After a difficult recall, Xiuluote’s mouth twitched, feeling somewhat helpless. From this second divination, he still couldn’t remember the specific oracular phrase, leaving only the vision of something about "horse" lingering in his mind.

"Chief Divine protection! The latest message, on Great Whale Island, a batch of young horses have already been bred... The mares must be kept for breeding. As for those stallions... perhaps two should be sent over, one to Aweit, and one I keep for myself..."

"After all these years, I finally have the opportunity to no longer rely on my feet to travel!... Wearing this ceremonial dress, with the heavy Obsidian Stone Crown, moving is indeed inconvenient. The other Elder Priests all sit on palanquins carried by men. But I dislike such carried objects, too lacking in Samurai martial might..."

"If only I had a horse, that would be ideal! Not only could it serve as my transport, reflecting the martial prowess of a Samurai and the mystery of an Elder Priest... but also allow the Alliance’s Samurai to become familiar ahead of time with this galloping four-legged beast!..."

"Hmm... looking at it this way, ’horse’ is indeed very important! Let’s write a letter to Chimere to ask him to send two young horses!"

With this thought, Xiuluote nodded slightly. He put away the divination kui grass, unlocked the heavy stone crown, placing it by the altar, then emptied the burnt Divine Smoke. Only then could he relax his expression and begin writing a long letter. In the letter, he eagerly requests the changes of the new world, to come into the transformative Mexica Alliance, into the ancient Cloud...

The trade exchanges on the West Coast of the Pacific Ocean and the exploratory collisions on the West Coast of the Atlantic Ocean have already, along with the storm tides, brought the converging worlds once separated by new and old... A brand new future rises from the sea, connecting the divided continents and oceans as one for the first time. Thus, this oceanic connection will grow increasingly close, an irrevocable journey...

Now, whether in the East or the West, whether in the New World or the Old World, unprecedented change has quietly emerged, emerged over the sea!

The new world has arrived! A brave new world to face with courage~~