The sacred smoke swirled in the hall, bringing with it the presence of the deities, sunlight poured from the zenith, granting divine radiance. The Grand Hall of the Priests was solemn and ancient, exceptionally sturdy, built upon a foundation of white granite, topped with dark red volcanic rock, and bonded with a mortar of corn ash. The four walls of the Great Hall were adorned with murals of deities, embellished with gold and jade decorations, brilliance and color flowing everywhere.
The High Priest, wearing his long Feather Crown, sat solemnly below the zenith. The Elder Priests were seated cross-legged in two rows, perched high above ground. The High Priests stood in reverent silence, holding scrolls, wooden slabs, and ritual vessels. And Xiulote, clad in Black Wolf ceremonial attire, also sat cross-legged, occupying the newly added lowest seat among the Elders.
On the outermost perimeter, dozens of temple Samurai, holding sharp bronze axes and wearing Beast Mask Helmets, stood steadfast like sculptures. They had dedicated everything to the Chief Divine, remaining unmarried for life, to earn the great honor of guarding the Grand Hall of the Priests.
Prince Totoquihuatzin from Tlacopan, with an expression of respect, slowly entered the Grand Hall of the Priests under the guidance of a High Priest. Facing this majestic scene imbued with divinity, he could not help but bow his head reverently, acknowledging the supreme divine authority.
"Praise the Chief Divine! Prince of Tlacopan, Divine Descendant Totoquihuatzin, offers his respects to the High Priest!"
Upon hearing Totoquihuatzin’s name, Xiulote’s expression turned solemn, and he slightly turned his head, sizing up the old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a long while. Not having met for four or five years, the prince had clearly gained considerable weight. His head was adorned with a towering yellow-green Feather Crown; around his neck hung a Pure Gold Amulet of a Sun Hummingbird, and he was dressed in a yellow robe befitting the highest Nobility, with gold ornaments dangling from the hem, swaying gently. The entire person looked just like a pineapple glistening with gold, exuding an aura of wealth and status.
Seeing the "pineapple" Prince of Tlacopan, the Elder Priests wore smiles on their faces, each casting their gaze downward in silence. In the eyes of Elder Azar, there was a clear look of contempt. Such ostentation, in the eyes of the Mexica who revered martial prowess, suggested an inability to fight bravely, to win the hearts of the Samurai, and hence posed no threat at all.
Elder Azar smiled wryly to himself, muttering inwardly.
"The Prince of Tlacopan, truly like a pineapple adorned fruit."
The High Priest, in his Feather Crown Ceremonial Dress, sat at the head of the room. He looked at the pineapple prince calmly, lips curling into an almost imperceptible smile.
"May the Chief Divine protect us! Prince of Tlacopan, Totoquihuatzin. What brings you here to report?"
"May the Chief Divine protect us! Respected High Priest, I have come to... er... confess, regarding the nobility and priests of Tlacopan."
The pineapple prince lifted his head, revealing a fatigued and aged face. He cautiously glanced at the High Priests within the Grand Hall and carefully responded.
"Respected High Priest, may I confess privately to the Council of Elder Priests?"
"Oh? To confess privately to the Council of Elder Priests..."
The High Priest pondered for a moment, glanced at the pineapple prince’s expression, and slightly nodded.
"Granted!... Everyone else, leave. Praise the Chief Divine!"
"Praise the Chief Divine!"
The twenty-odd High Priests bowed their heads in salute, echoing the sentiment, and then receded from both sides of the Grand Hall. Soon, only seven or eight Elder Priests remained in the Great Hall, along with Xiulote there at the High Priest’s indication.
The now spacious Grand Hall seemed even more solemn, silent to the point where one could hear a pin drop. The High Priest looked serene, smiling as he spoke.
"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! The benevolent Chief Divine casts forth the Sun’s radiance, warming the hearts of the faithful, accepting confessions that come from the heart! Prince Totoquihuatzin, speak of your transgressions, the Chief Divine may choose to forgive."
The pineapple prince nodded, responding in a low voice.
"Respected High Priest, this year, the Alliance has once again conducted the reduction and reassignment of noble titles and lands in Tlacopan. Many hereditary nobles were stripped of their Lake Region fiefs, assigned to the Land of Jontal, as well as to the mountainous regions near Weytamo. The High Priesthood also stripped some Priestly Families of their hereditary fiefs and teaching rights..."
Upon hearing this, Elder Uguel nodded knowingly. The reassignment in Tlacopan was centrally managed by the Royal Family with the assistance and coordination of the High Priesthood, and he was the Director responsible for overseeing it.
Over the five years of religious reform, the Alliance’s process of centralization continued to deepen. The Texcoco Lake Region, situated in the heart of the Mexican Valley, is rich and prosperous, with at least one and a half million people, and has been gradually brought under the direct control of the Alliance. The Nobility from various regions were either harshly reduced in rank, reassigned to foreign states, or, like the Texcoco Nobility, completely exterminated. Now, at least seventy percent of the lands in the Lake Region are owned centrally by the Royal Family, and most of the villages are well organized, with Priests from the Capital City Priesthood involved in governance.
This year, as the Elder’s illness grew worse, the Alliance’s efforts for centralization reform became increasingly forceful and urgent, even ruthless. The dissatisfaction among the powerful Nobility in the Lake Region grew day by day, with a few small-scale rebellions taking place.
The secret service groups of the Alliance and the system of confession played their parts. When the Lake Region Nobility organized to a certain extent, they would leak secrets, drawing the powerful Royal Legion. Facing tens of thousands of copper-armored elites, tens of thousands of Imperial Guards with Longbows, all attempts at noble rebellion were nipped in the bud, invariably ending with the extermination of the entire family.
Now, the Great Nobility within the Lake Region live in constant trepidation, urgently seeking reassignment and looking forward to the Eastern Campaign. Meanwhile, the Great Nobility of the Four States outside the Lake Region have also lost much of their autonomy due to the strong intervention of the Central Royal Family. Xiulote’s unpleasant experience at the banquet in the western City-States was precisely due to this context.
The Tlacopan City-State, located on the western shore of Lake Texcoco, near the Lake Capital City, has seen its remaining hereditary Nobility and Priests subjected to severe measures in the second round of reforms, losing most of their autonomy.