Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

"That’s right! Get a cloth, dampen it with water, and cover your nose and mouth. They say it can block out the miasma of the plague! We don’t even know if we’ve already been infected..."

Red-haired Mique muttered a few sentences, then went to call over the two rescued Taino native leaders, Ah Xi and Ah Luo. He looked at their grateful and sincere faces and spoke earnestly.

"Hey! Ah Xi, Ah Luo, you two! Don’t kneel, don’t bow your heads in thanks, stand up! Yes, that’s right! Praise the Chief Divine! Everything is arranged by the Chief Divine!..."

"Chief Divine bear witness! We rescued you from the hands of the Evil Demon, from the most dangerous lair of the demon, saved you! No, no, we don’t want anything! No shell pearls, no Jin stones or Silver Ore stones, those are of no use to us; we don’t need them. For you, many of our warriors have died and might have contracted the demon’s plague. And those who have contracted the plague, will still die..."

"Therefore, we need your help! Yes! Help! Look at the pockmarks on your face, you’ve been infected with the plague once, haven’t you? Yes, once you’ve been infected, you won’t get it again! So, when our people collapse, it will be up to you to take care of them!"

"How to take care? Isn’t it simple? Just feed with food and water, when feverish, pour some spring water to cool them down! If they can’t move due to diarrhea, help clean them. As for other matters? What else can be done? I’m not a Priest, I don’t know, maybe praying will help?"

Upon hearing this, the two pockmarked Taino Chiefs, Ah Xi and Ah Luo, looked at each other, momentarily unsure of how to respond. But soon, Ah Xi thought of something and hesitated to speak.

"Um, Chief Divine protect... Mique chief? These plagues, we call them Plague Fire or Evil Fire. Many of us died, and sometimes those white-skinned demon’s Cross Priests would try to save a few... Even among the demon’s tribespeople, some get infected, there are people who help with treatment..."

"Chief Divine bear witness! Yes, what I mean is, I’ve watched carefully how they do it, and tried to help the infected tribespeople! But I don’t know if it’s effective?..."

"Ah?! You mean, you know how to treat the plague? How?"

By the flowing creek, upon hearing Chief Ah Xi’s response, Red-haired Mique showed a joyful expression, quite delighted. But soon, he furrowed his brow, puzzled.

"What was that? You saw that demon Cross Priest cut open your tribespeople and then bleed them while praying? Does that bleeding method really work to cure people? Did anyone actually survive in the end?"

"Uh... The demon’s Cross Priest bled dozens of people, and in the end, two survived. Yes! One of them is in our group! Ah Gua, Ah Gua, come over! Speak about your experience being treated by that Cross Priest?"

Taino native Ah Gua scratched his head, panting heavily as he walked over. His body was weak, having run for two days, he looked as thin as a reed, urgently needing food and rest. Upon seeing the warriors of the Chief Divine Tribe who saved them, he respectfully knelt and knocked his head a few times. Then, with a bleak and painful expression, he recalled for a long time before he began to speak.

"The pus and blood released by that Cross Priest did make me feel somewhat better at the time... Yes! Our symptoms began with a fever all over, like being on fire. Then quickly lost strength, with headaches that felt like the head would split. Later, the body was covered from head to toe with red spots and rashes. Finally, these rashes turned into large red sores and pox, filled with smelly, disgusting pus..."

"Afterward, basically eight out of ten died in the pus. The whole person turned into a pine cone, turned into a honeycomb, covered with large and small pits, bleeding pockmarks!... When the big pox oozed pus, it was the hardest, killing the most people!..."

"Among the white-skinned demons, that Cross Priest and his sacrificial apprentices were the only ones nice to us... The Cross Priest would cut open our skin’s large pox and drain the pus and blood... Then, after draining enough, they’d coat us with burnt grass and wood ash, charcoal powder, and even burnt mud, covering us just like West boars rolling in the dirt..."

"Chief Divine protect! When the body was full of pus and sores, it was truly painful! Painful enough to want to die, yet essentially unable to move. Then, the whole person would feel dizzy, as red as a shrimp, extremely thirsty. Afterward, I completely lost consciousness..."

At this point, Earthman Ah Gua shivered all over, still filled with fear and dread. Chief Ah Xi embraced him, comforted him with a few words, then turned around and spoke to Chabo and Tai Giant Eagle who were listening earnestly.

"Ah Gua was burned delirious at the time and couldn’t remember anything. But I remember that we took care of him, as well as many, many others... Yes! I hail from the Earth Department, the longest captive, and one of the first to survive this dreadful Plague Fire!"

"Once all the body’s pox had bled out, wrapped with grass ash and charcoal powder to stop the wounds, the biggest problem was the fever! Those infected would sweat all over, drying out... You had to constantly pour water to cool them, feed them fluids. Then, they couldn’t eat food, would need cassava powder mixed into thin porridge and fed to them! Then they’d have diarrhea and urinate everywhere, needed cleaning..."

"This was the scariest time! The ten-day period that threatened life! If the pustules weren’t treated initially, half wouldn’t last even through the first few days, dying in pus directly! And even when treated, after releasing pus and blood, stopping wounds with grass ash, in the other half remaining, half would still die of fever!... "

"Ancestor! The scene was truly horrendous! When they died in the end, no good skin could be seen on their bodies, all were rotten sores... And those who were thin, especially the elderly in their 30s and 40s, couldn’t make it through! Also, those thin kids..."

Taino Chief Ah Xi looked pained, wiping tears with reddened eyes, his voice also choked. It took him a while before he continued in a hoarse voice.

"Cassava God and ancestor protect... Western Chief Divine also protect! Only the stronger ones, especially those fatter, could endure this horrible ten-day period! This was about the ancestor spirit’s protection, also about your own destiny and body! Without someone’s care, survival was almost impossible. And even if cared for, helped with treatment, out of ten, only one or two survived..."

"Yes! Damned demons, demons who brought the plague! Initially, out of ten, one or two could survive! If there could be enough food and water, perhaps more could live... but those damned demons! They would never feed us full, never give us water to drink! I’ve seen several clansmen with my own eyes, survived almost ten days, scabs started forming, began to heal from sores... But still missed the last breath, died from fever, starved to death without food!"

"Yes! The symptoms when this plague is almost healing are when the sores scab over, become shrunken, then turn into pockmarks like on my face! Look, on my belly, chest, everywhere are such pockmarked spots..."

At the climax of excitement, Chief Ah Xi tore open his grass clothes, revealing a chest densely covered with pockmarks, causing a chill in Tai Giant Eagle. Afterwards, Chief Ah Xi looked over the warriors and archers, hesitating to speak.

"Um, Chief Divine protect! You are strong warriors, even if infected with Plague Fire, you should survive more, right? Maybe three or four out of ten will live?"

Hearing Chief Ah Xi’s words, Red-haired Mique and Tai Giant Eagle exchanged glances, both speechless. After a moment, Mique took a deep breath, pulling Chief Ah Xi and Earthman Ah Gua, walking towards the forest behind the supply point.

"Let’s go! Come with me to see! We have a group of infected warriors in that forest behind the village!"