At the Golden City

It's so hooot! The heat really kicked back into high gear as soon as we crossed the river!

I wanna go back and play with Proteaaa!

Oh? You're going back to the first underworld, Marine? I'm sorry to hear that.

Tepeu, you meanie! Of course I'm not gonna go baaack! (Crying)

I'm still one of Fujimaru's bodyguards, you know! I wasn't being serious! I just wanted to vent!

But it'd be nice if you let me stay under your wing for a bit!

Under my wing? Ah, I see. Because the shade will help keep you cool, yes?

It's nice to see Tepeu and Marine getting along so well. They're like father and son.

Oh, no. I probably shouldn't just jump right to calling Tepeu a father. We don't know how old he is.

"Father"... That's the name for one of the two providers of genetic material for your species, right? I don't really see the merits of procreating to raise a genealogical successor...

...but if you're imagining the two as father and child, I agree that Tepeu seems older than the rest of you.

Let's see, if you convert his age to human years, I'd say he's around...ninety. Give or take.

Th-that would mean he's more of a grandfather than a father!

Oh gosh, I had no idea we've been asking so much of a senior citizen!

Oh, don't worry. I'm quite all right. Deinos bodies remain in perfect health until they meet their end.

More importantly, are you sure you don't mind leaving Protea behind?

I still don't understand this summoning system very well, but wasn't there something else you could have done?

Thank you, Protea. We could never have crossed the first underworld without your help.

？！

Hehe. You're still so happy, even after that major huge mess along the way?

What, that? That wasn't a mess. That was just another interaction with a primitive creature.

It's like when you go to pet a dog and it ends up biting you. That kind of thing happens all the time, right?

(That's pretty clearly something that happened to Director Olga Marie, but I think silence might be golden here. Right, Senpai?)

...

Well, this is as far as I go! Thank you so much, everyone!

Huh? You're staying here? Why don't you come with us? You're part of Chaldea too, right?

I'm afraid she can't do that, Young Miss.

Although the mask no longer holds any sway over her, Kingprotea is still unable to leave this boundary of the underworld.

The only reason she was able to operate here without either the Storm Border or Fujimaru as her Master...

...was her having been made into this stratum's guardian.

He's right. I may have been summoned in the Storm Border...

...but I fell to Mictlān before I could form a contract and magical energy connection to Master.

I still have a large Magical Reactor, so I can at least move around on my own...

...but that weird bat guy, Camazotz, forced me to agree to become a guardian in exchange for power.

？！

That little bat bastard!

Do something, Father! Give her a way to leave this toxic work environment!

I wish I could. I can remove the infected parts from her, but this matter reaches into her very Spirit Origin itself.

To take Kingprotea out of this level of the underworld would require a complete reset.

So what if we had her disappear, then summon her again at the Border

Perfectly viable, until you consider the risks of resummoning. Remember, Kingprotea is a Divine Spirit.

The odds of summoning her again are slim, and even if you succeeded, it may not be this same Kingprotea.

Even when speaking of a single Heroic Spirit, it is impossible to see the same version again once they've disappeared.

That is the fate of all Servants, Lady U-Olga Marie. I hope you can understand.

Wha...? Why would anyone ever... Who had the idea for such a terrible system!?

...Hehe. Thank you for getting sad on my behalf.

But it isn't all bad.

I may have been turned into an Alter and made into a Xochitónal...

...but at least I can stay materialized here in the first level of the underworld, even without a Master.

So I'll wait here in case you all come back. And if you do...

...then I'll flail around so hard, no enemy will be able to touch us!

I'll always be your Servant, Fujimaru! No matter what happens!

？！

I see. I do feel bad about leaving her behind, but if you say so, I'll take your word for it.

It's so nice of you to worry about Protea even though you didn't talk to her much, Tepeu.

Did she take your breath away, too? I don't blame you. Her horns were really cool!

No, not exactly. I only feel that aquatic animals are, well, difficult.

Most deinos live on land. Only a scant few live in water, or take to the air.

Terrestrial deinos like me have a hard time sympathizing with their unique way of seeing the world.

But I still feel bad about our society isolating such deinos just because they're a different size or shape.

...

...By the way, Mash, have you been able to contact the Border?

No. Our last communication was about forty-eight hours ago. They said their comms equipment had broken down.

I see. So you don't have any information about their status now.

Perhaps, then, you should be more concerned about them than about a single Servant.

I'm aware Chaldea's staff consists of seasoned veterans at this point, but this is still Mictlān; it is a Lostbelt, and exists in direct opposition to Proper Human History.

And of course, humans aren't nearly as durable as Servants. Were I you, I might not just wait for something to happen to them.

？！

Excellent. As to your next step, I suggest you prepare to combat the horde of carnivorous insects approaching from above.

How ironic that the deinos are herbivores, and the insects here are carnivorous. But of course, the worst part about these insects is all the diseases they carry.

Very true. Those winged insects can penetrate a deinos's hide to pump any number of toxins into their blood.

These toxins don't damage the cells directly, but they do send unbearable pain signals to the brain.

So painful is the toxin that many deinos choose to take their lives simply to end their suffering. In fact, this condition is the sixth most common cause of death among our kind.

So even the weakest of creatures have means of devouring the strong, hm?

Hahahaha, just what I would expect from the jungle. Survival of the fittest clearly has nothing on this place.

What's so funny!? Do you WANT to get hit with pain so bad it makes you wanna end it all!?

Please, Fujimaru! Please, get those bugs out of heeere!

I'm sorry, guuuys! I'm so uselesss!

What, you're still stewing about earlier, Marine? C'mon, let it go.

We're in a strange new land, it's impossible to see through this foliage, it's super hot, AND those things could fly.

I don't blame you at all for not noticing them. Even Mash's Ortinax didn't detect them until they were right on top of us.

It's true... I'm sorry. I still don't know why it didn't register those insects as a threat.

It's not your fault, Mash. I'm a lookout. It's my job to catch the things your gizmo misses.

...I have?

Okay, then I'll keep doing my best! Maybe one day, I'll be a real jungle treasure hunter!

Really!? Yeah, that sounds great! I'm technically a marine, so I wanna be able to do martial arts, too!

？！

That's all well and good, Marine, but why don't we take a little break first? It's not safe to cross the jungle by night.

There's the coameh, the great serpents who move too quickly for us to notice; the cipactih, large alligators who blend into their surroundings until they're within biting range...

...those carnivorous insects, AND the mindless deinos lurking around...

We would be much safer staying in one place and resting until the sun returns. Once it has, we can resume our journey.

Okay! Then I'll take the night watch!

No, that's okay, Marine.

I found a frequency the bugs don't like in that last battle, and I set up a Bounded Field to repel insects. That should be enough.

The Ortinax should alert us if anything else hostile gets close. I think we can all sleep soundly tonight.

Oh, great! Then I can break out my sleeping bag! I love curling up in it!

Repelling insects with a frequency of sound they dislike... What a clever idea.

So this is how Proper Human History's humans compensate for what they lack themselves.

Hmph. It's also a textbook example of why maybe you shouldn't always fill every void you find.

Take nuclear fission for example.

Sure, it provides plenty of energy, but it also produces some seriously harmful waste.

Really, when you think about it, the whole course of human technological development makes no sense.

Any species with two brain cells to rub together would figure out a way to deal with that kind of waste BEFORE experimenting with nuclear fission.

But Proper Human History's humans are focused on getting the absolute most potent thing they can at the expense of all else.

There's an expression someone coined that really sums it up: "You can be too smart for your own good."

Anyway, my point is, you shouldn't be too quick to praise Proper Human History, Tepeu.

Still, if they ever get around to a real clean energy revolution by finding a stable way to achieve nuclear fusion...

...then I'll be willing to accept them as honorary space humanoid life-forms.

A humanity worthy of my rule! Or, to put it another way, humanity a hundred years from now!

？！

Um... Can I ask you something, Olga Marie?

There's something I've been wondering about for a very (veeery) long time now...

Why president of Earth?

Oh, I'm not asking what the position means. I'm asking why you want it.

Oh come on, Mash. Why would you even need to ask something so ob

...

Are you mocking me?

？！

Ugh, fine. I guess presidents do need to hold the occasional press conference.

I came here from an empty planet when I heard this planet crying out for help.

I came here to help, so I have no intention of claiming the planet as if it were my own personal property.

And that's why I don't have any plans to declare myself king or become one, like Camazotz did.

I see my role on this planet as being about raising and guiding its intelligent life.

I want its government to be fair, its history to be just, and to create a world where all kinds of people and opinions are treated with respect and acceptance.

A president supervises her people, represents their interests, and celebrates their successes.

That's the sort of leader I wanted to be...I think.

...I, um, still can't remember my specific plans, or my exact reasons, but...

Anyway, that's what I think ruling is about!

That's why I... Why I...have to...

Why I have to wipe everything away and start your foolish species over from scrat

(Gasp!)

？！

...Why do you keep calling me that?

As if what happened at the palace wasn't weird enough. How many times are you going to

No, wait. The first time we met was at that cave, right? Where'd I get "palace" from?

Well, never mind. Since your memory's obviously so terrible, I'll make it real simple for you.

I have come to this planet to rid it of evil and put it back on the right path. I am the great leader here to guide humankind out of its own foolishness.

That is U-Olga Marie. Does that answer your question?

？！

You think there are other, better choices of intelligent life to help out in the vastness of space?

Heh. Idiot.

When did I say being foolish was a bad thing? Besides, humanity is far from the only foolish species out there.

Heck, intelligent life-forms are basically foolish by nature, right?

The universe wouldn't be what it is if we didn't make mistakes.

(It's all well and good to say this from my high horse...)

(...but when is my body going to work like it's supposed to again?)

(My humanity output organs are down to only four percent capacity, and my primary data processing faculties have completely crashed.)

(I can't even be a decent secretary like this, let alone president.)

(What...what exactly am I, anyway?)

Oh wow. I had no idea there were places like this in Mictlān.

I thought it would all be steep mountains and dense foliage everywhere we went.

Still too hot and too much sunlight, but the breeze feels so nice!

Come on, let's hurry! The Storm Border should be somewhere in the jungle past these plains.

...Hmm. This isn't good.

I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news, and a suggestion I'd liAh. Never mind. Too late.

You had best prepare for imminent combat.

Tepeu?

Not even trying to sneak across the plains anymore, huh, ocelomeh!? Well, you'll get no mercy from us!

If you thought we'd be fooled by you bringing along a mindless deinos, you thought wrong!

The King of Dinosaurs has decreed that any who try to cross the plains should be attacked on sight, deinos or not!

You ocelotl bastards are in for a world of pain now!

That's weird. These ocelomeh seem tougher than usual. And they're using weapons I've never seen before, too.

Lemme at 'em! I wanna fight 'em! I'll fight 'em real good! Fight! Fight! Fightfightfight!

Gah! There's no end of them! We can't handle all this alone!

Come on, U-O, what're you doing!? Help us out here!

I'm sorry, but I can't deal with deinos! Any more than two of them and I get all itchy!

？！

See?

"See"!? How is that helpful here!? How the heck're we gonna get past that!?

Indeed, this could be quite the conundrum. Deinos soldiers have been stationed at equidistant points all across the plains.

They must be keeping watch for ocelomeh attempting to make their way here from the lower strata.

We might be able to sneak past them in the jungle, but there's nowhere to hide out in those plains.

There's no chance of them listening to us, either.

Deinos with jobs are quite stubborn. They take their duties very seriously, and work tirelessly for hours on end.

There is no point in trying to negotiate with them. If we try to pass, pain is all we should expect.

Of course there is.

Pain is one of the few sensations we deinos experience, so many tend to reference it in their speech.

？！

I recommend we return to the road and make a detour at Chichén Itzá.

If these deinos are guarding the way on behalf of the King of Dinosaurs, then we'll simply have to receive authorization to pass from the king himself.

I see. And I take it we'll find Chichén Itzá at those ruins we saw in the distance early this morning?

Correct. Chichén Itzá is a holy land dedicated to protecting the sun; it is the one place in Mictlān where deinos live and gather together.

It is also where we will find a being you call a godKukulcan, the Teachings of the Sun.

Welcome to the city of deinos, everyone.

It was built by expanding and renovating the remains of an ancient city...

...so you may find the buildings and various facilities a bit large for your tastes, I'm afraid.

A bit!? You call this a bit!?

This is all at least twice as big as anything humans would build! This might as well be a city of giants to a short fairy like me!

Hell, I'm barely a meter tall even when I'm floating! I can't even climb these stairs!

Hmph. Guess this means I'll just have to go back to the Black BarrI mean, the Ortinax, for now.

And I was really looking forward to my first time sightseeing in a Lostbelt, too.

Don't worry, Habetrot. You can always ride on my shoulder if you want.

？！

Okay, this is just too freaking weird! What the hell did you do, Rasputin!?

Hahahahaha. I'm glad you like my disguise spell.

The incident in the plains made it abundantly clear that we weren't going to get far in the deinos' city looking like humans.

Though it is not my particular area of expertise, I attempted a bit of magecraAhem. That is, a sacrament...

...to disguise Fujimaru, Mash, and myself as deinos.

Don't worry, it's merely an illusion. Think of it as a kind of augmented reality.

It was a big help, Father Kotomine. We wouldn't have been able to enter Chichén Itzá so easily otherwise.

It's a good thing we have him here helping us, isn't it, Senpai!?

？！

Haha. I'm glad you like it, but please stick to human language, if you don't mind.

Besides, the other deinos won't think anything of it even if they overhear us speaking our language.

？！

Yes, it is... But DirectorI mean, U-Olga Marie, said:

Disguise myself as a lizard? Of course not. No, I'm going to camp out here at my embassy.

You'll stay here too, right, butler?

I'm afraid I can't, Young Miss. I'm too interested in Chichén Itzá to pass up this chance.

I hope a nice souvenir will be enough to earn your forgiveness. Would you prefer something edible, or something decorative?

Wait, now you're deciding what you do? Are you sure you're my butler?

I'll be tagging along in my spirit form, so I won't need a disguise.

Oh man, I can't wait! We didn't have any jungles back in the Land of Faeries, you know!

I can't wait to see what kind of fairies they have in there!

It looks like you'll be the only one staying here, U-O.

...I do think you would be fine even without a disguise, but oh well.

Really? Then I'll stay behind, too! I don't wanna leave U-O all by herself!

That being said, our goal is to rendezvous with the Storm Border.

All we need to do is get permission to pass. As long as we can do that, they shouldn't have to wait outside the city for too long.

Yeah, I guess that's true. I probably shouldn't have treated this like a sightseeing trip.

On another note, uh...Chichén Itzá, right? Way more deinos here than I expected. Do you know how many live here?

It was about two thousand deinos back when I was still living here.

But it seems the ocelomeh's hunts have driven a great many deinos here from all over Mictlān.

I would guess there are about twenty-four hundred deinos here now.

？！

Once the Crypter came along, and the ocelomeh built México City, many deinos have died at their hands.

I'm sure some deinos are still hiding out in the jungle, but as a whole, deinos are now on the verge of extinction.

In fact, it would be safe to say our extinction is assured at this point.

For a time, the ocelomeh primarily targeted females, so there wouldn't be any new generations.

And even if a new generation were to be born, their future would be hopeless, given that Mictlān itself will be ending soon.

You mean...because we'll be cutting down your Tree of Emptiness?

Ah, yes. That's a possibility as well, isn't it?

Please don't worry about us, Mash. You either, Fujimaru.

You need worry only about making the choices necessary for your survival.

And all that should concern us is what we do with the time we have left.

May I ask you two things, Tepeu?

There's a structure on the main street over there that looks like a store. What is its purpose?

If it's a business, does that mean the concept of currency has a place in your lives?

Oh, yes, money. That's one of Proper Human History's inventions, isn't it? No, we don't have anything like that.

That building simply displays many things deinos may need. If you need anything there, it is free for the taking.

The deinos there is only present for safety reasons. Deinos can vary greatly from individual to individual, you see.

Something that may be a boon for one deinos could be poison to another.

So they have a deinos who understands those differences standing by to explain what each item does.

？！

Probably because deinos lack almost nothing, and humans are constantly lacking almost everything.

They can't get sufficient nutrients just from moving their bodies. They lack the requisite internal resources to satisfy their minds.

They always seek what is better, or simply to have more of something than their neighbors.

That unending want is what drives humans to crave wealth, to find new and better ways of accumulating it.

Money is the blood of human society, and it's built on the fact that every one of our lives is finite.

The deinos, on the other hand, possess strong bodies and calm minds. They want for nothing.

It would simply never occur to them to steal from each other.

...

It's true. Deinos have never gone to war with one another. We have no racial differences, like you do in Proper Human History.

Oh, I suppose there is our ritual xoktapayolistli competition, but that's a very peaceful thing.

？！

It's essentially what the priest would call "prayer." We give thanks to the sun for its light and pray for it to stay.

Pray for the sun to stay... Tepeu, I believe it's time for my second question.

That building over therethe one which resembles a Mesoamerican pyramidis that an altar where the king dwells?

There are buildings like that in Proper Human History as well, but those buildings lack

That ore on top of the altar that seems to stretch up to the sky. It looks like some kind of jade crystal...

Oho, interesting. So you have sun altars in Proper Human History, too?

I suppose the desire to draw closer to the sun must exist across many cultures.

That altar is what makes Chichén Itzá a holy land. It is where the sun both begins and ends.

That is the Solar Sojourn.

In Proper Human History, the sun is in outer space, and the earth revolves around it, yes?

But there is no outer space in Mictlān. Our sun lives here with us.

From what you've told me of Proper Human History, it seems our sun is a tiny, artificial one.

It begins its journey here at Chichén Itzá, travels all the way to the ninth stratum, then makes its way back.

That altar is the sun's house. It gives the sun a place to stay, gives it strength, and sends it back on its way.

That is how the sun works here in Mictlān. Does that answer your questions?

I see. I've been wondering how the sun manages to float up there in the sky...

...since Mictlān's gravity affects its outer edges, or sides, depending on your perspective.

But it seems the sun is an independent relic of sorts, quite separate from the laws governing Mictlān.

I believe it is, yes. But permit me to make a correction.

Those pillars you see reaching up to the sky are not ore, but a plant. Their resin is what gives them that shining appearance.

That altar is the very top of the outer space tree that runs through all of Mictlān.

Does that answer all of your questions? Good. Then let's go to the altar now.

I've heard the King of Dinosaurs is a temperamental deinos, but I'm sure they will understand if we just explain our situation.

That's good to hear...but will we really be able to get an audience with this king so easily?

Oh yes. As a matter of fact, I was once one of Chichén Itzá's priests.

I left before the King of Dinosaurs appeared, so I've never met them myself...

...but I still have my record of accomplishmentsor rather, my connections, to vouch for me.

Besides, we have no concept of things like territory or national borders.

Anyone is free to go wherever they like in Mictlān, just like the sun.

Tepeu!? What are you doing here!? Go choke on a corncob!

Dammit, who let a heretical thinker like you all the way into the holy Solar Sojourn Chamber in the first place!?

And who're those young deinos there with you!?

Hmph. Did you come here just to show off how clever your prize pupils are!? Bastard!

They aren't my pupils; they are my teachers. I've been learning a great deal from them.

At any rate, I'm glad to see you're in good health, Priest Vucub.

We'd like an audience with the King of Dinosaurs. Would you mind letting us through?

Would I...!? Of course I'd mind! The king is very busy dealing with the ocelomeh right now!

You wouldn't know this since you've so blissfully retired to the jungle, but the ocelomeh are vicious creatures called "hyoo-mins."

The king understood this was an existential threat to the deinos, so he closed off the plains and vowed to fight!

Chichén Itzá has no place for a gutless coward like you! Leave! Now!

I'm afraid you're mistaken, Vucub. I still have a home here. I made it myself.

That's not what I mean, dammit! Soldiers! Soldiers, to me!

,

Get this ingrate out of my sight! Immediately! Don't let him anywhere near the King of Dinosaurs' chambers!

See?

？！

Tepeu, if you'll forgive my saying so, you don't seem to be on the best of terms with that Vucub fellow.

It's true. Vucub despises me. To him, I'm little more than spoiled corn. He's even sent assassins after me a number of times.

I had no idea he'd been promoted all the way to head priest. Pity I forgot to congratulate him.

So, if the head priest hates you that much, then...

Looks like we're not gonna get an audience with the King of Dinosaurs anytime soon. At least, not through the front door...

That Vucub guy's seen Mash and Fujimaru now, so we can't go and ask for an audience on our own now, either.

They'll turn us away just for being friends of Tepeu.

Ouch.

Well, there's nothing more we can do about that now. We'll have to change tactics.

Since Tepeu's connections turned out not to help, we'll just have to find another way.

I say we look for someone else here in Chichén Itzá who would be willing to help us, and meet with the King of Dinosaurs via a different route.

？！

I agree. This isn't a problem we'll be able to resolve overnight.

In which case, we'll need a place where we can relax and think.

Tepeu, is there any shared lodging facility for visitors to Chichén Itzá?

Why don't we use my old house? It should still be standing.

It's off the main road quite a ways, so we should be able to discuss Proper Human History without being overheard.

Oh, and let's have U-O and Marine come with us, too.

Of course, none of you are deinos, so it would be best if we stayed together as much as possible.

Hey guys! Congrats on a hard day's work☆

I managed to get into the city without any trouble just by sticking close to U-O!

That's because the other deinos thought you were one of my accessories. So be careful, 'cause that won't work if you get too far away from me.

Anyway, thanks for coming to get us. Sounds like we've got yet another problem on our plates.

So you were refused an audience with the King of Dinosaurs, huh? I get it. I'm not in the habit of seeing unscheduled visitors, either.

We've only got one choice, then: I'll just have to destroy the altar.

Doesn't matter how high-and-mighty they are, once they don't have a palace to live in, they'll have to come outside.

We needn't escalate matters quite so dramatically, Young Miss. In fact, doing so would cause serious diplomatic issues.

Our only problem at present is that Tepeu's reputation proved lacking. We have other options still available to us.

Right. Tonight, we'll discuss what to do at Tepeu's house, then in the morning, we'll go out into town and gather information.

...I see. All right, if you guys are okay with that, then I am too.

Okay, Tepeu, show us the way to your house. I'll hear more of what you've got to say once we're there.

Yes, I think that would be for the best. I'll need to tidy the place up, since I've been away for quite some time...

...but I daresay you won't find anywhere else quite like it in all of Chichén Itzá. I'm rather proud of it.

It may be a little too big for your tastes, but I can promise you that you'll at least get a very good night's sleep.

？！

I'm sorry about this. As you can see, weeds sprout up just about anywhere.

I'd like to think that those of us lucky enough to own gardens in either Proper Human History or this Lostbelt share similar struggles.

I trust I can count on your help with weeding and pest control?

Chaldea really does impressive work! I can't believe it! My dilapidated old house looks absolutely pristine!

I think you may be giving us a little too much credit, but I do feel satisfied with our job here.

But Senpai and I really can't take all the credit.

Cleaning's totally my thing! I can even make an oil-splattered engine room shine like a mirror!

And kitchen cleanup is one of my greatest talents as well. Cleanliness leads to living prudently.

It's true! We could never have finished this quickly without you two!

？！

Well, I can't possibly thank you enough.

I've wanted to try cleaning every corner of this place before, but there's only so far these arms can reach.

So I'm afraid my cleaning sweeps here have always been somewhat lackluster, since Chichén Itzá is quite literally built on the back of ancient ruins.

Most deinos don't mind since they're nature lovers to begin with, but dirt and dust accumulating in corners has always irked me.

I even thought about moving into a less civilized environment just so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping it clean.

Is that why you were living in that cave so far away from the city?

Oh, no, I had other reasons for that. I primarily wanted to get away from the nature-loving deinos.

But never mind that now. I was hoping you and Fujimaru could tell me more about Proper Human History.

I believe you said there was a city called Chichén Itzá in your world too, yes?

What was it like? What sort of civilization did it belong to?

Well, I'm far from an expert on the subject, but I'd be glad to tell you what I know.

In Proper Human History, Chichén Itzá was a Mayan city located on the Yucatán Peninsula of modern-day Mexico.

The Maya civilization lasted from around 2000 B.C. to A.D. 1697.

The era from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 250 is known as the Preclassic period... From A.D. 250 to A.D. 900 is known as the Classic period...

And finally, the period from A.D. 900 to the late seventeenth century as the Postclassic period.

Each of these periods is said to have experienced their own decline and subsequent rise to prosperity.

As for Chichén Itzá, it was built by the Itzá people, Mayan for "water sorcerers," in the Postclassic period.

The Itzá are thought to be either outsiders to the Maya civilization, or the descendants of Mayans who managed to escape the fall of their central hub.

But wherever they came from, when they arrived in the peninsula with its abundance of natural wells, or "cenotes," they named it "Chichén Itzá," or "the mouth of the well of the water sorcerers."

The Itzá people also worshipped a god of wind and water they called "Kukulcan."

...This same god is known as Quetzalcoatl in Aztec mythology, which came later.

Many of their myths are similar thanks to their shared origin in Latin America, but yes, at their heart, they're fundamentally different religions.

Put kind of crassly, the Mayan civilization was sort of like the rough draft for the more polished Aztec civilization.

？！

Kukulcan. So they existed in Proper Human History as well... Yes, of course they did.

And yet, Proper Human History's Mayan civilization still fell? Even when they had their god protecting them?

Well...yes.

When the Mayan civilization declined, the gods disappeared as well, and all of Latin America entered its Age of Humanity.

Mayan civilization is thought to have been created by the Mayan people, but in truth, it was the creation of many different tribes and hamlets.

Their descendants broke into several different ethnicities, like the "Tzotzil" and "K'iche'."

The name "Maya" is now believed to have come many years later, from the city-state of Mayapán.

During the Classic period, Mayan civilization was composed of around sixty to seventy city-states.

Even after their civilization's first collapse, the Mayans went on to create numerous cultures and histories during the Postclassic period.

They are even believed to have been physically stronger and more mentally advanced than the average person at the time.

City-states like Copán, Tikal, Calakmul, and Palenque flourished thanks to a prolonged period of continuous competition and cooperation.

These cultures had advanced written language and astronomical practices, and built incredible structures like the Pirámide de La Danta, a pyramid in the Mayan city of El Mirador.

By using the observatory, El Caracol, which meticulously tracked the stars' movements, they created two calendars, and efficiently managed the lives of their people.

Although the Mayans never had a single unifying dynasty, the kings of their various city-states did forge alliances.

Still...technological progress isn't a matter of man power alone.

It's also greatly affected by their environmentthe kind of crops they can grow, the ore they can mine, and the climate they live in.

The harsh climate of Mesoamerica helped to form a vibrant mythology. It also made the Mayan people very strong...

...but prevented them from making much progress when it came to hand tools, like weapons.

After the center of culture gradually shifted from the Yucatán Peninsula to the Central Mexican Plateau...

...the same thing happened with the Aztec civilization, which flourished in the Postclassic period.

Their arms consisted primarily of wooden weapons like spears, bows, and macanaswords made of wood, with shards of obsidian embedded in their edges.

They never developed guns, nor did they have mounted cavalry.

So there's a strong argument to be made that the people of Mesoamerica lagged behind European nations in matters of warfare.

And then...

...the successor to Mayan civilization, the flourishing Aztec kingdom, collapsed in the mid-sixteenth century.

It did not collapse because of strife with bordering kingdoms. They were overrun by foreign conquerors who came from across the sea.

From across the sea? What do you mean?

They were led by a Spanish conquistador named Hernán Cortés.

He landed on the shores of Central America with only a few trusted companions, and eventually conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

The Aztec king at the time, Moctezuma II, died in the ensuing upheaval...

...and in the end, Hernán Cortés and his fellow conquistadors destroyed the Aztecs.

From then on, the Aztec lands became Spanish territory dubbed "Nueva España," meaning "New Spain," which would later become "Mexico."

I've heard of that. Less than five hundred Spaniards destroyed an Aztec kingdom of tens of thousands of people.

I remember an Aztec legend that went something like:

"Though the good god Quetzalcoatl may have vanished after being defeated by the evil god Tezcatlipoca..."

"...one day, he will return from the northeastern lands, and restore the Aztecs to their former glory."

By that time, the Age of Gods had already ended, but that didn't stop people from believing.

At the time, Quetzalcoatl was believed to have white skin and a black beard.

So when Cortés appeared, matching that description...

...Moctezuma II believed him to be the second coming of Quetzalcoatl, and welcomed him as a guest.

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Good and evil. Creation and destruction. Sun and darkness. Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl.

But the Mayan and Aztec peoples didn't believe the relationship between the two gods to be quite so simple.

Right. I'll go into Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl's relationship more later.

Cortés used the Aztec people's belief in the legend of Quetzalcoatl to his advantage.

He won the Aztec Empire's hostile neighboring tribes to his side, and with their help, conquered their capital, though he was outnumbered.

"Aztec Empire"? Didn't you say it was a kingdom earlier?

Yes, I did. At this time, the Central Mexican Plateau was home to many different city-states.

In the case of the Aztecs, the two cities of Tlacopan and Tetzcoco had sworn an alliance and formed a powerful empire.

They used that combined power to dominate the neighboring tribes.

It's said that, in the Aztec kingdom's capital city of Tenochtitlan...

...over fifty people were sacrificed to the rain god Tlāloc and the tribal god Huītzilōpōchtli every day.

The Aztec people regularly waged war with neighboring city-states...

...and used their overwhelming military force to capture a great many people for use as slaves and sacrifices.

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Right. The Aztec Empire's success was built on countless bodies and all the resentment that created.

So Cortés wasn't solely responsible for their downfall.

Bad blood had been building between the Aztecs and their neighbors for many years by then.

When it came to warfare on flat land, the Spaniards' guns and cavalry gave them an overwhelming advantage. The Aztec Empire simply did not have anything similar to use.

Neither guns nor horses were much help in the jungle, and the Aztecs had a tremendous advantage in terms of numbers.

And that is why probably Cortés's smartest decision was not to wage war with the neighboring tribes...

...but instead to enlist them as allies against a common enemy in the Aztec Empire.

He then spread rumors that he was the second coming of Quetzalcoatl, and instead of being treated as an invader...

...he openly paraded through Tenochtitlan's gates, took Moctezuma II prisoner, and occupied the Aztec capital.

In the end, the Aztec Empire was destroyed in the name of the Spaniards' greed and the neighboring tribes' fury.

Though they arguably had the most powerful empire on Earth at the time, to say nothing of the flourishing capital, Tenochtitlan...

...it still collapsed from within, unable even to fight a proper war.

If Moctezuma II hadn't believed in the legend of Quetzalcoatl's second coming, or if the Aztec Empire had been less receptive to outside cultures...

...the history of Mesoamerica might have gone very differently.

Yeah. That's why Moctezuma II was said to be the ruler who brought about the end of the Aztec Empire.

He was blamed for the error of welcoming a foreign invader as an Aztec god...

...and in the end, it was his own people, the people of Tenochtitlan, not the Spaniards, who killed him.

The Spaniards actually let Emperor Moctezuma go free, but then the nobles and other people of Tenochtitlan stoned him to death.

There are numerous theories as to why the Spaniards let him go...

...but the most prevalent says that they wished to avoid being seen as having committed regicide themselves.

...Anyway, that was a very abridged history of Proper Human History's Mesoamerica, but it's all I can tell you.

I hope it was helpful.

Oh yes, certainly. Those guns you mentioned...that is what the tools the ocelomeh use are called, yes?

So, there were conquerors from the outside world... Guns used to suppress the local tribes... Massacres...

That all sounds just like what has been happening in Mictlān as of late.

Which would make Daybit the Crypter our very own Hernán Cortés.

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Oh, I'm not blaming you for that. It's... How can I put this...?

I'm simply struck by the similarities is all.

We have our golden city, Chichén Itzá, and Kukulcan, the Teachings of the Sun. And Proper Human History had an altar city, also named Chichén Itzá, and a Kukulcan who was a god of wind and water.

We also have our subterranean world named Mictlān, and you have your underworld, also named Mictlān.

As I told you back at the cornfield, we never had a concept of such a thing as a god.

We learned about that from Daybit the Crypter.

Our Teachings of the Sun, Kukulcan, only came to be called a god because of what we learned from him.

I feel as though this notion of gods fits much better now.

Not to say one is real and the other is false.

I'm merely saying that, thanks to new knowledge and perspectives...

...what had simply existed till now has been replaced with something wholly new.

It's all very exciting. Though there are still some parts I don't clearly understand.

I think I'd like to learn more about these gods of Proper Human History next...

That is, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. It is rather late now, though.

Why don't we call it a night, and I'll show you to your beds.

Let me ask you one thing first.

Tepeu, you deinos clearly don't belong here in Chichén Itzá.

If anything, your lifestyles here seem to be based on those of people from Proper Human History.

Who built this city? The being you call the King of Dinosaurs?

Oh no, the King of Dinosaurs only showed up quite recently, so he has nothing to do with Chichén Itzá.

No, it was Kukulcan who built Chichén Itzá.

In fact, it's said that Kukulcan the sun god built this city to oversee all of Mictlān.