Aztec Eternals

A group of people left the heavily guarded artisan center and came to the crowded artisan area, and the surroundings were suddenly filled with the breath of life. Just like the solemn and solemn Yasheng, it turns into relaxed and cheerful vulgar music, and flows into the harmonious market together with the waterways between the blocks.

The sun had not reached noon, and there was no smoke in the artisan area. Commoners only eat two meals a day, and they are busy at this time.

The top craftsmen are jade craftsmen. Not far ahead, a middle-aged senior jade craftsman is using an original mound machine, combined with copper and stone mound tools, and with the assistance of Xie Yusha, he is carefully carving the jade in his hand. Slowly and steadily, he carved a delicate and ancient face of a god on it. During the circulation of the jade sand, the jade is crisp and sweet, just like a clear spring dripping into the world.

"A gentleman is like jade. It's like cutting like grinding, like cutting like grinding."

Shulot approached silently. He watched with a smile, his thoughts drifting away.

Central America is rich in jade. In the cognition that has been passed down since ancient times, jade is the "stone of pain", which can heal or relieve various pains and bring prosperity, success and good luck. In sacred rituals, jade symbolizes life and purity. The main sources of jade are in the southern jungles of Mixtec, the Mayan Yucatan Peninsula, and Guatemala.

Since the ninth century BC, the earliest Olmecs have developed mature jade processing technology. They made blue emerald masks called "Olmec blue". Almost at the same time, the Mayans also began to carve dark green gemstone skulls, which they called "God's Green".

In the Mexica society at this time, jade is the most noble and spiritual thing, similar to the Celestial Dynasty, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Jade was enshrined in the temples of the gods. Outside the temple, only the royal family, high priests and real nobles can use jade decorations.

This prohibition is the most strictly enforced, far exceeding other clothing regulations. If a businessman wears jade in public, it is an extreme offense to the gods and will be severely punished. Not long ago, Tacuria, a big businessman from Tarasco, was arrested in Beicheng for this crime, and then executed with his head. His head was missing.

After a while, the middle-aged jade craftsman finally finished his work. He raised his head, revealing an ordinary face, and a pair of quiet and steady eyes. Then, he saw Shulot who was standing by his side, and after a moment of recognition, he immediately prostrated himself and saluted. Jade craftsmen were firmly controlled by the royal family and priests, and the raw materials for jade also came from the royal family. They often serve the nobles, and the clothing level of the nobles can be seen at a glance.

After saluting, the middle-aged jade craftsman kept his head down and presented a piece of jade bi that was as big as a palm. The young man took a look, and saw that the Aztec sunstone calendar was perfectly engraved on the palm-sized jade surface. All kinds of symbols are finely detailed, as thin as mosquitoes and flies, but they are exactly the same. This kind of fine carving is like water dripping through a stone, and I don't know how long it will take the craftsman to work hard.

Shulot was surprised. He recognized the patterns and engravings on the jade bi, and kept nodding. This jade craftsman is an excellent board maker, and the ongoing experiment of engraving engraving requires such engraving precision.

He pondered for a moment, and asked Bertard to leave a jade letter as a token for taking away the jade and recruiting craftsmen. The middle-aged jade craftsman looked at the jade talisman with surprise and joy on his face, and then he knelt down.

"Your Highness, Equila, the jade craftsman of Tenochtitlan, is willing to serve you. Under the witness of the patron saint, I will offer my loyalty until death!"

Xiulot nodded slightly, wrote down the jade craftsman's name, and spoke majestically.

"Equila, take the letter and report to the high priest's mansion tomorrow. Don't delay!"

Equila respectfully accepted the order, with her head firmly pressed to the ground. The young man smiled slightly, turned around and left.

Not far from the jade craftsman's area, there are small workshops of goldsmiths and silversmiths. They are second-class artisans who also serve the nobles and are managed by the leaders of the community.

Xiulot walked forward slowly. He waved his hand to stop the craftsmen from saluting, and watched carefully the work of an old goldsmith.

The old goldsmith's forehead was slightly sweaty, but his hands didn't stop at all. Now it has reached a critical moment.

He first took out a clay mold made of fine mud from the kiln heated at high temperature, and carefully checked the moisture content in it. The heat transferred in the kiln has hardened the clay coating of the mud form into the shell. The wax pattern in the clay mold has been melted and discharged from the holes left. At this time, the clay mold is completely hollow, leaving the shape of the cast object.

Subsequently, the old goldsmith continued to heat the mud and melted the gold into liquid at the same time. When the temperature of the gold liquid and the clay mold were similar and there would be no deformation due to the temperature difference, he carefully poured the gold liquid slowly from the hole above the clay mold. This process is slow and steady until the shell is completely filled without leaving a gap. He then cooled the filled clay form, allowing the liquid gold to solidify into the shape of the cast item.

Finally, the old goldsmith knocked off the shell, and an exquisite golden mask appeared in front of Shulot. The mask is as thin as a cicada's wing, with hollow flying patterns. It is shining golden in the noon sun, and there is a trace of crystal clearness in the circulation, as if it were made by nature.

Xiulot was amazed. He stretched out his hand, but the old goldsmith hesitated slightly, and still handed the golden mask to the young priest. The boy looked carefully at the delicate mask, looking for the pores on it.

This is gold cast by the lost wax method. That is to say, first use wax to make the mold to be cast, and then wrap it with mud. Then bake the clay model, melt the wax model, inject metal liquid, and cool to form. This casting method sounds simple, but the details are extremely particular. The craftsman must have superb mud modeling skills and good fire control, so as not to allow pores and cavities to appear in the casting.

Xiulot looked around repeatedly, but didn't find any flaws on the golden mask. So he nodded slightly, and returned the mask to the old goldsmith, who was obviously relieved.

The young man smiled slightly, and then felt joy in his heart. The lost-wax method can be used to make fine gold, and to cast fine bronze and iron, and all finely worked parts. More importantly, this mud casting method can be used to make the action of the matchlock gun, the copper gun of this era, and the iron gun of the future!

Xiulot continued to look at the other gold objects. From the exquisite earrings the size of a flintlock trigger, to the solid gold rod the length of an arquebus, to the one-piece cast statue of a small copper cannon, the boy is more satisfied the more he looks at it. As long as the craftsman's casting level is sufficient, the casting cost is not a problem at all for the wealthy and powerful alliance.

Then, the young man pondered for a moment, recalling the proportioning and manufacturing of gunpowder, looking for the stable source of saltpetre in his memory. After a while, he sighed softly. The road is still long, and the development of the times cannot be achieved overnight.

Thinking of this, Xiulot silently wrote down the information of the goldsmiths. Like it or not, they will be the first coppersmiths and blacksmiths of the future. Finally, with a wave of his hand, he went to the area of ​​carpenters, stonemasons and potters amidst the bowing of the craftsmen.

Carpenters, stonemasons, and potters serve society as a whole, and there are strict occupational hierarchies within.

Usually, they start out as apprentices, making everyday items and tools for the common people. With the improvement of skills, ordinary craftsmen will serve merchants and warriors, making exquisite utensils. If their craftsmanship can break through again, they can become senior craftsmen serving the nobles.

And the top master craftsman will directly serve the royal family and the chief priests, and has a noble status similar to that of a warrior, just like the old carpenter Kuod. Master stonemasons and carpenters will be involved in the construction of the most revered temples, while master potters will burn funeral objects for the deceased venerables.

Carpenters make everyday furniture, build roof beams for houses, and carve wooden sculptures and works of art. They also undertake the production of helmets and longbows in military production. Kuod has introduced many of these industry information in detail.

Shulot skipped the carpenter and went directly to the masonry area. After a full four thousand years of the Stone Age, Mesoamerican stone craftsmanship has reached its peak. Masons have a very clear grasp of the properties and applications of various stones.

The boy came to the largest masonry workshop. The burly and tall stonemason leader was slightly puzzled, and then laughed to welcome the young high priest. With a loud voice, he enthusiastically introduced all kinds of expensive obsidian crafts.

Xiulot smiled, admiring the dazzling array of stone utensils.

He first saw the highly polished obsidian mirror, and when he aimed it at the mirror, he saw a handsome and delicate face, even the resolute eyebrows were clearly visible. Then, he saw a pair of exquisite earplugs, the tentacles were moist and smooth, which should be made of pebbles by the river. The young man stuffed it into his ears, and the sound of clanging stone tools disappeared without a trace.

Next, Shulot saw an obsidian cup with thin walls and exquisite patterns. He held it in his hand and looked at it, admiring again and again.

The shape of obsidian is both brittle and hard. To be able to carve out a water cup with a thickness of less than half a centimeter in obsidian means to strictly control the texture and nature of the stone, and every time it is cut, it is exactly the same. Without decades of hard work and outstanding talent, it is impossible to even think about this kind of skill, let alone take advantage of the carving process to carve such a natural and beautiful pattern.

In the end, Shulot's hand skipped the rows of obsidian sharps, and stopped on the thinnest oval obsidian lens. Then place the lenses over your eyes and look toward the sky. This is a special eyepiece for priests, as thin as a leaf. Through the lens, you can directly observe the dazzling sun.

Through the filter and barrier of the lens, the young man can see the changing dots on the bright sun. The priests believed that this change was the language of the gods, but the young man felt that it should be sunspots.

Shulot was lost in thought. These master stonemasons should be able to help him fire the glass.

Glass was a low-cost and extremely profitable trade item, loved by all tribes in the Americas. Colonists in history often used flashing glass beads to deceive native Americans and Africans in exchange for hundreds of times more expensive goods, and even precious and priceless land.

Smelting glass can be both lucrative and crippling to future colonists. It's a pity that the teenager doesn't know the specific craft, but only understands the general principle. If you want to really make it, you can only rely on the trial and error of the craftsman.

Shulot pondered, first nodded, then shook his head, then sighed lightly. Then, with the same ups and downs of the chief stonemason's mood, he picked up the stone mirror, earplugs, water cup and glasses.

The mason leader finally smiled in surprise. He looked at the young priest brilliantly.

"My lord priest, there are two bags of gold sand in total. The weight of each bag must at least exceed that standard stone."

As he said that, the chief stonemason pointed to a simple wooden balance, and a polished square stone was placed on one end of the balance.

Shulot's smile faltered. He touched his body and took nothing with him. Then he looked at Bertard, and the impoverished head of the bodyguard only took out two letters and a few sweet and sour cocoa beans for snacks.

The boy thought for a moment. The skill of this mason leader is really good, and he can be recruited into his own technical team. So he took out a jade letter talisman, and handed it to the mason leader with a dignified expression.

The chief stonemason held the jade talisman and looked at it for a moment, with doubts on his face. Then he weighed the Jade Talisman, expressing his dissatisfaction frankly.

"My lord priest, this piece of jade has already been engraved with strange square patterns, so it is no longer worth processing. The weight is too light. Even if it is sold to a nobleman, it will only be worth half a bag of gold dust!"

Xiu Luote's face turned dark, and of course his name was engraved on the jade talisman. He was a little steadfast, looking at the mason leader majestically.

The chief stonemason shrank back, looked at the boy's handsome face, and speculated about the boy's priesthood rank. Immediately, he tried his best to hold his head high, his eyes widened, and he bravely looked at the boy.

"My lord priest, I can't give you all these four items. I, Lozano, am the best mason in this area, and the things I make are also the best in this area! Well, the earplugs are worthless, so I can give them to you. The rest The next one, stone mirror, cup or lens, you can only change this jade talisman for one!"

Shulot's face was dark and he didn't speak.

Bertard smiled. He stepped forward, and under the vigilant eyes of the leader of the stonemason, he suddenly made an incomparably swift move, easily suppressing the opponent's resistance. Then, before the chief stonemason shouted for help, the warrior chief said something in a low voice.

The mason leader's expression froze, and he looked at Bertard in disbelief, and the warrior commander nodded slightly. Immediately, he looked at Shulot again, the young man was expressionless.

"Don't try to lie to me! I, Lozano, am the best stonemason in this area, and I have seen a lot! How did the noble highnesses come to this artisan area?"

Bertard shook his head. He pinched his lower lip and let out an eagle cry. Soon, more than a dozen elite warriors poured in from outside the workshop. The warriors wore leather armor, held a shield in one hand, and a copper ax in the other. Their faces were as solemn as stone carvings, exuding awe-inspiring power.

Facing the chilling warriors, the craftsmen in the workshop prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling. Lozano looked dull. He opened his mouth wide, looking at the noble family crests on the leather armor of the warriors. It took a long time before the best stonemason fell to his knees with a plop, his forehead touched the ground, and there was a bang. Then I was sweating profusely and couldn't speak.

Shulot sighed. This kind of bloody plot is really not what he hopes to encounter. He pondered for a moment, then spoke majesticly.

"Lozano, you have been conscripted by the royal family. Take the letter and go to the high priest's mansion tomorrow without delay!"

After speaking, the boy turned and left. After taking two steps, he thought of something again and went back to add.

"I took the things. Two bags of gold sand, you go to the high priest's mansion tomorrow to get them."

Just as Lozano raised his head to take a peek, he met the boy who suddenly turned his head. The mason leader was so frightened that he bowed his head vigorously again, and there was another bang.

Seeing this scene, Shulot felt a faint pain in his forehead. He shook his head, smiled again, and left the workshop.

After a while, Lozano looked up carefully. Then, he let out a long sigh of relief, stood up from the ground, and shouted at the apprentices around him.

"Get off to work! Today I, Lozano, really had a bad luck! What the hell, Your Highness, instead of doing business, I ran around in the artisan area."

The burly mason leader lowered his voice, murmured the last sentence, and shook his head.

The sun slanted slightly to the west, and the group finally came to the potter's area. Under the bright sunlight, the pottery with various glazes is gilded and colorful, and the bright patterns outline vivid flowers, birds, fish and insects, and the images flow like life.

Xiulot did not enter the workshop again. He just walked slowly on the street, carefully watching the potters on both sides of the production. The potters are mainly women, just like the inheritance of the early tribal era.

They evenly added the adjusted clay into the mold, coiled it into different shapes, then smoothed the surface with a scraper, and then washed it with a special stone tool. The shaped pottery is then fired in a campfire or simple kiln to harden the clay into pottery. Finally, apply a variety of different colors to draw a bright pattern. The patterns of pottery should be closer to daily life, and the proportion of gods is obviously reduced.

With the help of molds and pottery kilns, pieces of daily-used pottery are formed sequentially in this way. Mushroom molds are great for making shaped plates, bowls and mug bases. The concave mold is suitable for making pots of different sizes. These ceramic pots are vertically connected at the corners of the bottom, and the thickness is extremely accurate.

Xiulot watched with great interest. In front of a larger pottery workshop, he even saw pottery flowers made from molds, pottery canoes, figurines of small war soldiers, and small Mayan toy cars. These handicrafts are prepared for noble families, so they are quite exquisitely made and are all glazed.

Afterwards, the boy picked up a colorful pottery bowl and looked at it carefully. The body of the bowl is glazed with animals and plants, which are vividly depicted. The bottom of the bowl is a neat cross-shaped grid, and each grid is no more than half the size of a fingernail. He looked at Bertard with some doubts.

The warrior commander nodded slightly.

"Your Highness, this is the tool bowl that commoners use to grind peppers, and it can also be used to grind a small amount of corn and beans. The grid pattern is used to grind plants. Small nobles also use this bowl to grind spices and herbs , the great nobles will use gold or silver bowls."

Xiuluo nodded. He looked at the potter girl approaching. She has an artist's shining eyes and a delicate and gentle face.

"How do you sell this bowl?"

The potter girl blushed slightly. She looked at the boy's face and hesitated for a moment. Immediately, the girl shook her head firmly and decided to increase the price.

"A big handful, no, two big handfuls of cocoa beans!"

Shulot calculated in his mind that two large handfuls of cocoa beans were less than a hundred, and they were only worth twenty or thirty corn tortillas, or a few tenths of a bag of gold sand. Common pottery is indeed cheap, and a necessity of all common people's life. Mesoamerican pottery was fully developed and diffused, and high-quality clay was ubiquitous. Many commoner families make their own pottery.

Xiuluo nodded, and the warrior behind took out a small tube of gold sand and handed it to the surprised potter girl. Long-term exposure to high-quality white clay kaolin is like using high-end cosmetics all the time, making the girl's hands white and translucent, like soft and beautiful porcelain.

The young man stared at the porcelain-like jade hands and was gradually attracted. He subconsciously stretched out his hand to hold it, rubbing it slightly, feeling the familiar softness, delicacy and smoothness. His thoughts are flying far away, until the far side of the ocean, the place of memories and nostalgia.

"Nine autumn winds exposed the kiln, and won the emerald greenness of thousands of peaks."

On the Mexica Plateau, there is no shortage of high-quality raw material soil, but what is lacking is the technology of firing porcelain. If you build a large porcelain kiln, prepare high-temperature charcoal, and try repeatedly, you can always gradually gain experience in making porcelain.

However, this kind of luxury did not help the Mexica people during the Warring States Period. Simple pottery was enough for daily life. It's better to wait until the world is ruled, and then make exquisite porcelain, and use it to harvest the wealth of the nobles!

Thinking of this, Xiulot smiled sadly. He shook the porcelain in his hand again, but felt the soft warmth, and a suppressed whisper came from his ear. The boy came back to his senses in astonishment. He raised his head, and in front of him was a girl with drooping head, her swan-like neck was already blushing. Her breathing was weak and rapid, she seemed to have lost her strength, and she didn't make any resistance.

Xiulot was stunned. Then he shook his head and smiled, let go of his hand, took another look, then turned and left without looking back. But after a while, the boy went far away.

Bertard waved his hand, and the warriors quickly followed the guards. He picked up the colorful bowl that the teenager had left behind in a hurry and forgot to take away, and smiled lightly. Then he looked at the potter girl. The other party was standing on tiptoe, looking at Li Ren in disappointment. At some point, the golden sand had slipped from his hand to the ground, causing ripples in the pottery tube.

The warrior commander shook his head. He noted down the location of the store and the girl's appearance, and also strode away.

I sincerely thank Yuan Tong for his chapter push and offer a small blessing. This chapter checked a lot of technical information and was written very slowly. Finally, Dazhang asks for recommendations!