Aztec Eternals

The group left the heavily guarded craftsmanship center and came to the craftsman's area full of people. The surroundings were suddenly filled with the breath of life. Just like the solemn and solemn elegant voice, it turned into a relaxed and cheerful vulgar music, and together with the waterway between the blocks, it flowed into the harmonious market.

Before the sun reaches noon, there is no cooking smoke in the artisan area. Civilians only eat two meals a day, so they are busy at this time.

The top craftsmen are jade craftsmen. Not far ahead, a middle-aged jade craftsman was carefully sculpting the jade in his hand, and painted the delicate and ancient faces of the gods on it. As the carving knife circulates, the jade is crisp and pleasant to the ear, like a clear spring dripping into the world.

"A gentleman is like a jade. It's like cutting and learning, and it's like grinding."

Shilot approached silently. He smiled and watched, thoughts drifting away.

Central America is rich in jade. In ancient times, jade is the "stone of pain" that heals or relieves all kinds of pain, bringing prosperity, success and good luck. In sacred sacrifices, jade symbolizes life and purity. The main sources of jade are in the southern jungles of Mistec, the Mayan Yucatan Peninsula, and Guatemala.

Since the ninth century BC, the earliest Olmec people have developed mature jade processing technology. They make blue emerald masks, which they call "Olmec blue." At almost the same time, the Mayans also began to carve dark green gemstone skulls, which they called "the green of the gods."

In the Mexican society at this time, jade was the most noble deity, similar to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Jade was enshrined in the temple of the gods. Outside the temple, only the royal family, high priests and real nobles can use jade ornaments.

This prohibition is the most strictly enforced, far exceeding other clothing regulations. If a businessman wears jade in public, it is extremely offensive to the gods and will be severely punished. Not long ago, Tarasco's big businessman Takuria was arrested in Beicheng for this crime, and he was immediately executed with his head, and his head disappeared.

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 Shirotte standing beside him, and after recognizing it a little, he immediately prostrated himself and saluted. The jade craftsmen are firmly controlled by the royal family and the priests, and the raw materials of jade also come from the royal family. They often serve the distinguished, and the rank of the nobility can be seen at a glance.

After salute, the middle-aged jade craftsman kept his head bowed and presented a jade bi the size of a palm. The young man took it and saw that the Aztec sunstone calendar was perfectly carved on the square jade face. All kinds of symbols are all in detail, as fine as mosquitoes and flies, but they are exactly the same.

Shulot was surprised. He recognized the patterns and carvings on the jade bi, and kept nodding. This jade craftsman is a very good plate maker, and the ongoing engraving experiment requires such carving precision.

He pondered for a moment, and asked Bertard to leave a jade letter as a token of 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 knelt down.

"Your Highness, Aquila, the jade craftsman of Tenochtitlan, is willing to serve you. Under the witness of the patron saint, I offer my loyalty to the end of the day!"

Shiloh nodded lightly, wrote down the name of the jade craftsman, and spoke majestically.

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

Aquila respectfully led the way, her head firmly on the ground. The young man smiled and turned away.

Leaving the jade craftsman's area, not far away are the small workshops of goldsmiths and silversmiths. They were craftsmen of the second class, who also served the nobles and were governed by the chiefs of the community.

Shirlot stepped forward slowly. He waved his hand to stop the salute of the craftsmen, and carefully watched the work of an old goldsmith.

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

He first took out a clay fan made of fine clay from the high-temperature heated kiln and carefully checked the moisture content in it. The heat transferred in the kiln has hardened the clay fan's clay coating into a shell. The wax mold in the clay van has melted and is expelled from the left hole. At this time, the inside of the clay fan was completely hollow, leaving the shape of a cast item.

Afterwards, the old goldsmith continued to heat the clay fan while melting the gold into a liquid. When the temperature of the liquid gold and the mud fan were similar, and the temperature difference would not be deformed, he carefully poured the liquid gold into the hole above the mud fan. This process is slow and steady until the shell is completely filled, leaving no gaps. He then cools the filled clay van, 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 was presented in front of Shilot. The mask is as thin as a cicada's wings, with hollow flying patterns. It shone brightly in the noon sun, and there was a hint of crystal translucent in the circulation, as if it was heaven.

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

This is a gold ware cast by the lost wax method. That is, first use wax to make the mold that needs to be cast, and then wrap it with clay fan. Then the clay fan is baked, the wax mold is melted, the metal liquid is injected, and it is cooled and formed. This casting method sounds simple, but the details are very particular. Craftsmen must have superb clay craftsmanship and good heat control, so that pores and voids cannot appear in the casting.

Shilot looked around again and again, but found no flaws in 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 immediately felt joy in his heart. The lost wax method can be used to make fine gold objects, as well as fine bronze and iron objects, as well as all finely machined parts. More importantly, this mud casting method can be used to make the arquebus and bronze cannon of this era, as well as the flintlock gun of the future!

Shilot continued to look at the other golden objects. From the delicate earrings the size of the trigger of the flintlock gun, to the sturdy golden rod with the length of the barrel of the arquebus, to the one-piece cast statue of the small bronze gun, the more the young man looked, the more satisfied he became. As long as the craftsman's casting level is sufficient, for a rich and powerful alliance, the casting cost is not a problem at all.

Then, the young man pondered for a moment, recalled the formulation of gunpowder, and searched for the stable source of saltpeter in his memory. After a while, he sighed softly. The road is still long, and the development of the times cannot be accomplished overnight.

Thinking of this, Shilot silently wrote down the information of the goldsmiths. Like it or not, they would be the first coppersmiths and blacksmiths of the future. Finally, with a wave of his hand, he went to the area of ​​the carpenters, masons and potters while the craftsmen bowed their heads.

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

Usually, they start as apprentices, making daily necessities and tools for the commoners. As their skills improved, ordinary craftsmen would serve merchants and samurai, crafting exquisite utensils. If their craftsmanship can break through again, they can become senior craftsmen who serve the nobles.

And the most top-level master craftsmen will directly serve the royal family and the chief priests, and have a noble status similar to samurai, like the old carpenter Kuod. Master masons and carpenters will be involved in the construction of the most revered temples, while master potters will burn burial objects for the deceased.

Carpenters make household furniture, build roof beams, and carve wooden sculptures and artworks. They also undertake the production of helmets and longbows in military production. These industry information, Kuod has introduced a lot in detail.

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

The boy came to the largest mason workshop. The burly and tall mason leader was slightly puzzled, and then welcomed the young high priest with a big smile. He had a loud voice and enthusiastically introduced all kinds of expensive obsidian crafts.

Shulot smiled, admiring the dazzling array of stone utensils.

He first saw a highly polished obsidian mirror, pointed it at the mirror, and saw a handsome and handsome face, even the sturdy eyebrows were clearly visible. Then, he saw a pair of exquisite earplugs, the tentacles were moist and smooth, and they should have been made of pebbles by the river. The boy put it in his ear, and the rattling sound of stone tools disappeared without a trace.

Next, Shirott saw an obsidian cup with a thin-walled pattern, which was unusually beautiful. He took it, held it in his hand, and looked at it with admiration.

The shape of obsidian is both brittle and hard. It is possible to carve a water cup with a thickness of less than half a centimeter in obsidian, which means that the texture and properties of the stone are strictly controlled, and every digging is accurate. Without decades of hard work and outstanding talent, you can't even think about this skill, let alone take advantage of the carving process to create such a natural and beautiful pattern.

In the end, Shilott's hand skipped the rows of black sapphire sharps and stopped on the thinnest oval obsidian lens. Then place the lens over the eye and look up to 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 filtering and blocking of the lens, the young man saw small points of change on the bright sun. The priests thought this change was the language of the gods, and the boy thought it should be sunspots.

Shiroutte fell into deep thought. These master masons should be able to help him fire the glass.

Glass is a low-cost and extremely lucrative trade commodity, which is loved by all tribes in the Americas. Colonists in history have often used sparkling glass beads to coax the natives of America and Africa in exchange for hundreds of times more expensive goods and even precious and priceless land.

Firing glass is both rewarding and undermining future colonists in disguise. It is a pity that the teenagers do not know the specific craftsmanship, but only the general principles. To really make it, you can only rely on the trial and error of craftsmen.

Shulot pondered, first nodded, then shook his head, and then sighed lightly. Then, in the same ups and downs of the mason leader, he picked up the stone mirror, earplugs, water glass and lens.

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

"Respected priest, there are two bags of golden sand in total. The weight of each bag needs to exceed that standard stone at least."

Said, the leader of the mason pointed to a simple wooden scale, and a square polished stone was placed at one end of the scale.

Shilott's smile froze. He touched him, but he didn't bring anything. Then he looked at Bertard, and the impoverished captain of the bodyguard only took out two letters and a few sweet and sour cocoa beans to eat as a snack.

The boy thought for a moment. This mason leader's skills are really good, and he can be recruited into his own technical team. So he took out a jade letter talisman and gave it to the mason leader with a majestic look.

The leader of the mason held the jade talisman and looked at it for a moment, with doubts on his face. Immediately, he weighed the jade talisman, expressing his dissatisfaction frankly.

"Sir Priest, this piece of jade has been engraved with a strange square pattern, and it is no longer worth processing. The weight is too light, even if you sell it to a noble, it will only be worth half a bag of gold!"

Xiulote's face turned black, of course his name was engraved on the jade talisman. He was a little unswerving, and looked at the mason leader majestic.

The leader of the mason shrank, looked at the young man's delicate face, and speculated about the young man's priesthood. Immediately, he tried his best to hold his head high, his eyes widened, and he bravely looked at the boy.

"Sir Priest, you can't take all these four things. I, Lozano, are the best masons in this piece, and I make the best things in this piece! Well, the earplugs are worthless, I can give them to you. The rest The stone mirror, cup or lens, you can only change the jade talisman for the same!"

Shiroute had a dark face and did not speak.

Bertard smiled. He stepped forward, and under the vigilant gaze of the mason leader, he suddenly made his move quickly and easily suppressed the opponent's resistance. Then, before the mason chief shouted for help, the samurai chief said something in a low voice.

The head of the mason's expression froze, he looked at Bertard in disbelief, and the samurai captain nodded lightly. Immediately, he looked at Shiloh again, the boy was expressionless.

"You... don't try to deceive me! I, Lozano, are the best masons in this area, and I have a lot of knowledge! How did the noble highnesses come to this craftsman's district?"

Bertard shook his head. He squeezed his lower lip and let out an eagle cry. Soon, more than a dozen elite warriors poured in from the door of the workshop. The warriors wore leather armor, held a shield in one hand, and a bronze axe in the other.

Facing the chilling samurai, the craftsmen in the workshop all slumped on the ground, shivering. Lozano's expression was dull. He opened his mouth wide and looked at the noble family crests on the leather armor of the warriors. After a long time, the best mason fell to his knees with a plop, his forehead touched the ground, and there was a thud. Then the sweat poured down, and he was speechless.

Shulot sighed. This kind of **** plot is really not what he hoped to encounter. He pondered for a moment, but still spoke solemnly.

"Lozano, you have been recruited 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 remembered something and turned back to add.

"I took the things. Two bags of golden sand, go to the High Priest's Palace tomorrow to get them."

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

Seeing this scene, Shulot's forehead felt a faint pain. He shook his head, smiled again, and left without looking back.

The sun slanted slightly to the west, and the group finally came to the pottery area. Under the bright sunlight, the pottery with various colors of glaze is gilded and colorful, and the bright patterns outline the vivid flowers, birds, fish and insects, and the images are like life.

Shulot did not enter the workshop again. He just walked slowly on the street, carefully watching the production of the potters on both sides. The potters were predominantly female, as in 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 used a special stone tool to throw and wash it. Next, the shaped pottery is burned in a campfire or simple kiln, allowing the clay to harden into pottery. Finally, paint a variety of different colors to draw a bright pattern. The pattern of pottery should be closer to daily life, and the proportion of gods will be significantly reduced.

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

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

Afterwards, the boy picked up a multicolored pottery bowl and looked at it carefully. The body of the bowl is painted with colorful glaze of animals and plants, and the depiction is lifelike. The bottom of the bowl is a neat cross-shaped grid, each grid is no more than half the size of a fingernail. He looked at Bertard suspiciously.

The samurai chief nodded slightly.

"Your Highness, this is the tool bowl that commoners use to grind peppers, as well as a small amount of corn and beans. The grid pattern is used to grind plants. This bowl is also used by minor nobles to grind spices and herbs. , the great nobles will use golden or silver bowls."

Shulotte nodded. He looked at the potter girl who came over. She has a pair of 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.

"One big bunch, no, two big bunches of cocoa beans!"

In Shilot's mind, he calculated that two large handfuls of cocoa beans were less than a hundred, probably only worth twenty or thirty tortillas, or a few tenths of a bag of golden sand. Ordinary pottery is indeed cheap and a necessity for all civilian life. The art of pottery in Mesoamerica has fully matured and spread, and high-quality clays are everywhere. Many commoner families make their own pottery.

Shuluo nodded, and the warrior behind took out a small tube of golden sand and handed it to the surprised potter girl. Long-term contact with high-quality white clay kaolin is like using high-grade cosmetics all the time. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com makes the girl's hands white and translucent, like soft and beautiful porcelain.

The boy stared at the porcelain-like jade hand and was gradually attracted. He subconsciously reached out and held it, rubbing it slightly, feeling the familiar softness, delicacy and smoothness. His thoughts flew far and wide, to the far side of the ocean, the distant place where memories and nostalgia were made.

"The nine autumn winds dew the kilns open, and they won the green color of Qianfeng."

On the Mexica Plateau, there is no shortage of high-quality raw soil, but the technology of firing porcelain is lacking. 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 luxury is not very helpful to the Mexicans in the Warring States, and the simple pottery is enough for daily life. Or wait until the world is ruled, and then make exquisite porcelain to harvest the wealth of the nobles!

Thinking of this, Shiroute smiled sadly. He shook the china in his hands again, but felt the soft temperature, and a suppressed whisper came from his ear. The young man came back to his senses in astonishment. He raised his head, and in front of him was a girl with a drooping head, her swan-like neck was already blushing. Her breathing was weak and rapid, and she seemed to have lost her strength and made no resistance.

Shilot was stunned for a while. Then he shook his head and smiled, let go of his hand, glanced again, and turned away without looking back. After a while, the boy was gone.

Bertard waved, and the warriors quickly followed the guards. He picked up the colorful bowl that was hurriedly left by the young man and forgot to take away, and smiled lightly. Then he looked at the potter girl. The other party was on tiptoe, looking away from the person in disappointment. I don't know when, the golden sand has slipped from the hand to the ground, shaking a circle of ripples in the pottery tube.

The samurai chief shook his head. He wrote down the location of the shop and the appearance of the girl, and also strode away.